RPC, The Next Generation: King Midas and the Golden Touch

Pre-Game Thread
In Search of Gold
Wonderous Expansion

Welcome to my next Role Play Challenge, the Next Generation: King Midas and the Golden Touch. These next generation RPCs are meant to be fun and educational and differ from the classic RPCs as I play out other historical leaders, whether real, fictional, or in the middle!

Here we have King Midas of the legondary Phrygian Empire (as described by Homer), yes the King with the Golden touch! But this real Midas does not have any supernatural powers, but gold does flow from his fingers (as well as silver and gems) and he has an incredible GREED for more and more. In fact he shall never be satisfied unless he has the world's entire precious metals resources under Phrygian control!

Our game settings and leadership!

We shall play as Hannibal of Carthage (because I got jipped out of playing a true Hannibal game in the classic RPC version).

Map: Large Archipelago, medium sea level
Emperor difficulty
Epic Speed
Vassals are turned OFF!

Rules!

1) Midas must control every precious metal resource in the game.
2) Midas is infatuated with gold and thus MUST alwasy have a positive gold outcome from the slider POST Currency!
3) Mercantilism, State Property, and Environemtalism are forbidden and Free Market MUST be adopted ASAP.


Guildelines

We will generally try to maximize merchant specialists, Great merchant Wonders, and Corporations HOWEVER these are decided as the game and map dictate.

Our leader stats



We start with Mining and Fishing! The UB is the Cothon which is great for an archipelago map, and the UU a useful Horse Archer which is fitting for the Phrygians (at elast according to Homer!).

And the start



Seafood aplenty and ample forrests to chop out some key wonders!

My initial impulse is to say 1W, but on an archipelago map, your island might be so small that you would be closing yourself off from a second city before Sailing. Gotta say, though, all that seafood looks awfully juicy...

Warrior 1 W. IF you don't see anything cute (possibly another seafood, probably not), settle 1S and retain all seafood while getting fresh water (and a 2H city tile).

Does the settler see any blue dots?

I bet there's a resource 1N (horsey perhaps) or on the settlers spot even.

Moving settler 1S should be good anyway since you don't miss any land-tiles while gaining health and levees.

But you could also say screw the late game bonuses and settle 1N or 1NW in what could appear to be the north side of your small volcanic island. You'll still have plenty of food and at least three hills to build the obvious wonders. A second city can then be built S to use the fish. There looks to be room for at least three cities on this island if not more.

See what the warrior shows and don't be afraid to move settler on epic. Good luck, and be sure to beeline currency to get your gold flowing finger going.

Hey mad, excited for the new RPC (the last ones were a bit dull sorry). Anyway, TMIT's reasoning for 1S is solid, you should probably settle there.
Also i thought that as an additional rule you should try working as many mines as possible in order to attempt to pop gold, silver, gems etc. I think this ties in with the flavour of the RPC as well as with King Midas' obsession to get as much gold as possible

Warrior 1W, Probably Settle 1S, fresh water, PLAINS HILL, lose no resources, levee in the future (not that big of a deal), and PLAINS HILL

bobbyboy29 said:

Also i thought that as an additional rule you should try working as many mines as possible in order to attempt to pop gold, silver, gems etc. I think this ties in with the flavour of the RPC as well as with King Midas' obsession to get as much gold as possible

Click to expand...

I like this idea. I say all windmills are forbidden! A small rule but fitting.

I say definitely 1 S, Levies on an Islands map will be a huge boost, especially to your capital. Remember, hammers will be hard to come across, and a +3 hammer capital city square will be huge. Only 1 away from the 'free' Hammer with the anvil. 3 sea food, +2 from hill, riverside for health, +1 hammer with levy,but lossoing that vacant grassland square, with the hut.

I played this game to 10 AD. Been kind of ignoring the rules though, never played above noble before.

Shouldn't it say King Midas instead of MadScientist? Just asking.

