LK151 - WM, where are we?

[Northern Pike]

 

[Northern Pike]

We found Capablanca, giving us access to Beijing and Hangchow.

Oddly, Beijing is held just by a rifleman and three musketmen. We seize it easily and capture two trebs (287-3).

 

[Northern Pike]

 

[Northern Pike]

Turning for a moment to the Russian campaign, we take a few risks and attack Perm in Iceland a turn earlier than we might have, because the Russian navy is still irritatingly large and we have an opportunity to sink some of it in port. One of our cav armies has a frightening RNG run, but we capture the town from its defending force of three riflemen and a Cossack, and account for at least five vessels in harbour (296-3).

 

[Northern Pike]

 

[Northern Pike]

Back in Chinese Africa, we take Hangchow, garrisoned by three riflemen. We lose a cav (299-4).

We found Vidmar, giving us access to Anyang.

We take Anyang, held by three riflemen. We lose a cav and capture a treb (302-5).

We storm Tsingtao, defended by three riflemen, and gain a worker and a treb (305-5).

 

[Northern Pike]

 

[Northern Pike]

We seize Paoting, garrisoned by three riflemen (308-5).

We capture Macao, held by three riflemen and a cav (312-5).

We abandon Anyang and replace it with Yates, bringing us closer to Chengdu.

We take Chengdu, defended by four riflemen (316-5).

We storm New Shanghai, garrisoned by four riflemen (320-5).

 

[Northern Pike]

 

[Northern Pike]

We abandon New Shanghai and replace it with Nimzowitsch, giving us access to New Canton.

We seize New Canton, held by three riflemen (323-5).

We capture Chinan, defended by three riflemen (326-5).

We take Ningpo, garrisoned by three riflemen (329-5).

We storm New Beijing, the final mainland Chinese city, held by three riflemen. We lose a cav (332-6).

 

[Northern Pike]

 

[Northern Pike]

We trample the nine Chinese units remaining outside cities in mainland Africa—seven cav, a rifleman, and a musketman—also capturing a final worker (341-6; correcting for typos, real final total 339-6). Most of this is Leader-fishing, but we’re on a minor cold streak, at zero for our last eighteen.

We use recently rushed galleons to land a strong force on Madagascar, which barring bad luck should let us eliminate China next turn.

We found eight additional cities, beginning to fill in the gaps left in Africa by our operations.

On Iceland, we replace flip-prone Perm with Eliskases.

We rush a barracks in Eliskases so that our two cav armies on Iceland can heal fully there next turn.

Sixty-two elite victories this round produced five Great Leaders/armies—almost exactly normal expectation.

 

[Northern Pike]

We’re at 46% of the world’s area and 48% population, but the area figure greatly understates our real position, since we control de facto a lot of land in Europe and Africa that isn’t within our borders yet.

Apart from the mini-campaigns on Madagascar and Iceland, our next priority will be building up in Alaska for the Babylonian war. Beginning next turn, we’ll have the gold to rush a lot of galleons in eastern Siberia.

Twelve of our twenty-seven armies are galleon-mobile and can be shipped to Alaska before receiving their fourth units, but fifteen aren’t. That’s obviously an argument for waiting for Combustion/transports before we attack Babylon, but OTOH it could be quite a wait if Hammurabi isn’t researching Refining for us. If A) the Babs don’t research Refining next, and B) we get most of our non-army assets (artillery in particular) over to Alaska, I think we could consider starting the Babylonian war with a limited number of armies, probably playing to wear them down rather than to take a lot of cities at first. An alliance with Egypt against Babylon would also be an option. In part it’s a question of how much action the next player wants; if he prefers just to conduct the minor campaigns and build up in North America, that’s fine.

I don’t anticipate any need for us to research beyond Combustion/transports; we don’t need Flight/airfields when the ferry route from Siberia to Alaska is short and simple, and MoTrans/tanks will arrive too late to be useful if we play efficiently. Gold for rushes will be more useful than research past Combustion.

Once we found a city next turn where our stack stands on Madagascar, we’ll be able to reinforce the island heavily via the short ferry route from the mainland, so we should be able to take all four Chinese towns on the island—even though the Chinese still have thirty-five cav somewhere. The Chinese have no settlers, so that should give us a clean kill, which hasn’t been happening much recently.

