Handy 24 Random AWE [Portugal]

[Northern Pike]

Great writeup, Romeo.

 

[Greebley]

I think I am up since Handy swapped. I hope to play today.

 

[Greebley]

Preturn: Looks pretty good.

I think I will capture cities instead of razing them. It will allow us to grow faster.

260 AD: Our Cats do miserably this round up north. We can kill only 2 of the 4 Javelins because of this.
Capture Lagarto (Mayan) with Army
Capture York (English).
270 AD: Advance on all fronts

280 AD: Advance
290 AD:
Capture Tikal (Mayan).

300 AD:
Capture Hastings (English).

310 AD:
Capture Bonampak (Mayan).

Attack Canterbury and Calakmul

Spot the Mayan Iron

320 AD:
Capture Canterbury (English).
Capture Calakmul (Mayan).

330 AD: Healing mostly.

340 AD:

350 AD:
Capture Yaxchilan (Mayan). This is the iron city.
Meet Incans and Declare War (spot galley).
Create an Iron Colony.

Notes:
I stretched a bit to get the Iron. I figured that was important enough that even if we lost a city and had to recapture it, having the iron would still be worth it. We only have 2 towns building military other than catapults - feel free to change this (or start more barracks). I felt we do have enough with these cities building them and wanted to get Libraries in our cities for expansions and the long term part of the game - even if it takes a few more turns to take out the Mayans.

England is likely down to a single city. We should be able to take them out soonish.

I started the FP and went for Monarchy next. We have to decide if we want to revolt right away or wait for the GLib to complete.

I stabbed into the Mayan territory looking for their iron. I actually suspect they had more than one (so still have iron). The reason is that I cut off the Iron and am still seeing swords. The down side is our front line is chaotic. We should be able to stabalize that issue fairly quickly. There is a very nice line in our future and lots of jungle slowing down Mayan encursions. I suspect we will own our whole continent in 20-30 turns.

Started the FP.

Our Curragh is fortified in an attempt to survive the Barbarian attack. If it does live you will need to wake it up.

No landings anywhere. We are at war with the Incans and Spain so they could happen.

In the following picture, if we can take out the city in the NW, We will have only mop up and a lone city. All other Mayan units will be behind that city as a choke (once it has an expansion).

 

[handy900]

1. Greebley
2. Northern Pike up
3. Obormot
4. ThERat
5. M60A3TTS up
6. romeothemonk
7. Handy

Two good turnsets. This game may go industrial (for sure if we miss the GLib).

 

[romeothemonk]

Remember that the Mayans built the ToA. Finding their capital would be a really good idea. (I like the no scouting ruling, I just find that the AI is likely to wonder build with the capital).

Because of the ToA I would be concerned about flips in Mayan cities.

 

[Greebley]

Ya, we may get flips. However the cost of razing and building a settler seems higher than the rist of losing a unit. You are correct that we should be careful of how many units we put into a city. Having the ToA explains why resistance has been so high. I didn't check the chart. Fortunately, the cities are small for the most part and we are quickly building Libraries to strengthen ourselves.

 

[Northern Pike]

I've got it.

 

[handy900]

Finding their capital would be a really good idea.

That wil be a really nice wonder to have.

 

[Northern Pike]

450 AD, end of turn

 

[Northern Pike]

350 (0): The barbs sink our curragh (0-1).

The Maya dash around, but don't attack.


360 (1): We take Coventry, held by two spearmen, and eliminate the "Fledgling English". We capture a catapult (2-1).

We cut down two JT around Yaxchilan (4-1).

We get a palace expansion.


370 (2): We defeat a spearman and a JT in Copan, and a swordsman outside it, but there are a lot of Mayan units in the area and there's no question of taking the city this turn (7-1).

We overrun two Mayan spearmen around Tikal (9-1).

Monarchy --> Map Making. I decide to delay our anarchy to give us the best possible chance at the Library. It looks as though we'll have a lull after we cripple or eliminate the Maya, and we can conveniently switch to monarchy then.

The Spanish are building the Great Library and the Incas are building Copernicus.


380 (3): We take Copan from its remaining garrison of two JT and a spearman (12-1). We capture a settler and a catapult.

A forest chop near Nassau reveals BG.


390 (4): Outside cities we bombard and destroy seven JT and a swordsman, losing an asterisked archer (20-2).


400 (5): We slay two JT outside cities (22-2).


410 (6): We defeat one Mayan spearman while beginning our advance on Chichen Itza (23-2).

The Incas complete Sistine Chapel.


420 (7): Ta-Tu library --> worker (food box full).

Lagos barracks --> swordsman.


430 (8): Our cats don't achieve much against Chichen Itza, so I cancel that attack.

We expunge a Mayan spearman near Copan (24-2).


440 (9): We take the Mayan capital of Chichen Itza from its garrison of seven Javelin Throwers, without loss (31-2). We capture the Temple of Artemis and a catapult.

Map Making --> Currency.


