[SPOILERS] Banzailizard and Woden go hunting!

[Banzailizard]

I had been wondering if that was the cause too. I do worry that if they are taken out, it will be too late to stop the snowball. It is Ljubljana who has Japan though, so maybe if he can get some ships out it will make it painful for Thrawn.

[Woden]

IDK, I think if we get lucky and Thrawn doesn't find our home islands by T60-T70, we might have a chance. We should be able to get Diplomatic Service and Limes running before T70. Civil Service and an alliance by T80-T85 and Cartography somewhere around T85-T90 with maybe Mercenaries done too for cheap caravel upgrades. Promoted caravels with Oligarchy and an alliance will attack at 72 versus a promoted longboat with only Oligarchy defending at 47. That is close to 1-shotting them. You will be able to with a GA because I think 30 is the difference needed to make sure it is a 1-shot kill.

Will we have the time, IDK? Let say he is attacking TAD/Ljubljana right now. He could take TAD out in 3 or 4 turns and then maybe Ljubljana in another 5 turns. For simplistic terms, lets say he knocks them out on T60. They are probably 6 to 8 turns of travel away but probably quicker since he can move across the ocean at Shipbuilding and he could have that now. Not sure if we have enough time but he might also go after CMF before us since CMF gets an early Frigate. He also could have enough ships soon for multiple attacks and hit us both at the same time but it will also take some time to chew through our defenses. IDK, it will be real close and why it sucks that the turn pace has become slow. We will know around T80 if we have a shot or not.

[Woden]

Turn 51-Gaul
Open the save to see that Ngazargamu hit my redlined galley but he still survived and has earned a promotion. I take the city with my 2 other galleys and promote the redlined one, taking the +7 against ships promotion. Settler complete at the capital and I start another, it will complete in 3 turns. Builders add 2 mines and grab the last 2 tiles I will chop....
   

Ngazargamu (now City III) came with a 3-charge builder and I start repairing the monument. It has a nice location for a +3 IZ, next to iron and 3 hills. The builder will mine the 3 hills and the iron will boost Wheel since I didn't get it with my iron mine at the capital. 

Internationally, Thrawn has completed his 7th civic, so he probably has PP done and running Oligarchy. With the capture of Ngazargamu, I think we are in 2nd place in score. Team 3 (TAD/Ljubljana) has 150 points and I think we have 153 now.

Developmentally, my last settler will be done in 3 turns (move to chops next turn, chop on T53, and settler completes the turn after (T54)). Magnus will move to City II and I will place Pingala at the capital with the title I current have. Five turns later (T59), I will chop and finish the Ancestral Hall, thanks to the city grabbing the forested plains instead of the marsh tile this turn. I will settle 3 cities and all will start campuses. The capital will go for a builder after the settler and then the IZ before pumping out galleys. City II will do a builder after the AH and then pump out galleys and City III will go for a IZ and then galleys. I think I can finish Diplomatic Service around T67 or T68 and get Limes running to build walls everywhere. I will feel much safer then.

Edit: I have 4 galleys ready to scout the north and northeast next turn.

[Banzailizard]

England Turn 51

Honestly not much to report.  PP and therefore Oligarchy next turn.  Ships should start healing up next turn too.  The barb scout continues to sit halfway between London and Leeds, I was hoping it would suicide.  That means I cannot move my settler down.  If it continues to sit there without moving for another turn, I will head up to site 6 and just settle the city there.  Leed's settler can then send its settler to site 2.  Campus in 7 turns, archery in 7 turns.  Should be able to do the 1 turn policy card swap to get suzerain status too.  Otherwise here is a screenshot of the exploration I am doing north and west.

   

[Woden]

Otherwise here is a screenshot of the exploration I am doing north and west.

West of your island is looking to be very defensible from western attacks. If we can control Zanzibar and Taruga, we should be able to hold from a western attack. Also, the layout will be beneficial for spotting incoming attacks. Once we scout a bit, we should think about posting ships on our approaches, looking for incoming boats.

I have to explore around Rapa Nui because my eastern flank might be similar and will do the same with my boats once I get a few more healthy. I think for now, my main navy is going to hang around our north. That seems to be our most open vector and until I get walls up, City III will be my most vulnerable. Also, having ships hanging around the northern island between us will allow them to reposition if our spotter ships find something.

If/when Zanzibar's galley leaves the city, you could probably take the city with 2 galleys and leave one in the south on patrol west of Taruga. I can probably send a few ships over that way to help take the city too, if needed. Might be a good way to promote my ships that are close to their 1st promotion. I will then send the one that is healing in my capital to scout my SE and maybe the one in City III to scout east and patrol those waters. It woudl be nice to get a bit of warning of any ships sailing our way.

I have 4 ships that are heading North and Northeast, so we should get a better sense of how open our north is soon. That big ocean north of you could be troublesome, as the Vikings can sail right through it.