New Nanking is the most distant city on Madagascar, but we should be able to reach it one turn by sending galleons from Breyer to Cheyenne, once we’ve taken Cheyenne. Cheyenne is a size-one town but should have enough Sioux culture not to auto-raze.

Most of our spare units are crammed into Chinese cities in southern Africa to reduce resistance during the safe interturn, so I’m afraid I can’t arrange them into neat, homogeneous stacks for the next player. Our elite cav is mostly in Beijing.

For the moment we’re holding on to our monopoly on Steel and hoping that the Babylonians will come up with Refining so that we can trade. Just as a way of pricing Steel, right now the Babylonians will give us Ironclads for Steel and 47 gpt. So if they place less value on Steel next turn, we’ll know that they’re researching it, and we might as well sell it to them for all their gold and gpt.

Until we know how the Refining issue works out, we’re at 100% gold and taxmen, and we’ll be able to start serious rushing next turn.

We should be able to take Vladimir on Iceland and then Pskov on Greenland, thus eliminating Russia, in about seven turns. If we go to war with Babylon, of course, the island hops will become dangerous and the calculation will change. Our ship chain will be able to move twelve units from Ireland to Iceland next turn.

When we eliminate the Russians and their pike stack on Chiconautla Island disappears, we should occupy the tile immediately, and then finish off the Aztecs. We have plenty of galleons in the area.

We have quite a few Chinese trebuchets we can upgrade to artillery next turn. Until now we haven’t had the spare gold.

 

[LKendter]

I suspect we have a least another 5% in territory once all those borders expand in Africa. I haven’t loaded the game, but it sounds like we own all of Asia, Europe and Africa. That should have us getting close to the win.

ROSTER:
LKendter (on deck)
Greebley
Northern Pike (just played) (skip 7/31 to 8/31)
CommandoBob (up)

 

[CommandoBob]

Monarchy
100% Tax
000% Science
000% Luxury

27 gold, +2296 gpt

Refining in 40 turns.

City Builds in Detail

1. Too many

City Build Recap
026 Cavalry
103 Temples
118 Settlers
002 Barracks
001 Courthouse (Sarah Jane Smith)
002 Aqueducts
005 Factory
004 Workers
002 Market
010 Artillery
013 Galleon
005 Bef
001 Army (Brasilia)
002 Banks
005 Hospital
001 Stock Exchange (Megan Halsey)
001 Harbor (Zunguin)
001 Walls (New Zimbabwe)

Resources
12 Rubber
06 Coal
11 Saltpeter
12 Iron
15 Horse

Luxury
07 Wines
01 Furs
11 Dyes
09 Incense
01 Spices
01 Ivory (Indonesia, 11 turns)
09 Silks
01 Gems (Babylon, 11 turns)

City Count
302 Brazil (LK151 People)
075 Babylon
033 Egypt
031 Indonesia
015 India
012 Persia
006 France
004 Argentina
004 Sioux
002 Russia
??? Aztecs
??? China

France has dropped from 9 to 6 cities since my last turnset.
India has increased by 3, from 12 to 15.
Babylon bumped up by 8, 67 to 75.
Russian and Sioux counts dropped due our activities

Gone since last turnset: Venezuela, Zulu, Austraila and Songhai.


Military
013 Settler
025 Worker CCM
429 Slaves
001 Explorer
009 Knights
122 Cavalry
001 Cannon (captured)
037 Artillery
071 Artillery (captured)
001 Galley
014 Frigates
047 Galleons
027 Army (3 Knight, 22 Cavalry, 2 Guerilla)
014 Guerilla
012 Trebuchet (captured)
105 Bef

Current Units: 414
Allowed Units: 868
Support Costs: 000 gpt

Army Roster (Galleon Capable in Bold)

