[SPOILERS] Roland and Suboptimal Team Up

[suboptimal]

Turn 138

Under African Skies is under Russian control. I realize now that I should have killed the chariot when I had the chance, rather than letting it live. However, it’s left the scene. CMF has sent a message with the taking of Under African Skies:




Indeed. Down at Mother and Child Reunion the situation is getting dire. The redlined knight has embarked and is replaced by a fresh one. I repeat the attacks down there before turning my attention back to Under African Skies.My man-at-arms is now redlined and 1XP from a promotion. Up at Under African Skies I move one crossbow up the road to shoot, the other over to the Commercial Hub to shoot and the third into the jungle. Total damage is 29. I’ll bring the courser down to the open plains next turn for an attack against the city (maybe). Builder shuffles up towards Graceland.

Have a Good Time is not doing much better:




I could flee with the galley but to where? Well, a deadlined galley is better than no galley, so it goes northeast. I’ll try to loop around Midway with it. I do have to wonder why CMF didn’t take the city on his last turn. He could have easily done so, IMHO.

I haven’t been paying attention to the Great People situation so am a bit surprised to have one waiting for me. Based on the point cost (248) someone else (CMF) passed on him. It’s Emilie du Chatelet, who gives three random eurekas from the Renaissance or Industrial Eras. I take him, he shows up in Al and I immediately use him. That gets me the eurekas for Astronomy, Sanitation and Siege Tactics.




Galileo is up next, which is likely who CMF is going for.

Al’s jong is complete so I start another. Obvious Child has finished a crossbow, the man-at-arms is still borked so I start a caravel. I’m buying walls here in two turns since CMF could come calling here. I move the warrior out and alert fortify the crossbow.

Down south the caravel is giving chase to my jong. I also miscalculated the movement and it was able to attack. My ship would die if I tried to stay and fight but the question is which way to flee? I know there’s a frigate off to the west, somewhere. I head south along the fog and find an icy landmass inhabited by hostile forces:




Looking around the map it appears that The Compassionate Society is under attack. IIRC this was Hattusa:

[Bruindane]

Turn 138: Every diplomacy is a continuation of war by other means

@suboptimal I escaped out of two diplomatic offers, but I didn't mean to cancel either, just to review the map. I don’t recall if that’s a rejection or a non-response, or even how to check, just that I couldn’t return to the offers so I reloaded as it was the only thing I did.




This must be code to declare war on a mutual antagonists when we can. A response to my prior open borders SOS.  China and Indonesia both have one fur on vulnerable islands and Akkad has a cotton, and we both want an active military alliance. I don’t know how we can unentangle the existing wars and friendships where we get to the place where we are both at war with the two more powerful teams…




I decline.




I decline so we can `discuss`, but plan to return the offer next turn.





We get 2 era points for settling Alfredo Morelos and Marco Polo going to McGregor.  Switching to finish the Great Library for the random Eureka when Galileo shows up and the +3 era to cross to the Golden Age. Note that the Gunpowder Eureka will be passed in a turn.




I give chase and sink the more wounded galley. My guess is that Woden and ljubljana are on a shared landmass.

[suboptimal]

Escaping out of an offer is effectively a "quiet" rejection. Red/White is under assault from Bruise. I think letting them duke it out while maintaining friendly relations with both sides is the right course of action for now. The trade with Kaiser makes sense. Open borders are not reciprocal - I missed the fact that you gave them open borders but not the other way around. I'd add open borders on Woden's side of the ledger and reoffer the DoF next turn - right now Woden can enter your borders but not the other way around.

The way the map has worked so far all teams share their starting land mass.

[suboptimal]

Turn 138

I expect to be down two cities, but then again I said that last turn and that wasn’t the case. Mother & Child Reunion is back in its founder’s hands but Have a Good Time has been...left alone?




I start out by bringing the galley back down to the city. At He Was My Brother the crossbows all shoot, doing 39 points of damage. Not enough to bring the courser down yet. Perhaps next turn.

