CLV01 - Movin' On Up

[cleverhandle]

There seem to be plenty of players like me around here - consistent on Monarch, but not quite comfortable on Emperor - but not many SG's that aren't Emp+ or tough variants. This game is for you - straight Emp game, no funny stuff, hopefully a lot of opportunity to talk with and learn from one another. Maybe we win, maybe we lose, but we should at least learn from it.

Game Rules: Straight C3C 1.22
Civ: TBD (see next post)
Standard Size
Continents, "Normal" age, water, climate
Barbs: TBD - probably Roaming, perhaps Restless
Start Position: Well, obviously we need a civ first. I'll reload a really nasty desert or tundra start, but I don't want to cherry-pick a cow/BG position either.
VC: All standard VC's are open.
Opponents: Random
SG Format: Standard 20 turns, 24 hr. "got-it", 48 hr. play time

A totally middle-of-the-road map - the goal is to have lots of strategic options to discuss.

Ideally, players would be comfortable with a variety of strategies at Monarch and not get completely destroyed in Emperor - I don't know enough to train anyone at this level. I'm hoping that we can all benefit by gathering people with different styles and strengths and discussing our options. Personally, I tend towards building - I'm good at managing cities/workers and using diplomacy and trade. I'm competent at military operations, but tend to be a little cautious.

If you're a consistent Emperor player and want to join in, you're more than welcome. Just don't hurt me if I make a mistake.

Roster - 3 slots open
cleverhandle
dalgo

 

[madviking]

lurker's comment: So far, Monarch to Emperor jump's not too hard

 

[cleverhandle]

As to the choice of civ... So far in my Emperor games, I've been falling back to Persia as a strong and flexible civ. I'd like to not do that here, because they really are very, very good. At the same time, I don't want to play an inflexible civ that could leave us only one obvious path. With Standard Continents, there are lots of big-picture strategic possiblities - I want to talk about strategic choices I might not otherwise look at. So I want a decent civ that leaves a good numbers of possibilities open. Celts, Egypt, France, and Iroquois strike me as good prospects, but I'm open to suggestions.

 

[cleverhandle]

lurker's comment: So far, Monarch to Emperor jump's not too hard

Sez you.

But like I said in the post, it's not that I feel completely swamped, just that I think I could be more efficient by getting some fresh perspectives. I like talking with people about the game, too...

 

[dalgo]

I'd like to play this game. I usually play Emperor but still have a lot to learn. How about Arabia? Expansionist and Religious with a good UU (Ansar Warriors).

 

[Admiral Kutzov]

lurker's comment: not a sign up.

As to the choice of civ... So far in my Emperor games, I've been falling back to Persia as a strong and flexible civ. I'd like to not do that here, because they really are very, very good. At the same time, I don't want to play an inflexible civ that could leave us only one obvious path. With Standard Continents, there are lots of big-picture strategic possiblities - I want to talk about strategic choices I might not otherwise look at. So I want a decent civ that leaves a good numbers of possibilities open. Celts, Egypt, France, and Iroquois strike me as good prospects, but I'm open to suggestions.

Sounds like you want a fun, learning game. Try the Hittites to make the jump. Expansionist to pop all those huts and make it easy to set up a settler factory and commercial to rake in all the loot. A grump old monk trained me on monarch on that Civ and it worked well. You can also control when you get your GA via the UU. You also get a shot at the Republic slinger.

Randomize the AI.

 

[cleverhandle]

@dalgo - Cool, you're in. I'll edit the OP shortly. I could go with Arabia. I've never played them before (got C3C recently) so that would be fun. Seems like they would have a larger possibility of a tough, dry start (which I also need to learn to handle better), but the Ansar is awesome and should more than make up for it if we can stay competitive that long. But let's wait a bit for more peeps and see what they have to say.

@Admiral K - I don't know about the Hittites. I'm not too keen on chariot-type UU's in general, and the traits seem difficult to capitalize on. They could be an interesting experience, but I think I'll save them for a single-player game. As to the opponents - yes, they will be randomized. I'll add that in.

 

[Whomp]

lurker's comment: Good luck to my fellow Chicagoan! I will be checking in to see how things are going.