1. First Cavalry Army (11/18) Africa
2. First Guerilla Army (18/18) Africa
3. First Knight Army (6/19) Africa
4. Second Cavalry Army (6/18) Africa
5. Second Guerilla Army (15/17) Africa
6. Second Knight Army (19/19) Africa
7. Third Cavalry Army (12/18) Africa
8. Third Knight Army (3/19) Africa
9. Fourth Cavlary Army (15/17) Africa
10. Fifth Cavalry Army (3/18) Africa
11. Sixth Cavalry Army (14/18) Africa
12. Seventh Cavalry Army (6/18) Africa
13. Eighth Cavalry Army (6/18) Africa
14. Ninth Cavalry Army (1/18) Africa
15. Tenth Cavalry Army (4/18) Africa
16. Eleventh Cavalry Army (1/13) Iceland
17. Twelveth Cavalry Army (14/14) Madagscar
18. Thirteenth Cavalry Army (11/13) Madagscar
19. Fourteenth Cavalry Army (10/14) Africa
20. Fifthteenth Cavalry Army (5/13) Africa
21. Sixteenth Cavalry Army (5/13) Iceland
22. Seventeenth Cavalry Army (6/13) Africa
23. Eighteenth Cavalry Army (10/14) Africa
24. Nineteeth Cavalry Army (12/12) Madagscar
25. Twentieth Cavalry Army (7/13) Africa
26. Twenty-First Cavalry Army (6/13) Africa
27. Twenty-Second Cavalry Army (12/12) Madagscar

We are Weak compared to:

• Babylon (Fascism)

We are Average compared to:

• No One

We are Strong compared to:

• Russia (Monarchy)
• Argentina (Despotism)
• Egypt (Democracy)
• China (Monarchy)
• Indonesia (Democracy)
• France (Monarchy)
• India (Republic)
• Sioux (Fascism)
• Persia (Democracy)
• Aztecs (Monarchy)

We are at War with Russia, Sioux, China and Aztecs
We are at peace with everybody else.

Wonder Races

• None

Notes
Some odd gaps of unclaimed area in the lands we own.

Plans
Two mop-up opreations are in play; China in Madagascar and Russia in Iceland/Greenland.

Russia will take several turns, since our Armies in the area are both redlined. We are building a rushed barracks in Eliskases, but since the Armies fought this turn, they will not heal in that barracks this turn. This IBT, heal next turn, attack the following turn, raze/replace Vladmir of Russia, load up and sail three turn NW to invade Pskov. Say five or six turns.

At Madagscar, we build a city next turn, claim some land for ourselves and road towards Cheyenne. Take Cheyenne and using the Galleons in Bryer ship units into Cheyenee for crowd control and offensive operations (like trashing New Nanking). Of the six Galleon Capable Armies in Africa, only two, the 14th and 18th, both at 10/14, are able to be used on the next turn to take New Nanking. How rapid this campagain goes will depend on how many battle ready Cavalry we have at the start of next turn.

we have 122 Cavalry; 76 are in Armies, leaving us with less than 50 free range Cavlary.

we have some Galleons with the same name; 'Galleon 4' is at Breyer in Africa and 'Galleon 4' is up in Siberia, 1N of Umfalozi. Unnamed Galleons and Numerically Named Galleons will endure the ritual of naming. 'Galleon Cork' and 'Galleon Limerick' are quite safe from that ritual.

We need to cash rush Galleon in East Siberia to ferry units across. Currently, we have seven Galleon in Siberia and one in Alaska, so we could average sending 16 units per turn. At the moment, Frigates from Babylon block our direct route from Umfolozi in Siberia to Thomas Olney in Alaska, which is 4 tiles.

Ship across to North America the 12 Armies that are Galleon Capable.

Examine the gaps of unclaimed land and see if we need a city there or will culture expansion be enough and soon enough. use 20 turns as the guide; if culture is already present and cultural expansion will occur in 20 turns or less, no city is needed. If 21 turns or more is needed, plant a city. But if the nearby cities are building temples, this won't need to be done, since this will fix itself.

Establish a continental rally point somewhere in our core, someplace with lots of rails.

Most of our spare units are crammed into Chinese cities in southern Africa to reduce resistance during the safe interturn, so I’m afraid I can’t arrange them into neat, homogeneous stacks for the next player.

I wonder who he could be talking about? Do we know anyone with an irrational fetish for stacks of similar units?

Worker Tasks
Mostly support our advancing armies with lots of railroads.

