[SPOILERS] [PB46] TBW

[TBW]

I've played in about half of the pitbosses on Badgame, I joined this one because Krill demanded sacrifices in exchange for fixing the mod we're using in the latest pitboss over there. I play at Emperor level in single player and I usually end up in at least the top half in Badgame pitbosses so I feel like I should do okay here.

If anybody needs my password for any reason this game my password is frog.

[Mardoc]

I've played in about half of the pitbosses on Badgame, I joined this one because Krill demanded sacrifices in exchange for fixing the mod we're using in the latest pitboss over there.

Huh, I thought that was a joke the first time I heard it.  Krill's a little more ruthless than I thought.

I play at Emperor level in single player and I usually end up in at least the top half in Badgame pitbosses so I feel like I should do okay here.

Sounds like you'll be fine.  The people who face plant are usually people used to AI leniency or people who can't stand anything but first place.

Looking forward to your reports.  It's always the newcomers who show us the spots where our metagame isn't actually right.

[TBW]

Obviously I always want to win, but I just like Civ 4 and I figure it's a game with 4-10+ people playing and only one person can win.

[The Black Sword]

[TBW]

Looks like a good start for a Fishing/X civ. Maybe Rome or America. Rome is always a good pick just because praetorians are viable city crackers until riflemen hit the field and America is appealing because I really like the look of armouries as a barracks replacement. If everybody has starts similar to this then I expect the good Fishing/X civs to go first, and I'd prefer to not end up with Fishing/Mysticism as my starting techs if I can avoid it. Leader-wise, I generally prefer AGG/X, and this starting location looks like a really solid one for Ragnar. I'm going to prioritize my civilization pick over my leader pick because I doubt that every AGG leader in the game will be gone by the time I get my pick and if they are, I could pick someone like Roosevelt and go for GLH.

[TBW]

Pretty happy to get Rome. I'm leaning toward either Alexander (for AGG + extra leverage on the forum GPP boost) or Pacal, for the faster work boats and 70% cheaper forums + FIN. Frankly, any one of AGG/PHI/FIN should work out well with Rome here.

I'm definitely curious about why Inca was the first pick. Terraces seem like a better unique building now that they're 15 hammers cheaper than regular granaries and they have monument functionality built in, but quechuas are pointless unless you're warrior rushing somebody who goes Archery and gets an archer out before they have axes, spears, or just a couple warriors of their own.

[TBW]

I decided to go with Shaka here because he gets me AGG, my favorite trait, along with EXP giving me cheaper workers and work boats + cheaper unique markets and harbors. Pacal would have been the ideal choice, which showed when he was the first leader anybody picked. Since I've never played with most of the people in this game, I can't really do a writeup about players, but I will do one about my opinion on the leader/civ picks.

[boak]

please kill beardbeard and make him meltdown again

[boak]

make more posts so i can heckle you

[TBW]

Old Harry + Hitru: Victoria [FIN/IMP] of Inca
Inca giving you pseudo-PRO for building granaries is nice, especially since Inca granaries have monuments built in so you're getting 90 hammers worth of building for half price. FIN will be good on a map with as much coast as this one and it's hard to make IMP a bad trait. The UU is pointless, though, since I don't think I've ever seen a warrior rush that runs into archers without a single axe or spear for backup.

Commodore: Wang Kon [FIN/PRO] of Mongolia
To me, the point of picking Mongolia is to go AGG/X and bowl over somebody with keshiks coming from your half price Gers. Taking a FIN/PRO leader doesn't have a lot of synergy with that in the way that somebody like Ragnar or especially Boudica would.

Borsche: Suryavarman [EXP/CRE] of Persia
EXP + CRE is a powerful combo because you can get faster settlers and the borders to consolidate your territory quicker. Immortals aren't very impressive to me as a UU (chariots are only relevant as a city attacker if your opponent doesn't understand how to garrison a border city), but getting an extra 25% maintenance reduction from markets will be powerful and should help a lot with his economy as he expands with his cheap settlers.