In the World Congress I could call a meeting over the capture of Under African Skies but I don’t have the diplomatic favor. I’m at zero and losing 6 per turn. :crazyeye.

My builder at Graceland puts in a wine plantation and I move the pikeman up to the road. I’ll bring it down the road next turn as it might fare better than the courser against the city. The galley here takes a peek out and finds a galley in the strait between Graceland’s northern mountain and Midway. I forgot to check its support bonus, though, so don’t know how many other units are there.

Elsewhere I move the warrior at OC to the east – I’m going to put it up on the point to check for incoming naval units through the strait. My jong in the far south has evaded the Russian caravel for now. I inch eastwards but am hemmed in by Russian borders and a man-at-arms on a pillaged amber mine. Looks like there’s been some barbarian issues down here.

I also just realized that my turn report headers skipped Turn 134. Whoops.

[Bruindane]

In the World Congress I could call a meeting over the capture of Under African Skies but I don’t have the diplomatic favor.  I’m at zero and losing 6 per turn.  :crazyeye.

What was the emergency about?  China has the favor to call the World Congress.

As for the lack of city capture, it could be two turns running now.  I don't understand, but maybe they don't want to lose diplomatic favor (unlikely, but I have nothing).

[suboptimal]

In the World Congress I could call a meeting over the capture of Under African Skies but I don’t have the diplomatic favor.  I’m at zero and losing 6 per turn.  :crazyeye.

What was the emergency about?  China has the favor to call the World Congress.

As for the lack of city capture, it could be two turns running now.  I don't understand, but maybe they don't want to lose diplomatic favor (unlikely, but I have nothing).

The emergency was the same one that I triggered when I took the Australian capital.  See if you can call the vote next turn.  Just be aware of the fact that I'd need to capture the city which may or may not be doable.  

I don't think CMF paused his attack due to diplomatic favor penalties.  There's something else going on here that needs to get figured out.

[Bruindane]

Turn 139: Man is a military animal, glories in gunpowder, and loves parades



The Great Library is done, and a Golden Age in two.  Civil Engineering/civic change next turn.  I have the choice to slot in upgrade policies, but if I recall Indonesia wants for upgrades next turn too.




Thank you Japan/Kaiser.




Can't combine the open borders and the Declaration of Friendship. Feel like a small dog barking at a large one.




Apparently China does not care about your emergencies suboptimal.




Lost a frigate, smoke two more of theirs (Galley & Caravel).  If I get the chance, I'll retreat these ships as they need to heal, protecting the trade routes and fish nets.




Foreign affairs.  I theorized there was a bug with the capture of former city states, but apparently not.

[suboptimal]

IIRC China got no vote on the last emergency, either. Weird how that works.

[suboptimal]

Turn 139

Have a few notifications! Let’s see. CMF liberated Brussels and they’ve declared on me. Marcopolo has taken suzerainty of Valetta at 9 envoys and CMF found my wandering jong in the south. Galley at Graceland is dead. Then there’s this:




I’m now at very serious risk of losing Big Island. I think I can kill the knight, though. Crossbows fire, courser comes around from the west and the knight dies. I may lose a crossbow next turn but I should be able to kill these units. I do move the pike up for added support. Fifty Ways resumes the Commercial Hub build with the knight dispatched. I finish off hostilities by dropping an envoy into Valetta, neutralizing Aussie suzerainty.

Gunpowder finished with China getting me the eureka. I start Siege Tactics in order to get upgraded walls available. However, I gotta do Buttress (1 turn) and the tech after that (9 turns) before getting to Siege Tactics.

On the mainland I start a knight at Diamonds.

Australia has refounded Low End Theory on Lake Mackay so it’s a matter of time before Confucius gets the boot. I move him to the southern end of the lake. If nothing Australian shows up I’ll try to get out of the lake and set sail on the open sea, heading west into Russian territory.

[suboptimal]

When I enter the dark age I'm going to slot Twilight Valor - +5CS to all melee units (land and sea) but no healing outside my territory. That'll give my caravels a nice boost along with one or two of my land units.