[Mjmd #59] Sea Shanties!

[Mjmd]

T92
Ramk choose eternal war and moved to the corn. It was a complicated turn. How much to put where ect ect. I was going to jump back in for a picture, but Ramk was in right after I left. Put 2 axes and 1 spear on grassland hill 1W of Donkey. I put a 5 axe, 2 spear stack on rice. I put a 5 axe 2 chariot stack 1S of forested hill. Both cities he can hit with chariots have 3 units including at least 1 spear in them. Basically he can choose to go onto forested grassland hill, choose to bleed a little trying to escape, choose to bleed trying to take out a stack, or try to keep running. 

He also unloaded 2 axes and 2 spears near Whiskey which finally birthed its GS this turn. I actually ended up whipping the spear there last turn. So I have 1 axe (20% fortify) and 1 spear. One of his axes has a promotion, but I anticipate he will go pillage. 

Charriu sent back fish for fish.

Both HG and the Mids were built this turn.

[Mjmd]

Lets skip past the part where Ramk is a lucky bastard and razes a city (whiskey; although I'm assuming people know since he posted) at incredibly low odds with .2 health left. I just needed to survive the first hit..... Luckily got GS out of there last turn, but I don't know where I'm getting my next one........ That city was perfect for it.

So skipping past the lucky bastard part, I'm full blown or just a noob, or just used to being India / having construction. Or a combination of both. I also made other mistakes.
1) Instead of putting 2 chariots in the southern stack I should have put the spear and put the chariots in capital. He took his over the river penalty won both  and then mopped up two axes. I was legit concerned for capital if he decided to just say "lets try to ge lucky" on the rice stack and hopefully get there. I just should have switched what units were where.
2) I should have at some point just whipped another spear in capital which would have solved that. I obviously was trying to avoid whip unhappy and keep capital up, but should have thought this through more. 
3) Assuming I had put a spear in that stack though my plan had another problem. My workers can't road both rice and corn..... I'm going to blame this on some serious thinking. Or again that I play India a lot which would have been able to do it. Plan such as it was was that I had 7 axes on that side of the river and then road the other stack to hit across the river and then had other units from Donkey that could have joined in.

Obvious now I just have 5 axes that side of the river atm and only another 3 that can hit across, so have to figure stuff out.

It could be worse. He is threatening my copper, but maybe giving me more credit than I'm due he moved 1S of corn instead of at Jack, which I think he could have razed (while also threatening copper). I can therefore reinforce Jack.

[Mjmd]

I think I'm getting a thicker skin from being an absolute idiot. Didn't take as long to bounce back this time.

I basically erected a wall on northern side of the river using small 2 axe 1 spear groups and will continue forcing him SW.

Got copper from Elkad at cost of a beaver. If GKC accepts my open borders for copper trade I might have to be a jerk and war peace Elkad. Both Wellerman and Jack are having happiness issues. If I am a jerk I'll give him 2nd beaver as soon as I'm able for forever.

[Mjmd]

Ramk moved his chariots ahead of the rest of his army last turn for the first time ever. Totally exposed if I had units ect ect. he had no way of knowing if I did or not. Of course I had built that axe in grog instead of a spear (again was thinking poorly before). Also, I should have left capital maybe without a spear as he couldn't see and was unlikely to move back turn before. Point being he razed Grog. I could have saved if either A) he hadn't moved chariots ahead of his army) or B) I had been riskier with my axes in capital and moved spear there.

He did move 2axes and a spear to the hill by there (1st?) I killed at cost of just 2 axes (got lucky with my combat I axe too, totally should have attacked with it 2nd instead of 1st, but I guess I've been punished for bad decisions enough civ4 decided to give me one).

Overall plan: see if Ramk remaining stack continues to run or just sits and waits to die to cats. Chop out some settlers after getting major improvements back online. Have math coming in this turn. I don't think I'm making turn 100 currency like I wanted.

Edit: I kind of want to build another couple of workers. I was short pre war and all my whipping obviously haven't built anymore. Maybe Jack will pump them out. 
other edit thoughts: At least I didn't lose Jack like I 100% should have. So that is good. Still meh about the 11% Whiskey win.......

[Mjmd]

Ramk decided to camp the forest SW of Jack instead of trying to run . Its going to be hard if not impossible to re improve that copper with him there (which is prob why he stayed as I have to dedicate more units to keep him from running A direction). Jack continues to pump units though so maybe eventually?

Ramk has IW. Has a grassland river mine down. He also has archery. He offered up an archer for chariot trade near his gold city which I took (deleted chariot). Not sure where it was going (border city?). He had JUST a new built sword in there. Curious if he is going to try to brute force Barrets with them?

