[PB62] Tarkeel and civac feel the need for speed

[Tarkeel]

Turn 13-15 (3400 BC)
With a dangerous ursus in the area our scout was moving carefully.


With him hanging around there the best option was backtracking onto the midpoint hill.


Scouting of the west has been seriously hampered by that sneak bear, so we hope he troubles Mjmd some next.

In foreign news, someone discovered BronzeWorking, but it wasn't any of our neighbors. There was also some other soldier growth this turn, which might be first warriors.

[Tarkeel]

Turn 16 (3360 BC)
We finally got a look at the north, and it's not great:


So far there's only one new food in range to settle for, and that's contested despite bordering our capital.

Two other cities grew to size 2, Mongolia and one of the movers.

[Tarkeel]

Turn 17 (3320 BC)
The scout got a look at the icy waters, and we found two new sources of food:


A clam that's out of reach, but dry corn is nice to have in the backlines. I suspect we'll want a port city soon, as I think there is a think strip of land in "the middle".

SD completed a warrior this turn.

[Tarkeel]

Turn 18-21 (3160 BC)
We're still tip-toeing around the north, and haven't had much to report until this double turn:


It looks like my prediction of a border sea was wrong, and there's a land-path to Fabled to the north as well. The terrain is pretty hideous though, but a city on that barren ice-land will be necessary for ICTRs.

BronzeWorking is due next turn, and the scout has been lingering in the north in case we need to go hunting for copper. If not, it will head south to keep an eye on the more immediate border.

[Tarkeel]

Turn 22-23 (3080 BC)
BronzeWorking came in last turn, revealing three sources of copper:


The desert hill is the easiest for us to grab, while both of the frozen ones should be in our sphere of influence. The good news is that nobody is likely to forward settle us with their first city.

We're currently trying to decide on how to build or first settlers; either 2-whipping a worker (and a chop) into the first settler, or saving it for later. The difference is power vs speed.

Whipping worker into settler early, gives settlers on T28 & 31

T23: Start worker#2, chop forest
T24: Revolt
T25: delay worker
T26: 2-whip worker#2, chop finishes
T28: settler#1 finishes, start settler#2; workers move onto forests
T29: Settle between gems and rice
T31: settler#2 finishes

Building settlers on Size4 with chops, gives settlers on T30 & 33/34

T23: Start worker#2, chop forest
T25: chop finishes
T26: worker#2 finishes, start settler#1
T27: both workers chop forests
T29: double chop in
T30: settler#1 finishes, start settler#2, revolt; camp deer
T31: Settle between gems and rice
T32: whip
T33: settler#2 finishes, start worker#3, chop in
T34: worker#3 finishes
-OR-
Don't whip, and settler#2 finishes T34

[civac2]

We decided to settle the second or third city on the copper hill. Building mine and road there takes too long to be viable. The settlers will finish only a few turns apart and we will settle the copper immediately if indicated by scouting information. Otherwise, the rice/gems city between us and Fabled may be preferable. That's still up in the air.



We have graphs from SD available. So far he looks non-threatening. Fabled's graphs will follow shortly. Tarkeel wants to place the scout north of the gold at Fabled's border (E of the Midpoint Fabled sign). For the time being it defogs the area around the copper hill (going SE next turn) to be sure the warrior can be placed there safely.

[Tarkeel]

So far we're playing very cautiously, as all three of our neighbors are very dangerous in the early game, while our strengths lie much later. I really don't like that the only stone we've seen is more within SD's sphere of influence, but the map seems designed to push us in that direction. Right now I'm most afraid of a chariot rush from Fabled, with a skirmisher choke from Mjmd not far behind. The desolate north will be a barbarian spawning ground for much of the game as well.

[Charriu]

Maybe this will finally be the moment the barbarians win a PB. 

[civac2]

Two kittens have come to play.



We let the scout fight the closer one. The scout has better odds (97%) and is more expendable.

I'm really not sure what these barbarians add. It's still objectively correct to expand with minimal military.

[Tarkeel]

Turn 28 (2880 BC)
#3 on my list of fears just came to pass:


Fabled settled the hill I'd picked for him earlier, which is actually a rather greedy spot. It nets him our unending aninomisy for invalidating our own inner ring-plant, in effect stealing the rice and gems. It also doesn't have any first-ring food (apart from worker intensive floodplains), and unless the midpoint-tile has horses, he's not picking up the resources he needs.

For the record, #1 and #2 on my list were that he'd walk that T15 warrior into our capital before ours was built, or come riding with chariots. That could still happen.