Grand Strategy Thread
- Thread starter General_W
- Start date
General_W
Councilor & Merlot Noble
Do we want to ask them before we do this? (<-- serious question. I'm really unsure.)
Ah, I did not see that the 1-tiler is in FREE's cultural influence.
So yes, we need to settle it. But they might be annoyed...
Well, they always have that other choice of supplying us with rubber through trade...
How could they possibly be upset? (<-- serious response 
)
)
General_W
Councilor & Merlot Noble
Well - I imagine a few of us on The Council woudln't be amused if FREE settled on one of our 1-tile islands right off the coast and loaded it up with defenders.
I imagine the "they're about to back-stab us!" talk would start immediately.
Doubly so if they did it without talking to us first.
The more I think about it - the more I think we should ask before claiming that isle.
I imagine the "they're about to back-stab us!" talk would start immediately.
Doubly so if they did it without talking to us first.
The more I think about it - the more I think we should ask before claiming that isle.
If it was not under FREE's cultural influence it would be much easier to claim it. But the culturally by a power occupied land imo is widely regarded as property of that power. At least I'd see it that way.Nevertheless I'd still send a settler and a Mech Inf there and claim it. Not sure when or if I would ask them...
Well, if their intentions of trading rubber to us when peace is suitable are genuine, us settling that one tiler, temporarily through an agreement maybe, could be a nice way out of it for FREE, avoiding a negative reaction from SABER, no?
Don't bash my wonderfully constructed sentence
Don't bash my wonderfully constructed sentence
My point exactly.
General_W
Councilor & Merlot Noble
ooh - I kinda like that idea 
something like:
"Dear FREE,
We need rubber - but we know you need to keep up appearances for Saber for now - so why don't you let us settle that 1-tile island off your coast with rubber? You don't need it, and we'll stack the city with good solid defenders - to keep Saber away, and make it look good if Saber asks why you don't take it back. We'll not put any offensive military units in that city as a show of good faith.
What do you think? "
They might actually go for something like that.
something like:
"Dear FREE,
We need rubber - but we know you need to keep up appearances for Saber for now - so why don't you let us settle that 1-tile island off your coast with rubber? You don't need it, and we'll stack the city with good solid defenders - to keep Saber away, and make it look good if Saber asks why you don't take it back. We'll not put any offensive military units in that city as a show of good faith.
What do you think? "
They might actually go for something like that.
AutomatedTeller
Frequent poster
we would have to rush a settler and build a transport in one of our eastern (high output) cities to do that. It would take us a few turns.
That island is off former GONG land, so SABER may not react too badly to it - if it was off their homeland, they'd almost certainly kill it if they could.
That island is off former GONG land, so SABER may not react too badly to it - if it was off their homeland, they'd almost certainly kill it if they could.
I like the bones of G_W's nascent response - it states our intentions clearly enough for FREE to buy into it.
But, as usual, I feel compelled to offer a slight edit (I REALLY hope I don't come across as a nitpicker - but this aspect of our game is just about all I'm comfortable with at this stage of the game
)
...but we know you need to keep up appearances for Saber for now - sowhy don't you let us we will settle that 1-tile rubber island off your coast with rubber? and garrison a plausible defense.
I prefer not to ask permission from our competitors to perform actions that may be against their best interests... at the same time, G_W's phrasing is effective in showing FREE how our idea can help them. The best of both worlds!
But, as usual, I feel compelled to offer a slight edit (I REALLY hope I don't come across as a nitpicker - but this aspect of our game is just about all I'm comfortable with at this stage of the game
)...but we know you need to keep up appearances for Saber for now - so
I prefer not to ask permission from our competitors to perform actions that may be against their best interests... at the same time, G_W's phrasing is effective in showing FREE how our idea can help them. The best of both worlds!
donsig
Low level intermediary
No, no, no we should not ask FREE if we can borrow their island. We should just take it, settle a city there, add the mechs and SAMs we need to hold it and deal with the diplomatic consequences later. FREE will only agree to such a deal if they really intend to give us rubber in the first place. This is not a foregone conclusion. Asking about that little island will bring it to their attention. If they've forgotten about it then we must seize the initiative. The game is in the balance here. We must act decisively like we did when BABE landed so long ago.
AutomatedTeller
Frequent poster
SABER can take that island whenever they want. They have 2 marine armies - they took down a pair of mechs on a mountain with 1.