450 (10): We slay four JT around Chichen Itza, losing an AC to a redlined JT (35-3) but generating the Great Leader Afonso on our last attack.

We eliminate a JT near Tikal (36-3).

Nineteen elite victories this turn produced one Great Leader.

 

[Northern Pike]

Some technical problems remain in our war with the Maya--we can't get cats to their isolated eastern cities, and Quirigua is a hill city requiring some caution--but there's no doubt of the outcome. So I think we should leave the army Afonso is about to form empty to await developments, rather than automatically filling it with AC.

Afonso is outside Tikal. A safe course of action would be for Afonso to form an army in Calakmul next turn, and for the army (empty, of course) to then move two tiles towards Coimbra.

We're fighting the Maya with the minimum feasible number of units, but in compensation we'll complete the FP and the HE in the next round.

Since our research at the moment is only an insurance policy in case we don't get the Great Library, it's hard to know what setting is right. Right now we're just at 10%, but I have no strong opinion about this.

We're building four libraries, and the question of whether they should be allowed to complete--since we have the ToA for expansions, but the GL is still uncertain--can be argued either way. We have time to decide in Calakmul, Sagres, and Newcastle, but we have to make the choice in Nassau before hitting Enter. I'd let that one complete.

The resistance in captured Mayan towns is still enormous. I'm fairly sure I've had cities continuously garrisoned for ten turns in which it hasn't diminished at all. Even with the Temple of Artemis, eliminating the Maya looks like the only solution.

I've seen no landings, except one by the Maya next to Chichen Itza after we captured it.

The Incas seem to be playing their usual role as a runaway civ--Sistine Chapel built, Copernicus on the way.

Just to repeat, we're staying in despotism until our Great Library drive has succeeded or failed. Grapes of Wrath (building the GL) can run at its present food deficit for most of the next round, but keep an eye on it.

 

[Northern Pike]

"Thank you, sir, Maya have another?" :

 

[romeothemonk]

Hmm, my 2 cents.
I would automatically fill Afonso with AC.
I would build all the libraries.
I would not count on TGL.
I would take the tech rate up quite a bit.
I would actually hope that we can hold Chichen Itza for 5 total turns before education.
I would spam workers to complete operation rape nature in the former Mayan lands. (Cut down all forests and Jungles for irrigation)

I am at work and cannot check, but in the minimap, it looks like a blue city is at the very southern tip of our land.

 

[romeothemonk]

Obormot recently posted in the c4 SG thread that he may need a skip, so I would suggest that ThERat take it, or we get a ruling from the boss man.

 

[M60A3TTS]

Somewhat undecided on the AC Army, but tend to agree with Romeo. We are probably close to capturing the entire land mass and couldn't transport it by water in the near future without a carrack. Still, if we conquer the landmass, we could defend a good deal of it from the usual AI piecemeal landings with the two armies stationed north and south.

 

[handy900]

Obormot recently posted in the c4 SG thread that he may need a skip, so I would suggest that ThERat take it, or we get a ruling from the boss man.

Okay with me. Obormot can play after Rat (unless he posts a I got it in the meantime). First to grab go ahead.

I agree with Romeo on all his points except the army where I'm a bit ambivalent.

On one hand it would be great to fill it with 3 Acav & finish the Mayans asap and later use the Acav Army for homeland defense. It could also be sent across the pond as a pillager if need be later on. Certainly not a waste. OTOH a knight army is a big jump in power. Maybe hold it for a turn or two to see how things go. I'm okay either way at this point.

 

[ThERat]

ok I can take it, Obormot has a new job and seems pretty busy. I will play either tonight or tomorrow night.

I am totally against forming an AC army. It seems that we can take out mayans pretty soon. As we can see, Inca and Spain are ahead of us in techs and will catapult us ahead in techs. With carracks, we will be able to sail over to them and get a pillaging army up and running. This is crucial.
I would wait for knights and then send the army overseas.

I would also suggest a carrack spam later on to rule the seas. Of course, that is some time to go.

By the way how many more turns to GL completion?

 

[Northern Pike]

I am at work and cannot check, but in the minimap, it looks like a blue city is at the very southern tip of our land.

Yes, the Mayan island city we more or less knew about from the blue borders. We have a curragh in that area which will be able to upgrade and carry troops to the island soon.

I think that when you look at the save and see how easy our situation is at the moment, you'll realize that there's no need to settle for a second army weaker than we could have by waiting a little. [Cross-post with Rat.]

 

[romeothemonk]

Ok, if you guys think that it is the case, I would save the army.
During my turns I was getting between 4-7 mayan units per turn. If that has slowed significantly, than making the army now would be kind of pointless.

Carracks to rule the seas!! And to trigger our G.A.

 

[Greebley]

I don't think we should fill the army with more than 2 units, and I would prefer using knights (if we get the GLib) rather than ACav. Having played before NP, I feel we have sufficient units that a second army is not needed - I would rather have knights pillaging the other continent - this will be much more worthwhile.

So I recommend turning the leader into an army but leave it empty until we find out about the GLib and where we really are in tech.