LK49 - Rome, Must fight

To insure plenty of opponents, I set the map to Pangea.

4000 BC (pre-turn) - All I can say is MOO!
The standard research for pottery has started.

3550 BC (I) - Of course the cultural expansion that pops the hut gives barbs.

3500 BC - One barb has been killed.

3450 BC - Barb #2 is killed, and we promote to veteran.

3400 BC - Rome build a wimp warrior who dies trying to kill the last barb.
The 1 hp warrior tries a desperation attack and kills the barb.
(I) - A 40-turn gambit on writing begins.

3100 BC - We are far enough from capital, so I risk popping a hut.
We get more frelling angry barbs. I should know better then to waste my time with huts.
(I) - One barb kills himself on our warrior.

3000 BC - Our warrior sucks and dies, so I have recall our other worker back to the capital to not risk our granary getting destroy.

Summary:
Well that was a sucky barbarian start.
They barbs were by the incense area.


LKendter
Rowain deWolf (playing)
Despot (on deck)
Jack Merchant
Renata

Variant rules:
Once we build our first Legionary, we must go to war with someone that we can actually do DAMAGE to. Of course, killing a settler pair counts in that regard.

At that point we must enter into oscillating wars. We are allowed short period of peace to move troops to the proper front. Our next enemy must be declared the turn after peace with the last civ. War must be declared as soon as troops reach the front.

We do NOT have to beeline to iron working. However, the second iron working is available from any civ that becomes our number one priority to get. My goal is to allow us a short startup time to get a few cities built before war #1.

Remember 10 turns per round - STRICT 24 hours got it, total 48 to complete.

http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads4/LK49-3000BC.zip

Lurker question: I assume that it also becomes a priority to hook up iron and build a legionary once you have it?

It's going to be interesting if you don't have iron anywhere near

-Sirp.

Yes, we must hook up iron as soon as iron working is known.
That will be priority #1 for a worker.

Got it

Rowain

I refrained to open any Huts with our last Warrior; We can try to pop them by Settling;

Else nothing much to tell;

2750BC Contact with Japan: Pottery + Alphabeth to them for BW, CB and 10 golds; Wheel are too expensive;

2710BC Granary finished Spear started;

2590BC Spear complete Settler started;


2550BC: We have 113 gold make 5gpt; Writing due in 23; Japan knows the Wheel;

The Game

Good Luck

Rowain

Please skip me this turn...I hate to do it because it is the first turn, but the next few days I will be too busy. Actually this entire week so if it comes back to me this week I would need to be skipped again. Sorry about it, but RL calls.

Got it and playing

IHT MM Rome to grow a turn faster

2510 BC (1) Worker done irrigating the plain; Settler build now timed to coincide with growth.

2470 BC (2) Warrior opens hut and we learn mysticism The Japanese already have it.

2390 BC (4) Rome settler - settler. Luxes down to 20%.

2310 BC (6) Veii founded next to the wheat. I debated long and hard putting it on the plains forest instead, but it would have needed a temple to grab the wheat then.

2270 BC (7) Barb spotted S of Rome

2230 BC (8) Rome settler - archer. The settler moves NE to settle another town along the river.

2150 BC (10 I suggest founding one tile NE of where the settler now stands to avoid encroaching too much on Rome. One bg tile should be available upon founding, the other one should be pulled in by Rome's border expansion in 20 turns' time.

the save

And a look at the neighbourhood:

I think I'll drop the settler right where he is, for better defense mostly. (Gonna be going to war pretty early in this one, after all.) Which way to Japan?

This is a 'got it'; I'll play in about 24.

Renata

LKendter (on deck)
Rowain deWolf
Despot
Jack Merchant
Renata (playing)

I just got called into work today. I can still play, but it's going to be longer than I said. Planning on it for tonight.

Renata

Ok, here we go. The game is afoot!

Preturn: MM Rome to grow next turn and still get archer.

2110 (1) Rome archer - worker. Antium founded in sight of Japanese borders - glad I didn't go one more tile northeast! Antium set to warrior.

