Gotm 58

Duke of Marlbrough

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Last month's GOTM was a "peace-luvin', tree-huggin' wait-em-out" game with some challenging differences in our regular rules. This month we get back to "red-meat Civvin" - a specially designed test of your war-making skills.*

This scenario has been titled "The Gauntlet". You start as the Americans on a small island at the far western end of a long, narrow flat map. Six other civs are arrayed along that map, and the map has been altered to give them some geographical advantages. The specific civs have been chosen for their aggressive, expansionistic or militaristic tendencies. For this scenario we are going to require that a player may not build or capture the Marco Polo wonder (but not the UN). If another civ builds Marco Polo, you must raze that city to destroy the wonder. An exception to this rule will be made for OCC players. This scenario will handicap you enough that going without Marco Polo would probably be fatal.

As compensation for the difficulties in this game you are given a pair of settlers and five starting techs. Good luck - you're going to need it!

The game settings
Difficulty: Emperor
Barbs: Restless
Restarts: Off
Map: 250x30 (Large), Flat, Customized
Human Civ: Americans

Starting Techs
- Alphabet
- Bronze Working
- Ceremonial Burial
- Code of Laws
- Masonry



Saved game:
http://civ2gotm.civfanatics.net/civ2gotmdownload_58.shtml
 
We start in the west? Head them up, ride 'em in, move them out...Rawhide!
 
OCC Report: No huts or specials in view makes it hard to do terrain analysis without starting to move around. Eliminates some resource seed possibilities, but we are still left with six base-set options (1,5,6,9,10,13) and all their +16 variations. Then again, restarts are off so there is a chance of losing a KeyCiv, and the map is long and narrow so overseas trade may be difficult.
 
Glad to see this return to "red-meat civvin", but how did you come up with Hillary Clinton? Also, if I read the rules correctly... the UN is OK ?
 
Question- can one capture marco once its expired?
of course, i suppose the problem with this is that it would be impossible to know if one had really captured it after expiration
 
There are three problems with OCC in this game:
1. The home island is known to be small and may not contain any suitable sites. There is no way to find out given the difficulty of determining the resource seed (as pointed out by ElephantU) even with black clicking.
This one can be rectified by exploring the island first and then deciding if one wants to do an OCC.
2. Rivals are likely far away. This makes caravan delivery difficult and costly.
3. Most importantly, OCC is exempt from the special rule (No Marco) that makes this GOTM special. This is our chance to do something different.

I am planing to play and will not do OCC. I will start with the goal of a peaceful isolationist landing strategy; but be ready to modify it as the game
progresses.
 
Ali Ardavan said:
I am planing to play and will not do OCC. I will start with the goal of a peaceful isolationist landing strategy; but be ready to modify it as the game
progresses.

Makes perfect sense. Wouldn't be surprised if the landings go faster than the conquests on this loooong map.
 
Duke of Marlbrough said:
If another civ builds Marco Polo, you must raze that city to destroy the wonder.
Is this a 'must-do' or only a rule if you decide to play for conquest? In other words, can I just ignore it if I go for landing?
 
Sounds like a no-brainer - leave it alone, the AI never get any benefit from building it anyway. Landing's not going to be easy on this map without it, though.
 
Carrot said:
Is this a 'must-do' or only a rule if you decide to play for conquest? In other words, can I just ignore it if I go for landing?

Yes. Only if the city is going to be taken as part of a non OCC game does the city need to be razed.

Marco can be left in the AI's possesion. Basically, Marco only matters if it is in your possesion.
 
Please check that I understand the rule:

If the AI builds Marco, I cannot capture the city - I have to raze it by reducing it to size 0. I cannot capture it and then raze it by rush-building settlers. Is that correct?
 
Another question about the razing rule: Suppose you conquer the world, except the city that contains MPE. It has no defenders, and can be captured (but not razed). Have you won ?

I hope the answer is "yes" but guess the answer will be "no" (unless DoM cares to rephrase the rules). This situation could make the game drag on quite a few turns beyond its normal finish (unless I am missing some trick).

My game is probably still about 20 turns from the end, and I don't think this situation will occur, but it is a possiblity to consider very soon.
 
So, one must bring up enough spies to "poison the water supply" down to one citizen, destroy any city walls, than destroy the city by capturing a size one, which destroys it. One can, also, lay seige to the city by occupying all productive land around the city and starving it.

Actually, this is the first game I have really used the poison feature. To me, its counterproductive to willfully destroy the population of a potential new city in my empire!
 
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