AZ-02: Merchant Queen

[azaris]

Isabella starts with Fishing. I knew that. It said so on the first popup when I started this game.

Here goes nothing.

Turn 0: I don't want to lose the clams so move the settler 1 NW. We can give a one-turn headstart and still get Hinduism.



Turn 1: Madrid is founded. Start with a work boat, due in 15. Research set to Polytheism, due in 18.

Turns 2-3: zzz

Turn 4: I get slightly worried that this island is very small, but the warrior finds a landmass that continues northwards.

Turn 5-7: zzz

Turn 8: Warrior discovers hut in the north. Do I dare risk it? Somehow I get a premonition that it would not be wise, so the warrior treks back until we can build a scout.



Turn 9: Madrid pops.

Turns 10-12: zzz

Turn 13: Buddhism FIADL.

Turns 14-15: zzz

Turn 16: Work boat completes, start a worker, due in 18. The warrior will stay in the north to fog bust.

Turns 17-18: zzz

Turn 19: Hinduism founded in Madrid. I don't convert. Set research to Mining, due in 9.

Turn 28: Mining completes, set research to Agriculture. Then an ugly big-nose with a pointy hat bothers us with his inane behaviour.





I have a good mind to tell him to stuff it but refrain myself. Instead I press ENTER a couple of times and then stop.

Summary: Not the best of starts but I guess we paid a price for the RNGod for such a luxurious gem collection. There is a second city site up north next to the clams. Who knows if the island continues further beyond the hut. Our sworn enemy is located on the neighboring island, so no OB or exploring in that direction until we kill him (probably).

Since we have no established roster order yet, the first player to post a "got it" can play the next 25 turns or so.

 

[Orion071]

I can take it now, but I'll look at the save first and post a plan.

Edit: OK, not much plan needed. I'll get our resources hooked up and try to found another city by the Clams and 3rd Gems. It won't be too useful until the border pops.

Is Saladin on the island with the Cows and Stone? We need sailing so we can start meeting people.

Azaris, don't be scared of huts. Just pop them. We don't need a Scout since we've already explored the whole island.

 

[Orion071]

OK here we go...

Turns 1-5: Waiting for our Worker. He starts mining a Gem and I start another Warrior.

Turn 6: I pop the hut for 39g.

Turns 7-8: zzzz...

Turn 9: Agriculture is in. I go for BW.

Turns 10-11: zzzz...

Turn 12: I finish exploring our island. It sucks. I think our 3rd city should be on Saladin's island be the Cows and Stone.

Turns 13-18: zzzz...

Turn 19: Warrior is in and we're size 3. I'm working the Clams and both Gem mines. Research is going nuts right now. I start on a Settler.

Turn 20: BW is in. Well, whaddya know? Copper is 1W of our capitol! I go to the Wheel next to hook it all up. There's also Copper at the very nothern tip of the island surrounded by desert. But there's 2 Fish up there as well, so it wouldn't make that bad of a city site.

Turns 21-22: I finish irrigation on the Corn. I switch off one of the Gem mines to speed up the Settler from 17 turns to 12.

Turns 23-24: I start mining the Copper. The Wheel is in and I'll stop here because I'm not sure what to research next. I have it on Sailing because I wouldn't mind exploring and getting to meet the neighbors. I also want to poach that Stone site from Saladin. We'll also need Iron Working to get that 3rd Gem going.

Next turn, you should be able to whip that Settler. Do it, and then work the food specials. I would settle 2N of that 3rd Gem tile. Yeah, it will need a Monument first, but it's still the best spot.

Our Capitol is an awesome site. We should be working those 5 special tiles as much as possible. After the Settler is whipped, I wouldn't whip again until we're size 6. Maybe we can send some Axes to say hi to Saladin? After he's gone, we can play the friendly merchant for the rest of the game?

Edit: Whoops, almost forgot the save. View attachment AZ-02 Merchant Queen BC-2350.CivWarlordsSave

 

[Codeman]

yeah... guess i shouldn't try to read thread while talking to 3 year old.

my vote. 1 NW and start with a work boat.

