[SPOILERS] Roland and Suboptimal Team Up

[Bruindane]

Turn 178:  Shall we rebuild the Great Wall?

Peace. To keep the swords sharp, the troops will clear out a pair of barbarian camps, and to evaluate future settlements, possibly for coal and oil when we discover them.



We'll need to build ships again, but first walls.


Twice this game I sent a declaration of friendship and open borders on the same turn, with open borders accepted but not the friendship. Perhaps a quirk of multiplayer diplomacy ui that I got wrong. Accepted the friendship and asked to renew the cultural alliance.

[Bruindane]

suboptimal, was looking around the map, and I can send envoys to Brussels again. Did you want to reconquer it as well as engaging in territorial expansion? Last turn I sent my spy to your occupied capital to steal tech boosts from Russia, but I will have another next turn, want me to send it to Valleta to fabricate scandals to remove the top envoys?

[suboptimal]

Reconquering Brussels sounds like a good idea. I'll need to get some ships over there (dunno if a lone jong will be enough but we'll find out in a few turns). The ships at Graceland cannot get out unless I declare on Antananarivo. I'll send Confucius over to scout and should be able to buy a jong at Graceland in 4-5 turns. Builder there is done and I mine one of the salt resources.

I've selected what I'm assuming to be Industrialization. I've got 5 techs in front of it, though.

[Bruindane]

Turn 179 To Russia With Love

Decided to send both spies to Russia to steal tech boosts. It's a strange phase of the game, as soon one of the favored teams concedes, it's likely over, but until then we have a window to rebuild and expand.




Will send a calvary and a calvary corp once it heals towards Brussels. If you do purchase a Jong, you could soften up the barbarians and I can clear them out on the way.

[Bruindane]

180: Peace isn't that different than the last 100 turns of war

Going to faith build a few troops leveraging Victor for a few turns. By shifting troops to deal with far flung barbarians, we are more vulnerable than before, and we need more troops for a potential future ground assault at Al. Ships, we also need ships.



Reform the Coinage, your will be missed

[suboptimal]

Turn 180

So this came through:




For the time being I say “Goodbye”. Next turn do we want to re-offer with the ask of a couple of cities on Big Island? He can’t trade me Al as trading capitals is a .

Diamonds finished a pike and shot, I start a University. The builder at Graceland heads for the iron. I’m going to repair the mines there and on the salt, then go plantation the unimproved wines. Last builder charge will farm the wheat. Harbor repair complete next turn and I’ll buy a jong the turn after that. The jong and the man-at-arms will go after Brussels while Graceland repairs the lighthouse and then starts another builder (or two) for improvements at Brussels. Confucius can’t get line of sight to Brussels (the city has claimed the entire second ring) so I disembark onto Big Island – I’m going to walk around the southern borders, re-embark and then embark on the tundra just outside the city-state’s borders.

[Bruindane]

Next turn do we want to re-offer with the ask of a couple of cities on Big Island?  He can’t trade me Al as trading capitals is a . 

I've been running on the aspirational goal that freeing Al is our victory condition. Could we use 30 turns of friendship to rebuild in safety, sure, but why should Russia value a friendship so highly to give us cities for it? I'm happy to take straight up `friendship`, with the intent to build a small fleet, and see where the game is then.

Mechanically, I am a little uncertain how multiple diplomatic offers are handled. Are you able to send a trade offer and a friendship on the same turn? If so, what do they see first?  It occurs to me now that maybe past friendships I sent are rejected and re-offered, and not me mis-clicking/cancelling or some other limitation.

I'm assuming I got the same friendship offer, so I can reject on my turn to give you a chance to negotiate. Might drag on a few turns, so you could provide me a playbook if it drags into your vacation time.

[suboptimal]

Based on what I've seen this game unless he sent the offer specifically to both of us then only one of us gets the offer but the result affects both. If he hasn't offered the DoF to you or re-offers it to me then I'll offer it straight up on my next turn. I don't think you can make two diplomatic offers to the same person in the same turn - they all need to be combined into one package.

You make a good point about Russia not needing the DoF badly enough to give us cities. OTOH, why ask for a DoF in their current (assumed) position? We're currently not much of a threat though Australia is now getting slowly eaten by Norway.

I agree with making liberating Al a victory condition but I won't be able to contribute much until/unless I can locate niter. I can build/buy jongs, caravels and privateers, though at 33 per turn the process will be slow.

[Bruindane]

Turn 181 - What is a friend?

I agree with making liberating Al a victory condition but I won't be able to contribute much until/unless I can locate niter.  I can build/buy jongs, caravels  and privateers, though at 33 per turn the process will be slow.

You undervalue your power, Russia is now in a dark age, as we are. Friendship is the last thing they should be offering. No offers of friendship sent to me.




I upgraded to a line infantry, and bought another pike & shot. I will save my remaining niter and send it to you when you do upgrades. Free civic changes on the dark age as you noted earlier, chose Hic Sunt Dracones which gives era points on sinking ships. I'll switch policies in a few turns once I finish the walls at Fashion.

[suboptimal]

Interesting. I'll be curious to see if Williams_482 is paying attention to the loyalty situation there and if there's anything he can do about it. I'll need to check if there's anything I can do about it to perhaps speed things up a little bit.

I'll also need to see what policies I can slot.