Alhambram toast his first PBEM game with Russian vodka

[Alhambram]

Turn 76, 4 more turns!:

Founded my religion: Weedy Movement .
   

St. Petersburg is holy city and both Astrakhan and Rostov are converted already.
I managed to purchase two missionaries already and next turn I shall get 3rd (120 faith for 3rd missionary). I shall spread one of them to Desertgrad since it is under pressure of Woden's religion.
Other two shall go to TheArchduke and oledavy's cities after I take Vilnius.

I stopped producing galley in Rostov and started building monument. Also 2 more turns for theology, next turn I swap to military training.
Woden became suzerain of Toronto too, I shall use my envoy from Theology to claim suzerainty of Toronto since it is closer towards Jungle Cruise and then use envoy from Military Training to claim suzerainty of Zanzibar around turn 85.
Seems that war is going be wrong way for me and it is becoming an another weedy move, but I already decided to do it and it won't change.
Hopefully another players are feeling up to dogpile if they think that Woden is running away with game. I shall attempt to offer others a joint war against Woden, maybe for example olddavy or TheArchduke can aim for Space Mountain, it isn't far from their lands.

   

[Alhambram]

Turn 77, 3 more turns!:

Woden completed his encampment at Jungle Cruise and with it he can build horseman. He also started to build walls there, good thing that I have battering ram soon! I have to pillage that encampment asap when I declare war at him then take Jungle Cruise.
I rather to not start a tradition on Realm Beyond to raze and settle, but razing Jungle Cruise seem the best option for me at this moment. It also allows Desertgrad steal tiles from Jungle Cruise.
Woden is also capable to send reinforcements to Jungle Cruise fast thanks his road works, so it is difficult to defend it from Woden's counterattack for me. I won't settle a new city in place of Jungle Cruise.

I swapped theology (1 turn left) for military training and I shall swap back to Theology at turn 79. Astrakhan finished Heavy Chariot and next one is complete at turn 81, one later than hoped.
I did read from scoreboard and Great People screen that Singaboy settled his 5th city and tossed down an Hansa. I did send both oledavy and TheArchduke a offer of declaration of friendship.
I need to have friendship to able ask them to do joint war, I wonder whether TheArchduke is willing to have friendship with me since I did reject his offer twice to deliver him Iron.
I also met city state of carthago which is north of oledavy's cities. I am still searching for Singaboy's cities to able spread my religion towards them, maybe my galleys shall find it.

   

[Alhambram]

Turn 78: 2 turns left!

I suspect that Woden upgraded a warrior into swordsman, defensive rate of his cities raised and his treasury did go down a bit.

      

Battering ram completed and instead a builder I decided to build extra heavy chariot instead a builder to make use of maneuver policy card a bit more.
By becoming suzerain of Toronto Woden gained bit more visibility of my army, so I moved some of them around. Also his archer is likely going to encampment, can't do about it now.

Next turn do following things: put envoy in Toronto, finish galley in Rostov and finish theology civic. Also move all units to my desired spots, maybe also move missionaries into visibility range of Woden to make seem that I am moving my units to protect missionaries.

Both oledavy and TheArchduke accepted my declaration of friendship! I am now friends with everyone, although it ends soon with Woden. Currently I can't offer joint war to anyone because I am friend with everyone, I wonder whether I can do it when I am in war with Woden.
Also I wonder do declaring war at Vilnius really mean that Woden automatically declare war despite having a declaration friendship, otherwise I just declare him war when friendship expires.

If you ask me how the odds are, I answer that Woden is likely having a upper hand. But you never know unless you try!

[hzhp800]

Good luck! And thanks again for the great reporting! 

[Rowain]

Also I wonder do declaring war at Vilnius really mean that Woden automatically declare war

No. Attacking the CS does not pull its suzerain automatically into war. Only works the other way round.

[Alhambram]

Turn 79, one turn more before declaration of war against Vilnius:

Hzhp800 thanks for kind comment. Rowain, I shall see it for myself next turn.

I have done everything what I could do this turn: positions my units and set theology and galley on one turn more. Put envoy in Toronto for value of 2 envoys.
Desertgrad is now converted to Weedy Movement, this takes away the danger that Woden's religion might become majority there. I moved my missionary on iron hill of Vilnius to get sight of its whole army.
It is doable with my Oligarchy powered swordsman as long Vilnius don't get own swordsman, so I shall pillage iron mine with Heavy Chariot as originally planned. I shall promote all warriors into swordsman in next turn.
The wounded warrior at lavra is at full health next turn, depending situation I might send him to either front.
Woden got 2 archers around Jungle Cruise and likely warrior/swordsman in city itself and unknown possible reinforcements and walls around city soon.

There is some disappointing international news: oledavy decided to go on warpath again, against Singaboy alone now. I had planned to send oledavy a offer to joint war against Woden, but now oledavy is busy with Singaboy, sigh...
TheArchduke have a declaration of friendship with Woden, I don't know how long it still remain, till that time I don't think that I am able to bring TheArchduke to my side.
Maybe I shall send oledavy a offer to do joint war against Woden in exchange with my iron to make it more likely for oledavy to accept, this way Woden might be paranoia about his cities at east and send some units there instead Jungle Cruise.
I shall check firstly when I am at war with Woden whether it is possible to bring TheArchduke to join against Woden, I also shall offer iron. TheArchduke currently don't wage war and might bring his Great General powered horseman and swordsman (if I gift him iron) to Woden's cities.
Singaboy did complete another Hansa and oledavy reached medevial age (machinery or apprenticeship?).

