SGOTM 08 - Smurkz

Here's a new plan:



It waits with the whip for one turn, delaying the cats a bit, but there's no way around that when we just lost 13 hammers.

Yeah, we're going to have one less cat at the DoW. I've moved everything except Workers 1 and 2 and have saved the game to let us think.

I'm also unclear on where we want our big stack to be at the DoW. At the moment it's in an unroaded jungle tile 2NW of Pura, directly N of the cows. I would have put them all on the mine immediately W of Pura to protect it from double-movement impis and to have us on a road for greater mobility. Please advise.

OK, I'll revise my written plan and continue in a few minutes. Now, what about where we want our stack?

I agree with your suggestion, on the mine W of Harapura sounds like the best place.

Nearly finished turn 121. Joao will trade Monarchy (448) for Meditation (119) and Aesth (448). Whatcha say?

[Edit: he also has archery--maybe we could push for that, too?]

I see no point in it.

Turn 125--popped hut for 30 gold. Putting Willy on the forest tile means that the tiles immediately N and NE of the plains hill 2N are now fogged out; Willy can't unfog everything on the coast himself. I'm going to post the scout on the plains hill.

Sounds good. I thought Yo's culture would handle that, must have miscalculated.

I've completed all moves on turn 126 and am waiting to declare war. When we do, we'll lose the rice-for-pig trade with Shaka. We're at the health limit in Yo and since we get +2health from rice (with the granary) we're going to have 1 unhealthy.

Now.... none of our military units have used their promotions. Sitting on the mined hill SE of the cows, Shaka could have his chariots and impis hit us there next turn. It would be stupid, but he could. Do we want to promote our units now, and if so, how?

In the main stack we have 2 Ballistas (5XP), 6 cats (might as well wait), 4 axes (3XPs except one with none) and 1 spear (3XPs). There's another axe and a Ballista just S and SE of the stack. Also a 0XP warrior on the ivory.

I say leave them unpromoted. Elephants would deal with the chariots and the impi's would attack the axes on a hill. Either way, odds favor us heavily. If they get any damage, we can just promo heal them.

I say leave them unpromoted, if he attacks us we'll eat him raw. Good point about the health deal, we'll have to look at that later. Could be a problem down the road, but nothing that should stop us from declaring of course.

Time to

Nope, he didn't take the bait. He put 1 axe, 2 chariots, and 4 impis in the jungle 2 NW of Pura. I've submitted the save---can't do screenshots, sorry. Jacques has found several more Joao cities and I've sent the galley to check out the cold islands to the south, though it's still generally heading west. Am working on getting the autolog...

Turn 119/500 (100 AD) [14-Nov-2008 13:33:24]
Yosmurkzhappy begins: Galley (4 turns)
Research begun: Priesthood (0 Turns)
Tech learned: Priesthood
Galileo Galilei (Great Scientist) born in Yosmurkzhappy
A Hamlet was built near Yosmurkzhappy
Hari-Smurkz grows: 7
Smurkz-harapura grows: 8

IBT:
State Religion Change: Joao II(Portugal) from 'no State Religion' to 'Taoism'

Turn 120/500 (125 AD) [14-Nov-2008 13:47:57]
Research begun: Code of Laws (8 Turns)
Xcalibrator Blast! Kwa culture expands, takes away the forest tile.
Xcalibrator We get a Great Sci--settled in Yo
Rockport begins: Scout (15 turns)
Xcalibrator New Hari citizen switched from Gcottage to Pcottage
Xcalibrator Axe disembarks galley by hut--no barbs in sight
Xcalibrator Paused for a few min--Niklas revised Pura build plan
Rockport grows: 3

IBT:

Turn 121/500 (150 AD) [14-Nov-2008 14:34:38]
Xcalibrator Whipped 1 for scout in Rock--15 turns to clear unhappiness
Xcalibrator Jacques found Lagos, pop5, with sword, axe, 2 archers
Hari-Smurkz finishes: Ballista Elephant
A Hamlet was built near Smurkz-harapura
Rockport finishes: Scout

IBT:

Turn 122/500 (175 AD) [14-Nov-2008 14:47:33]
Hari-Smurkz begins: Ballista Elephant (4 turns)
A Mine was built near Rockport
Xcalibrator Jacques passes 2 Joao axes with settler, and a chariot
Xcalibrator Worker1 helping worker4 with cottage NW of Pura
Tech learned: Code of Laws
Yosmurkzhappy grows: 12
Yosmurkzhappy finishes: Galley
A Hamlet was built near Smurkz-harapura
Rockport grows: 3

IBT:
Attitude Change: Joao II(Portugal) towards Shaka(Zululand), from 'Cautious' to 'Pleased'

Turn 123/500 (200 AD) [14-Nov-2008 14:54:09]
Research begun: Civil Service (17 Turns)
Yosmurkzhappy begins: Axeman (3 turns)
Smurkz-harapura finishes: Catapult

IBT:

Turn 124/500 (225 AD) [14-Nov-2008 15:01:59]
Smurkz-harapura begins: Catapult (5 turns)
A Cottage was built near Smurkz-harapura
Yosmurkzhappy finishes: Axeman
Smurkz-harapura grows: 9
Rockport grows: 4

IBT:

Turn 125/500 (250 AD) [14-Nov-2008 15:10:58]
Yosmurkzhappy begins: Catapult (4 turns)
Xcalibrator I've sent the Wgalley south to explore those islands. Jacques covers the mainland
Xcalibrator Barbs have a city on desert hill W of cows and clams about 5 tiles SW of Nongoma
Xcalibrator Kwa has 1 axe, 2 char, 4 impi, with 1 archer on the way
Tribal village results: a little gold
Xcalibrator Scout pops hut, gets 30 gold
Xcalibrator Espionage: Shaka 4 turns for HBR
Hari-Smurkz finishes: Ballista Elephant
Smurkz-harapura finishes: Catapult

IBT:

Turn 126/500 (275 AD) [14-Nov-2008 15:27:11]
Hari-Smurkz begins: Ballista Elephant (4 turns)
Smurkz-harapura begins: Catapult (5 turns)
Xcalibrator The people say "Let it ride!" I pull the trigger...
Suryavarman II(Khmer) declares war on Shaka(Zululand)
Xcalibrator At the DoW, Shaka went from 2 to 3 turns for HBR.
Smurkz-harapura finishes: Catapult
A Hamlet was built near Smurkz-harapura

IBT:
Attitude Change: Shaka(Zululand) towards Suryavarman II(Khmer), from 'Cautious' to 'Annoyed'

Turn 127/500 (300 AD) [14-Nov-2008 15:55:37]
Smurkz-harapura begins: Library (4 turns)
Xcalibrator 1axe, 2chariots, 4impis in jungle 2 NW of Pura
Xcalibrator Hmm. Rock at pop4 with 26/28. Plan said it should have gone to 5 this turn.
Xcalibrator Civil Service at 644/1196

Apologies. While trying to get the whip right on turn 125 for the revised Pura plan (because of the lost forest-chop hammers when Kwa's culture stole that tile) I forgot to assign the new Rockport citizen to the 2nd forest. Instead it went to a mine--we lost some food and are now behind where we should be in population. It may delay AW by a turn.

Too bad that. A quick look says we can still get AW on time by working more forests now instead, but it will delay the library by one turn after due to that one citizen-turn we lose on this turn. Not a big deal.

Shaka's parking on the jungle is more problematic though. Sure we can probably take it out there, but do we want to? Or would we wait one more turn to gather more force and give him one more chance to come for us? On the plus side we still have the Cows.

I think we should wait.

I need some screenshots.

It would be nice to know what Shaka would do with his units when we move this way or that---I bet Klarius could predict it from the code .

If we wait, I doubt he'll move. But no matter what we do, we have to protect Pura, unless we can absolutely KNOW that he won't attack it. His impis (2 movement, no slowing for jungle, forest, or hills) can attack Pura immediately, as can his chariots, by moving 2 tiles SE. To stop them we have to have a force 1 NW of Pura (or have bunch in Pura itself, but I don't see any advantage in that). But with 4 impis and 2 chariots, we'd need so many units to block him that we couldn't attack Kwa.

Shaka's going to get Horseback Riding in another turn or two and, if he has any cash, he can upgrade his chariots to horse archers. Now, chariots/Harchers don't get defensive bonuses and our ballistas target mounted units first. We have 2, and he has 2--how convenient. How about we give our 2 phants Combat1 promos, attack his stack from NW of Pura, and then use the second promo to Shock to help heal them in the same turn? We'd have all our other units there too, to protect the phants, with TBD promos. This would be on the current turn, 127.

OK, so now Shaka's chariots are gone. Assuming he stays where he is, he'll have 4 impis and 1 axe in the field and 1 archer in Kwa, plus whatever he's managed to bring up in 1 turn. On turn 128 we'll have 6 or 7 cats, 5 axes, 2 partial (or full) strength phants, 1 full strength phant, and 1 spear that could reach the tile SE of Kwa. We leave 2 axes (probably with Combat I promos) where they are and fortify them, along with a healing phant, to protect Pura from up to 4 impis and 1 axe--ought to be safe, assuming the phant isn't really beaten up, right?

The rest of our stack (3 axes, 7 cats, 2 phants, and spear) moves to SE of Kwa. The next turn (129) we bombard and attack whatever's in there. It may be a couple archers, or maybe Shaka will move his 4 impis in--I don't think his jungle tile 2 NW of Pura is roaded, so his axe won't be able to move in. Whether they stay or fall back into the city, our other 2 axes and phant will be well positioned to either protect Pura or join the city attack.

I repeat my request for a screenshot, if anyone can manage it.

Definitely we should take the opportunity to kill the chariots! That was one of the biggest reasons for trying to lure them out, right? No matter where they went.