[spoiler] Q Returns to Quest Once More

[Qgqqqqq]

In case it helps speed things along, I'm happy to confirm that I wish to play as Arendal Phaedra of the Ljolsofar.

Would have been nice to see the start first, but I can't realistically see a scenario where I choose otherwise.

[naufragar]

Here is your start. Only trust your BFC. Everything else is shadow and illusion.

[Qgqqqqq]

Thanks Naufragar.

Excellent, forests galore! Time to see the impact of the workrate malus.

[Qgqqqqq]

To analyse later:

Brian: Eionon Elohim
Bing: Auric Illians
Q: Arendal Phaedra Ljosalfar
Auro: Faeryl Svartalfar
Miguelito: Varn Malakim

Immediate reaction: poo! Svartalfar. Illians Have a scary rush available. I feel like Varn peaks too early but Mig is scary so we'll see.

[mackoti]

Yeah serious contender for FOL and scary recon units, and no cooper warriours i wonder who's ideea was this      .
Personaly i like recon like the most in Eitb.

[Qgqqqqq]

So, looking at my earlier post, I was zero for four

Lost a big post analysing the picks. Takeaways:

• Mig has a strong combo, with a strong player. But Varn loses some things on second era start, and doesn't have as obvious goodies. Need to be aware of worldspell rush possibilities.
  
• Brian has a interesting civ and leader, and could do funky things with PHI (e.g. bulbing RoK). But even with Elohim buffs, he's lacking a solid economy bonus, and I'm not super scared of March Monks, especially without SPI. Most likely to be surprised by his gameplan.
  
• Auro is probably the scariest player, for my money, and as Mack highlights, 5/4 recon are killer when you can build them from gamestart. He's also the competition for FotL. On the other hand, Faeryl has the latest of late traits, which do almost nothing until KotE/Sorcery (unlike Arendal Phaedra...). If he can't pull into a scary position through a rush or intimidation, he could find himself falling behind on expansion. Though it never does do to rull out late-game traits paired with the elven economy.
  
• Bing has the most straight-forward game plan (and one of the strongest) of all - PoW rush / intimidation into relying on CHA/ARC Ice II mages to roll over everyone. Hopefully MotT can scare him away from hitting us.
  

I think I'd most like to neighbour (in order) Brian, Bing (ironically - I think we can reach our insurance in time, and I'd rather be able to hit him from the side if he goes for someone else), and Mig. I'd really rather stay well away from the RAI 5/4 hunters, to say nothing of the wildlife they might pick up.

Mack also raises an interesting point re warriors. We're really going to need to be careful to build proper military this game, lest we be swallowed by the many rush options. I think that's Hunters->PoL. I don't think Archers are worth it, even if we might go there for the Hero. I want early hunters for the exploration and wildlife as well - I might even fit one in before the first settler.

[Qgqqqqq]

Urgh, just realised I'm going to have to monitor GNP to see how the FoL race is going...hopefully zero anarchy will help me along.

[Qgqqqqq]

So, as we wait for civs and a map, some thoughts.

Going into this, my main motivation is not to win, but to have another EITB game. Given I'm playing, I'd like to put on a good show, but I'm not focused on winning - which is good, as I'm not prepared to put in a ton of effort! I've got a lot going on in real life, and so I was a little reluctant to play in the first place. So I won't be simming, or C&Ding, I'll just take each turn as they come and try to make good moves each turn.

I am a lying liar who lies. (In fairness, I blame the slow start to this game.)

So I've built a sim, and tried out two options. In both, I settle in place, improve incense until borders pop and then wheat.

In max-tech, I go for an EC->Hunting Lodge->Hunter->Settler. I finish the incense, and then do the sheep and the silk. FoL finishes t20, the earliest that is feasible without hiring a scientist or going silk before sheep. I'm only just starting a settler here. I was more shoddy with tiles on this one but it should be mostly right.

In max-production, I go HL->Hunter->Settler. I improve sheep->incense->silk->cottage on the grass forest. That drops me 3t on FOL, finishing on t23, but I have a settler out t24. I'll likely follow that with either another hunter or worker, situation depending.

I think I'll likely split the difference between these - the EC was a bit of a fantasy, it's definitely not worth the resources, but the incense is worth improving before the sheep IMO. I should have a decent chance of founding FotL - wet wheat and river incense is pretty top-tier commerce, and with a turn of anarchy Auro would need something like gold to beat me. Perfectly possible, but not worth sweating over - the shrine doesn't matter that much, if at all.


Naufragar, I'm struggling with the screenshot - are there any hills in my BFC?

[Qgqqqqq]

T1 scouting:


We're at the bottom of the world! The ice and tundra ain't exciting, nor is the lack of food resources. Still, I'm kind of okay with this - it likely puts us far from others, and if there's anyone who can do okay on marginal terrain it's us. Still, depending on scouting we might have to shift the build out slightly if we need roads to city number 2. (There's quite a big incentive to found FotL in the capital, though.)

Any naming convention suggestions?

The sim we're working towards, by the by:

[Qgqqqqq]

I forgot to mention, but Miguelito didn't settle. Which is intriguing, especially as a SPI civ - both because he's actually giving up a turn, and because he's putting himself behind on a religion.

Of course, there's not necessarily much you get for founding a religion, just the chance to build the shrine later.