Nobles' Club LIX: Boudica of the Celts

dalamb

Deity
Joined
May 9, 2006
Messages
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Location
Kingston, Ontario
The Nobles' Club series started out as a way for Noble-level (and below) players to improve their game. Most of the original participants now play at much higher levels, so this has become a way for advanced players to help others learn to play better. You can play your own game at any level and with any mod, but it would be nice to comment on the games of other players and give them advice.

Our next leader is Boudica of the Celts, whom we last played in NC XXX. The Celts start with Hunting and Mysticism.
CeltiaBoudica.jpg
  • Traits: Boudica is AGGressive and CHArismatic, two warmongering traits. AGG gives half-price barracks and drydocks, and gives Combat I to melee and gunpowder units, meaning they start a little tougher than other units and get to the better promotions faster. CHA gives +1 :) and means that promotions happen more quickly.
  • Her UU: The Gallic Warrior, a swordsman that starts with Guerrilla I. This gives a small advantage on a map with many hills, but many people think that isn't enough to make this an interesting UU. A Guerrilla II swordsman might not be as useful as a Guerrilla I/City Raider I on most maps; on a hilly map its ability to get to its destination faster could be helpful.
    CeltiaGallicWarrior.jpg

  • Her UB: The Dun, a Wall that gives Guerrilla I to units built in the city. Unfortunately this doesn't synthesize with the UU, which already gets Guerrilla I. It would be nice if it were "advance one step on the Guerrilla chain" but that sort of promo doesn't happen in Civ IV.
    CeltiaDun.jpg
And the start:
start.jpg

Spoiler map details :
The Celtic UU and UB cry out for a hilly map, so I used Global Highlands. This produces a random number of continents with lots of hills, with mountain ridgelines here and there. It's thus a harder map to move around on, unless you have Guerrilla II.
Spoiler my edits :
Moved us 2S from the flood plains to the plains hill and added a deer. Ensured that all AIs had some sort of early strategic resource reasonably nearby. Cut out some land where one AI had lots of territory in which to expand unopposed.
Finally, a cut and paste of our standard doctrine:

There are no hard and fast rules here: fun and learning are our primary goals, but we do request that you 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, where you're thinking of putting cities, 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)

Remember, these are only guidelines. What we really want are your thoughts as the game goes on, so if your strategies don't fall into line with those dates, feel free to adjust your reports accordingly.

We also welcome players to ask for specific game advice, as we have a number or stronger players who lurk and help out with solid tips, and of course, we help each other. Replies to specific questions should also be in spoilers, with a simple "@" in front of the person the answer is directed towards.

Special Thanks go to Bleys and TMIT, who really made this series a great one, r_rolo1, mapmaker extraordinaire, for his maps for most of the series, and all of you for playing.

The WB-saves are attached (zipped; they are bigger than standard saves). To play, simply download and unzip it into your BTS/Saves/WorldBuilder folder. Start the game, and load your favorite MOD (if you use one, if not, check out the BUG MOD), select "Play Scenario", and look for "NC 59 Boudics Noble" (or Monarch, if you want the AI to start with its usual Archery bonus tech, or Immortal for Archery+Hunting, or Deity to add Agriculture). This allows you to play with your favorite MOD at the Level and Speed of your choice. From Quick-Warlord to Marathon-Deity, all are welcome! We stuck with the name "Nobles Club" because it has a cool ring to it.

Note for those who hate goody huts: open the WB save file with a text editor and delete all lines that say
ImprovementType=IMPROVEMENT_GOODY_HUT
 

Attachments

I would settle in place. In place there are many hills and access to the ham and sheep. Along with some irrigated tiles, this could be a powerful capital to produce some of those early units.

Starting out with Agri, I would probably go 1N to settle for more immediate access to the ham and deer. We are 2 steps away now so by the time we get AH there will be a border pop.

Usually when I start out with Mysticism, I go right for Poly. Dunno if that makes sense in this case.

so there are 3 routes: Poly, BW, or Worker Techs.

I think maybe Ill go with a W first, research AH, try to Camp up the Deer just after the 1st border pop, then hook up the Pigs, research Wheel, and Pasture up the Sheep. Then go for BW and pop out a scout, some Garrisons, and a settler.

If I go BW or Poly first, I may produce a Scout. Hopefully find a goody hut or 2 with some worker techs.
 
Spoiler :
It's thus a harder map to move around on, unless you have Guerrilla II.

unless you have Impis or Keshiks :)
 
Settle in place, tech AH and if we have close neighbors, Mining - Bronze Working - Iron Working for a Gallic Warrior rush.
 
