[SPOILERS] TheArchduke blasts into Space as Russia

[Modo]

I can second that.

[hzhp800]

I've read this entire topic and I think you've all done a fantastic job, not just with playing the MP game but also with on point reporting that made me more interested in reading this than actually playing the game. There's always new, fun stuff to learn while reading and I did not want anyone to get the impression that the game remained unfollowed or that there aren't people interested in how its playing out.

I share this sentiment as well.

[TheArchduke]

So, doing turn 100 right now. With report.

As a spoiler, a turn 99 greek army move.

   

[TheArchduke]

I am not gonna lie. I was very close to abandoning this game.

Turn pace has been ridiculously slow up to the point of glacial.
Corona home office coupled with parenting has cut my free time even further.
Add to that I am not in tourism but pharma and thus workload has been at about 140% of normal.

With that aside, thanks for the lurker interest and thanks to Sullla and williams for their dedicated lurking. I won´t leave this alone.

In any case over the last 4-5 turns it has become increasingly clear that we will not win this. Both Greece and the Cree have denounced us. Rome is sleeping, the other continent is fighting. Australia thanks to its production on dow will be left in peace to run away with the game.

IF I play another PBEM any dow civilizations (Persia, Australia, ..... ) will be banned. I honestly hate to play against them. Fez is a 100% safe thanks to that stupid suzerainty rule.

And now for something different.

[TheArchduke]

So, we startup the turn:

We finish Mahabodhi Temple, thus boosting Butresses and finishing

   

and we finish Divine Right.

Bad luck, thanks to disfocus we are still one turn away from the next age, thus if we change gov we burn those points too early. At least we can delay the points to religion and await input.

The eastern front shows a ridiculously underteched greek army approaching.

   

Does Kaiser think he has any chance? But as the Cree denounced us, we need to check out their front as well.

   

No sign of an army, which is smart, but Cree has an admiral and probably a navy.
Has he teched to Musketman or Frigates and Caravels? The second would make more sense given his only competition is Australia and me. More on that later.

   

But anyway, to have any idea what I have been doing, let´s check out the cities 1 by 1.

[TheArchduke]

So, my cities have been geared a bit towards establishing a military freed from Sullla´s sensible advice.
Music used for this Update: Das Boot. Gets in the mood for desperation.

Hell March:

   

Finishing a monument, ready for more units next turn.

Fogger:

   

Getting out ranged in preparation for a war on 2 fronts.
All basic buildings established. Only lacking a temple like

Funky Swamp:

   

also building a crossbowman.

Atreides lacks all basic building and has a halfbuilt theatre square.

   

And the 5th city:

Just do It, just finished, but lacks any additional buildings apart from a shrine.

   

Ready for unit production?

[TheArchduke]

Has a shrine, missing a second district and all basic buildings, Timbermist Woods. Getting a crossbowman out as well.

   

Next up:

Spice Melange:

Barracks in an Encampment, missing basic buildings, trying to get an aqueduct going.

   

And now Just do it with its great campus. Missing a second district but has a library.

   

Radio, with a harbour and basic buildings, missing a second district.

   

and Ownage in the east, with faith bought walls and a campus already.

   

[TheArchduke]

To be able to get a full picture we need even more screenies. Many, many more.

So up:

GP

So this Great Admiral is an issue.

Sea combat will be an issue against the Cree. Why this worries me should be apparent but I will go in detail soon.

   

My next issue, the gold income of the Cree:

   

Remember when I said Australia is the frontrunner. My mistake, the Cree are.
Add that gold income to those yields, the only opposition to him is me.

Now add a greek army which only serves to occupy me, an incompetent Rome (50science, but 122 gold)

If I had that gold no problem.
Rome has some issues, but is of course allowed to conquer Rome because he dowed before a Suzerain. Which means dow anything you want to conquer early. Sigh..

With a faith income of 8! Kaiser of course has to attack me with his army and sabotage Valetta which benefits me a lot and him not at all. Yes he also took out a governor just for that purpose. 

   

[TheArchduke]

So why I am quite confident that this game is lost? You are in second place and quite comfortably so, TheArchduke.

Navy and a lack thereof. As I knew since turn 30..

So strategic analysis.

First of all which cities are at threat?

Radio, Spice Melange and others will be immeaditly lost if I get smacked by a caravel or even frigate attack by the Cree.

They are not that productive so I can cover that. The problem is if noone attacks the Cree he will sit on the ruins of those 2 cities whilst I get cossacks. So what can I do? I will not be able to conquer the Cree or will I?

   

Which also means that despite Sullla´s insistence, target number 1 will be Cree. The aim is a raid on 2 of his most productive cities and then I hide in my core away from the Coast and try to tech the hell away. Which means cities will be burnt down, not conquered as I can not conquer the south.

   

The question is if war is avoidable. I doubt so, I tried to DoF the Cree three times! A superior navy on his end means also that Australia is dead. And my belated push on the coast shows.

Also Cornflakes weakness this game is astonishing. 

We do catch a lucky break. A wounded barbarian warrior meets our knight. This saves 4-5 turns off Cossacks which we will hit in 7 turns at this pace. Thus we will not spend any more faith on anything else. We need to fight for our survival soon. The 5 units in the east will have to suffice to defend against Greece, I may spare a second crossbowman.

Why Kaiser thinks he can attack me with less tech is puzzling does he think he will gain anything by helping the Cree. You can conquer 1-2 cities and what for? You need to burn stuff or conquer someone outright. That is not going to happen. Ownage will be the best he can hope for.

   

[TheArchduke]

With that, let´s do the turn.

New policies:

   

I hope I can get away with so few defenses in the east.

If worst comes to worst we can faithbuy cossacks.

   

Current plan. Burn my neighbours as good as I can and try to tech away in a productive core which I will aim to expand slightly with 1 city in the east.
Then conquer Greece, maybe.

If noone attacks, attack Cree in 10 turns and burn anything I can.