TheArchduke and the Gentleman Bastards lead the Mongol Horde

[suboptimal]

It might be possible to builder and warmonger at the same time, particularly once Magnus is on board - chop into a unit, overflow to a non-unit, lather, rinse, repeat.

Regarding scouting, we've found two rivers that are flowing to the coast. Odds are reasonable that one of them will have a city-state along them, so you may need to head for the coast to find one. Since the settler is fourth in the build order there would be time to get the warrior to loop south for a bit, then turn west, find the coast and get back for escort duty. Scouting is always a crap shoot, but if it were me I'd head west first, find the coast on Settervision then make a counterclockwise loop. It might be worth loading an SP game in debug mode to see how much space may be around us. The Inland Sea script also likes tucking city-states in out of the way spots (see Armagh and Zanzibar in PBEM 6).

Regarding chariots, I don't know -- yes, they're early, would be 31 vs. 30 for a war cart and might be good for murderizing a city-state. My one question would be how the war-carts' "no penalties against anti-cavalry" works - does that mean spears don't get their +10? If it doesn't then spears might be the more effective defense against Sumeria. Against players I don't know if chariots are the way to go except for knight upgrades - spears now get the +50% production bonus from Agoge, I don't expect there to be enough flat ground to get a mobility advantage and they aren't boosted by a GG. Encampments/horses might be the way to go as far as players are concerned.

[TheArchduke]

It might be possible to builder and warmonger at the same time, particularly once Magnus is on board - chop into a unit, overflow to a non-unit, lather, rinse, repeat.  

Regarding scouting, we've found two rivers that are flowing to the coast.  Odds are reasonable that one of them will have a city-state along them, so you may need to head for the coast to find one.  Since the settler is fourth in the build order there would be time to get the warrior to loop south for a bit, then turn west, find the coast and get back for escort duty.  Scouting is always a crap shoot, but if it were me I'd head west first, find the coast on Settervision then make a counterclockwise loop.  It might be worth loading an SP game in debug mode to see how much space may be around us.  The Inland Sea script also likes tucking city-states in out of the way spots (see Armagh and Zanzibar in PBEM 6).

Regarding chariots, I don't know -- yes, they're early, would be 31 vs. 30 for a war cart and might be good for murderizing a city-state.  My one question would be how the war-carts' "no penalties against anti-cavalry" works - does that mean spears don't get their +10?   If it doesn't then spears might be the more effective defense against Sumeria.  Against players I don't know if chariots are the way to go except for knight upgrades - spears now get the +50% production bonus from Agoge, I don't expect there to be enough flat ground to get a mobility advantage and they aren't boosted by a GG.  Encampments/horses might be the way to go as far as players are concerned.

The added issue is, going W means slugging through jungle. But I have been burned before by that assumption. See PBEM #2 for mroe information on that.
Spears won´t get their +10 against Sumeria. They are useless.

I think I will limit myself and build no warriors and few archers. We will use cavalry because this is where it is at.

Horseman are better, but I need something to work with before my economy gets off the ground and to deter Sumeria. I think Heavy Chariots are the way to go here.

[suboptimal]

The river the warrior just found looks like it's fully south of the jungle belt so I don't know that it'd be slogging through the jungle. Maybe going up on the desert hill just west might give enough visibility to make a determination?

[TheArchduke]

The river the warrior just found looks like it's fully south of the jungle belt so I don't know that it'd be slogging through the jungle.  Maybe going up on the desert hill just west might give enough visibility to make a determination?

My apologies, but that is a terrible idea. We want to cover ground fast, and we are much better off going a bit of course but quickly. If I move that warrior on the hill I would need a 2nd move to go to the river and then a 3rd one to cross.

Thus we go SW and then decision time, W or SE. In retrospect I should have spotted the lake and hill tile under the fog, so I will need to waste one turn moving up or turn back.

   

And I regret my decision until I turn on settlervision.
This has to be a CS, or Cornflakes put Sumeria 10 space next to me.

   

Let´s hope for cultural(+2), religious(+2 and thus +1 from city planning) or at least military (+2) in that order. All other boosts do not boost the early game enough imo.

[TheArchduke]

In a rather unorthodox SP game I decided to research mining, AH and then hard(without eureka)research The Wheel, preparing for a Chariot rush supported by +50% policy cards.

Now, Heavy Chariots get the +3 CS.

   

And. Accepting no delegation, sending one on my own and then a trade route, gives.

   

Sweet Mother of Mercy. They unstacked GGs but stacked intelligence?

I reevaluating the situation in a MP Human enviroment, as no delegations will be accepted except for someone really thick and Magnus can crunch out defenders. Still, +9 CS and then perhaps with spies which never get build even more access.

Holy Moley.

[TheArchduke]

Turn 5

Moving close to a CS and Alhambram seems to have found a natural wonder. Good for him.

I doubt he cleared a close barbcamp.

   

[TheArchduke]

1 turn per day, nice pace.

Turn 6

Encounter Granada. Longterm bonus rather mediocre. Location suboptimal. I will build encampments, so I might keep them around. Then again my chariots needs training, so no.

   

I am the last to second to size 2, Emperor K is still size 1.

This probably means 4 food tiles were worked by everyone else, so my scout is the first to finish.

   

Turn 7

Continent found, scout done.

Resist temptation to build a 2nd scout like I do in SP. Slinger next, then builder. Scouting trumps minor efficiences like an early builder on this map.

   

[TheArchduke]

   

Southeast corner visible, so.

If I assume mirrored starting positions and there is no reason why I should not, it seems I will have another player in a jungle middle start and 2 players each in the southern and northern long corridors. There is no player in the southeast as I was first to Granada.

So:

X means player
O means land
S means sea


OOXOOOXOO
OSSSSSSSSSO
XSSSSSSSSSX
OSSSSSSSSSO
OOXOOOXOO

One city state each is probably not enough as that would mean 6 CS, so either there is one on the coast west of my start or another one hiding in the fog in the east or southeast somewhere.

The question is where to scout next.

I am tempted to let my slinger go west, my warrior make a semi-circle to the SW, S, E and back to my start and the scout N and then W.
So basically my warrior will scout out any player who is likely to be about SW or W of my warrior or turn around and go east.

Not sure actually, will think. I did not screw scouting up too much in PBEM 6 so I should try not to make an ass of myself this time.

Two players got 1 era score, so they probably met.

[suboptimal]

The scouting plan looks good. I doubt that there'd be a city-state tucked in between Camorr and the edge of the map. Likewise, the coast should have some usable land, especially with the rivers. If it were me I'd be tempted to head a bit W before turning in a semi-circle with the warrior, if only to find the corner of the sea.

[TheArchduke]

The scouting plan looks good.  I doubt that there'd be a city-state tucked in between Camorr and the edge of the map.  Likewise, the coast should have some usable land, especially with the rivers.  If it were me I'd be tempted to head a bit W before turning in a semi-circle with the warrior, if only to find the corner of the sea.

I will put the warrior on the hill and then decide.

I could perhaps do a circle by going SE, W, NW, N to the coast.

I am a bit traumatized by that awesome Natural Wonder in the corner of PBEM 6, would hate to miss it this time around.

I agree if there is another CS near me it is W of the capital or close to my warrior somewhere.