dalamb
Deity
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 Louis XIV of the French, whom we last played in NC 32. The French start with Agriculture and The Wheel (which happen to be prerequisites for Pottery, should you decide you want an early Granary or Cottage).
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 64 Louis XIV 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
Our next leader is Louis XIV of the French, whom we last played in NC 32. The French start with Agriculture and The Wheel (which happen to be prerequisites for Pottery, should you decide you want an early Granary or Cottage).
- Traits: Louis is CREative and INDustrious. CRE gives +2
in each city -- which means your cities expand without needing an early cultural building like a monument. You get some cheaper cultural buildings, like Library and Theatre, which might make a cultural victory attractive (especially given the UB); if you go cultural, consider jesusin's strategy guide. IND gives 50% faster wonder-building and forges, making it a lot easier to get whatever wonders you want (perhaps especially those that enhance culture by generating Great Artists). - The UB: The Salon, an Observatory that gives +25% and a free Great Artist, which can help with a cultural victory.
- The UU: The Musketeer, a Musketman with 2 moves, turning a unit generally regarded as weak into something that might be interesting in some circumstances.
Spoiler map details :
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 64 Louis XIV 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
) 
Way too easy with marble and stone on the continent. I've built every wonder in the game (except for the religious shrines) so far. Infiltrated the GSpy from the GW into Fred and stole a bunch of techs (construction, engineering, feudalism, theology). Tech was my standard beeline for nat> lib> take MilTrad as the free tech, then tech to rifling with a detour to econ to grab the free GM. Upgrade cuirassiers to cavalry, kill. I wiped out Fred first, then vassaled Justinian, Sulieman, and Toku. Only Boudi and Shaka are left (Boudi doesn't even have compass yet 