I think we should take it, but let's not persuade ourselves we can keep it.
First, we take Cattaraugus, and set up the attack on that island.
We maybe should consider planning strikes on former BABE land and former GONG lands, too - BABE lands sooner, GONG lands for later.
I think we should take it, but let's not persuade ourselves we can keep it.
First, we take Cattaraugus, and set up the attack on that island.
We maybe should consider planning strikes on former BABE land and former GONG lands, too - BABE lands sooner, GONG lands for later.
But it would be quite an effort to get their troops there.
They might feel like pressing FREE to do the job for them...
Still it's rubber for us for some turns - at the cost of 4 Mech Infs as guards, a settler and a conscript Mech Inf to cheap rush the harbor (132g)...
In any case, we just sent a request to FREE about their military intentions. This can be useful for us in estimating their intentions of trading us rubber or not. But we should imo still start planning for taking that one tiler in addition to Cattaraugus.
After reading the posts here, I am leaning more towards the opinion that we should not talk to FREE about this first, or ask permission, even if I said that above.
FREE would in any case have a good excuse to serve up to SABER if that is their major concern. They can take that one tiler back, or even SABER could do it, when they fancy it. It would be good for us to make a stab at two sources at the same time. It is more likely to succeed on one of them, although the Native American saying from Civ4 makes be a bit uneasy - "if you chase two rabbits, you will lose them both."
But it is possible that such an act towards that one tiler could severe our "good" relations with FREE, however good they may be IF they get offended by it, cause in my eyes that partially proves that they were not going to trade us rubber anyway, and that they are just stalling on that now. If their intentions are honourable towards us, it is the perfect excuse for them towards SABER.
So...I reckon it is not really in our interests to inform FREE. It is an interesting move that will most probably get them to show their hand.
And additionally, like Paul says, this mission, if successful, could also spark some tension between FREE and SABER...IF they are not already at war...cause then they should be.
All the better on that account too.
After reading the posts here, I am leaning more towards the opinion that we should not talk to FREE about this first, or ask permission, even if I said that above.
FREE would in any case have a good excuse to serve up to SABER if that is their major concern. They can take that one tiler back, or even SABER could do it, when they fancy it. It would be good for us to make a stab at two sources at the same time. It is more likely to succeed on one of them, although the Native American saying from Civ4 makes be a bit uneasy - "if you chase two rabbits, you will lose them both."
But it is possible that such an act towards that one tiler could severe our "good" relations with FREE, however good they may be IF they get offended by it, cause in my eyes that partially proves that they were not going to trade us rubber anyway, and that they are just stalling on that now. If their intentions are honourable towards us, it is the perfect excuse for them towards SABER.
So...I reckon it is not really in our interests to inform FREE. It is an interesting move that will most probably get them to show their hand.
And additionally, like Paul says, this mission, if successful, could also spark some tension between FREE and SABER...IF they are not already at war...cause then they should be.
All the better on that account too.
Good points, Tomas.
On second reading, I'm not in favor of sending any note to Free that mentions the 1-tiler, at least until we have the city built.
How soon can we get that done? We should NOT wait to take cattaraugus.
On second reading, I'm not in favor of sending any note to Free that mentions the 1-tiler, at least until we have the city built.
How soon can we get that done? We should NOT wait to take cattaraugus.
AutomatedTeller
Frequent poster
we will run the attack on cattaraugus this turn.
We can try to take the 1 tiler in 3 turns (1 to rush settler and transport, 1 to move transport to middle of the ocean, 1 to land the settler)
if they plop a city there, it'll take longer
We can try to take the 1 tiler in 3 turns (1 to rush settler and transport, 1 to move transport to middle of the ocean, 1 to land the settler)
if they plop a city there, it'll take longer
donsig
Low level intermediary
That sounds good AT. This gives FREE a chance to make peace with us and send us rubber and also for us to see how the conquest of the Cattaraugus island goes. In the mean time we just remain quiet about that little rubber island near GONGland. If FREE does send us rubber it will be for us to fight SABER and not to launch a space ship. Once FREE thinks we are close to a launch they will cut our rubber off. So we should be preparing to do whatever we can to secure other sources of rubber.
AutomatedTeller
Frequent poster
My guess is that when we are close to launch is that SABER and FREE will bth land 70+ MA, we'll take out one stack and the other will take us out and probably win the game.
Similar threads