GeneralKillCavalry: Darius [FIN/ORG] of Aztecs
Darius is always a good choice for a leader, and half price on courthouses that are already cheaper and come at Monotheism will be powerful for his maintenance and especially espionage needs. Jaguars aren't particularly thrilling as a UU (though the extra healing from Woodsman III will be nice when he has a few in stacks with higher tech units).

Krill: Hannibal [FIN/CHM] of England
FIN/CHM is a powerhouse of an economic combo, especially with lots of coasts, and England's UU getting free Amphibious is going to mean he can pull off some nasty landings at Rifling. Hopefully somebody's put a hurting on him before rifles are relevant. Stock Exchanges giving 15% research instead of an extra 15% gold is going to be a boost, especially since he'll have cities that are well developed when Banking rolls around. If nobody hobbles him, this combo's going to be hard to beat in the later game.

2MetraNinja: Mao [EXP/PRO] of Ethiopia
EXP/PRO is a nice economic combo, and their UU/UB are both really good now. Drill 2 and 4 on muskets means sieging down his stacks will be twice as hard, and stele gives him free Sentry on all his units + an early Great Merchant slot, so he'll be able to get through the pre-Currency black hole easier than other people.

Elkad: Churchill [CHM/PRO] of Native America
Trackers are half price monuments that you can build in other cities as well as starting with Woodsman III to make a nice GG medic and totem poles mean his archers will be even tougher garrisons, on top of CHM giving him easier promos and PRO giving him free Drill I and III on all of them. Attacking this guy's going to suck bad before rifles/cannons to break his super longbow stacks.

Pindicator: Pacal [EXP/FIN] of Arabia
EXP/FIN is going to be a terrific combo on this map, and Arabia's madrassas are a great UB, especially if he gets them up early enough to get the 1000 year double culture bonus. Camel knights are a nice UU because you can keep pressing the attack thanks to free March on all of them

Gavagai: Stalin [AGG/IND] of Germany
AGG/IND Germany looks like a dangerous combo with German forges giving -25% maintenance. Stosstrupps don't seem like a very exciting UU (grenadiers with an extra 2 strength), but this guy's also one of only two IND players so he'll be in the running for a lot of wonders.

Rusten: Isabella [EXP/SPI] of India
I think SPI is an underrated trait, being able to swap in and out of Caste System and Serfdom outside of GAs gives you a lot more flexibility in the midgame. Their UU looks absurd, pikemen that can stand up to cavalry. This civ also gets a pseudo-PRO granary that adds 1 happiness, which will be a good boost early on when people are still whipping a lot and possibly luxury starved.

BeardBeard: Charlemagne [PRO/IMP] of HRE
Getting immunity to knights at Feudalism is a big boost for HRE and Charlemagne is a good leader for taking advantage of that. IMP means he'll be able to get settlers out to his best hill sites and secure them faster and landsknechts mean nobody will be able to pry him off of those hill, unless he fucks up, which I know from Badgame is a distinct possibility.

BaII: Mehmed [EXP/ORG] of Khmer
Khmer as a civ is pretty much impossible to invade until cavalry because of ballista elephants, so this guy can focus pretty heavily on his expansion and put less hammers into defensive garrisons as long as he has elephants available. EXP is popular on this map for a reason.

superdeath: Boudicca [AGG/CHM] of America
I think this pick combined with the Armoury building is going to be a dangerous one. Armouries are basically counterfeit Gers for horses and also give you a big boost to axes and swords. The 5 exp before any civic or other building bonuses means this guy can put out formation spears, city raider 2 swords, etc with just a 30 hammer investment.

Adler: Julius Caesar [IMP/ORG] of Sumeria
ORG and Sumeria are a natural combination, cheap courthouses that show up at Writing meshes well with his 50% faster settler production. Building Ziggurats early instead of getting your libraries up can be a trap but I suspect somebody smart enough to pick Julius Caesar of Sumeria won't fall into that one.

Dark Savant: Bismark [EXP/IND] of Mali
Mints getting 10% research to go along with 10% gold makes them significantly better, and you'd be building them in as many cities as you can spare the hammers for anyway. IND goes well with that so I suspect this guy will be the one to grab GLH, and EXP means he'll be able to take advantage of those extra trade routes with lots of harbors.