[Spoilers] Ibuprofen and Eyeglasses: Thoth plays a Middle Aged game

[Thoth]

I've got Buddhism and Halberd's borders popped eot showing Horses and Stone on the island.






I'm going to hang on to the missionary for the moment in the hopes of getting a free spread into Halberd after the trade connection is finished on t11.

[Tarkeel]

Hemlock Stronghold is the hidden base of the forest-men.

[Thoth]

Made contact with Scooter (to my south) and Yuris (to my north and East) this turn, looks like the barb cities are roughly equidistant from each of us.



and who's the noob who went WB first?

[Thoth]

Commodore and Pindicator both grew a pop at eot according to Civstats.

So two WB first openings.

I'd rather have the earlier workers. 3 Serfdom boosted workers is barely enough to keep up with pop growth.

[Thoth]

Both Scooter and Yuris are spending all their EPs on me in spite of both having met someone else (they both put 2 on me the first turn of contact).


Given my obvious builder picks with Civ and Leader I'm a bit puzzled as to why they're both so concerned about me?

[Thoth]

After somewhat belatedly remembering that we start with Writing, I offered OB to both Scooter and Pindicator. We should have trade routes from scouting in a turn or so if they agree.


Spotted a barb axe up north with an exploring archer.

Pics next turn (in a couple of hours most likely)

[Thoth]

Pics next turn (in a couple of hours most likely)

Well that seems to have jinxed things.  

[Thoth]

t16 is done,  OB signed with Yuris and Scooter giving me an extra 6 commerce per turn from trade routes. 

Commodore offered OB and I accepted.  We don't have a trade connection yet and I don't need the trade routes yet but I don't mind making a good will gesture towards someone I can't rush (yet).


Northlands:





South:







Capital of Halberd: 




I'll work the unimroved Deer t17 and then swap to the Lumbermill t18 giving me just enough food to grow to size 6 eot 19.   Next Lumbermill due to complete on t21.


Holy City of Bec de Corbin:




I'm aiming for size 9 here and 20 base hpt.   My lack of grain resources and the lack of freshwater means I'll be in negative health at size 8 with forge, 7 once I chop the forested hill adjacent to the city. 
This is going to be a solid unit pump and a nice source of early commerce working the two Dyes at size 5 and 6.

[Thoth]

Not much domestic to report. Halberd is at size 6 and started a settler due eot 26. Bec is still growing. Size 4 now (eot20), size 5 and working riverside Dye plantation eot 22, and if I've done the arithmetic correctly size 6 and working the non-riverside Dye plantation as well at eot 24. Currently aiming to finish Forge, Barracks and then partially complete a bunch of units ready for the swap to Feudalism or to allow to complete if needed for anti barb efforts. I've got an axe within 1t of completion in Halberd if needed in the meantime.


Scooter surprised me by generating a Great Merchant last turn. Then I thought about it, and it makes sense: the bulb is Civil Service.

Why was it a surprise? 'Cause I completely blanked on the possibility of a CS bulb when I was thinking through openings.

Solid play and Scooter is now in Slavery/Bureaucracy/OR. I didn't notice but I don't think he's adopted a religion yet. He did get a free spread of Islam to his capital and is using his missionary as a fog buster. I'm expecting a couple of settler whips out of his capital over the next few turns. His second city is still only size 2 and he's been in Caste all game so I'm not sure what's going on there but he is behind me in turn order so he may grow at the end of his turn.

Commodore's heavily whipped nation is now up to 3 cities and is back into Serfdom.

Demographics I'm 1st in food and mfg for the moment but I expect food to slip relative to others as Halberd stagnates on a settler. Lagging in GNP but a lot of that will fix it's self as I grow onto the Dyes and add two commerce next turn as the Ivory camp and a lumber-mill complete.


I'm mildly surprised that Yuris hasn't spawned a Great Person of some sort yet. The Music GA is still available though the rival top GNP suggests that someone is gunning for it via conventional beakers rather than a Philo bulb.

[Thoth]

So Scooter managed to land the Music GA last turn via conventional research.  I'm surprised,  Yuri could have had it via bulb 6-7 turns ago  but his opening seems a bit weak overall.  He's lagging behind in food and hammers and we both settled our 1st expansion city on the same turn in spite of me losing 2 turns to anarchy and not having access to the whip.  F8 suggests that he's built a Library  in his capital but I haven't looked at the numbers closely enough to suss out when.

I'm a few turns out from Feudalism yet but the economy is starting to shape up nicely.  Founded Glaive this turn and grew onto my first cottage in Halberd while Bec de Corbin grew onto a freshly completed Lumbermill.






I triggered the Blacksmith quest last turn when I completed the forge in Bec de Corbin.  1/7 forges complete.  IIRC the reward for this one is an Engineer specialist which is nice if I manage to get to 7 cities in time to get forges built in them.

Islam spread to Halberd a couple of turns ago which is a nuisance.  I'll have to spend 40 hammers on a missionary when I want to spread Buddhism into Halberd.

In the meantime it removes the temptation to build a forge here.  The galley is to ferry a worker now and settler later to my horse/stone island.

Scooter's second city is positioned so that he may be able to flip the barb city on his border with Commodore if he detonates the GA in that city.  Commodore's borders are adjacent to the barb city from the other side.

I think it may be time to sit back and do some nice peaceful buildering.