TheMeInTeam said:

Warrior 1 W. IF you don't see anything cute (possibly another seafood, probably not), settle 1S and retain all seafood while getting fresh water (and a 2H city tile).

Click to expand...

/nod

This message...it is too short.

I agree with the others but why are you banning Mercantilism? The whole point of that policy was hoarding gold by restricting imports and encouraging export.

I think that should be acceptable to Midas although if the Free Market produces more gold by encouraging trade it could be alright too.

I agree with TMIT. Warrior 1W and Settler 1S.

Settling 1S will give you a 2H - fresh water - river city without losing any visible seafood. There might be a seafood 2W of the warrior, but that can be claimed by a city placed on the goody hut (or elsewhere).

King Midas, Man with the Golden Touch: In search of gold!

Midas gathered many followers in the wild as they were lured by talk of his wonderous talent to find gold! "People, appoint me your King and you lands shall flow with Gold!"

The people called themselves Cartheginians but Midas said "For a while perhaps, but follow me and you shall change you names to Phrygians!"

Midas sent the warrior directly west



And finds a silk resource. The people looks suspiciously at Midas, he shrugs and tells them that silk can be just as productive as gold. He then sends the settler due south "Gotta have fresh water, gold is worthless without fresh water."



The Phrygians look doubtful at the land but Midas is satisfied to see the 2 plains hills! "That will help early production my followers"

So the settlers listen to Midas, appoint him their king, and call themselves Carthage to spite. "Where is the gold you promised Midas!" one unruly citizan shouts. "PATIENCE!" Midas shoots back and sends the warrior exploring, and soon finds



GEMS! While not gold, the people seam satisfied with this, particularly as they see the glint of greed in Midas' eye, surely the rumour of his devining abilities was NOT overestimated.

But soon another pair of rival Legondary Kings arrives





"King Midas" the people explain, "Look at their garments and crowns, GOLD". Midas nods in agreement but is cordial to Gilgamesh and Hammurabi, biding his time. "In due time, he mutters."

But what has the Mighty Midas directed his people to research and built so early?

Techpath went: Sailing/Bronze Working

Which lead to



Glorious! Not a shiney metal, but necessary nevertheless. Also note the shore to our east, I believe that is where the Babylonian king lurks. By the way, notice that there are 2 additional gems and a gold resource nearby!

The Phrygians contiue research along as follows: wheel/masonry/mysticism and saved.

Build orders were essentially 3 workboats, a warrior, worker, and settler.

At the save we have a settler traveling south but I am looking at some suggestion on how to proceed.

Dotmaps to the north



And south



That's seven cities we can settle pretty fast. WE also have the techs for the Great Lighthouse, and some choices as to what to research next



OK, some questions

1) Techpath? Do we go after iron working to build mines on the jungle covered gems ASAP, or do we research writing and pottery first? Then there is agriculture and\or hunting to open up animal husbandry.

2) DO we start going after the Great Lighthouse NOW using the worker to chop it out. Or do we get at least another settler (or 2) first to prevent Hammurabi from getting any settling ideas to our north (or worse the gold!). Remember we are playing emperor level so time is an issue, and a large map with 8 leaders all competing for the Great Lighthouse!

3) Current Settler? I was planning to send them south to take the choke point and the fish and dye (see the dotmap).

4) Any other suggestions on the dotmap??

Looking for advice for our greedy king!

madscientist said:

1) Techpath? Do we go after iron working to build mines on the jungle covered gems ASAP, or do we research writing and pottery first? Then there is agriculture and\or hunting to open up animal husbandry.

Click to expand...

