[SPOILERS] Dark Savant leads the noble Inca as half-noble Churchiill

[Dark Savant]

Turn 78 (925 BC) - Part 1

I advance our axe on the southern island.  Still no one else in sight, so I plant Sunspear where the settler is, and drop off two workers on the silver.  This city actually improves our economy!

Also, I was wrong about silver placement; there's silver on both ends of the island. 



So JR4 probably doesn't actually have two island cities.  I suppose that's the explanation for my wondering how he has so much stuff.  He still does have a ton of stuff, but we do now have even city count at least.

Our galley will pick up that archer (Kojja Mo) next turn; she will scout the western end of the island.

[Dark Savant]

Turn 78 (925 BC) - Part 2

Northern core:

• The Winterfell work boat still doesn't see anything on the northern island.
  
• Our White Harbor sheep pasture is now half done.
  
• Casterly Rock completes our first chariot, and moves on to a settler.  It should be done in 6 turns, not the stated 7, once some goes away.
  
• Winterfell whips another work boat, and also gets worker labor again; we'll want a road towards Charriu.  I'm planning to whip a galley here once it reaches size 4; I don't think we need all four food resources worked just yet.
  

Southern core:

• The settler from King's Landing is due in 2 turns.  I'm planning to send this one south, and will probably start an archer next.  It will be in double unhappiness for one turn before one fades and silver is connected. 
  
• Oldtown completes a work boat, which heads for Sunspear.  I start another one right away; it's unclear where this will go, but it can scout if nothing else.
  
• Castle Black 2-pop-whips a spear.  (This will head east against any chariots Charriu may be building.)
  
• The cow pasture at Highgarden is half done now.  Highgarden also completes its terrace, and moves on to a barracks.
  

Those islands have a lot of silver and food, so they are prime settling sites even aside from the trade route income from the first settlement.

We're still very much in peaceful expansion mode, though that cannot endure too much longer.

[Dark Savant]

Turn 78 (925 BC) - Part 3

I was wrong about having Iron Working.  It's actually wetbandit, whom I just now have a connection to.



He already has two once-jungled gems connected, too.

I offer him a non-aggression pact immediately.



I'll have to see about bringing more defense to White Harbor, but he still only has a single axe there.  (I cannot surprise that solitary axe with a chariot or two; the terrain is too rough.)

No one else planted a city this turn (only superdeath has yet to play).

[Dark Savant]

Turn 79 (900 BC) - Part 1

No visible unit action this turn.

Northern core:

• Winterfell completes its whipped work boat, and starts on a galley.  It will regrow to size 3 next turn, just in time for borders to expand and two work boats to plant on seafood.
  
• I also have our first chariot already next to Winterfell, and have a road on the corn tile.  It's being rather trusting of Charriu to leave workers on the border unguarded like this (he's had Horses connected for a few turns now); I should stop doing so soon, even if I plan to remain at peace with him.
  
• Winterfell will expand borders next turn, so I can see into his border city.
  

Southern core:

• Oldtown loses an unhappy face.  I have it work the neglected riverside grass cottage for now.
  
• Castle Black completes its whipped spear, and overflows into a chariot, which will complete next turn. 
  
• Highgarden now has a cow pasture.
  
• Improving Sunspear: a work boat will improve the crab next turn; the silver will be connected on t82.  Kojja Mo the archer is to be dropped off next turn, and the turn after that I'm picking up the settler for the western half of the island.
  

[Dark Savant]

Turn 79 (900 BC) - Part 2

There's quite a lot of action on the international front.

JR4 showed up with Alphabet.



I'd offer Open Borders in a heartbeat if he weren't top dog, but he'll get so much more out of a deal than we will.  Our economy is poor enough that I'm not sure I can refuse a trade deal, anyway.  I'm going to take a bit of time to think about it.

Charriu connected Iron just this turn.



That's concerning (though I can't say it's unexpected).  We're still busy expanding to islands, so we're not really in a position to declare war unless his border defense is especially weak.

wetbandit accepted our offer of non-aggression -- openly, so everyone else can see it.  Ah well.

wetbandit also showed a power spike:



I really doubt this is directed at us -- either of wetbandit's other neighbors would be an easier target -- but it's good to bear in mind.

[Dark Savant]

Well, since we only just met JR4, at the moment Open Borders won't be worth more than a couple commerce to us, I think (+1 to King's Landing, +1 to Sunspear).  JR4 is going to get like triple that.

Also, wetbandit declared war on .  They aren't land neighbors, so it's probably just a scouting work boat passing through.

Also also, just 2-pop-whipped his border city.  It already has an ikhanda and a granary, so I'm wondering what this is for.

edit: Wait, I just realized I've been canceling my mining worker on the  border every turn, rather than openly mining like I probably should.  He's probably annoyed I may be building a road on the border, which I don't plan to do.

Well ... even if that's an axe, a Shock axe and a plain C1 axe should barely have odds on my axe and archer.

[OT4E]

I always cancel worker actions. In the thread clarificating 'dont be a jerk' rule though it is considered as bad sportsmanship. But personally I dont see anything wrong with it since you can cancel worker actions even in turn-by-turn mode.

I would finish the road I think. Why not?

[Dark Savant]

I always cancel worker actions. In the thread clarificating 'dont be a jerk' rule though it is considered as bad sportsmanship. But personally I dont see anything wrong with it since you can cancel worker actions even in turn-by-turn mode.

I would finish the road I think. Why not?

That isn't a road; it's a mine.  If I want a road to attack , I can always just put one on the flatland pig on the border.

[OT4E]

I was trying to say that I would finish both mine and road so when I need road it will be already done.

[Dark Savant]

Turn 80 (875 BC) - Part 1

In a predictable move, the first thing I see is JR4's offer of Open Borders.



Mr. "I captured multiple cities from barbarians and built the Great Lighthouse" is going to benefit from this so much more than we do, so I'm inclined to decline even though we are not exactly rolling in cash.  Also, he's got Furs already too.

In another move that I perhaps should have predicted, we discover that Charriu's border city is, um, lightly garrisoned.



That's a lone Combat I axe (on a hill with the maximum fortify bonus).

So he made an aggressive border city plant and garrisoned it far too lightly.  It has a barracks, so it'll expand borders any turn now.

I can have a single chariot in place to attack next turn, and I can empty both Winterfell and Highgarden to bring an archer and two axes just behind it.

That single chariot has ~72.8% odds of winning.  If Charriu's odds don't improve significantly, I think I have to attack immediately, even though I don't actually have an offensive army prepared.

Well, aside from being #1 in power.