I would recommend a ag civ. I like the Dutch and Celts are a blast too. I also learned from the Venerable Monk and he likes people to train with tough civs. With the Admiral he used Hittites and my game was with Carths.

 

[Leha]

lurker's comment: I recommend Dutch. I won my first Emp game with Dutch very easily.
Try it guys, it's mighty powerfull civ

 

[eldar]

lurker's comment: I agree about the Hittites. It is a nice UU, but then, if you draw a 3-billion-year-old map with tons of swamp/jungle....

 

[dalgo]

The problem with Egypt or the Hittites is that their chariots are only useful if you attack with them very early in the game, which means a despotic GA. If you decide to wait until you can get a better government then your UU is too weak to be of much use other than for that single victory.

I do like the Celts and their gallic swordsmen or the Dutch on an archipelago map.

 

[Admiral Kutzov]

I don't know about the Hittites. I'm not too keen on chariot-type UU's in general, and the traits seem difficult to capitalize on. They could be an interesting experience, but I think I'll save them for a single-player game. As to the opponents - yes, they will be randomized. I'll add that in.

I don't like them so much for the UU, but for the starting techs of pottery and alpha. Unless an the AI pops writing from a hut, you're almost a lock for philo. That usually lets you get to the end of the ancient age having to self-research 3 or so techs.

 

[Whomp]

lurker's comment: I agree with Leha. I have a solo deity arch game with the dutch that I am cruising with. With alpha, pottery, cheap plus an excellent UU that will last a long, long time. IMO Seafaring is underrated on continents. The extra movement for a potential suicide galley can give a big tech advantage.

 

[cleverhandle]

OK, Arabia it is. And the start...

Could be worse.

The mini...

 

[Admiral Kutzov]

yeah it could be one of viper's starts.

 

[dalgo]

Looks good. Do we settle there or move? I suggest we send our scout to the hill first, looks like there might be a coast there.

 

[Beorn-eL-Feared]

lurker's comment: I suggest moving the scout before settling, whatever happens. You are expansionnists, so take that edge for you during that turn. Watch for better BG locations, coast (if pelago, a must) and whatever can benefit a 1st town (forest, food ...) before settling on place. Your settler is your 3rd unit moved, in any case.

 

[cleverhandle]

Yeah, I think scout to hill is a good start - it looks like we're one off a coast, so I'd probably want to cross the river and go 1 SE if that's the case. I'm not the best fog-gazer, but it looks like there may be one land tile 3 SW of our current position. If so, that might be a good spot for a coastal second city. Even better if that tile has a mate on the east side of the river, but that's still deep in the fog.

What about the worker? Barring a big discovery by the scout, I'd say go NE and get started on roading/irrigating. It looks like the other directions are either coast or solid forest - probably with nothing exciting enough to change our plan. But a bonus one more square up the river might be worth moving for.

 

[cleverhandle]

Also, what's the early tech strategy? Pottery and Ceremonial Burial are pretty crappy for trading. Try for something more valuable (Alphabet, BW, Wheel) at min? Or stay away from them and hope to get one from a hut? I haven't played an Expansionist civ at Emperor yet.

And any feelings on scout vs. warrior? I'd say scout to push for those early contacts - looks like we're on the bottom of a continent and could have a long way to go.

 

[cleverhandle]

Scout to hill - we're definitely on a coast. Decided to move worker east to forest - that's burning a worker turn, but from what the scout sees, the logical sites are either 1E, 1NE, or 1SE and moving the worker E will tell us the most. Here's the result:

Whole lotta nothin' apart from the GH. Big bonus start this isn't. Note that the mountain has both another river and some kind of water to its east - perhaps we're on a peninsula.

My choice for a site would be 1 NE. On a river, at least 4 forests, a bit of grass, and since our landmass widens one tile just north of us it would only leave us with a single unimprovable coast tile. Then another city can fit on the river 2 SW of the current spot (though we probably want to expand NE first, since that's the where the rest of the continent appears to be).

I'm going to be out all day tomorrow, but I hope to play the first 20 tomorrow night. So if any of the above is nonsense, let me know.