Going to try this on monarch. I have just started playing emperor but I have never done well with Boudica. Guess that's because her traits tempt me to much and I fight wars that don't really help me. Starting position looks very good for a rush if there's copper or horse nearby.
 
Played the full game on Monarch and for some reason had a super-easy time of it.
Spoiler :
Was ahead in tech the whole game cause I managed to block off a giant chunk of land for myself early on. Gallic warrior rushing with Guerilla promotions is a joke on this map. Pretty much spammed windmills, beelined for medicine then electricty. Won diplomatic in 1850, but it was a domination within a few turns.

Fun map.
 
I want to see some efficient combat 3 march action.
 
950 BC Monarch, normal speed, events off.

Spoiler :
I settled in place, teched AH then mining. Popped huts with a scout, a warrior, 56 gold, writing, and 5 with maps. Settled Vienne with the 2 gold and fish with Tolosa's position in mind as shown in the pic: blocking Pacal and securing enough land to expand. I built stonehenge which I usually don't but the high happiness in my cap lead me to want to continue growing.
I have planned three more cities: two in the west with the bronze and the flood plains and one with the stone, sharing the deer with my cap.
Boudica.jpg


It's 950 BC now and I am one turn away from discovering code of laws and bulding the Oracle with which I plan to get CS.
Since windmills could be very usefull and macemen surely are I might go for MC-> Machinery. I don't know if I should go for the mids. I have quite a lot of happiness and no GP farm as of yet, so i will change to Bureaucracy and Slavery and to Rep-Caste later if i decide/am able to get the Mids.
Of course if I go for machinery I will want construction and attack Pacal. This would leave me with no Great Library and National Epic for my GP farm (planned in the west with loads of food). Pacal built the GW and founded Hinduism. I don't have IW.

Suggestions welcome.
 
Spoiler :
boudica2.jpg

Not enough cats but I'm going for the kill.

Charlie got the mids. My Capital can crank out macemen every turn.
Bulbed theology with a GP so I can finish monarchy and switch civics.


 
Emperor/Epic to 875BC:
Spoiler :

The plan was to explore the area, grab useful close city locations, and if I could get Iron hooked up soon enough use Gallic Warriors to take out the closest neighbor.

Met Pacal, Monty, Toku, and De Gaulle. Pacal can be a pain because he expands quickly, but he doesn't tend to build many troops so he's vulnerable. Monty is aggressive as all hell and builds lots of troops but matching religion will keep him happy and his tech rate sucks. I haven't found Toku to be all that aggressive and once he's Friendly he's a great ally, his tech rate sucks, and he builds lots of troops. I don't have a solid feel for De Gaulle, but based on his traits he and Pacal are the biggest long-term threats,while Monty is the biggest short term threat.

Since Pacal is the closest, he's the first to go. In 1300BC, a mixed force of about 10 Gallic Warriors and Axemen (with Shock 1 due to the event) head for Mutal. By 875BC, the war is over with Mutal (4 wonders! Great Wall, Stonehenge, Oracle (bah), and Mahabodhi) and Chichen Itza under my control, Lakhma razed, and Pacal dead. I now seem to have blocked off a huge area for exploitation, and am solidly in the lead with about double the population of anyone else.

Founded 2 cities along the way. Vienne brings the Horse and Wheat to the East of Bibracted under control, and gives me a nice military production site. Tolosa is at the Gold/Gold/Iron/Fish location NW of Mutal, providing good commerce and decent potential production. I've cottaged the FPs at Bibracte, make that also a viable commerce site though I may change them to farms and make it by GP factory. Not sure what to do with Mutal yet but it seems better suited to production than either commerce or GP farming. Chichen Itza is mainly a blocking location to protect Mutal from the East, though with the Fish and a Lighthouse will eventually provide some commerce or fair production.

Build order was roughly Worker > Warrior x 3 or so > Worker > Warrior > Settler > Worker > Warrior > Settler > Barracks > lots of Gallic Warriors and Axes > Duns (I know, don't do much good yet) > couple of Chariots for home defense > Libraries/Granaries.

Tech order was Mining (hut) > AH (sheep/pigs) > TW (hook up gold) > BW > IW (no copper, plus need for Gallic Warriors) > Agr (wheat) > Pottery > Writing > Fishing (need for workboat) > Masonry > Aes. Next will put a couple turns into Alphabet to get set for trading Aes for it when someone gets it, then head towards Currency (I think, but not sure yet, might get Lit first for the GL).

