Wheee! The turns are fun, when I can get 'em.
Turn 135
For once, a rare turn where (almost) everything goes exactly as planned.
Guilds comes in, enabling a policy swap out of Naval Infrastructure and into Professional Army - costing me 80 gold total for the 4 turns it will be in but saving many times that in upgrade costs, a worthy trade.
Most pleasantly, despite 3 Indonesian attacks available, Sub opted to throw them all at my hardest target, the Caravel, and so failed to sink a single ship:
Thus far, Sub has failed to destroy a single modern Russian ship, although that will likely change soon. It also highlights something of my tactics that I think is worth mentioning: my constant efforts to hamper Sub's intelligence on my total numbers, movements, and intentions. Since we're Russia, we'll use the Russian term of maskirovka. Essentially, I am always trying to keep my enemies in the dark about my fleet, to make it more difficult for them to plan against. So, where I am weak, I try to appear strong, where I am strong, I attempt to appear weak. I flash ships in and out of vision in areas where I have a small presence or where I have no intention of attacking - like Sandbox Bay or near Good Time. I try to keep my main forces out of view as much as possible, as when positioning myself near Shikishima. In general, I want his ships all in the wrong places to stop my actual intentions. So, as far as I know, most Chinese modern ships are huddled uselessly in his own cities, while the Indonesian army is concentrating near African Skies - all while the true blow falls at Shikishima. Because I kept everything I could out of view, I wonder if sub didn't think that he could save the city if he could only take out the Caravel as the 'lone' melee attacker, never mind my extra caravels and galleys in the fog. The result is I lose NO ships taking Shikishima:
It takes 4 attacks, but the city is brought low, leaving me only 2 to spare for Vladimir Monomakh. The walls and the garrison make that tough nut indeed to crack, and I only do about 30 damage. Even with more ships firing, it will take a few turns to chew through the walls, but I have the city nearby to aid in healing and I have frigates to spare. The real challenge will be in holding Shikishima's loyalty long enough. Naturally, I bought Victor for just this purpose a few turns ago and he takes his place:
He should help keep most of the island in line, provided I conquer quickly enough. I move the knight and chariot into place up at Skies, and that city should fall on turn 137 after we land and move in. I also upgrade 4 galleys in the empty spaces around Shikishima. The other ships I keep out of Indonesian sight. Final setup around Sakhalin:
In theater are 5 caravels, 7 frigates, and 2 galleys, soon to be 7 caravels and 7 frigates, to go up against ~ 10 combined Indochinese frigates and caravels. I will move faster and hit harder than them, so as long as I'm not stupid about how I fight, I should be able to defeat the fleet and start work on the major cities.
These five cities are the main targets:
It is my belief that the loss of these 5 (only temporarily, for Indonesia), coupled with the loss of their overseas holdings, should mostly neuter Team Sandbox as a major power. They will only have a handful of shipbuilding cities and the major sources of research and funding will be destroyed. I don't want to get involved in a lengthy ground campaign when there's other teams to prepare for, so I want to beat the fleet and take these cities out from the sea as much as possible.
In the other major news of the turn, we show China that they no longer have a monopoly on wonders of the world:
There's mud in your eye. The Great Lighthouse cost the equivalent of a frigate in production, but gets all my ships +1 movement for the rest of the game - a 20 - 25% increase for most, giving me better tactical flexibility and getting my ships from the shipyards to the frontline faster. I think that will be worth a single frigate, down the line, and the added gold is a bonus. Oslyabya immediately starts on a Caravel.
In the north, at Good Time, we open up the second front of our offensive as Second Fleet moves in:
The walls stand, but will fall next turn. Sub can either sink a galley or cripple a frigate, but not both. Next turn should be able to reduce the walls even if it takes galleys to do it, 2 turns before the Australian fleet arrives. Then I'll shift most of the fleet west to link up with First Fleet, with what upgrades I can muster (I see a few pillageable harbors). I only have 12 galleys remaining to upgrade and 4 will be upgraded via natural gold generation before we lose Professional Army in 4 turns, so I need about 4 harbor + lighthouse pillages to finish the entire fleet. Anyway, we'll leave one frigate to keep a lid on the city until the Australians can arrive to liberate Brussels.
Speaking of:
Akkad is liberated by the Raiders. It's been mostly burned to the ground as a result of the fighting, so the suzerain bonus (no rams needed) is probably more worth it to Woden's beserkers than the pathetic city would be to ljubljana. Akkad has changed hands 6 times, 4 in the last 9 turns.
