41 Vice: Commodicator/Pindore

[Commodore]

Does the start and the work boat change in 0.8.5 make you value EXP any more?

Not particularly? I like paying less for the scout, but it's not a huge boost.

[pindicator]

I just realized what the map is going to do to us.

If you take to the mapmaker conspiracy that we were matched up because of the history of crazy wars and irrational attacks made by both parties in an attempt to boost lurker appeal (just like NBA, it's all fixed for ratings!), to the point of exasperated absurdity, and if you look at all the other players who is the one person who stands out as filling that role?

Perhaps a person that we both dog-piled last game to the point of having him drop out of the game?

Yep, Gavagai within fifteen tiles. Mark it.

[Commodore]

Well, here's the thing. I have a tier list. And related thoughts. I'm just going to float this here like an impolite turd in the punchbowl.
Us (!)
Gavagai
The Twins
Rusten
Naufragar
Mr. Cairo
Superdeath
Donovan Zoi

-I'm pretty sure anyone in the top half exclusively surrounded by the bottom half will win.
-I'm pretty sure if we begin next door to Gavagai we both lose.
-I'm pretty sure Superdeath will screw up someone's early game along with his own.
-I'm pretty sure nobody is going to die like a chump.

Those priors being what they are...what do we do?

[Mardoc]

Your second round options:

India
Gilgamesh (Cre, Pro)
Roosevelt (Ind, Org)

[pindicator]

More like GilgaYES, am I right?

Not sure on India. The worker is nice, even if it doesn't speed the capital up much, but starting techs a little slow. Still, we can go Hunting > BW and a second city at size 3. I might get some time to sim, but this weekend is going to be a busy one for me.

[Commodore]

Giggles. Giggles Giggles Giggles! GIGGLES!!!!

Really not sure about India.

[pindicator]

By executive order we hereby

1. KEEP GIGGLES, so that our civ may be a joyous land full of laughter and cheap granaries; and
2. REFUSE and REROLL India, as our workers are slothful and feel intimidated and insecure in the presence of faster cousins

[Commodore]

And we get Mali on the last roll. Sweet, I've never been them. Makes the Bronze vs. Pots question very difficult, though.

[Commodore]

Picks are in! Let's get some quick thoughts:


Superdeath (psychotic, tryhard) is Isabella (spiritual, expansive) of Carthage (Fishing, Mining, FAKE Numidians, Cothon)

I'm unfond of Superdeath as a player, although I have nothing against him as a person. He's prone to destructive actions that don't personally benefit his own civilization, as seen in the early games of 38, 39, and 40. Also, his internal development is a little...okay, a lot awful. See 40, going dozens of turns with cities unconnected to his trade routes. Credit where it's due, he's spiky on defense and willing to implement specific plans competently, chasing key wonders, etc. He's yet to gel the big picture yet, though. He's also in All the Games.

 
Mr. Cairo (builder, careful) is Pericles (creative, philosophical) of Sumer (Agriculture, Wheel, Vulture, Ziggurat)

Confession time: I'm jealous of this leader. Pericles is awesome and we really wanted philosophical. Sumeria is in conflict with creative, though, as you really want to get to Priesthood for the tasty cheap courthouses, but that isn't needed for culture and blocks some bulb paths. Eh, it's okay. That's also my feeling about Cairo, he's reasonable but I haven't seen much flashiness from him.

 

Rusten (singleplayer, planner) is Saladin (protective, spiritual) of the Celts (Mysticism, Hunting, Gaelic Warrior, Dun)

Dang. Rusten won the pick phase. Our combo is easier but I'd kill to swap with Rusten's. Saladin has protective speed with the fun of spiritual swaps, and I still have yet to play with Super Swords of 2-movingness. Rusten will be able to leverage these elements well, he's a very good player of Civilization 4. Realms Beyond Modded Pitboss Games, though, are a bit...departed...from the base Civilization 4 game experience. The base skillset will transfer, and I expect that Rusten will be a quick study. Dangerous man, he'll win wonders and might have learned to push in the Classical Era. He's got a scary toolset if that was his takeaway.

 
Gavagai (machine, relentless) is Zara (creative, organized) of the Dutch (Agriculture, Fishing, East Indiaman, Dike)

Our very favorite Russian Stereotype, Gavagai is a very competent player of the basic game and almost face-blind non-player of the metagame. I love watching him play, very entertaining, and to Gav's credit he has done some excellently unorthodox things, like winning the Alae game with dozens of cuirs overwhelming an infantry-defended capital. As Pindicator referenced, though, he was driven to rage-quit due to our dogpile in the last game, so I expect he'll hold a grudge. Fortunately, he's got a late-blooming combination that wants to go long, so I think he'll be careful. Don't trust, but I don't think he'll randomly go berzerk.

 
Naufragar (fresh, courageous) is Suryavarman (creative, expansive) of Babylon (Agriculture, Wheel, Bowman, Garden)

I don't think we've had a Freshman Thread as good as Nafragar's PB38 in a long, long time. He's kind of the Antirusten. New to the game, but has read a ton of RB and was extremely aware of the personalites involved. Rusten began with brilliance, but was handled by Mackoti without a sweat, while Naufragar shocked Mackoti with a williningness to actually fight. Sadly, several newbish mistakes meant his courage was largely wasted, but I expect him to learn. He's got a fast leader and a very...okay civilization. Bowmen are nicer now at least thanks to the power of Nuswords. I don't have strong feelings about the combo, but the player is worth respecting.


Donovan Zoi (inoffensive, bumble-prone) is Hannibal (finacial, charismatic) of Turkey (Agriculture, Wheel, Jannisary, Hannam)

Donovan had one of the most fascinating beginnings I've heard of, bumbling his start in 38 but sort of accidently turning it into a successful holkan rush. And then...he struggled to link his empire(s) together and just sort of quietly stagnated the rest of the game. His Turks, led by the Grace of Baal, aren't showing me much to think this game will be different. It'll be a very happy empire, eventually. Fishing villages on Big and Small are very nice with finacial. But it'll be slow; of all the field, this is the one we most want to neighbor, he's not going to blossom pre-knights. So...yum.
 
 

The Twins (Gators, Bulldogs) are Mao (expansive, protective) of Persia (Agriculture, Hunting, Immortal, Apothecary)

Boldly Space Going Tyrant Nowhere Xenu are, like all identical twins, basically the same person but they think they're really really different from each other. Prone to grudges, extremely obsessive micro, cautious about offensives. Good players. They have a very good combination, almost our combo, really. Very fast leader running an early-blooming civilization. I like immortals better than skirmishers (and they neatly counter our UU, yikes), but a grocer replacement obviously barely matters. I'm upgrading these guys to the biggest threat to win besides us, although less personally dangerous than some others.

[Mardoc]

Boldly Space Going Tyrant Nowhere Xenu are, like all identical twins,

Wait, what? I knew they were brothers, but I didn't think they even have the same birthday, let alone...