As for the barb scout, you might be able to send your settler out if you want to take a risk. If it left your trader alone, it probably will leave your settler alone. Not sure if it is worth the risk but then again, you coudl always recapture it once you get your units south.

[Banzailizard]

Hmm here is a thought, I could run my builder by the scout, see what happens. It has 1 charge left and I can go recapture it later. Better than needing to recapture a settler.

[Woden]

Hmm here is a thought, I could run my builder by the scout, see what happens.  It has 1 charge left and I can go recapture it later.  Better than needing to recapture a settler.

IDK, the scout took up position in your campus and may fortify there, which means you can't build it and may need your builder to chop out the campus if you can't complete it by the era change. I would give it another turn to see if that is the scout's mission (prevent the campus from being built). If he stays on the campus tile, you can move your settler next turn.

[Woden]

Turn 52-Gaul
Not much going on this turn. I move my builders to the tiles I need to chop next turn and move my scouts north...
   

There looks to be a big ocean to my northeast, just like your north. 

Internationally, TAD lost a city so our assumption of an attack is correct. Thrawn/Krill are now leading in science and have the same number of techs that we do. Not surprising since Thrawn alone has the same number of cities as us combined. Also, somebody is running the Great General card and getting 2 GP points per turn. I am pretty sure that is Thrawn because I don't think anybody else has PP done.

[Banzailizard]

England Turn 52

Right well kept scouting north.  This is a long snakey continent, or maybe quite a large one?  Might be good to settle soon, so even if we get stuck in a naval stalemate with Thrawn, we can keep pumping out setters here a bit inland and therefore safe from attacks.

   

In the south, since I could not work on my campus, I chose to work on another galley.  I was going to put maritime industries in anyways, so that is not a big deal.  I used the builder to scout just a bit to see how big the south sea is. I will turn him around next turn though in case i need to chop in my capital.  Gallies on the west side of my island are healing up getting ready to go.  Animal husbandry done next turn, going to work mysticism or 2 turns, switch to working military tradition, finish that, get diplomatic league and an archer for the quest, then finish mysticism for suzerain status, and immediately swap out back to something useful.  Slinger should be able to pester the scout soon if needed.  I do still have discipline in, just in case I meet barb gallies.

   

Edit: I think after archery, I should go for shipbuilding to move twoards better ships in general, and to allow settling new landmasses. Then I will go for masonry to unlock walls. I should be able to build a quary at site 4 to boost if needed. Better to have the option to build walls than not. That also mean I need more builders. So my last swap after mystisim should leave me with agoge, urban planning (or maybe colonization still) maritime industry and either discipline or conscription (to help save gold for upgrading).

Building can focus on lighthouses for trade, districts, especially RND for free naval units, and builders to improve the new cities.

[Woden]

I will give you the boost to Masonry when I complete it after T61. Not sure the order but I will complete a tech per turn for 5 turns (Irrigation, Masonry, Animal Husbandry, Shipbuilding, and Archery) starting on T62, after I place the Campus at City 5 location. This should be about the time you complete Shipbuilding. You could put some research into Currency if need be. We will want to plan hitting the techs that lead towards Cartography ASAP but you will also need to get walls, so you will also need Masonry. I think I should research any that we/you can't get the boost for easily. My tech rate will explode after the era change, starting around T65 and should be able to feed you boosts until Cartography, which we will want you to give me the boost since you already have it (2 harbors).

My science will explode because I will chop out a campus at each new city and will run the double adjacency card for campuses, which will be worth something like 18 science. I was thinking we need to hit Diplomatic Service first before Drama and Recorded History but I am rethinking it. If I go Drama and Recorded History first, there may be a chance if Thrawn declares war on us, we can get the boost and finish it quicker. Even without the boost, I think I can finish both Recorded History and Diplomatic Service by T70, especially if I build quadriremes at my capital instead of galleys. I will be able to 3 turn them versus a 2 turn galley but get 24 culture every 3 turns versus 13 culture every 2 turns. By going to Recorded History first, I can get my science rate up quicker and we will get to Cartography quicker. I might even be able to research Buttresses un-boosted before I get the 1st Scientist.

Your science will also increase significantly if we can get you a Golden Age (which I think we can). This will mean a couple of things. First, you will want your first builds in all your new cities to be a harbor and, second, you should build at least 1 quadrireme for Naval Tradition and the harbor doubling card. You can research that once we have Civil Service complete. That should really help your tech rate in a Golden Age. For civics, once you pass me the boost for Military Tradition, I will pass you boosts for Drama, Games and Recreation, Recorded History, Diplomatic Service (unless Thrawn declares on us), and Civil Service, so put your research into whatever you can while waiting for the boosts. I will start building ships in mass once I get my IZ finished at my capital, which should be around T62 and should be chewing through those civics pretty quickly. I figure my capital and City II should be able to 2-turn galleys, City III will be able to 3 turn them, and potentially the natural wonder city could 3-turn them as well once its campus is complete.