Aigburth's PBEM Spoiler Thread

[Aigburth]

It's about time I started my own thread for all you spectators, firstly though all the other players should already know the drill but just in case: -

zyxy
Hasdrubal Barca
Donsig
tomasjj
Niklas
Paul

Please hit the back button on your browser now!

 

[Aigburth]

Ok with that out of the way I suppose I should start with a recap of what has gone on up to now.

Here is the starting screen shot:

And the minimap:

The starting 9 tiles definitely look like they have been altered and judging by Riks comments I'll bet everyone else has identical first 9 tiles!

I decided not to move off the gold hill, without any bonus food it would be quite a while before I would want to work this tile, I therefore settled in place set the capital to build a warrior and set research to pottery. The plan was to build 2 warriors, then a granary (aided by a chop) and then a settler timed to complete on growth to size 4.

By turn 8 my first warrior had explored to the north and revealed what looks like a dead end:

At this point Toxteth's borders were due to expand in 3 turns popping the hut, I remember regretting not using the worker early on to pop the hut, if you don't have any military you can not pop barbs and thus your chances of popping the really good stuff goes up considerably. I decide the potential disruption barbs could cause is too great and since my warrior has apparently uncovered a dead end I decide to bring him home via the hill to the east, I would also have another warrior due in 2 turns to help out.

3 turns later and I needn't have worried, I popped a conscript warrior

Spoiler :

The warrior was very useful, Toxteth had just grown and required some happiness control, I could now use a warrior as military police and still have two out exploring keeping science at 100% The expanded borders also revealed some silks down stream to the west, it was pretty clear where my first settler would be headed! Lastly pottery completed this turn, I decided to research Iron Working next, as I start with Bronze Working this would hopefully give me some trading options when I meet someone.

OK fast forward to turn 30:

Spoiler :

My 2nd town has been established near the silks, I am 1 turn from Iron working and as you can see I have been exploring. Unfortunately I have not found any bonus food anywhere, this means my capital will continue to produce 10 turn settlers for a while between sizes 2 and 4, two 2-turn warriors will also be produced during this cycle. I also begin to suspect I may be on my own island, I am not sure if this is a good or bad thing, prison or fortress? time will tell I suppose. I decide alphabet will be the next research project so that I can get some curraghs out.

First though I would have to complete the last turn on Iron Working where I would receive quite a surprise:

Spoiler :

An SGL! I literally did fall off my chair when I opened this save! Well there was only one wonder for me:

Spoiler :

I think this is a good place to end part 1 of the recap, part 2 will follow tomorrow.

 

[AutomatedTeller]

wow. that's nearly gamebreaking there!! fast workers and pyramids!!!

too bad no food bonuses for you

 

[Aigburth]

wow. that's nearly gamebreaking there!! fast workers and pyramids!!!

too bad no food bonuses for you

Indeed, I feel like I have also now acquired the agricultural trait! Getting a wonder so early is great for commerce as well of course.

I don't think it is too gamebreaking as I don't have any bonus food, I know for one that zyxy does judging by when his capital grew to size 3, he could have joined a worker of course but I find that highly unlikely.

 

[peter grimes]

What an amazing piece of luck! That will help you out tremendously. Can't wait for the next episode

 

[Aigburth]

The next exciting event didn't occur until turn 52, here is a screen shot from that turn:

Spoiler :

Alphabet has been completed and I'm now 5 turns from mathematics, 1 curragh has been produced and is traveling north and two more are on their way. As you can see my warriors have indeed discovered that I am alone on this land mass.

Toxteth has produced two more 10 turn settlers with the next one due in six, Crutched Friars has also just completed a settler.

The main news from this turn though is I have my first contact, a Carthaginian curragh has appeared in my borders but where did it come from? My guess was precisely due east and my next curragh would go that way to investigate.

Some diplomatic exchanges follow and a couple of deals are agreed, guaranteed peace until turn 102, Writing for Mathematics, The Wheel for 60 gold.

