[PB64] naufragar's bingo parlor for assassins

[naufragar]

Amicalola, this is my barb city. Get your own.


Unless Amica is swapping his horses with another player, he doesn't have any, and I don't expect him to snipe this from me. It is after all 16 tiles from his cap and 8 tiles from mine (as the crow flies. It's actually 11 tiles from mine because of all the peaks and water. )

Looks like Superdeath took a city off Gav after Gav took one off him, so maybe that's why Gavagai doesn't mine trading with the Great Lighthouse keeper?

[naufragar]

Free city!


Took the barb city without losses. Kept it. Maintenance costs? What are those? 

Amica is still way, way ahead in Crop but at least for now I've equalized in city count. It's going to be a long, uphill struggle. 

[Mjmd]

Did you build a galley just to speed up transit across that lake? If so, love it.

Is there a settler with that vulture or just reinforcing units?

[naufragar]

Did you build a galley just to speed up transit across that lake? If so, love it.

That lake just chaps my ass. It's a real burr under my saddle. There is a settler under the northern Vulture. As the crow flies, that spot is 6 tiles away from my cap, but thanks to the terrain, it's 12 tiles via the northern route (walking by Amica's culture) or 13 tiles by the southern route.  So, galley it is.  You can't tell in the screenshot, but there's a fish under the galley, and I've got the work boat at the ready to improve it.

Amica can put me in an uncomfortable fork by planting 1NW of the corn, but we'll have to live with that.

[Mjmd]

Any thoughts of going for the banana / corn area yourself? / why do you "have to live with it" if Amica does settle? I know of at least one lurker approved solution 

[naufragar]

Any thoughts of going for the banana / corn area yourself? / why do you "have to live with it" if Amica does settle? I know of at least one lurker approved solution 

Amica settled a city last turn, but not at the corn. Did you know tiles update in the fog? Check the road on the copper.


So I'm betting he founded for cows and stone.  The only stone I've seen on the map.  And he's the only one who's empire is not tiny or been at war for the past twenty turns.  So he's a lock for the 'mids and/or Hanging Gardens with his gigantic empire? 

Here's what I mean by gigantic:


He's way beyond every other player in food and that number is only going to increase as he expands into the infinitum of land that he has available. And because he's not Gav or Ginger's immediate problem, they're still trading with him.  He has this game so sewn up it's infuriating.

And yet, with this guy it's just push push push all the time.


Notice the road on the jungle hill. Notice the two axe patrol. The reason for all this? Got to be a settler heading for my end of the jungle pass.  I have made it as clear as I can that this is unacceptable to me. He apparently doesn't care. Push push push. And before you point the finger at me, notice how this very game I backed off from a settling spot to maintain the peace with Commodore when he is as threatening right now as a blind, hemophiliac kitten. I would love peace. I have Ziggurats to build, cottages to grow. But no. Push push push goes my neighbor. 

I've moved my second axe up to the dyes as well. This is how cold wars turn hot, unfortunately. He buzzes my area of influence, so I buzz his because backing down cedes too much and eventually one of us crosses a line. Push push push right in my face.

[Mjmd]

If it makes you feel better, I was very impressed with your earlier restraint.

Edit: Is there a worker under his two axes?

[naufragar]

Thanks. It's not a virtue I practice often.

The third unit is Comm's warrior which gets a front row seat. This is actually decent for me as it lets Comm know that I'm not building up my military for him.

I feel like I should mention at this point that complaining is my brand. It's fun to give vent to (and exaggerate) my frustrations for hype. I guess I can let the mask slip for a little bit and say that I actually like my position best of all the players. Amica's currently in the lead, but I'm actually feeling pretty confident with Fin/Org. It's possible that Amica can expand big enough that my traits don't matter, but if he doesn't and if he doesn't damage me before the late game, I really like my position.

Ok. Mask back on. We're doooooooomed.

[Krill]

It's a players right to bitch, moan and complain in their threead. Don't worry about it.

[naufragar]

Then I shall kvetch:



Look at that! Amica is absolutely dominant. I know it looks like I'm keeping up with the non-Amica players, but at what cost?



My hammer output is significantly worse than freaking Commodore, who has like 2 land tiles per city.

What makes all this panic-inducing is that Amica has just researched Currency!

Amica moved his units away from the jungle pass, so I moved my axes back to the hill. The only reason they weren't there before was that I didn't see the point in showing him units.


Take a look at my gold income at 0% science. Amica has +1 trade route from the Great Lighthouse and +1 route from Currency. He has 9 cities for a total of 18 extra trade routes. He is trading with Ginger and Gav (and maybe Superdeath whom I still cannot find for the life of me). And he's Protective so every domestic route is +2 gold minimum. So from 18 extra trade routes at +2 gold minimum each, he's making +36 extra commerce, even without taking into account his massive food surplus that can work more cottages. So, from thin air, he is generating my entire economic surplus before he even has to work a single tile. And for those of you wondering how much Organized is helping me? My civics upkeep is currently 3 gold. 3. So Org is saving me exactly 3 gold so far. 

Yeah, we're dead. I asked Ginger to stop trading with Amica. I'm not holding my breath.