Next City Builds

• Generally, unit builds will follow unit builds.
• New cities start Temples; front line cities may start barracks.

 

[LKendter]

I had no idea out cities were that heavy on settlers, and light on workers. Can we check the Siberia cities with just one food resource and swap to workers?

As for keeping stacks that are each one type of unit, I'm sure Greebley can name somebody that he gets turns from that way...

I would add shuttle units to America to the list of plans. Since we can only move a handful each turn, we should get started now.

 

[Northern Pike]

Of the six Galleon Capable Armies in Africa, only two, the 14th and 18th, both at 10/14, are able to be used on the next turn to take New Nanking.

I can't check now, but I believe that with some ship-chaining at least one of the armies already in our beachhead on Madagascar might be able to reach New Nanking through Breyer.

We need to cash rush Galleon in East Siberia to ferry units across. Currently, we have seven Galleon in Siberia and one in Alaska, so we could average sending 16 units per turn.

We can even squeeze in another town or two along the east Siberian coast to allow more galleon rushes, if we want.

I wonder who he could be talking about? Do we know anyone with an irrational fetish for stacks of similar units?

 

[Northern Pike]

I had no idea out cities were that heavy on settlers, and light on workers. Can we check the Siberia cities with just one food resource and swap to workers?

My thinking on that point is that we're so close to the end, further tile improvements in Eurasia and Africa aren't very important. We really only need as many workers as we can expect to use in one turn of combat railing against Babylon, and we have them. But if the team generally would like more, it's not a big deal at this point and I have no objection.

 

[Greebley]

I think the 429 workers will be plenty, unless we plan to do a lot of merging of workers into towns to boost the number of Taxmen/Scientists.

Unless we plan to steal Refining rather than trading (which I don't recommend), we get more out of the scientists than taxmen because it reduces the price. Not only is it 3 science vs 2 gold, we also save on the AI cost markup by researching ourselves.

Note that once the armies with 3 units are on the right continent we might as well raise them to 4 units. They won't need to go elsewhere.

 

[CommandoBob]

Cities needed for cultural coverage after first round cultural expansion:

1. 3S of Orenburg (Spain) in North Africa.
2. 2E of Moscow (Germany) in Europe.
3. 3NW of Taco Grande (Russia) in Asia.
4. 3SE of Smolensk (Baltics) in Asia.
5. 2NW of Krasnoyarsk (Baltics) in Asia.
6. 2SE of Yaroslav'l (Turkey) in Europe.
7. 3NE of Daffy Duck (Syria) in the Middle East.
8. 2N-1NE of Cecil Turtle (Russia) in Asia.
9. 2NE of Wabbit Season (Russia) in Asia.
10. 3SW of Wabbit Season (Russia) in Asia.
11. 3SW of Road Runner (Russia) in Asia.
12. 2E of Bear Butte in Africa.
13. 3SE of Alekhine in Africa.
14. 3NE of Tsingtao in Souhtern Africa.

Ten Settlers will complete this first IBT, one more in 6 turns, two more in 8 turns and one more in 10 turns. A total of 14 new settlers over the next 10 turns.

I think we will need at least 20 settlers in North America when we start taking on Babylon, so we'll get those 20 overseas, or ready to move overseas, before we start filling in cultural gaps.

In three turns we will finish four Temples, four more the next turn, eleven in five turns, another four in six turns, three again in seven turns, six in eight turns, seventeen in nine turns and twelve more in 10 turns. A grand total of 61 temples over the next 10 turns. Those temple builds will then become settler builds.

Looking ahead to Babylon, if we sign an ROP with Egypt, we can bypass having to fight through the Rocky Mountains (New Uruk and New Babylon in particular) to get to the cities on flatlands. With an ROP we could attack both of those cities on the first turn of the war and/or swing eastward to El-Ashmunein up on the artic coastline and then attack Dortmund and Brandendburg as we moved southward. Just food for thought.

Do we want a city in Alaska 1S-2SE of Captain Douglas? It would be on a hill next to the current border with Babylon. It doesn't help us much right now, but after we capture New Uruk, raze it and replace it we won't have to worry about Egyptian culture blocking our troop movements.

No trading of Steel unless we get Refiing from Babylon.