Next turn I shall knock out Woden of his suzerainty of Toronto and Zanzibar, if I am still at peace with Woden, I won't use envoy from Theology yet. I shall use it if I am declaring war on Woden officially to max out surprise effect.

   

[Alhambram]

Turn 80:

I like to make a announcement for lurkers and guests: there is signing up for PBEM 3 ongoing, if you are interested, you can join. Too if you are guest, you can register at Realm Beyond and sign up for PBEM, same as what I did when I registered at Realm Beyond while PBEM 1 is ongoing to able to play PBEM 2.

Grabbed Great Writer and have him create great work in palace for 4 culture per turn bonus, also knocked Woden out suzerainty of Toronto, same as Zanzibar after completing second galley.
Engineering completed just under 50% I think, so I research it one more turn and combined with walls from Desertgrad, I will complete it next turn, then roughly 10 turns before completion of machinery. 
Swapped my government to Oligarchy and chose following policies:

   

I chose Ilkum in wild card since I want produce some builders quickly until military training is complete after 5 turns, to repair war damage and also improve my lands more.
I upgraded all my warrior into swordsman and declared Vilnius war and as Rowain said, it didn't drag Woden in war against me. Heavy Chariot unfortunately did come movement points short to pillage iron, another Weedy move from me. 
Hopefully Vilnius won't mass upgrade its warrior in swordsman. I did injure one of their warrior and archer though. 

Woden completed walls in Jungle Cruise, I think that he doesn't know that I have battering ram underway to Jungle Cruise. It has been hiding in my lands from his line of sight.
Woden also completed Petra and a campus. Singaboy founded his 6th city, maybe I shall swap Ilkum for colonization at next policy swap, I have room for 3 more cities around my lands.
Woden did complete both research and civic this turn too and if I am not mistaken Woden stayed at Autocracy government. So at this moment I still should have little advantage of having Oligarchy with melee units.

   

If I am not mistaken, declaration of friendship between Woden and me wears off next turn (otherwise at turn 82), what is Woden going to do? Do a preemptive strike against me or play defense and have me to fire first shot?

[Alhambram]

Turn 81:

Declaration of friendship has yet to wear off, I move units around Jungle Cruise to make it appear that they are retreating a bit while my battering ram is nearing closer Woden's borders.
Singaboy became suzerain of Preslav and oleddavy Carthago, both city states are in war with each other too now. oledavy aslo founded his 5th city.
Woden also again became suzerain of Zanzibar, I shall knock his suzerainty out again when I got envoy from military tradition. 

   

All of my cities except Desertgrad are producing builders due in 3 or 4 turns. Destertgrad continues with lavra.
I completed engineering and started research machinery, due in 8 turns thanks my chariot pillaging iron mine, he is dead next turn though. 
I already killed 2 warriors from Vilnius with swordsman, barb archer that was wandering south of Astrakhan got within range of my swordsman standing at lavra and I got rid of nuisance.

[Alhambram]

Turn 82:

Declaration of friendship with Woden wore off and my intuition tells me that declaring war at Woden is now a very bad idea. He just gained some techs and civics, I am afraid that he got crossbowman/mercenaries combo and attacking Woden results in death of my army.
So I decide to send Woden a ultimatum: have a another declaration of friendship for 30 turns. If Woden refuses, I attack. If Woden accepts, than I shall use units from Jungle Cruise to capture Nan Madol.

   

If Woden accepts my declaration of friendship, then I go 100% for missionary spam. In beginning of this thread commodore asked me how protect missionaries. I discovered that the answer is simply: just declare friendship with everyone and your missionaries are safe from player's aggression. Only way to deal with them then is to do religious battle, for that you need apostle or inquisitor. You need all of them: holy site, shrine and temple to able build apostle or inquisitor and neither players do have them.

[Alhambram]

Turn 83:

Woden accepted declaration of friendship, so another 30 turns NAP between us. I think that is good short term choice for us both, but in long term Woden benefits most of it.
Checking domination score our power are about equal, it would be very bloody war if I declared Woden war and Woden have more production to produce more replacement units, I would lose in long term. 

I change target of my army meant for Jungle Cruise towards Nan Madol, I shall add it to my empire.
Vilnius is going become a bit trouble, so I put envoy in Toronto to become its suzerain and Toronto can help me a little against Vilnius. 

Meanwhile TheArchduke declared war on his former buddy Singaboy, so he is helping his former enemy oledavy now. I shall think twice from now when dealing TheArchduke seeing how easy he shifts his allegiance.
Singaboy immediately send me a offer: I give him 100 gold and he shall give one of his cottons to me for 30 turns. I accepted since Singaboy faces two front war now and I don't have intention to have one of other players eliminated too soon.

With three players at east constantly warring and two players at west basically peaceful whole time which allows them to spend more time to building game, it seems that Woden is going win by domination, science or culture victory. My only shot is religious victory, I have two missionaries waiting at Astrakhan to send them to oledavy and TheArchduke, next turn I have enough to purchase another missionary.