Plan moving forward is to slowly expand out (may grab Marble site to E next) taking advantage of the protection vs. barbs of the GW, use some Gallic Warriors promoted to Guerilla II to scout and take out Barb cities for the gold, and work towards a Sword/Cat war for the next phase, probably against Monty.

Screenies:
Mutal is mine!
Civ4ScreenShot0000.jpg


The Empire:
Civ4ScreenShot0002.jpg

Civ4ScreenShot0001.jpg


Cities and production:
Civ4ScreenShot0003.jpg

Civ4ScreenShot0004.jpg

Civ4ScreenShot0005.jpg

Civ4ScreenShot0006.jpg

Civ4ScreenShot0007.jpg


Foreign Relations: (nothing much going on)
Civ4ScreenShot0008.jpg


The Army:
Civ4ScreenShot0009.jpg


Tech Situ:
Civ4ScreenShot0010.jpg


VCs, looking good for size:
Civ4ScreenShot0011.jpg


Wonders and Cities, looks like I need to conquer Paris:
Civ4ScreenShot0012.jpg


 
Immortal/Normal to 400 BC:

Spoiler :

I played the same game as drlake, only I placed Vienne for wheat/gold and kept Lakashma. I started with AH - Mining - BW - IW to get the gallic warriors asap. Tolosa will be my Moai city and I'm going to build all the Aesthetics wonders.
 
IMM/Normal to 1200 AD:

Spoiler :

I had a report all typed and then I got the “busy server” error. I guess the traffic has to be higher than normal with CIV V out or something. So I’ll just briefly discuss my game and post the screenshots.

SIP, built 2nd city on the stone, and then built TGW, Stonehenge, and the Pyramids. That didn’t cost me much expansion. Claimed the Marble to the east and used it for TGL, Parthenon, and Sistine Chapel.

Pacal’s expansion buffered me from any attack from Tokugawa. Monty DOWed me in 500 AD, but never sent any stack to talk about. When I got enough cats, I sent a 40 unit stack and capped him after he lost 2 cities (kept him for diplo reasons and wanted to gun for Rifling/Steel). Tokugawa just DOWed De Gaulle a few turns ago. He’s going to be my next victim when I get rifles and cannons.

Tech order: AH > Mining > TW > Masonry > Fishing(hut) > Ag > Pottery > BW > Writing

I plan on getting the Ox and Globe up pretty soon, tech to Rifling/Steel (take over Japan), then tech Astro to take out what’s sure to be a backwards other continent (with all those GG’s getting popped). I’ll hang onto Education until someone techs it, to delay the tech pace a bit (I’m a little concerned about Pacal’s teching).



Screenshots:

Spoiler :


3GAs1160AD.jpg


MontyCap1150AD.jpg


Capital1200AD.jpg


West1200AD.jpg


AztecConquests1200AD.jpg


Glance1200AD.jpg


Techs1200AD.jpg


Wonders1200AD.jpg


 

Attachments

Deity -- NSC
Start to finish...
Spoiler :

Nearly Marble + Stone = easy win despite crappy leader & crappy UB...

Stupid Togu decided to dagger me, but went after a city on a hill. Dumb, dumb, dumb AI. I eventually forced him to give me presents for peace then I re-Dow on him and knocked him out. I then ran after Pacal and vassaled the idiot after I took his capital. He was still able to tech faster than anyone else, despite I had taken some cities and capital, that is very interesting.

I then DoWed on the French, but ran into a little problem when they vassaled to Surry all the way on the other side of the world separated by continents (yeah, did I mention how incredibly stupid Firaxis & the AI was?)

Monte decides to DoW on me despite I had him crushed in power (Yeah, more stupidity).

Long story short, I then knocked out Monte and left him with only 1 city standing off on a tiny island before vassaling him. Before I could finish off the French I was surprised to have won a domination, despite I didn't think I'd get it so soon.

f_f02m3m_d0f7e25.jpg


P.S. Funniest thing every that hurt me, I was just about to finish the Wallstreet in my huge gold-city (shrine, settled prophets, etc), when I made the mistake of accepting a city from someone for peace. This city had the WallStreet, which then blocked me from putting it where I wanted. ARgggh.

This one burns me once in a while, what can you do...


 
@Dirtyparrot

how does one go about acquiring that nifty "Event Log"?

Press the icon on the top left corner of the screen that resembles a piece of paper with a pencil next to it. I'm running the BUG mod, but I think that it get the event log on the unmodded version of the game.
 
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