[NO PLAYERS] WW err CIV6 Game 4

[Fenn]

Singaboy's got a bold - and detailed - setup for hit. I wonder how much things can go according to plan; with five cities to his name Japper surely won't be crippled by losing just one, while Singaboy has a long distance to move reinforcements across.

[Dreylin]

Japper hasn't updated his domestic situation for a little while, but from 5-10t ago, the only cities over size2 were the capital and the Iron city that Singaboy's targeting - and those two just finishing Settlers. I think it will depend whether Japper is aware enough to actually start building military now or if he thinks he has time to catch up later. He seems a bit too focused on the "ooo look, undefended coastline" ravager - or at least that's how his reporting is slanted. I also didn't see any road down to the Iron, which will hurt maneuvering. I think that city will fall - and be easily held by Crossbows - but the key will be whether Japper can hold his Capital.

[Alhambram]

Well, a little review from me about PBEM 4 till now.

This is more a builder game then other PBEM's which was to be expected since everyone starts on their own islands. However there was handful war declarations which mostly involves pillaging, stealing builders or meeting city states (grabbing defensive tactics inspiration this way), which got little long term consequences. With a major exception of oledavy's move to raze Pizarro which caused CFC Jesterfool a big setback.

I think that CFC Jesterfool was bit too unprepared (he just got 3 slingers and 1 warrior at moment that oledavy made a strike and also CFCJesterfool didn't has a navy). I think it is due lack of multiplayer experience of civilization 6, for example Singaboy did minimize losses from Japper's raids despite viking longships. Former PBEM 2 players did have a firsthand experience how brutal multiplayer game can be and they were much more vigilant towards movements of other players compared with the relative newcomers to civilization 6 multiplayer Japper (his military score is low now which make Singaboy's hands itch) and CFC Jesterfool.  

One thing I think that it is difficult to achieve but very important is to balance your civilization well. Not only strong science but also culture, military, expansion and other things. Singaboy demonstrated very well balanced game here and that is why he is leader. Oledavy at other hand chose for other approach, more spearheading something and when finished another spearhead. He started strongly towards religion and with it achieved he shifted to science. At other hand his expansion got slowed down a bit compared with other players. Woden did go for science and Great People from start which also slowed his expansion for a while. But I am not saying that it is wrong move. It is just specific approach and it is always interesting to see players having their own approach how to play this game, there isn't a wrong one and we shall see whether which results the different approaches delivers. In generally however balanced game is strongest and most difficult way to achieve and Singaboy did pull it off here, kudos for him.

Japper did try with raiding, but Singaboy was too vigilant due his experience with PBEM 2. Most successful raid was done by oledavy instead against CFCJesterfool. TheArchduke is currently silently building his empire, if he is left alone by everyone till industrial age, he might make a comeback with Redcoats which power overwhelms his opponents similar with Cossack's in PBEM 2.

Lately I did adopt getting Political Philosophy as benchmark how well players did. In PBEM 1 Sulla remarked that most players roughly get it at turn 65 (non Roman civilizations), in single player against AI it is a good benchmark. But in multiplayer I would say rather that between turn 50 and 60 is most ideal benchmark (of course how earlier the better). After turn 60 it becomes bit late already to catch up to player who got Political Philosophy firstly. I shall list turns that Political Philosophy was achieved at PBEM 1, 2 and 4 (no 3 due spoilers).

PBEM 1:
Sulla, turn 36. (earliest turn to date, achieved with Roman free monuments and cultural city state, also Sulla beelined for it, ignoring inspiration of State Workforce).
TheArchduke turn 50. (also free Roman monuments, beelined without inspiration of State Workforce).
Teh turn 52. (cultural city state, coffee, god of open sky pantheon. Beelined and no inspiration of State Workforce and notably no Foreign Trade (he could shave 8 turns off by grabbing inspiration of Foreign Trade, thus turn 44 was possible).
Yuris, turn 67. (No cultural bonuses, monuments late due production poor start. Also no inspiration of State Workforce and notably no inspiration for Political Philosophy. Turn 67 was close to turn 65 mentioned by Sulla, but it was already 30 turns after Sulla got Political Phliosophy).

PBEM 2:
Woden, turn 46. (double cultural city state and notably grabbed all ancient civics before grabbing political philosophy. If Woden did beeline, he would get Political Philosophy at turn 36, same as Sulla in PBEM 1. State Workforce was only civic without inspiration).
Oledavy, turn 48. (coffee tiles and Gorgo's ability to harvest culture by killing enemy units, all civics got inspiration and took detour to grab Mysticism before Political Philosophy).
Alhambram turn 55. (put envoy's in two cultural city states and sent trade route to Vilnius. No inspiration for Foreign Trade due stupid scouting, otherwise turn 47 already Political Philosophy, beelined it).    
TheArchduke turn 61. (God of open sky pantheon and coffee tile. Took little detour towards military tradition to grab early Great General producing policy card)
Singaboy turn 66. (beelined, but delayed monuments and other cultural things due barb trouble which forced him to mass build military instead cultural buildings).  