IT A Japanese settler pair comes into view apparently headed for the silks. (Later note - they never arrived - must have gone somewhere else.) No way I can stop them at this point. An American conscript warrior pops the hut SE of Rome - no barbs. I also see what looks like an American unit (maybe a scout? moved fast) at the edge of the fog east of Japan.

2030 (2) Hello, Abe. I trade alphabet, mysticism and 32g to him for wheel and masonry, both of which Japan also have. We have horses at Rome. Rome worker-warrior - I'd like to get one more settler out of here, anyway, before converting to military and letting Veii have the honors. I'm going granary-less in Veii for now, which I hope is ok. I have a feeling iron-working is going to show up pretty soon, and we're just not going to have much time for infrastructure. America has five cities already - yikes! Veii warrior-settler.

1990 (3) Yawn. Our southern warrior meets a barb.

IT No attack.

1950 (4) Oh wow, I was right. America has iron-working. We can buy it, but it would cost almost all of our gpt and all our gold. I'm guessing the rules are flexible enough so I don't have to buy at monopoly -- I'll keep an eye out for Japan getting it, though. America has six cities now, by the way. Lee, you didn't set this to deity by mistake did you?

IT Orange warriors and settler step next to our southern warrior. Antium warrior-warrior.

1910 (5) The orange guys turn out to be England, of course. They also have iron-working, but lack masonry. Our cost is masonry plus 66 gold, which sounds reasonable to me, so I buy it. Good news (sorta) - we have not one but *two* iron sources close-by. One is on the hill directly south of Rome. The other is two tiles east of Antium. Ok, looks like the wars will start very early. I'll send the next worker out of Rome (after their current settler and a warrior, probably) to hook it up.

IT Hiawatha says hello. He must have bought our contact - he has writing and horseback-riding, which he wants to sell us. I tell him politely that our fierce warriors have no use for such a crutch and will do just fine on their own two feet. He has two further contacts, though - Germans and Arabs. I buy them both for 118g. This should save us some cash on tech-buying, I hope. With the early warrior losses our exploration is pitiful anyway.

1830. (6) Bismarck lacks alphabet -- too bad all he has to trade for it is the currently useless horseback riding. Since he only wants 6g for it in addition, and since he has a little cash with which he'd be able to buy it pretty soon anyway, I make the trade. Arabia has one more contact - Vikings - which I leave alone for now. I decide to call back the exploring warrior I sent out at the beginning of my turn, in the interests of better security. He was able to get a little better glimpse of the local region out to the west, anyway. The southern warrior is too far away to make a difference and will continue his wandering.

1790 (7) Rome settler-warrior; the settler heads for the silks.

(Added later - oops! I missed a 'yawn' turn here in 1750, so it looks like I played one extra. Sorry!)

1725 (9!) Rome warrior-worker, as promised. Antium builds warrior, set to build another (veto-able; I'm getting too tired to think long-term). Current settler is going to settle where he is - one turn's move from both Rome and Antium and on a hill. If I'm being a little over-paranoid, feel free to swat me. The new city of Cumue is likewise set to warrior, likewise vetoable.

1700 (10!) Yawn.

1675 (11 - oops!) Veii builds settler - I'll let the next player decide where he goes. There's a warrior and archer there also unmoved, either of whom could escort. Rome worker-barracks, vetoable of course. The worker steps onto the iron tile. Veii set to yet another vetoable warrior. Writing is discovered, and research set to polytheism at min.

Some general comments: Everyone has horseback-riding, so the workers vulnerable to barb horsies will need to be covered (like the one south of Veii.) We're short workers, not that that's anything unusual at this point of a game. With regards to the other civs, America is shaping up to be the 800 lb gorilla, with six cities and philosophy discovered. The Iroquois also have philosophy, but just three cities. We're even or ahead of everyone else in tech, and there's a potential trade to be made with Germany -- writing for the last known contact (Vikings) and some cash. Our map knowledge is pitiful, but I don't see us having the units to spare in the near future to fix that. We'll have to buy maps. We currently have 96g and are making 14 gpt. Research set to polytheism at min.

Good luck!