I'm probably 11 turns from currency? blargh. All that upgrade gold, whipping, pillaging of tiles, and loss of cities. 2nd strongest military also means lot of unit maintenance. I can only imagine Ramk with having the units in my territory this whole time (mind the city razes probably helped).

Good news is that replacement settlers are on the way; should have 2 finishing turn 100. Should be a rare perfect 1 pop whip down in old billy Riley.

[Mjmd]

T97 &*#&
Have I mentioned Ramk is better at warfare than me. He used his general on a movement galley to take Royal Oak from the Fog (ironically I had an axe from Royal Oak on his mainland scouting, but it must not have seen tile he was on). He also got 1/2 workers that was on the island. His galley is going back to pick up some garrison units, which mind since I placed Oak on a hill might work.

Also literally last turn the 1 hammer I put into a chariot in Rolling Down decayed so I can't whip it this turn.......

I keep expecting GKC to save me from my utter embarrassment and just roll over him with Keshiks. He settled on horse and passed up a better spot assumingly to use them and they still aren't rolling out yet.

[Mjmd]

So all day I was wondering how the hell I didn't see it. Forgot its a 5 move galley with sentry. Also has open borders with GKC. GKC you are confusing me this game. I understand why you would want to screw me over though, but you did settle on a horse right? Makes GKC the likely king of this blob long term (man can I go back 15 turns to when I was on top please?)

The 5 move part is going to make it hard to retake. He gets to reinforce it next turn already........ 

Mig settled the copper corn island, but gave me a copper. Not sure if he is trying to trick me into war peacing Elkad and then he wars me...... I'll take the extra source for now anyways. I can decide next turn.

I'm half tempted to go construction first...... But its about same # of beakers and my empire is in no shape to whip out cats. I could chop a couple out, but I think just getting cities back down and running will do a great deal.


I'm just making too many mistakes to play against someone of Ramks skill (and luck; # never forget OG whiskey). Mind this is with me being up cities. Man Ramk, expand next time and take over the world!

[Lewwyn]

 You'll be alright. Good learning experience!

[Mjmd]

 You'll be alright. Good learning experience!

Reminds me of playing vs OH. Or a game of chess, where you have to predict next moves (i'm very rusty in chess). In Magic the gathering there are different levels of play (I think these are the levels been a while since I've seen an article on / read one for that matter). Level 0 is just playing the cards in your hand with no real thought. Level 1 is thinking about what you can do strategy wise. Level 2 is thinking about what they can do and how you can counter. Then you get into mind games stuff. Point being I'm at level 1 max here and am missing a lot of "what could he do". Like moving those chariots ahead of his army was something I should have considered. There was almost 0% chance he would move his chariots at my capital and therefore I should have moved my spear to protect grog.

I also should have triple checked my pursuit plan with those workers. Workers also should have been chopping stuff out. I don't think I fully considered he would just dive bomb into me honestly. Its not something I've really seen at Realms before. Terrain and him being able to threaten multiple cities worked to his advantage the whole time. I would have chopped had I known / not whipped Grog for a settler and instead should have done units.

I was a little skeptical of his not expanding, but he instead put it all towards units where as I pumped out what 6 cities in that time. Clearly he isn't winning, but he sunk my chances (mainly due to my own mistakes, but man low raze on Whisky was a big deal too)

T99
Now his 5 move galley has his 2 axes on it. I have at least 2 units in all my cities and at least 1 of them is an axe, so even with city raider I should have odds. Sucks those cities are sooo new. 

He moved a warrior last turn towards cow and this turn on cow below Jack. His main stack moved to hill west of Jack. I had kept an axe and spear east of Jack out of his site in case he tried retreating south. Axe killed the warrior, but took almost half damage! I split my stack across the river into 2axe 1 spear stacks. One staying put and one I put on the forest so he is stuck on hill or he can try to go back through me. I will say the 1 mistake I think he made was splitting that mini stack of 2 axes and 1 spear off. 5 axes is much less scary than 7.

He also landed 2 axes up near barrets and I think he will likely go get some swords. One of those axes is city raider 3!!! Which mind I think is just straight 50% odds.

I think I can cancel with Elkad in 4 turns, so just going to eat the 1 unhappy I have atm.

[Lewwyn]

I don't think I fully considered he would just dive bomb into me honestly. Its not something I've really seen at Realms before.

Happened to me my first full game, PBEM 14 (I played half of PBEM 6 as a substitute). Serdoa got pissed off by a city I settled, but couldn't take it and moved an army into my lands and just sat outside my capital for half the game. Scooter eventually helped me conquer him, then we turned on Gaspar.