Monarch Student IV, Boudica (aka Bootycall to some)

Hello everyone,

I am proud to bring you the fourth instalment of the Monarch Student series of succession games. These games are aimed at people looking to make the step up to monarch level and beyond. The idea is to have a fairly standard map, and a standard leader/civ (no Rome, or Darius). The map should be playable without requiring an unusual strategy.

This is a learning series. There is no shame in defeat (that's why computer games allow restarts). If you have never posted, and are looking to make the jump, join in. There is plenty of advice to be had.

Onwards we go to our rather delicious leader for this outing: Queen Boudica (Bootycall) of the Celts, AGG/CHA, starting with hunting and mysticism.


The Celtic UU, the Gallic Warrior


The Celtic UB, the Dun


And finally our start


It's a standard, fractal map - nothing weird. Random opponents. Everything else set at normal - barbs, huts, events, etc. All victory conditions enabled. I think I've got the World Builder save right but let me know if it doesn't work for you.

I want to thank R_Rolo_1 for helping me with the hut issue (map was generated without).

Suggested format for this series is copied from the great Noble's Club series now hosted by TheMeInTeam:

Update your progress at various points in the game, using the Spoiler feature of the boards.

Tentative posting updates are suggested at:

4000 BC (starting thoughts, no spoiler required for that discussion)
1000 BC or so (how you decided to progress up the early tech/build paths, which AIs you have met, etc)
500 AD or so (after establishing some cities and a possible plan of action)
1200 AD or so (mid-game, Lib race, wars or peace, or whichever happened or didn't, met other continent if applicable, etc)
1600 AD (or when you have decided on a course of action and a specific victory condition)
End of game (Victory!!! or defeat, no shame in losing, especially if you tried a higher level. Learning is what we focus on, not fastest win or biggest empire)

A special thanks to TMIT, Bleys and the others who take the time to set up games for us, and to all the more experienced players who post help and suggestions. And also thanks to Ai Shizuka who posted the first game and gcm who followed with II and III. And to those of you guys who played and posted on number II and asked me to do number III. This one's for y'all.

A word on the map


Enjoy!

How many games am I in for this weekend?! I might actually be unable to handle the amount!?!?! Yikes.

But, I'll try.

I was just thinking the same thing TMIT - besides all the family commitments, there's this, the new monarch games posted, i need to finish the washington game...it's all so much when I'm unlikely to start a game until after 9 PM on a given night.

Looks like a great start. Three food resources, coastal, riverside, and a floodplains. I'm tempted to jump into this one! I'd settle in place and work the floodplains to push for an early religion.

TheMeInTeam said:

How many games am I in for this weekend?! I might actually be unable to handle the amount!?!?! Yikes.

But, I'll try.

Click to expand...

You need to work on speeding up your Civ play.

Either that or quit your job, shop showering and live on frozen pizzas like I do.

i'd research fishing while building 'henge, then WB when fishing is done.
let some AI found a religion for me

gcm4738 said:

You need to work on speeding up your Civ play.

Either that or quit your job, shop showering and live on frozen pizzas like I do.

Click to expand...

If I quit my job, I wouldn't be able to pay for school, which I also attend (20 hrs/week work, full time graduate school).

As for this map, I'm very tempted to go early IW (seafood commerce) and use some combo of gallics/archers with guerrilla just for the fun factor. Depends on surroundings however.

I always have trouble when it's a seafood start with no fishing. Assuming we don't get an Ag resource, what to do? I won't go for a religion - so...

1. Fishing/warrior first then switch build to work boat when fishing is done?
2. Fishing/worker first, switch build to work boat when fishing is done?
3. Ag/AH first + worker, then warrior/warrior/work boat or something?

Scout 1NW, or 1W 1NW first anyway. Probably settling in place here?

CHA + Agg is such a delicious combo. I'll try and put some time into this for this weekend and see if I can't have some fun with those traits. I'm not even 25% as fast as TMIT and I am only playing one other game and feel pressed. Still ... this is too delicious to pass up.

If you can establish a respectable economy Boudica is extremely dangerous as the game goes on. Later in the game, with enough GGs, pentagon, etc. she can be cranking march or even commando units out of the box...

Tempesta13 said:

I always have trouble when it's a seafood start with no fishing. Assuming we don't get an Ag resource, what to do? I won't go for a religion - so...

1. Fishing/warrior first then switch build to work boat when fishing is done?
2. Fishing/worker first, switch build to work boat when fishing is done?
3. Ag/AH first + worker, then warrior/warrior/work boat or something?

Scout 1NW, or 1W 1NW first anyway. Probably settling in place here?

Click to expand...

4. Poly/settler first, teching AH/fishing immediately after .

I recommend against 2. What will the worker do when you build it? Nothing, and for some time.

Reserve judgment until settling though, it's likely there are resources we don't see. Seafood only counts as 1/2 a resource in the script.

with two floodplains, isn't it more beneficial to grow to size 2 if researching poly for the extra commerce?

futurehermit said:

with two floodplains, isn't it more beneficial to grow to size 2 if researching poly for the extra commerce?