 

[Orion071]

Codeman, put down the 3-year-old and read page 2 of the thread.

Anyway, I forgot the city is only size 3 and can't whip the Settler next turn. But it should still whip it ASAP even if it only saves 4-5 turns. We've got plenty of extra food to grow back.

And see, there was fish in the BFC of our original site, so there.

 

[pigswill]

Still Lurking

It occurs to me that grabbing the clams (i.e. moving 1NW) would allow you to run 5 merchants with caste system.

It also occurs to me that religion is probably not going to be very useful in this game. If you're running trade missions then probably you want lots of cautious AI rather than dividing them into friendly and furious. Also you can't get Great Prophet points which means you can't have a shrine (or stonehenge or oracle).

Feel free to totally ignore these observations. It's not my game after all.

Edit: gosh you're off to a flying start so its already irrelevant .

 

[azaris]

OK here we go...
Turn 12: I finish exploring our island. It sucks. I think our 3rd city should be on Saladin's island be the Cows and Stone.

Usually on archipelago maps the starting island has two, three at most, useful city sites.

Copper is 1W of our capitol!

Our Capitol is an awesome site. We should be working those 5 special tiles as much as possible. After the Settler is whipped, I wouldn't whip again until we're size 6. Maybe we can send some Axes to say hi to Saladin? After he's gone, we can play the friendly merchant for the rest of the game?

Killing Saladin ASAP would be preferrable (and also in the spirit of the variant), but it's not quite as quickly said and done (he's protective). How many axes are we going to need realistically?

 

[Orion071]

Well, I ran some quick worldbuilder tests and came up with this.

I ran 8 CR1 Axemen against 4 Protective Archers in a city with 40% defense and won pretty easily. Then I took the same scenario and made the city on a hill, plus I gave 1 of the Archers CG2. It took 10 Axemen to take it out. So we should be able to take out any secondary cities of his pretty easily, but Mecca will be almost impossible. Plus, he could have 60% cultural defense or even walls by the time we get there.

I'd say cripple him with Axes early and finish him off with Catapults later, but our variant rules don't allow that.

 

[Sealot]

We have to take risk and hope our axes can handle Saladin. We can't seize our growth at this point of the game and that island looks very resourceful one. Remember we can't stop war once we have started it. Let's make sure we get enough axes.

ps. MUST KILL SALADIN

 

[mice]

We could attempt the attack with axes, and if we cant get the capital, then just stay in war until Catapults. I mean we dont get war wariness if we are not losing units.

It will be nice to build protection for our seafood, but axes must be the priority

If we leave Saladin 'till catapults we risk facing longbows.

The gems should give us more production than him, hopefully.

Who's up ? and... ideas for the second city?

 

[Sealot]

The spot two tiles north of third gems sounds good so we grab both gems and clam there.

 

[FuRRie]

I'll grab the save now and play tonight or in about 12 hours. (GMT+1 here)
I'll settle our second city 2N of 3rd Gems, and go for sailing to find some more opponents.
About Saladin, just kill his smaller cities and leave the capital as it is and keep pillaging all his stuff. He won't be able to tech-up and we can just take him out once we have Catapults.

 

[FuRRie]

Played 20 turns, and decided to leave it to the next player.
Here is a smaal report, no images, because i'm a bit busy atm, next reports, should contain some nice images.

IHT: Decide to keep research on Sailing, I fortify the Warrior on the hill for the moment, cause he has nothing to do at the moment.
T1 - T4 : ZzZ
T5: I whip the settler saving 5 turns (+1 for 15 turns)
T6: Madrid: Settler -> Barracks
T7: ZzZ
T8: Barcelona founded 2N of the Gems
Barcelona: Monument
T9: ZzZ
T10: Copper connected, did a small and moved the Worker from the Copper before Roading it on Turn 9.
T11 - T12: ZzZ
T13: Sialing is in, decide to for Pottery, wasn't too sure what to pick, but Pottery is always good.
T14 - T15: ZzZ
T16: I MM Madrid to get Barracks in 6 instead of 8 turns.
T17 - T19: ZzZ
T20: Saladin Adopts Slavery, so he has just invednted Bronze Working

After the obelisk in Barcelona get a Work Boat out, and we should get a Trireme + Settler in Madrid and connect that Stone and get those Cows online on that other island.