I also inquired about the possibility of coordinating research but did not get a positive response. Finding a partner was an early priority of mine, I didn't want to be the odd one out of the 7 and hoped that others would be as seemingly isolated as I was.

Turn 60 now and I have a second contact:

A Harmonious (zyxy) curragh seen near the northern tip of my island! Negotiations with zyxy went a little better, here are some of the early exchanges:

Spoiler :

Greetings! A quick note to advise you that one of my curraghs has spotted your curragh named Peer Gynt near the northern tip of our homeland.

Would you be interested in any tech trades? Our scientists advise that we have Bronze Working, Iron Working and Mathematics to offer you whilst we currently lack Warrior Code, Ceremonial Burial and all techs that follow from Writing. I am unsure of your current tech status ( i.e. I'm too tired to get out the calculator!) so please let me know if you have any techs to offer, hopefully we could put pen to paper on a deal before the next turn comes around.

Looking forward to hearing back from you

Best Regards
Aigburth

Dear Aigburth of the Ottomans,

pleased to meet you!

I would be very interested in Mathematics. I have CB,
WC, HBR and Myst on offer.

How about WC+HBR for Math?

Best regards,
Diva Zyxia of the Grand Opera

Diva Zyxia

Thanks you for your reply, your proposed trade is is accepted! If you have not yet played the turn please send warrior code and I will send maths, then on the following turn send HBR to complete the deal.

In case your interest in Maths was with the view to researching currency, then please be advised I have already invested some turns into this tech and would be happy to consider a fair trade with yourself once this tech is complete, in any case would you be interested in future tech trades or even coordinating research?

Yours
Sultan Aigburth of the Ottomans

Dear Sultan,

Great, we have a deal! Unfortunately I already played,
so there will be a short delay. According to your
plan, I'll send Warrior Code (with accept) your way on
the next turn.

I like your idea of a joint research programme. I am
researching Literature, for another 10 turns or
thereabouts. So there's no risk of double effort for
the immediate future, and we can use this time to
think out a more encompassing deal!

Shall we for the moment consider the Ancient Age? All
techs except Monarchy? Finally, I would like to
accompany such a research agreement with a peace and
nonagression treaty.

All the best,
Zyxia

We are currently in the process of discussing a long term deal and have done some further deals to bring me up to tech parity.

By turn 63 things were also going well back home:

No 1 in GNP, manufactured goods, land area and productivity! Though only 4th in Pop.

One last contact made before the current turn and that is The Iroquois (Thomasjj) who are already in Republic no trades have been made to date.

That about brings things up to date, I'll leave you with a couple of shots of my empire from the last turn, firstly the main island:

Spoiler :

And then a couple of uninhabited islands to the east:

Spoiler :

I can see some coast in the fog north of the northern tip of the of the western island, I am assuming this is where H Barca's curragh came from since he is sea faring and can therefore move 3 tiles per turn. I have a curragh moving over there to attempt a suicide run.

 

[AutomatedTeller]

Pyramids are huge for you, with the lack of food bonuses. You might need a lot of harbors - looks like you have a bunch of food and whales - but having multple settlers easily buildable will really help offset the slowness of the main factory.

 

[Aigburth]

Pyramids are huge for you, with the lack of food bonuses. You might need a lot of harbors - looks like you have a bunch of food and whales - but having multple settlers easily buildable will really help offset the slowness of the main factory.

The capital has huge production potential, I am currently growing it whilst building a barracks, it will then produce some vet horses or swords in between settlers or workers, i want a small army of quality troops when I'm in republic. Other cities are taking over settler duty in the meantime, any city producing at least 3 shields per turn can produce a settler just as quickly as the capital, also I only need 2 shields per turn to do 5 turn workers! I think this is what my semi core will do once they're settled (Izmit will probably do this for a while too once its curragh is done)

Edit: Once in Republic Toxteth can easily do 4 turn settlers by irrigating some of the bg's

 

[Aigburth]

Its time for an update, around 18 turns have passed since the last update

Empire

Here is the empire as of turn 84: -

4 new towns have been built since the last update; Aydin, Konya, Antalya and Sinop, 3 more settlers will also be produced by the time Republic is completed in 4 turns (hooray for the Pyramids!).

