[PB70] Lurking under the tables

[Tarkeel]

Who will be the new king of diplo? Stay tuned!

[Krill]

The true king of diplo is whichever lurker gets the most enjoyment out the clown fiesta.

[Tarkeel]

I don't expect very much "true diplo" to take part here, with the Charriu-Mjmd border being the main exception.

[Magic Science]

Can we tell Superdeath and Cornflakes that their Corn is dry?

[Tarkeel]

Yeah, dry/wheat is a legit question.

[Tarkeel]

My thoughts on the picks, in north-to-south order.

Charriu: Pericles (CRE/PHI) of Russia (hunting/mining)


Charriu has a very clearly defined strategy outlined in his thread, but will his neighbors Bing and Mjmd leave him alone? CREative will help out in the early game, but other than that his advantages are all long term. Distances and terrain should mean people are more concerned about settling the contested areas than choking opponents.

Mjmd: Zara (CRE/ORG) of America (fishing/agriculture)


One of the only two people without PHI, Zara is probably a good fit for a map that's wetter than the starting screenshot would have you believe. I didn't get the feel that Mjmd has a very strong plan on how to use the American library UB, so he might just go for a strong expansion phase augmented by cheap boosted libraries. For the late game, he'll first have Minutmen, and then cheap factories for staying power.

Superdeath (w/Cornflakes): Suleiman (IMP/PHI) of Egypt (agriculture/wheel)


I understand that Superdeath picked Egypt "in case borders were close", but one of the constraints they were told of was medium-long distances. I hope he uses it more for deterrence than invasion; the mere presence of SuperEgypt should make his neighbors build a few more spears than they would otherwise. The monument has some nice synergies with the monument (as SD has pointed out), but I suspect the monk wonders to be more contested than usual. With Cornflakes to help steer the ship, I even think they can get something worthwhile from PHI.

Ginger: Nebuchadnezzar (IND/PHI) of China (agriculture/mining)


Ginger's signature move has become Oracle into early Machinery and Crossbows, and he's aiming for that again but with chucklenaughts. The main threat is if his neighbors see it coming, but even then this is a pretty scary plan.

Bing: Churchill (CHA/PRO) of Mali (mining/wheel)


The Malinese Skirmisher doesn't really need an introduction, and while Churchill usually allows for some seriously spiky play, the combination really allows you to go on the offensive. Both PRO and CHA are good fits for the map as well.

In short, I think this is a pretty evenly matched field, so the diplomacy part is likely to be important.

[civac2]

Bing is too casual to really be a threat. That could be an unbalancing factor. Why do you think CHA is a good fit on the map?

I tried the bulbing to Education -> Gunpowder with PHI thing in PB56 using the full power Khmer war elephant. It did not really work that well. Though part of the reason was getting gut-punched my Mr. Cairo. Let's see if Charriu can do better.

[Tarkeel]

I like CHA both for the cheaper monuments and improved early happy. Yes, everyone gets a gold and ivory, but the ivory is placed such that it's not a priority pickup. Later on I'm a sucker for the reduced XP costs.

Agree that Bing is unlikely to be a proper threat, but he's not going to be rolled over easily here.

[Tarkeel]

I believe the floodplain city that Mjmd is so hung up on settling is a trap, it will take too long to repay itself. There are better city sites in the south, so I'd leave it to third or fourth. It's a very good example of how important scouting is on this map though.

[Magic Science]

Turn 10, Charriu already knows the shape of the map and the identities of his 2 neighbors.

I predict that either Charriu or Mjmd will win this game. It's time for one of those relatively old timers to be a new winner.
Not that it would be impressive if am correct since I am guessing 2/5 players.