Final points: Mass Production is in next turn, so I consider where I can expect to place shipyards. I need a minimum of two to be most impactful, and I identify four likely sites:
At 290 production, the shipyard is a 29-turn payoff in 10-adjacency harbors and a 36-turn payoff in 8-adjacency harbors. Borodino and Mikasa have 8-adjacencies, Knyaz Suvurov and Fuji have 10 adjacencies. Fuji and Knyaz will build the two needed for Steam Power, and I'll debate the Borodino and Mikasa builds, which will take ~8/9 turns for both. That's a long time to be off ships, especially since Navarin and Borodino need to get out Workshops soon for Industrialization. I do have the two supplemental shipyards on Svalbard now covering a BIT of the demand, but Petropavlosk alone can't cover my ship needs while all 4 cities build 'necessary infrastructure,' so Mikasa at least is out. The other 3 cities, I see no choice, since those Eurekas are necessary, and the sooner, the better.
I offer Archduke mutual open borders, and a free sea turtle. My intention is to bodyblock his cities and try to slow the Raider conquest at Open Government and Compassionate Society. I don't care if they raze him, but they mustn't conquer.
Overview of Fuji Bay:
I need the damn barb to move off the tile so I can land, and found the city next turn to let the man at arms heal.
Russia proper:
Builders are in place for Noche Triste in 4 turns. The +4 amenities, coupled with the ivory, coffee, and salt from Shikishima, will solve my immediate amenities woes, which is costing me ~10 science and 5 culture at the moment. I SHOULD be at 140+ science, instead of the paltry 134. The extra lake food and production will be nice, especially since Borodino will have a Shipyard soon, too.
Svalbard:
The economic engine of the empire, as we get nearly 120 gpt from our trade routes here. The enemy jong should pass by this area around now-ish, so I might lose a trade route to a pillage soon. It will be replaced with faith, though I hate to give sub the upgrade gold. At least I"ll compensate by sinking the jong with my caravel if he does reveal himself like that.
Turn 135
For once, a rare turn where (almost) everything goes exactly as planned.
Guilds comes in, enabling a policy swap out of Naval Infrastructure and into Professional Army - costing me 80 gold total for the 4 turns it will be in but saving many times that in upgrade costs, a worthy trade.
Most pleasantly, despite 3 Indonesian attacks available, Sub opted to throw them all at my hardest target, the Caravel, and so failed to sink a single ship:
Thus far, Sub has failed to destroy a single modern Russian ship, although that will likely change soon. It also highlights something of my tactics that I think is worth mentioning: my constant efforts to hamper Sub's intelligence on my total numbers, movements, and intentions. Since we're Russia, we'll use the Russian term of maskirovka. Essentially, I am always trying to keep my enemies in the dark about my fleet, to make it more difficult for them to plan against. So, where I am weak, I try to appear strong, where I am strong, I attempt to appear weak. I flash ships in and out of vision in areas where I have a small presence or where I have no intention of attacking - like Sandbox Bay or near Good Time. I try to keep my main forces out of view as much as possible, as when positioning myself near Shikishima. In general, I want his ships all in the wrong places to stop my actual intentions. So, as far as I know, most Chinese modern ships are huddled uselessly in his own cities, while the Indonesian army is concentrating near African Skies - all while the true blow falls at Shikishima. Because I kept everything I could out of view, I wonder if sub didn't think that he could save the city if he could only take out the Caravel as the 'lone' melee attacker, never mind my extra caravels and galleys in the fog. The result is I lose NO ships taking Shikishima:
It takes 4 attacks, but the city is brought low, leaving me only 2 to spare for Vladimir Monomakh. The walls and the garrison make that tough nut indeed to crack, and I only do about 30 damage. Even with more ships firing, it will take a few turns to chew through the walls, but I have the city nearby to aid in healing and I have frigates to spare. The real challenge will be in holding Shikishima's loyalty long enough. Naturally, I bought Victor for just this purpose a few turns ago and he takes his place:
He should help keep most of the island in line, provided I conquer quickly enough. I move the knight and chariot into place up at Skies, and that city should fall on turn 137 after we land and move in. I also upgrade 4 galleys in the empty spaces around Shikishima. The other ships I keep out of Indonesian sight. Final setup around Sakhalin:
In theater are 5 caravels, 7 frigates, and 2 galleys, soon to be 7 caravels and 7 frigates, to go up against ~ 10 combined Indochinese frigates and caravels. I will move faster and hit harder than them, so as long as I'm not stupid about how I fight, I should be able to defeat the fleet and start work on the major cities.
