MB3 - Old Testament Bunfight

[a space oddity]

Well, the difference is in the timing. We could take on the Babs now, the Celts will have to wait for 12 turns. Are they at war with anyone?

BTW I just took Mad's word for the Celts being tech leader, I can't look at the save right now.

 

[mad-bax]

OK then. I'll kill the Babs in my ten turns and space can take out the celts in her last eight.

 

[Karasu]

Space is right.
Do you want all those Sipahi to sid idle, just playing card games and cleaning their weapons?
Then, look at all that blue next to our orange... tsk...

It may be a good idea, instead, to give a little hit to the Babs, then another one to the Celts. In the end, we have something for everyone...

EDIT: we cross-posted. Well, seems we came to the same conclusions...

 

[a space oddity]

Alrighty, just leave some strong and elite units for me will you?

edit: Very nice cross post guys... are you sure you're not thousands of miles apart but actually sitting next to each other?

edit2: @Karasu: Shouldn't you actually like all that 'azzuri'? The orange feels very natural to me.

 

[Northern Pike]

Our palace prebuild for Adam Smith is already worth 52 more shields than Smith is. Time to make the switch and get the Wonder!

Hispalis badly needs infrastructure, and should probably change from musketman to temple.

I'd be tempted to rush the temple in Denizli so that the town could start producing workers for merging. Mauch Chunk might switch to worker production, too. We're losing quite a lot of production due to having good cities below size twelve.

On the military question, I see the point of attacking the Babylonians, since we can do that now. We should avoid alliances which would keep us from ending this war whenever we want, though. Given the geography of the situation, allies couldn't help us much against Babylon anyway.

 

[Karasu]

@Space,
yes, we've been cross-posting like never before

In principle that colour should feel comfortable. But that blue is darker, looks like France, and I still have nightmares from the last European championships... (not that the Orange players shouldn't have theirs, now that I think of it ).

@NP,
I couldn't look at the save but I would agree with your points.

 

[TedJackson]

Originally posted by Karasu
It may be a good idea, instead, to give a little hit to the Babs, then another one to the Celts. In the end, we have something for everyone...

I've seen your "little hits" before

Sound in principle, completely pillage their capital then just roll over the remains


Ted

 

[Karasu]

Now I can't understand why you wipe out a civ once, and everyone thinks you are a mass-murderer...

 

[mad-bax]

Rather than hold this game up I'm going to skip. Sorry. I expected some of the SG's I'm in to have finished by now, but I guessed wrong.
The baton goes to Space.

 

[a space oddity]

Ok, "got it", hope you feel well soon Mad.

I took a good look at the save and here's a thought I'd like to share and discuss first:

The plan is to make war with Babylonia because they are getting too strong. Maybe I'm just too chicken about it but.... why not take out the Aztecs first? They have Ivory, nice lands and are not strong. After that maybe we can use a Democracy slingshot in to the IA and use rails to effectively hit either the Celts or Babylonia or both.

When you look at the geography, Babylon has a natural defense except in the NE, while our forces currently are all in the west, near the Aztec...

So tell me what you think and I'll play tomorrow.

 

[Northern Pike]

Space Oddity, I strongly agree. With their weak army, small cities, and useful Wonders, the Aztecs are much better candidates than the Babylonians for a quick war before we attack the Celts. In fact, we might well be able to destroy the Aztecs entirely and still smite the Celts on schedule.

 

[mad-bax]

Nice plan Space

For fastest domination I believe that NP's thoughts on taking out the weakest civs first is the best way to go. It just jars with my usual play style.

 

[Karasu]

Good idea, Space.

 

[TedJackson]

Yep,

on further consideration the Aztecs become our prime target.


Ted

 

[Earp]

I concur. Monty

 

[a space oddity]

Objectives:
As discussed I'll target the Aztec, try to eliminate them before the deal with the Celts will expire.

Pre-turn:
Switch Iznik Palace -> Smith's
Move troops around. Upgrade 2 Pikes to Muskets.
Press enter.

IT:
The Celts and Babylon MPP!
Rome wants to talk, sure. They want an alliance against the Zulu, tempting, but no thanks. Sell WM instead.

Constantinople Sipahi -> Musket
Veii Worker -> Med Inf
Adrianople Sipahi -> Sipahi
Iznik Smith's -> Sipahi
Uskudar Bank -> Musket
Pe-ople Rax -> Musket
Tonawana Rax -> Worker

The Celts and Babs start Newton's. Babs start Magellan.

510AD - turn 1:
There's 2 turns to go on a current deal, so I have time to position the troops.
We can buy either Gravity and Magnetism for straight money, but I decide to wait for just a bit. I do comtemplate turning up the tech slider to research Demo quicker. We can research it in 14 turns by 30% science leaving a good 314gpt. I Golden ages, I will keep it at this level until the GA end and will re-evaluate that.

IT:
I'm getting dizzy by all the units walking through our lands. Poor Greece.

520AD - turn 2:
Lots of worker moves.
Hurry the Bank, that is due in 2 turns and will pay itself back.

IT:
Persia and Greece declare peace.
Antium Worker -> Cannon
Ravenna Worker -> Cannon
Hispalis Musket -> Library
Anatalya Bank -> Musket
Konya Sipahi -> Cathedral
Denizli riots, it gets a taxman.

530AD - turn 3:
Declare war on the Aztec.
All these Zulu and Bab troops will be a nuisance.

IT:
Aztec Archer suicides on our Sipahi.
Bab and Celts MA against Greece.
Babs want to renew our lux deal, no way Jose. Exchange WMs instead.
Constantinople Musket -> Sipahi
Cumae Market -> Med Inf
Uskudar Musket -> Sipahi
Veru-thingy flips to us! Starts Library.