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That's PROBABLY a 2nd FP over there, maybe you can tell for sure if you're more used to "seeing through fog" than me. Anyhow, it's to be considered, but I'm gambling with the opening I suggest.

You see, teching poly leaves you with 0 worker techs, which means the only viable build is a settler. Delaying it to 2 raises the chance of religion, but probably slows the start expansion-wise. I'm not sure where the tradeoff is, I'll think about it before I begin.

However I'm willing to tech poly and risk not getting the religion. It's fine if I get a 2nd city up soon, because it's a minimal delay on the start in such a scenario. Both cities can then begin a worker while teching worker techs.

TheMeInTeam said:

If I quit my job, I wouldn't be able to pay for school, which I also attend (20 hrs/week work, full time graduate school).

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That was meant to be tongue-in-cheek you know... I seriously don't know how you manage to finish so many games - even *after* I read your guide!

Hmmm... crab. Very bad news... Means we're either extreme north or south. Tundra tiles dead ahead.

Thinking an AH/Agr/Mining/BW Worker/Warrior/Settler type thing here. Maybe leave the clam/crab and WB for later...

Opening with a 2nd scout is another viable option while growing to size 2 (I'm pretty sure that's a 2nd floodplain). Increased early scouting of terrain, increased chance for more goody huts, etc.

I'm not a fan of risking an early religion unless I'm fairly confident I can get it. Especially with a leader like this that really lacks worker techs.

What does an early religion give us in this case over the usually-preferred alternative of pursuing worker techs and developing the empire?

gcm4738 said:

Hmmm... crab. Very bad news... Means we're either extreme north or south. Tundra tiles dead ahead.

Click to expand...

I'm not sure that's a bad thing, especially if we're south (we can expand northward).

Fur and silver, two early resources, tend to congregate in tundra (as does marble). As long as we don't have TOO MUCH, having the somewhat-rare fur/silver resources means in addition to CHA's default +2 we get at least another +1 from either resource and the potential to trade for even more. We can get our cities quite big quite early in this one (especially if we get religion, too). So if I don't have a nice, close target to gallic stomp, I'll probably just grow a huge cottage fest and tech.

I like boudica, both as a player option, and as an AI (because she doesn't declare at pleased and has a nice favorite civic).

Will play this one tomorrow, I'm still playing the Nap's NC game.
Boudica is one of my fav leaders. Best warmongering combo, imo. Too bad her UU and UB fail, but I like tattooed ladies, so it evens out.

For the people without enough time to play all the games, simple solution for you: join the army, then proceed to destroy your joint of choice (elbow, in my case) and presto, you are at home, still being paid, with enough free time to play videogames to your heart's content.

Just kidding, of course, but after 6 months of rehab and assorted surgeries one needs to take it lightheartedly.

Ai Shizuka said:

Will play this one tomorrow, I'm still playing the Nap's NC game.
Boudica is one of my fav leaders. Best warmongering combo, imo. Too bad her UU and UB fail, but I like tattooed ladies, so it evens out.

For the people without enough time to play all the games, simple solution for you: join the army, then proceed to destroy your joint of choice (elbow, in my case) and presto, you are at home, still being paid, with enough free time to play videogames to your heart's content.

Just kidding, of course, but after 6 months of rehab and assorted surgeries one needs to take it lightheartedly.

Click to expand...

Reminds me of the time I got a 2nd degree AC shoulder separation while playing football with my friends. I dove for the end zone (scored, too, but the price was a little high...). Smart.

Being injured still sucks though . Hope you get better ASAP...at least I didn't need surgery (although it still took like 4 months before I could do some lifts again).

Ai Shizuka said:

Will play this one tomorrow, I'm still playing the Nap's NC game.
Boudica is one of my fav leaders. Best warmongering combo, imo. Too bad her UU and UB fail, but I like tattooed ladies, so it evens out.

For the people without enough time to play all the games, simple solution for you: join the army, then proceed to destroy your joint of choice (elbow, in my case) and presto, you are at home, still being paid, with enough free time to play videogames to your heart's content.

Just kidding, of course, but after 6 months of rehab and assorted surgeries one needs to take it lightheartedly.

Click to expand...

I'd recommend a joint other than the elbow (if anyone is planning to go this route to get more civ time). Perhaps a knee since one handed civ would take FOREVER.

Anyway, I'm thinking about going the scout or warrior route, while researching fishing, then switch to work boat. The settler first option sounds interesting though - i haven't done that since the early days before i knew settlers stop growth (or what citizens did even) I can definitely see how, in this situation, it could work. I just am used to never going for early religion so i dont want to throw myself off too much by getting one. I'd likely go for org. rel. spam 5 missionaries and realize i never built my first settler or teched the worker techs - or something similar but less extreme.

Monarch, epic, to 1050BC, spoiler contains copper and iron