These five cities are the main targets:
It is my belief that the loss of these 5 (only temporarily, for Indonesia), coupled with the loss of their overseas holdings, should mostly neuter Team Sandbox as a major power. They will only have a handful of shipbuilding cities and the major sources of research and funding will be destroyed. I don't want to get involved in a lengthy ground campaign when there's other teams to prepare for, so I want to beat the fleet and take these cities out from the sea as much as possible.
In the other major news of the turn, we show China that they no longer have a monopoly on wonders of the world:
There's mud in your eye. The Great Lighthouse cost the equivalent of a frigate in production, but gets all my ships +1 movement for the rest of the game - a 20 - 25% increase for most, giving me better tactical flexibility and getting my ships from the shipyards to the frontline faster. I think that will be worth a single frigate, down the line, and the added gold is a bonus. Oslyabya immediately starts on a Caravel.
In the north, at Good Time, we open up the second front of our offensive as Second Fleet moves in:
The walls stand, but will fall next turn. Sub can either sink a galley or cripple a frigate, but not both. Next turn should be able to reduce the walls even if it takes galleys to do it, 2 turns before the Australian fleet arrives. Then I'll shift most of the fleet west to link up with First Fleet, with what upgrades I can muster (I see a few pillageable harbors). I only have 12 galleys remaining to upgrade and 4 will be upgraded via natural gold generation before we lose Professional Army in 4 turns, so I need about 4 harbor + lighthouse pillages to finish the entire fleet. Anyway, we'll leave one frigate to keep a lid on the city until the Australians can arrive to liberate Brussels.
Speaking of:
Akkad is liberated by the Raiders. It's been mostly burned to the ground as a result of the fighting, so the suzerain bonus (no rams needed) is probably more worth it to Woden's beserkers than the pathetic city would be to ljubljana. Akkad has changed hands 6 times, 4 in the last 9 turns.
Final points: Mass Production is in next turn, so I consider where I can expect to place shipyards. I need a minimum of two to be most impactful, and I identify four likely sites:
At 290 production, the shipyard is a 29-turn payoff in 10-adjacency harbors and a 36-turn payoff in 8-adjacency harbors. Borodino and Mikasa have 8-adjacencies, Knyaz Suvurov and Fuji have 10 adjacencies. Fuji and Knyaz will build the two needed for Steam Power, and I'll debate the Borodino and Mikasa builds, which will take ~8/9 turns for both. That's a long time to be off ships, especially since Navarin and Borodino need to get out Workshops soon for Industrialization. I do have the two supplemental shipyards on Svalbard now covering a BIT of the demand, but Petropavlosk alone can't cover my ship needs while all 4 cities build 'necessary infrastructure,' so Mikasa at least is out. The other 3 cities, I see no choice, since those Eurekas are necessary, and the sooner, the better.
I offer Archduke mutual open borders, and a free sea turtle. My intention is to bodyblock his cities and try to slow the Raider conquest at Open Government and Compassionate Society. I don't care if they raze him, but they mustn't conquer.
Overview of Fuji Bay:
I need the damn barb to move off the tile so I can land, and found the city next turn to let the man at arms heal.
Russia proper:
Builders are in place for Noche Triste in 4 turns. The +4 amenities, coupled with the ivory, coffee, and salt from Shikishima, will solve my immediate amenities woes, which is costing me ~10 science and 5 culture at the moment. I SHOULD be at 140+ science, instead of the paltry 134. The extra lake food and production will be nice, especially since Borodino will have a Shipyard soon, too.
Svalbard:
The economic engine of the empire, as we get nearly 120 gpt from our trade routes here. The enemy jong should pass by this area around now-ish, so I might lose a trade route to a pillage soon. It will be replaced with faith, though I hate to give sub the upgrade gold. At least I"ll compensate by sinking the jong with my caravel if he does reveal himself like that.
I Think I'm Gwangju Like It Here
A blog about my adventures in Korea, and whatever else I feel like writing about.
A blog about my adventures in Korea, and whatever else I feel like writing about.