540AD - turn 4:
Battle for Xo .. ico (name blocked by our Sipahi )
Vet Sipahi vs Reg Spear, wins unharmed and we take Xochicalco, starts Lib
Our troops move on to Teo..can, disconnect Horse.
Buy Bank in Izmit.
Trade Silks to Persia for WM+5gpt+19.

IT:
Adrianople Sipahi -> Sipahi
Brusa Bank -> Musket
Iznik Bank -> Sipahi
Izmit Bank -> Musket
Tonawanda Worker -> Walls
The people love me.
The Celts complete Newtons.

550AD - turn 5:
Battle for Teo..can:
Vet Sipahi vs Vet Pike, win 3hp left.
Vet Sipahi vs reg Pike, wins unharmed.
Elite Sipahi vs reg Pike, we take Teotihuacan which has the Great lighthouse! Elite has 3 hp left.
Sell Physics to Rome for WM+5g and a worker, poor old chap.

 

[a space oddity]

IT:
A Aztec Knight shows up and kills a Sipahi.
Our Golden Age ends.
Teoti riots, it is put on a diet.

560AD - turn 6:
Troops move to Calixtlahuaca.
Vet Sipahi vs vet Spear near Veii, wins unharmed.
Vet Sipahi vs vet Knight, wins but redlines, another Sipahi covers the hurt unit.

IT:
Babylon demands Saltpeter!! And I will have to give in too we are not ready to fight both Babylon and the Celts yet and he has his troops all over our lands. I hate it, but grind my teeth and give in.
I see a Bab Rifle parading past, I have to rethink buying Nav and ToG, OTOH noway that they will trade Nationalism.
The Zulu want a word, ok, we trade TMs.
Anatalya Musket -> Sipahi

570AD - turn 7:
Battle for Calix
Vet Sipahi -> vet pike, wins has 2hp left.
Vet Sipahi -> vet pike, wins unscratched.
Vet Sipahi -> reg pike, wins has 3hp left.
Vet Sipahi -> vet longbow, wins unscratched, we take Calix and Bach's!

Decide not to trade because they will use our cash to upgrade their troops, hope this will turn out ok.

IT:
Greece wants to renew to Iron deal, ok. Mmm, I don't think they will survive for 20 turns. I'm not sure how this will affect our rep. They are paying us gpt but we supply the lux, I think it is ok and I don't renegotiate because I don't think they can afford any more than the 4gpt they are paying now. So I make the deal.
Calix resistance ends, it gets 3 entertainers.
Adana Bank -> Sipahi

580AD - turn 8:
Battle for Texcoco
Vet Sipahi vs vet pike, wins, 2hp left.
Vet Sipahi vs vet pike, wins, 1hp left.
Vet Sipahi vs reg pike, wins, 3hp left, we take Texcoco!

The other troops move on to Cattaraugus.
Move up the slider to research Demo in 4 turns at -19gpt.

IT:
The Aztec move in with a large number of Archers, they redlines several Sipahi, but promote 2 to Elite, no units are lost.
Rome and Zulu's make peace.
Greece wants to renew the lux deal, now I want to see what they still can afford, we move up from 3 to 5gpt, ok.
Uskudar Sipahi -> Sipahi
Multiple Market -> Canon
Pe-ople defects!
The people love me. (but not those in Pe-ople, it must be the dash... ) We get not 1 but 2 palace extentions.

590AD - turn 9:
Battle for Cattaraugus.
Vet Sipahi vs vet pike, wins and promotes.
Vet Sipahi vs vet pike, wins 3hp left and we take Cattaraugus capturing a catapult.
Attack the 6 Longbow, 3 of them elite. Win all battle at the los of 1 hp in total. They all rest in Catta afterwards.

IT:
An Aztec Longbow appears near Antium and suicides on our Musket.
Constantinople Sipahi -> Sipahi
Rome Worker -> Canon
Brusa Musket -> Sipahi
Izmit Musket -> Sipahi
Aydin Market -> Uni
Xochicalco Lib -> Spear
Babs complete Magellan's.

600AD - turn 10:
The battle for Niagara Falls.
Vet Sipahi vs vet pike, wins, 3hp left.
Vet Sipahi vs reg pike, wins, 3hp left, we take Niagara Falls.

Ok, so now we have the cities we want, save one, with a total loss of 1 Sipahi. Teno will be next.

Demo is due in 2 turn, keep fingers crossed. The Babs ans Celts have an MPP and the Babs are currently a Monarchy. They are now strong compared to us, but that'll be because of the rifles. The Saltpeter was a tough decision, I hope I did the right thing...
There are 2 settlers in the former Roman cities to fill the gaps.

Here is the save

 

[mad-bax]

The salt deal was right IMO. They don't need it for rifles, as they don't need a resource, they need it for cav. As long as we keep them broke they won't be able to upgrade (you and Ted taught me that! ) I really couldn't care less about fighting an offensive war with Sipahi against cav.

Taking on the celts, babs and Aztechs in one hit, would have been fun, but ultimately stoopid.

If you had the power of clairvoyance, then an MPP with the Celts b4 the demand would have been sweet.

We have some discussion to get through now. Aztechs are gone (pretty much), but how do we sort out the Babs?

 

[a space oddity]

Well, I think you already have one answer in your post, Mad. How about an MPP with the Celts or better still the Babs and try to get the other make the first strike...
That has two advantages: it'll rift the dangerous combination and will allow us to choose the moment. If Greece makes peace all those Celt and Bab troops are very near us. It would be goo if they just fought each other. Lets face it, the others are useless at this point for anything else than attention diversion.

 

[mad-bax]

BTW Space, I forgot to praise your kill ratio. Awesome