[spoilers] Pindicator Steals the Mapmakers Naming Theme

[pindicator]

Think I'm finally starting to suss out my start, so a little grateful for the extra time the technical difficulties have brought on.

Right now the plan is to start a 2nd work boat from the capital and then start a galley. Whip first settler t18, use the overflow plus a chop to finish the galley. Load up a worker to improve the deer and start putting down lumbermills on the island forests. Capital then goes barracks into sword production, only stopping to 3-pop whip out the next settler t28 - this one is bound for the island to settle on top of the horse.

La Fontaine will start a barracks next turn and then 1p whip a worker when it hits size 3. Overflow finishes the barracks, and the two workers will then improve the iron just about in time for swords to start - will need a turn of wealth right after the barracks is done. Then it's non-stop swords here thanks to being 11hpt at size 3. We'll get 3 swords in a row here, and then whip out a pair of horse archers for the last 2 units.

Finally, city 3 will go 2N of the wheat. We'll run a little bit of caste to pop borders (5 culture/turn with missionary & 1 artist). Then the 2nd work boat will improve the clam for a 5f tile. Our workers from La Fontaine will be up here by then and the deer gets improved. No barracks here - just whipping a sword for max overflow once we reach size 4, and overflow into a second sword.

In the end we're looking at attacking the barb city with 7 swords and 2 horse archers on t37. Feel confident in those numbers working in our favor. Then we'll move south and take the other.

[Tarkeel]

It's very interesting seeing how the advanced era affects the start.

[pindicator]

Fuuuuiiuuuuuuuuuuck

I think I messed up this turn because I played sick and in a rush. Hooked up the fish but didn't swap the city to work it.

Edit: This is a pretty big fuckup. I lose at least a turn on everything.

[pindicator]

4 food in exchange for 4 hammers - maybe there's some server side magic available? (Kind of doubt it.)

[pindicator]

007

Thank you Ramk!!!!




Food and hammers are correct. I lost a commerce, but I'll consider that idiot tax.

[pindicator]

008

I met Commodore. Or rather, we have contact - I don't see a unit. Of course I neighbor Commodore. Why wouldn't I?

[pindicator]

009

Interesting map: it appears we are all on a giant ring with our capitals facing the center.  If true, someone loves Vikings:




It's very green, but it's not very lush - notice the lack of bonus food, which makes for interesting dotmapping.  The north is easier to build towards, but the south has a bit of a barren stretch without good bonus food tiles.  3SE of La Fountaine seems the best bet.  Although I could plant one 3S of the city as well and grab the cow.

I don't like the barbarian cities.  I like the concept of them, but having them be such treasure bonanzas is a bit much.  They're a "free" city, they're the best spot to get, and they're the halfway point.  It's the "one right choice" - and then you have a military to go after a neighbor.  Someone is going to get 2 and someone is going to get 0 just by means of luck and which direction people go.  I think putting them on the outside edge of the ring would have been a lot better.  Put stressors in different directions.  Make people make choices.  Anyway, maybe my assumptions about the map are all wrong.

Another assumption:  do barbarian cities get any culture?  With my 3rd city will I get a "free" improved horse by just popping borders?

Neighbors.  I was up all night worrying about Keshiks.  (Not really, but ... kind of.)  If I was in Commodore's spot I would say "forget the barbarian cities, I'm gong to plant my first city on top of the horses and keshik rush someone".  I need to play defensively in the south.  I would love to grab the southern barbarian city first but ... well, see the dot map and my lack of food down there.  I might put city #4 down there.  I'm glad I'm building a lot of units to start.

Right now I'm looking to do my Great Merchant push around t35, after the second settler is whipped out of the capital.  That would get us Civil Service and Bureau on t41.  I think that's a little after when Machinery is due to be completed.  Would love to mix in an engineer specialist - which in turn has me wondering if SPI/IND was a better choice.  But then I would be tempted to put forges down ahead of everything else and wouldn't be able to rush the barb cities down.

[Tarkeel]

Dark forces are afoot in the Black Falcon's Fortress.

[pindicator]

Well, I'm sorry I took castles now - that naming scheme was clearly already taken!

012

Commodore's scout appeared from the south, and my scout ran into one of his archers in the east. He offered OB and I declined - mostly because he has a route past my lands and I don't need to give open borders for trade routes - yet.




The second work boat is done. This guy is going to improve the clams at our next city as soon as borders pop. Figure I need to be in position at the end of t22 - so I have about 10 turns to do some scouting towards the middle. I expect a heavily contested area here on the seas, so let's get the lay of the land in the calm before the storm.

Capital is working Wheat, Fish, Copper, and the unimproved deer. Worker there is making my first cottage, and then ... oh, i think i messed up my micro and am improving the wrong cottage. Well, it's done now. It needs to build a road next and then chop out a forest to finish the galley along. Then jump on board the galley and improve the deer. The capital hits size 5 at end-of-turn and then will swap to a settler, which gets whipped out in a few turns.

La Fountaine grows to size 2 eot and works the improved ivory camp. It will grow to 3 and then whip out a 3rd worker. The two workers at La Fountaine then will head south to hook up the iron.

[aetryn]

Well, I'm sorry I took castles now - that naming scheme was clearly already taken!

012

Commodore's scout appeared from the south, and my scout ran into one of his archers in the east.  He offered OB and I declined - mostly because he has a route past my lands and I don't need to give open borders for trade routes - yet.




The second work boat is done.  This guy is going to improve the clams at our next city as soon as borders pop.  Figure I need to be in position at the end of t22 - so I have about 10 turns to do some scouting towards the middle.  I expect a heavily contested area here on the seas, so let's get the lay of the land in the calm before the storm.

Capital is working Wheat, Fish, Copper, and the unimproved deer.  Worker there is making my first cottage, and then ... oh, i think i messed up my micro and am improving the wrong cottage.  Well, it's done now.  It needs to build a road next and then chop out a forest to finish the galley along.  Then jump on board the galley and improve the deer.  The capital hits size 5 at end-of-turn and then will swap to a settler, which gets whipped out in a few turns.

La Fountaine grows to size 2 eot and works the improved ivory camp.  It will grow to 3 and then whip out a 3rd worker.  The two workers at La Fountaine then will head south to hook up the iron.

Real castles and Lego castles are probably sufficiently different to exist. PB74 has Avalon Hill and a totally different board game theme, so I think we can suffer two kinds of castles in a medieval-themed game.