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

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

Turn 65 (Russia)

We open the turn by receiving the Construction Eureka from Australia and passing them the Irrigation one in turn:




I also recruit a great writer and and establish a great work in the capital, which I'll pass to Marco in a bit to fill out his palace for a bit of extra culture. That's the extent of the good news.

At Hong Kong, we are forced to delay the attack for a turn as the AI annoyingly finished a galley this very turn.




Outside of oligarchy, my guys will get slaughtered attacking into that city strength. I'm forced to back off from the borders a bit and hope the galley wanders off. It should, if I'm not threatening the city, but man that's SUPER annoying how that always happens to me. 




Of all the turns to finish a galley, it was the only one possible that could have delayed me - the very turn I was going to attack. Oh, well. New ETA for Hong Kong is turn 67. That will make our team last to conquer a local city-state, but I bet none of the others had to deal with this nonsense at Vilnius or Brussels or wherever Archduke took. 

In further frustations, I finish the shrine, but can't purchase a settler due to the great writer's presence:




I COULD buy a missionary, but the cost has climbed to 150, nearly 2/3 of a settler! That's absurdly expensive, I could get 1/3 of an apostle for that price, too. But my tundra-bound cities are nearly useless until I get my religion spread...man, just a tough, tough turn in our tough starting continent. The good news, though, is that with my Holy Sites doubled my capital can build damned near anything I want now, very rapidly. Buildings, units, you name it, we can have it:






So, I think get out a bunch of builders and get to work improving our land, while next turn I purchase a settler and then the turn after that I purchase a missionary for my three new colonies. Hopefully natural spread will take care of everything after that. 

Marco, I'll have my builder out in 2 turns, and shipbuilding just a few turns after that, if you want to delay just a hair to save science. Up to you.

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

Wait, no I won't, I need Bronze Working first. Sorry. I was thinking of Celestial Navigation.

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

Turn 66

Annoying:




I pull all my ships one space back, even though it'll make the alpha strike more difficult - I need that galley out more than I need the alpha. 

I buy a second settler, and next turn will purchase a missionary to convert my new cities. 




After that, I should be able to afford another settler in about 7 turns. Gonna keep spamming them out and using production to churn out builders. 

I also offer my new book to Australia. I can write another:




Overview:

[marcopolothefraud]

Would you like me to wait for your Eureka before I research Shipbuilding (the Quadrireme tech), or Celestial Navigation (the Harbor tech)? I can't really tell from your posts.

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

Wait on Celestial Nav, but Shipbuilding will take a bit since I need to wait on BW for a few turns. That said, I don't think you need it urgently, do you? What's the plan with the quadremes?

[marcopolothefraud]

Commentary to be added later.





CMF, I would like 33 gold to buy Turtles in MBDTF.

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

Turn 67

This is incredibly frustrating:




Hong Kong is STILL camping out with its galley - the galley that it finished the same turn I was going to attack. Next turn, whether it's there or not I should just storm the city. But my guys will get shredded against those combat odds. Still, with 2-turn galleys I need to accept the losses and just do it.

Speaking of 2-turn galleys, looks like Woden took our pursuit of era score personally:




I've no idea if this is a raiding party or a prelude to invasion, but it's time to kick out our defense force. I can hopefully convince him to go away, although I shall probably lose my campus for a turn or two to pillage. (the barb camp spawning in the south drew off my planned garrison warriors for the two campi, another minor setback). With 1 galley per turn (net) there's no way he can conquer me, but my economy can only sustain so much military force. Still, I can take the boats and sail immediately to Nazca once he's gone. 




Zen Meditation is a solid synergy for Japan, and Crusade was the obvious best belief available. No surprises. Looks like Kaiser has 3 holy sites - don't know if that's reflected in the score sheet. 

Finally, Oryol is founded and starts its lavra:




It'll take less than 13 turns - I borrow the rice from Borodino to grow to size 2 in 5 turns, then we'll work double tundra hills for 6 production/2 faith, which will in turn net us a 14/14 lavra as soon as it finishes. Then the city will be effectively set up and ready to hum along. 

I also plantation the sugar, FINALLY solving the amenities crunch that that incredibly poorly timed hurricane caused for us. My science and culture are very low, perhaps because I've only three cities, with heavy investments in a navy and lavras, not research, nor any real city-states. I don't think it's a long-term lag and reason for panic yet, although obviously as I finish my basic infrastructure I want to catch up.

[marcopolothefraud]

Turn 68





Again, sorry for the lack of commentary. I'll try to explain everything over the weekend when I should have more time.

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

Photo dump, commentary once I'm at work:

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

Quick points - sorry for lack of quality:

- The galley moved out, so I moved in. my impatience might cost me here - I should have let the galley move a bit further, or declared war so it got caught in ZoC and couldn't re-enter the city. hopefully it doesn't move right back. 

- The barb camp, which you might note drove back my two warriors with redlined health, is erupting. I am shifting one warrior to Oryol to drive them away and holding the other to defend IA. I need more ground units - a pair of archers at least, maybe even a trio to eureka Machinery. That will be a priority soon.

- I halted the campus one turn from completion and started a defense galley. Finishing it would just get it pillaged in two turns by Woden, who is going to pillage Borodino's campus next turn. Again, my plan was to defend my only two campus improvements with my warriors, but I failed to consider needing to send my warriors to suppress barbs. Oops. It's not a big hit - I'll lose 3 science for a few turns - but it is annoying, and gives Woden a free 50 beakers or so. 

- With the halt in campus completion, I started the Plaza with no bonus. It only takes 5 turns anyway. 

- Revised Archduke's city/district estimate. He has had one RND for 3 turns and a second for 2 turns. NOT a 7th city. I will hit 5 when Hong Kong falls, 6 when my current settler, er, settles, and 7 in about 10 turns when the next settler comes out. 

- Priority is Construction, a builder wave, peace with Woden, and sending the navy at Nazca to begin overseas expansion as rapidly as possible.

- Australia reaching Holy Sites means I need to spread my religion to Marco, as well. Need to see about faith budgeting a missionary - one should convert one of his own cities, and he has no use for faith other than his own missionaries, so that should be enough to seed things.