PBEM 4: 
Oledavy, turn 52. (Mainly thanks due his early God of open sky pantheon and notable no other cultural bonuses as monuments, beelined and grabbed all inspirations).
Singaboy, turn 53. (one cultural city state, oral tradition pantheon and beelined for Political Philosophy with inspiration for all required civics on route).
CFCJesterfool, turn 62 (Pantanal natural wonder, beelined, very notably no inspirations for Foreign Trade and Political Philosophy due lack of scouting outside his island).
Japper, turn 66 (Pioiotahi natural wonder, late monuments, beelined and got all inspirations)
Woden, turn 70 (no cultural bonuses and very late monuments, beelined and got all inspirations).
TheArchduke, turn 76? (no bonus and late monuments, Foreign Trade no inspiration, not completely beelined for it and waiting for inspirations).

The common observation is that people who got Political Philosophy before turn 60 generally turned out be leading players till end of game. In case of PBEM 4 I would say that oledavy and Singaboy are favorites at this moment. But Woden with huge science might break this pattern, but Woden still need to overcome roughly 20 turn disadvantage of having no classical government which is currently reflected at score board at this moment. CFCJesterfool did suffer a blow with razing of Pizarro and Japper is starting to get behind which makes him a target of Singaboy now. TheArchduke then, well after PBEM 1 and 2 I was kinda rooting for TheArchduke, but grabbing Political Philosophy at turn 76 is very late and doesn't bode well with oledavy, Woden and Singaboy currently running away in terms of science, culture etc.

And when I saw cornflakes map at beginning of this thread, I excepted that everyone would get their own city states upon their islands which did happen. And generally you would send some galley's to find more city states at this map. But Singaboy took a bold move to embark his builder soon sailing was completed instead building a galley first. Singaboy got rewarded with envoy for Buenos Aires which he put more envoy's into it to become its suzerain. It suzerainty's bonus is very helpful for Singaboy since it allows Singaboy's to stockpile amenities to get almost permanent 10% bonus of all yields in his cities. It is one of reasons why Singaboy is leader now. 
TheArchduke did make other interesting move: he noticed a city state overseas (Valletta) and used visibility range of settler to make contact with it. Unfortunately for him envoy was taken already, but TheArchduke got information that someone is over there in south this way.
All other city states were found by galley's, I did expect Singaboy to find Mohenjo Daro. But I kinda expected that Stockholm would be found by TheArchduke firstly, but Woden instead claimed it boosting his campus/Great People strategy greatly. At same time I expected Woden to find Jerusalem firstly, but oledavy nabbed it before Woden and oledavy is using it now to spread his religion.  

Well, I think that it is all what I want to say here. I shall see how PBEM 4 develops in future.

[Dreylin]

Yeah, Japper's toast.

[shallow_thought]

Yeah, Japper's toast.

And utterly oblivious about it. Poor guy . I've never played MP, but I think even I would be more nervous if I'd spent time annoying pillaging a neighbour who was now at the top of the scoreboard.

[Commodore]

Yeah, Japper's toast.

And utterly oblivious about it. Poor guy . I've never played MP, but I think even I would be more nervous if I'd spent time annoying pillaging a neighbour who was now at the top of the scoreboard.

Pretty common human-as-AI fallacy, though. A theory of mind doesn't always encompass other human players in online games, for some reason.

[Dreylin]

with the third archer upgrade we unlock the boost to machinery:

That should make our skeleton military somewhat more imposing internationally, being last in military is very stressfull I expect to open the save to a war every turn now...

Well he's not oblivious ... he's just not doing anything meaningful about it. Scanning through his pictures it's quite possible that he doesn't have a unit south of Utgard - which is ~9t away from the South coast where Singaboy is going to attack, and it doesn't seem like he's building any.

[SadGit]

So either Singa blocks Dave galley from further scouting but delays the positioning of his horseman or Dave sails on just in time to give a warning of the boating army about to hit Norway. Tense moment, although I dont think it is in time to change Midgards fate.

[Jabah]

How is naval warfare working ?
Is a galley able to oneshot an embarked horse ?

[Dreylin]

I don't think one-shot, no but it would make a dent. However Singaboy does have his own galley escorting the vanguard ... the should see each other next turn as oledavy's galley is 3NW of the pair.