Even if you pick up Iron Working, it will be many turns before something worthwhile can be made of either choke city. You'll also need more workers for the task. I think it's safe to delay Iron Working for the time being. I would research towards Writing, picking up any extra techs for beaker cost reductions. Hunting, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, The Wheel, Pottery, Mysticism (would have taken it before Masonry, no less), Polytheism and Priesthood all work well. I'd love to see the ToA paired with the GLH, but without Marble or Industrious I just don't see both happening unless ToA goes very late (it happens). After Writing, probably push towards Compass for Cothons. The Colossus is for poofters.

madscientist said:

2) DO we start going after the Great Lighthouse NOW using teh worker to chop it out. Or do we get at least another settler (or 2) first to prevent Hammurabi from getting any settling ideas to our north (or worse the gold!). Remember we are playing emperor level so time is an issue, and a large map with 8 leaders all competing for the Great Lighthouse!

Click to expand...

Build workers, then chop it out. Possibly squeeze in a settler, but probably wait until after.

madscientist said:

3) Current Settler? I was planning to send them south to take the choke point and the fish and dye (see the dotmap).

Click to expand...

Blue dot 1SE, yellow dot 1N; this blocks the peninsula with its inner BFC. Pass on red for now; no sense taking the more distant jungle junk city when there's a perfectly viable one that much closer.

You could even go blue dot 1E and yellow dot 1N, and settle both on precious metals. That would really be in-line with the variant, and the sites are good.

PS: I take it you've clicked end-turn.

I think I agree with Nares about moving the Blue dot 1SE.

Yellow dot definitely not 1N, leave it where it is, Blue dot 1SE is a good idea.

If there is no one else on your landmass, I would settle Yellow dot first for the commerce boost from the gold, and the fact that it will be up and running immediately(corn and gold in first ring), unlike blue which is useless till IW, go Agri(for the corn at yellow dot and discount towards pottery)-IW-Pottery(granaries/cottages for yellow)-AH?(depending on strength of research, for pigs at green dot and discount on writing)-Writing

Settling Yellow before blue gives you time to pump some workers for blue when you settle it, gives you commerce NOW (to get to IW faster) with everything you need for the immediate future in the first ring, will grow quickly. I would settle it, work corn while building gold mine till agri in, then improve corn, then finish improving gold, all the while building some workers once you hit size 2.

Going IW before writing will probably be a good move long run, sooner the gems are up the better as the commerce boost is just huge early game and in terms of # turns to writing, will not have that great of a net effect, the increase in research will almost make up for the time it took to research IW.

I would also STRONGLY consider moving White dot to 1N of the Lake because wasting a gem strikes me as a sin, however you lose coastal and presumably GLH trade routes, however only 2 coast(one in the bfc of blue dot 1SE and the other in the bfc of yellow dot) and the lake(marginal tile, was in your original fat cross anyway though), and you gain freshwater. So net: - coastal, +gems + land tiles, + freshwater, bit of overlap, but that doesn't really matter.

Loki Strikes said:

Yellow dot definitely not 1N, leave it where it is, Blue dot 1SE is a good idea.

If there is no one else on your landmass, I would settle Yellow dot first

Click to expand...

I won't disagree that giving the pigs to that northern copper site is the better decision, and that yellow dot where it is is fine.

But, I wouldn't wait to block a good choke point. It doesn't look like Hammurabi is on the same landmass, but I bet Gilgamesh is.

Agree on working the gems to boost research towards writing and on white dot wasting the gem, but I think it's better off on the coast than one off.

Minus for calling Carthage Carthage instead of Pessinus and yourself Mad Scientist instead of King Midas.

As far as the dotmap goes, you should definitely move the yellow one 1E to make use of the last gems. Additionally, the green dot would need to come 2E to use the fish left by the yellow dot and be your GP farm. If you're going for GLH, I'd make the purple city into 2 cities. One to share clams with Carthage/Pessinus and the other one to claim the pigs and copper.

Hi,
I would say yellow 1E to get the gems (lost otherwise)! this will leave the fish at first, but you can pick it up with green 2E (GP Farming, anyone??).
blue and grey look fine for blocking purposes, because of food in first ring meaning better growth and whipping. I won´t discard the red site this fast, because it gives you a very nice channel to move your fleet.
Ahh, I just now recognised JFleme´s post^^ so agree with him