Save game attached.

 

[Orion071]

OK, first, the Worker needs to finish that mine and then connect our 2 cities. After that, it can mine the hills of our 2nd city and chop a Workboat for those other Clams.

After Pottery we need Iron Working to mine that 3rd Gems and maybe get Swordsmen. Swords would make killing Saladin so much easier.

After the Barracks are done we need to get some boats in the water to see the lay of the land. I still think we should try to poach some land from Saladin's island.

Lastly, the Gems are giving us a great bonus to research, but they don't do anything if we don't use them! We should try to have both mines working at all times.

 

[mice]

Build a galley not a trireme because triremes cant take cargo. Also we dont know where Sally is. The galley needs to find him first. Maybe we should work the gems and not the mines until we see our victim. That will give us IW soon, and then maybe alphabet.

Played
azaris
Orion
FuRRie

up,

Codeman
Sealot
Mice

I cant play just now so it's open.

 

[Codeman]

family time. so i can't play tonight. if sealot can play go for it.

 

[FuRRie]

Our cities allready get the commerce bonus because they are connected by coastline, so roading them up isn't a piority in my opinion.

 

[Sealot]

Got it will play later today.

 

[azaris]

Not much to comment on, except for that there is a tile of land visible up north which might be investigated for expansion if we decide against settling on Saladin's Island (whichever that happens to be). The north end of our island should also be fogbusted since otherwise it will spawn barbs soon.

Codeman is up in another game so I think we now go with the following roster order.

THE ROSTER:

1.azaris
2.Orion071
3.FuRRie (just played)
4.Sealot (UP for 20 turns)
5.mice (on deck)
6.Codeman

 

[Sealot]

Turn 1
- Pottery in, start IW due to 13 turns.
- Barcelona is far from it's happiness cap and only way barbs can attack is north, so I send warrior a little north to fogbust.
- Work gems to tech faster.

Turn 2
- Zzz

Turn 3
- Barracks done in Madrid, start galley
- Monument done in Barcelone, start work boat

Turn 4
- Start hook up gems to grow Madrid bigger.

Turn 5
- Judaism has been founded in a distant land.
- Notice that we already had gems hooked up ^^

Turn 6
- Zzz

Turn 7
- Whipped galley and put overflow to granary (2 turns to complete).

Turn 8
- Zzz

Turn 9
- Granary done, start axe.
- Seems like the island west of us is actually empty so Saladin must be in northern island.

Turn 10
- Zzz

Turn 11
- Iron Working is in, start research Writing.

Turn 12
- Zzz

Turn 13
- I found Saladin. There's an island in between of us and it's big. Let's race!

Turn 14
- Axe done, start another galley (settler after that, axe can kill barb warriors in western island)
- Barcelonas borders expand and workboat done. Start barracks.

Turn 15
- Settle workboat on clams.

Turn 16
- Bad news. It actually isn't an island between us and Saladin. Saladin just has an freaking huge starting island/continent!

Turn 17
- Zzz

Turn 18
- Zzz

Turn 19
- Writing in, start Maths. We want cats for Saladin and there's really nobody to trade with.
- And just after writing that, we find Wang Kon of Korean empire.

Turn 20
- Zzz

Playing while watching American Pie 2 so I might have messed up with how many turns played. Sorry! We should settle to Saladins island ASAP and then destroy him. Whipping that galley from Madrid was propably a mistake, but angriness is soon off. Worker making a mine to third gems. Despite our small starting island our research rate is awesome!