(December 15th, 2018, 09:59)suboptimal Wrote: The fact that there's an archer in Asilah and the city defense is only 27 presents an opportunity we may wish to consider. It would take 6-7 attacks to take down the walls with the longships we have at the city and then another 3-4 attacks to take the city outright (depending on the damage the garrison takes in the meantime). That would be 5-6 turns with the longboats we have, attacking with two and rotating out as they get injured. However, if we were able to take the city we could then flood the Med from there (and it would get done before the settler got that far). Maybe keep 3-4 ships here to attack and send the remaining ships ahead to scout/pillage? With ships in the area the AI won't have the archer leave the city until it builds another unit and that could take a while yet. We should probably grab that builder and take out the Commercial Hub while we're at it since those are both fat targets. Also remember that given how you can't move into/through the fog with two units in a line blocking we could, theoretically, block the Strait of Gibraltar while we conduct the attack, in which case we plug the Straits with the navy while two attack the city.
I am truly glad to have you as dedlurker, because I somehow overlooked this possibilty!
Otherwise I did already start attack at turn 16. If Asilah still have archer in city, I shall start full attack on city with Longships, hopefully not too late.
When human players progress, city states do progress along with human players, so there is chance that Asilah suddenly got city strength of 40 soon or more advanced units in city.
And blocking strait of Gibraltar, bit underhanded but I consider to do it. If Grotlizard demand access, we can ask them to pay toll?
Let's go for it and see what happens. The Swedes won't be able to interfere at the city and blocking the strait, while "underhanded", doesn't violate the gentleman's agreement. I'd be curious to see how they negotiate a toll under AI-only diplo but we may find out.
Attacked Asilah, two Longships besieging the city both has promotion available for some healing, also untouched fishing tiles under them for other healing round.
Note pikeman is over there, if he moves back in city, we can't capture Asilah with Longships alone anymore.
And blockade is succesful, despite one 7 mover Swedish Longship attempting to sneak through, the blockade was just in time.
That Swedish Longship don't have view at water tile 2E due hill, but if it promote for extra sight, it shall able to see that tile, so it depends upon can it promote or not?
In case that Grotlizard can't go thorugh Strait, let's check what we can get from them.
715 gold and 77 GPT currently, shall we ask for 750 gold and 75 GPT to allow pass if they can't pass?
Around Dun Breatann the siege continues, keep eye for possible Danish snipe.
First of two Huscarl completes, start commerical hub and market.
So far, so good at Asilah. Crossing my fingers on that pikeman. When it comes time to use the promotions for healng it might be worth swapping the attacking boats with the ones in the strait first so that we don't lose a turn of attacks. Looks like the walls might go down in three turns instead of four. That would help out a bit as well.
I think we don't ask for any sort of gold from Grotlizard first. Let them take the initiative and start sending offers (maybe even for more than one turn), at which point we hit them with your max offer and see how they respond. In checking the coast it appears that the Swedes also didn't pillage the citrus plantation at Lisbon. Might be worth having one of the late-arriving longships hit it on the way down for the gold, depite the risk of getting converted.
Still baffled about the Danes -- their beserkers seem to be holed up somewhere in England. It might be worth trying to locate them once we're done at Dun Breatann.
Any thoughts about the timing of a raid into France to take Paris or the city SE of Utrecht?
Given how the other scoring works (refer to the image I posted on Page 1) I don't think it's a large component unless one civ does all the conquering. The empire scores in this scenario are 25VP per city and 10 VP per population. We're lagging both opponents but are well ahead of the Swedes (due to pillaging and religion scores) and just behind the Danes (because of the fewer cities).
In long term we may be concerned about Sweden, but it is just them playing towards their strength, namely expanding in empty Russian lands.
Norway pillages and reaches Vinland as best civ, while Denmark is the main choice to conquer enemy cities.
I think the winner is going be someone who can do two other aspects the best aside the best aspect for the chosen civ. In our case it means conquering and expanding aside reaching Vinland and pillaging.
Turn 18:
GA reached Vinland but run out of movement points, so next turn activate to get 1000 VP and 500 gold.
Longship pillaged a hut around Greenland, just extra exp points for Longship.
I think that we are going capture Dun Breatann next turn, though might lose 1 Longship or 1 Berserker or both in process. Dun Breatann is going be 5th city for Engineering boost.
Oslo completed Huscarl and boost for Viking, so 4 turns left for non faith pillage. Oslo don't have any better than encampment to build right now.
I did send Huscarls to south but while typing this report I got idea that I can send them to barb camp instead east of Nidaros for some extra coin.
At Asilah, Pikeman walked in direction of city, please don't enter!
Pillaged commerical hub and citrus was already pillaged by Grotlizard. The blockade is still on and no request from either Chevduke or GrotLizard.
Speaking about Grotlizard, they have gold 1000 gold and 88 GPT for potential toll but I saw something else interesting:
Pay attention to first line: pillaged a market with Berserker. Wait which market? There shouldn't be markets left around to pillage and I didn't see Swedish Berserkers moving past Norway and Denmark.
Then I suddenly realized a possilbity: Tmutarakan commerical hub? That is city situated south of Ukraine which means that Grotlizard probably sent their Berserker all the way across map to pillage area where Norway and Denmark hasn't arrived by miles.
This would be good move by Grotlizard to be succesful in long term: pillaging tiles in southeastern Europe and maybe even conquer Byzantines.
-took Dun Breatann, no causalties which is nice. Boost for Engineering, also killed a French knight around Utrecht, giving boost for Lancers.
-activated 1st GA.
-that stupid pikeman moved in Asilah, so siege is aborted and continue pillaging.
-Grotlizard indeed brought in a double promoted Longship to cover tiles east of blockade with extra sight promotion, so blockade aborted and race towards pillageable tiles starts between Norway and Swedish Longships.
-Chevduke reached Viking civic and Hacksilver tech
Bummer about the pikeman moving into the city but I guess I can't complain too much about the AI doing something reasonable. The beserker force from England can follow up if we want to take the city (after Wintancaester).
When opening save a message flashed: We have completed Monotheism, Nidaros somehow converted to Catholicism resulting in a majority religion.
So no 100 gold per pillage anymore, I still do continue pillaging and some attack on embarked enemy units for some GA points.
And around core:
With Monotheism reached, I lifted the cap for growth and all cities are growing like a weed.
Units around Dun Breatann are still healing, next turn also still healing I think, but I shall buy battering ram in Dun Breatann next turn. After that on route to Wintancaester which hasn't been attacked by anyone yet.
Note a Danish battering ram next Odense, is Chevduke planning to invade Aix-la-Chapelle?
I bought a settler in Dun Breatann, Dun Breatann got extra population from hut in Greenland. I plan to send settler to Iceland:
It is not a bad spot, two fish tiles for plently growth and harbor/commerical hub together is worth 75 points already. Whale is extra amenity for whole empire, boosting growth everywhere.
Greenland don't have such location similar as Iceland, only reason whould be ivory resource, but is that worth extra city here?