1675 BC

Renata

LKendter (playing)
Rowain deWolf (on deck)
Despot
Jack Merchant
Renata

1675 BC (pre-turn) - I don't want non-vet units so warriors swapped to barracks.
I switch Antium to worker and it will build barracks next.
Rome switches to worker, as I want more then one city ready to build military once the wars start.

I sell Germany writing for contact Vikings and $34.

1650 BC - Germany must have frag a barb camp, so I sell him contact with England. This is no reason to hold contacts on a pangea map.

1625 BC - I sell Japan contact with Vikings for $23. We want to keep the AI broke to limit there ability to get alliances. I sell England contact with the Vikings for $21.

1550 BC - The Iroquois already have math.

Summary:
We want to hoard cash and buy at last civ prices. There is no critical tech for us until the Middle Ages. Cash gives us the ability to control alliances.

I want to clarify my intentions with the variant. It was not my goal to force us into a war with one legion. Building a few defensive spearman while waiting for the other barracks to come on line fits the way I wanted it to play out.

I expect the wars to begin on Jack Merchant turn at which time we will have several cities one barracks and producing troops.

Also, remember we have the right to position troops along the borders before declaring war.



LKendter
Rowain deWolf (playing)
Despot (skip till May 24)
Jack Merchant (on deck)
Renata


Remember 10 turns per round - STRICT 24 hours got it, total 48 to complete.

http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads4/LK49-1550BC.zip

Well since I've already been played after, it may be moot but I realized I forgot to post a screenshot last night. Here 'tis.

Edit - Nope not there. Looks like I never uploaded it. *sigh*

Renata

I'm not sure we really need to be building many (any?) spearmen in this variant. Upgraded regular warriors will do better on city defense than vet spears, if I'm doing my math right, and we have six of those already at hand even at the end of *my* turn. One or two barracks cities - Rome plus Antium? should be sufficient for producing attackers, especially since we'll have our golden age right away to pump up all those plains and regular grassland tiles.

Any thoughts?

Renata

I am thinking about spear - pike - musket - rifle. Spears eventually become excellent defense units.

For the moment upgrade warriors are better, but I am thinking long-term. In addition, if Rome builds Legion now we are forced into war with one Legion. We may as well produce something usefull during that time frame.

Got it

Rowain

Don’t know why but Lee played 2 turns short. I’ll play till 1250BC to even the numbers.

1550BC(IT): some MM but not much

IT: 3 Jap Warriors move near Cumae but stay outside our Borders;

1525BC: Rome hits Size 6 needs 30%Lux but makes 10sh/turn
Good for building lots of Spears; Veii starts Settler we need more Cities;

1500BC Iron connected;; Iro, Arabs and Ami have Philo+Mathe;

1450BC Germany has now Poly but too expansive at monopoly-prize;

1425BC: Antium completes Barracks start Legion; Lincoln establish a Embassy;

1400BC Japs discovered MapMaking; all except Viks have MM, Math,Poly and Philo; So I buy Poly from from Iros for WM+95gold; Poly +Wm o Viks for Philo+Math;
Then I buy some TM to get to know were our friends and soon to be Romans live;

The Japanese have neither Iron nor Horses but they have Ivory and Gems , They should be our Target Nr1

Research at min to Lit but could be changed;

Germany completes Oracle everybody switches to Pyramids;

1300BC Our Southern Scout disbands a Barbcamp

1250BC: CoL is now known by Japanese and Lincoln. It cost 220gold from Ami and should get us MM + WM but then we won’t have enough Money to upgrade our Warriors;
Up to the next Leader;


Comments:

As stated above I think Japan should be our first target; Their land will be productive too;
The Wall in Cumae is timed that it will finish before the Wood is chopped so please do not change the built there nor change the Wood-chopping! After the Wall start a Leg and it will benefit from the chopped shields.

Settle where the Settler is (for the Incense) ; With this Settlement and the then roaded Silks we should be able to drop our Lux-tax significantly; Rome will reach 15shields during our GA;

Our first Leg is finished in 4 turns (if not further delayed); We have a lot of free space so we should continue to build Settlers at least in Veii;


A picture:



and The Game


Good Luck

Rowain


PS: the next player-turns end at: 1000BC, 750BC, 550BC, 350BC

Got it