I might send one of those settlers over to the island to the east and begin the colonization there, if I settle 1 tile SW of that wheat and send a worker over then I can work the wheat to grow quickly and chop some forests for shields, that way I can produce a fairly quick settler over there. I will then have two cities building settlers, then 4 etc so the island should pretty much colonize itself.

Expansion should really pick up once in republic, with a granary in every city and lots of grassland around to irrigate I could run multiple 4 or 6 turn settler factories and 2 or 3 turn workers factories.

There is also some good news from the Demographics: -

Spoiler :

I'm ranked 1 in GNP despite there being two republics This seems pretty amazing when you consider the commerce bonus you get for being a republic. To put it into context, my GNP is currently 78, if I was a republic now CA2 says my GNP would be 120!

Exploration

Here is a zoomed out map of the world as known to the Ottomans: -

The routes of my exploring curraghs are shown along with other nations whose locations are known. I have also met the Iroquois but have not yet found their homeland, I have not yet met the Byzantines. According to zyxy the Iroquois and Byzantines share a continent and I'm guessing it is located in the far north east of the map, my curragh up there can see land across the straight so will go that way next turn to take a look.

Diplomacy

At the last update I was negotiating a long term alliance with zyxy, this was agreed and signed on turn 70.

Spoiler :

We also decided it would be a good idea to invite a third partner into the alliance and we subsequently invited the Maya (Niklas) who have accepted our advances! Most points of the new alliance have been agreed though we haven't yet got a formal document ready.

Diplomacy with the other powers have mostly been friendly with the odd deal made here or there, for the time being I don't wish to make any enemies.

Technology

At the last update I was 6 turns from currency, this was completed after which I popped construction from a hut. zyxy researched literature and we traded for philosophy, code of laws, map making and polytheism propelling us and later Niklas into the middle ages. We tried to buy Republic from the Iroquois but their terms were always unacceptable, mainly due to a no trade clause which obviously couldn't work for us, I am therefore currently researching the republic and have only four turns left. I got engineering as my free middle age tech, zyxy is currently researching feudalism and Niklas is researching monotheism.

Summary

I asked in my first recap whether my island location would be a prison or a fortress, right now I'm very much of the opinion that it is the latter! I feel very secure for the foreseeable future in this isolated corner of the world but my isolation hasn't prevented me from making contacts, trades and allies, so yeah I think things are going quite well

 

[peter grimes]

Things are going quite well, indeed

I wonder if things will change, with the international currents shifting?

 

[AutomatedTeller]

Pyramids are the best

Remember, your cities on that little island don't get free granary, so they pump out settlers slower.

 

[Aigburth]

Things are going quite well, indeed

I wonder if things will change, with the international currents shifting?

I assume your referring to the war between Maya and Carthage, on the whole I think this is bad news but not disastrous, I know that Niklas was building up to attack Carthage himself so hopefully he will have the forces available to mount a decent counter attack. This doesn't change anything between the zyxy and myself as established allies and our strategy should probably remain the same for the time being at least.

Remember, your cities on that little island don't get free granary, so they pump out settlers slower.

Yeah I knew this, that wheat resource means a town can grow in 5 turns and there seem to be plenty of forests around to chop, hopefully I can place the 2nd city so that it can also work the wheat and bring in some new forested tiles.

 

[Niklas]

I assume your referring to the war between Maya and Carthage, on the whole I think this is bad news but not disastrous, I know that Niklas was building up to attack Carthage himself so hopefully he will have the forces available to mount a decent counter attack.

Let's just say I underestimated him quite badly...

Good luck with the rest of the game, I'll be lurking.