[PB67] Tarkeel flips the table

[Tarkeel]

Turn 29 (2840 BC)
Mjmd and Charriu both settled their first cities this turn, while I'm finishing my second worker next turn, so we're slightly slower but on hopefully a higher power curve.

[Tarkeel]

Turn 34 (2640 BC)
The turnpace of this game is killing whatever interest I had left, so I've barely done any C&D. Looking back on PBSpy I see Bing settled T30 and SD T33. Our settler is in position next turn, and we revolted into slavery to whip the second settler in four turns or so. The workers are roading to the copper/cow/fish site.

[Tarkeel]

Turn 35 (2600 BC)
We made contact with Superdeath at what turned out to be his capital, and can see why he's unhappy about sheep:


We finally founded our second city Endeavor. AnimalHusbandry comes in three turns, just as the workers finish their push roading towards the next city.





Endeavor: Age of Sail is the second, streamlined, 2018-version of the original 2009 hidden-gem. It's become one of my favorite games, as it combines great strategic depth and variety with only setup-randomness and very streamlined gameplay.

[Tarkeel]

Turn 37 (2520 BC)
We finally get the usual morning double turn, and preparations for next city are coming along nicely:


T37: Finish road on hill; Settler 39/100
T38: Finish road on flat grass; Settler whip
T39: Finish road on copper; Settler on flat grass
T40: Settle; Improve pigs and copper

Mjmd told me that Ginger is likely going for Oracle into Colossus, and I'm not sure I have the build site to contest that and build the Great Lighthouse, which I've slated most of the remaining capital forests for.

As for the map-revote business, I leave as an exercise for the reader how to dotmap this area:

[Tarkeel]

Turn 40 (2400 BC)
First to three cities!


I decided to improve the cattle before the copper, both for faster growth and getting a few more warriors out for MP. I'm torn about where to settle next; the Dreamland site down by Charriu would be by far the best city (and my only early luxury), but it's quite the pink dot. The other option is to pinkdot Superdeath in the east, or go for something slow and safe.
Turn 41 (2360 BC)
Met Bing in the far east, and Charriu joins me on three cities.
Turn 43 (2320 BC)
Updated world map:





Funkenschlag is the original German name for Power Grid, the 2004 classic about purchasing and fueling power plants to deliver electricity to your cities. I promise it's more fun than it sounds, really! Also, the end game might feel like a math test, but the experience is great.

[Tarkeel]

Another day without a turn, so here's a look at my attempt at dotmaping instead.

South
All my expansion so far has been in this direction, where I'm only facing Charriu as competition. He has all of Aframerica to himself, so I think it's going to be important to get atleast a foothold on this continent. Unfortunately that foothold has very low short-term potential.


Clammy: This is going to be one of my few decent commerce tiles, as it actually has some grassland to cottage. Needs to build it's own workboat though.
Borderline/Borderland: If I can't prioritize getting the two southern cities, this is going to be my chokehold against Charriu, and should go on the hill. It's telling that the oasis is considered a food resource here.
Dreamland: You know when I said this was by far the best early city? I lied. I somehow missed that the only food here is a second ring floodplain. It's still a high priority for the ivory alone, which is sad.
Unnamed-Jungle: From Charriu's map I know this has a dry jungled rice SE, so it has some food. Together with Dreamland these would form my border against Charriu, but needs IronWorking to not be a hellhole.

East
The best border city against SD would be the plainshill between the wheat and corn, but that really messes up the rest of the dotmap


Kicker: Technically South-East, this city is about as "backline" as any of my sites are, and with a lighthouse and border expansion can work three decent tiles.
Sustainable: Probably the next city I'll settle, to gain a foothold in the east and a pathway to Pinky.
Pinky: This is actually one of the stronger city sites I've seen, with the downside being lack of hill and close proximity to Superdeath. Will also need quite some worker love to clear the forests.
Drain: Could also be moved 2E to get a plainshill but lose the coast. Will be the other core defensive city ont he SD/Mjmd border.
Rocky: Depending on where Drain goes, this could also go east. Main benefit would be to claim stone.
Frosty: This is slightly better than it looks, as there's a flat plainssheep hidden NW.
Rank: Claims my only native luxury, two wines. Does not have any access to food.
Junky and Badland: Both are pure filler cities that have no access to food at all, not even shared. Very low priority.

[El Grillo]

Power Grid was one of the first euro-style board games I ever played back in 2010, as you mentioned the endgame requires some serious multi-phase forecasting (especially if the other players are contesting your resources and city connections) but it was such a fun time, I'd love to play it again.

I appreciate your dotmap placeholder names, by the way. Big upgrade over colored dots or various X's.

[Tarkeel]

Power Grid was one of the first euro-style board games I ever played back in 2010, as you mentioned the endgame requires some serious multi-phase forecasting (especially if the other players are contesting your resources and city connections) but it was such a fun time, I'd love to play it again.

Power Grid was one of the first heavy eurogames for me as well, and it's still one of my favorites. Endeavor and Concordia have since surpassed it, but mainly beacuse they're more accesible. There's nothing quite like the lategame 'Grid crunch.

I appreciate your dotmap placeholder names, by the way. Big upgrade over colored dots or various X's.

Thanks! I started doing it in '62 as a way of keeping the city names secret before founding, but it kinda stuck. Makes it way easier for myself to remember which site I'm writing about as well.

[Tarkeel]

Turn 44 (2240 BC)
We get another turn in.


Pottery comes in, but I decided to grow on another warrior in Concordia before swapping to granary on size 4, and whipping it just as the whip-timer expires in 4. Vital has put a turn into the copper mine, but will go cottage the river next turn, while Friedeman connects the two cities. Think I'll settle Clammy for tile sharing before going east to Sustainable or Pinky. Saving gold for a few turns before going for Sailing.

[Tarkeel]

Turn 47 (2120 BC)
The capital just hit size 4 again after regrowing on two warriors, and it'a tough choice what to build next.


Main options is a granary for future power, worker for immediate labor, or settler for another city.

I just had a very productive talk with Charriu, resulting in an amicable split of North-Aframerica which lessens the need to speed-settle the area. The city options are therefore Clammy, Kicker and Sustainable. With only two workers it seems better to build a worker before another city, but Endeavor can contribute that soon. In the end I go with a settler for Clammy from the capital, to be able to share tiles. Capital will also have 1t shorter traveltime due to the roads.

It would probably have been better to finish the cottage at Funkenschlag instead of the road to Endeavor this turn, but the difference is negligible.