[SPOILERS] Chevalier Mal Fet and Marcopolothefraud lead a Soviet Down Under

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

I will read Marco's wonderful write up and write my own report tomorrow, perhaps. 

For today, this took all my writing energy.

[williams482]

That is a really wonderful piece, Chevalier.

[marcopolothefraud]

This was an excellent read. Thank you for honoring your Mugga so well.

Turn 62

I complete the Recorded History civic and slot in Natural Philosophy, for 11 extra science/turn. There's just a little issue with that...



The techs are now so cheap that I can't rely on CMF to give me all the eurekas! I'm currently researching Construction, and then probably one turn into each of the technologies while I figure out how to avoid wasting any science.
(Oh, and also Irrigation in the near-future. I need to clear a Marsh or two.)



I also use my Governor title to get Magnus, and slot him into the Blueprint. I think I'll chop a Stone resource into a Holy Site and make some Quarries/Mines in the area. In international news, a Japanese Galley bumped into Illmatic, and Ljubljana seems to have completed a district this turn. I wonder why Archduke's military score is so much greater than Kaiser's?

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

Turn 62




Neato. I delayed my government for about 5 turns to get this, but in return I'll get double faith and production at each city for those 5 turns - all told more than 50 production and faith, very much worth it, I think. We're about 15 turns away from PP at present rates, although that will come down as my population grows. Ljubljana is the first to a government, adopting Classical Republic, a choice which signifies he's not much thinking about war. 

With that slotted, my faith income jumps up to 40 faith per turn, or a settler every 6 turns at present rates. When I add in some native production to supplement, we'll hit our city count in no time. We have the highest faith in the game, as well we should given our tundra and lavras, but Sub is very competitive with his own holy sites + Earth Goddess. I am weakest in science despite my campus - perhaps due to low pop, but everyone has consistently been outresearching me so I suspect science resources are in play, as well - but Australia is now tops. Marco needs to fix his production but then Australia should be strong. 




My strike force of 5 galleys nears Hong Kong. We can probably begin the attack around turn 65, and it should secure the city by turn 66 or 67. I need to stay away from the borders to keep it from garrisoning a galley or something, that would be disastrous. Archduke has conquered one city state, and Norway/Phoenicia are attacking Vilnius out in the fog. 

I thought about dropping an envoy into Nazca, but decided against it - I intend to attack Nazca as soon as my wolf pack is healed. We can be in position to attack that at around turn 80, then I'll use Monumentality to start pumping out settlers into the surrounding area. 

At home, a faith-purchased settler sets out for Oryol. IA is 6 turns away from growing to size 4/finishing its builder, but it's growing faster than it's converting, so I need a missionary here. The shrine is 3 turns out and then I should be able to convert the city within 4 turns after that, which will grant +12 production towards the Plaza/Ancestral Hall. I need 7 turns to finish the campus at Knyaz Suvurov, so I will have 1 turn of excess production to use. I might dump it into a monument, shrine, or settler. Not sure yet. More shrines = more faith = more settlers right now.

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

Archduke has churned out at least 5 galleys, more probably 6. It COULD be as many as 7 but that would mean his land based military consists of a single warrior, which seems unlikely. The huge naval force woudl explain his early CS conquest.

Kaiser's forces I estimate at a more modest 2 galleys, with a warrior and a slinger at home. He's using those to explore while going full district boomer at home.

[marcopolothefraud]

I played turn 63, but nothing eventful happened and I don't have anything to report.

When are you planning to research the Wheel? I'm relying on you to get me the Eureka, but it seems like you'll only mine the silver by turn 68.

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

I'll finish the builder on 68 and mine the silver same turn, finishing the tech, so you should get the eureka on turn 69 if you can wait.

[marcopolothefraud]

Hmm...what about Mathematics? Are you researching right now just to waste a few beakers, or do you intend to research it to completion?

Look at my images above. Apart from the worthless Horseback Riding, I don't have a single Eureka, and I'm relying on you for more than a few of them. For some techs (Construction, Engineering), I'm not going to get the Eureka and I'll just research them straight through. But I'd prefer to have the Wheel by turn 65 or 66 so that I can get to Shipbuilding and Quadriremes a little earlier.

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

Mathematics is going to come as soon as I finish the GP, so I'm researching it to the boost. Once I get the mine down, it should go Wheel -> Bronze Working -> Shipbuilding in swift succession, all in about 5 turns. Then Celestial Nav for harbors (I should have the workers out to boost that by then), then probably Construction for all my tundra lumber mills and then to HBR. 

Turn 63




Oryol is due on turn 68, as well. I will be able to purchase another settler next turn, but I think I want to wait one more turn to sync it up with growth. That will head for Sebastopol. It's a little suboptimal to be building these before the Ancestral Hall - perhaps a missionary purchase first, THEN the settler purchase? I generally think cities going up faster beats efficiency, but free builders are hard to say no to. Let me work out the numbers...

IA will have ~18 production once it's converted. The Plaza will cost 35 production, so a 2-turn build post-conversion. The Ancestral Hall will cost 150. That's a 9-turn build, so say I start the entire project on turn 68, we wouldn't be getting it done until turn 79 (and that's pretending I was already converted, which I'm not). We could purchase the settler on turn 65, and walk 7 turns to found on turn 72. I think I WILL purchase the missionary first, but Sevastopol will have to muddle on without a builder at first. 

We sight land beyond Hong Kong. Indonesia should be this way, but no idea how close:




My wolf pack is closing in and will be in position at the end of next turn:




We will declare on turn 65 and take the city on 66. So I'll go from 3 cities to 6 cities by turn 72 or so. Not bad. 

Right now, research rates are low, but that's a bit deceptive - my empire's strengths are in faith and production, not science or culture, neither of which is counted in the ribbon. I also figure a lot of the others' high science scores are the result of Pingala promotions, and I still have one coming which will bump me to 18, 21 science once KS finishes its campus. I also have 3 unworked turtles at the moment which would bump us to a high water mark of 24. That's not too shabby, and there's no pressing need for science at the moment - I'm sandbagging techs a bit, and could finish more than I have (such as Irrigation). I just think it's possible to over-invest in science and race ahead of your ability to either USE the science or hit your inspirations. Marco's kind of running into that now, so we should pick and choose which techs he'll blast through and which he can wait for me to eureka. 

Abroad, ljub founds his third city, Woden conquers Vilnius for #5, and Sub declared war on Brussels.

[marcopolothefraud]

I just think it's possible to over-invest in science and race ahead of your ability to either USE the science or hit your inspirations. Marco's kind of running into that now, so we should pick and choose which techs he'll blast through and which he can wait for me to eureka. 

Hmm...I think I've come to a decision.

I will research the Wheel next turn, despite the Eureka. I don't know how much the tech costs but the tool-tip says only 1 turn to completion. The odds are good that there's an Iron resource somewhere in my vicinity, and I want to restrategize my city-planning around any potential Iron mines.

I will finish the Wheel t65, and Bronze Working probably t67. Maybe you could also switch over to the Wheel next turn, because I play before you in the turn order, but I don't know if the game will register a Eureka boost in time to avoid wasting your science. Either way, you can get the Wheel t65 or t66, and shave a few turns off of Shipbuilding.