No wonder Succession Game: Slowboat to Alpha Centauri

Well, it looks like I am up.
Top priority: get the [fast] ship completed and lost.
If I have the opportunity, I'll look into some SDI, too, but that is secondary.
I'll see if I can get my time in this evening (Sunday), but it depends on how much time my wife lets me on "her" computer.
:D
 
Check the AI cities lists for any building a Wonder, and send a couple Spies to each to sabotage building. Apollo is in the bag, so we can take off the gloves. Is the Capital well protected? Build SDI there first. Spies are most useful, so a revolt to Communism might be best option. Try to protect against tech theft (don't lose any more cities!), but the best defense is an ELE offense!
 
IIRC no-one is building any Wonders. All the ones building Apollo abandoned production when it was built - even the French who had the tech to build Manhattans.

I didn't build any SDI's when I played, but had Manhattans been started I would have made sure the major cities (especially Cardiff) had one built before Manhattans was completed. And don't forget that spies can get past SDI's!
 
All the more reason to sabotage before Manhattan finishes. Do they all have Espionage?

I am suprised we did not launch a ship in 1862 or 63. I see the military pressures, but there is a lot of research infrastructure that could have been turned into cash and plenty of units for shield-starters. We don't need 4 Hab Modules, but we need the fastest ship to minimize danger.
 
We can launch the fastest possible spaceship but IMO it would be an interesting extra challenge to launch the biggest possible ship.

Regarding Manhattan I agree that we should be ready to sabotage it, provided the AI is building it in cities we can reach. However, after proper preparations (SDIs and a big army) we might actually want to let the AI build MP and then use nukes to our advantage (razing cities and capturing heavily defended cities).

About the time we launch we should 'fortify' our capital - this means veteran mech inf. units, SAM missile defense, stealth fighters, SDI, veteran spies and maybe a coastal fortress.
 
Viking raises a point I was thinking about, myself: should we push for the BIG ship, or just get off the small, fast one?
My own vote would be the BIG SHIP: we have the money, the lead, and the production ability, and it will prolong the challenge - just in case someone else is able to pull together a faster ship in time to beat us.
That being said, I think our strategy should be:
(a) complete the ship and get it on its way (possibly devoting ALL resources to that task, to complete and launch it asap);
(b) then turning production to military units to put battle pressure upon the other civs, so they are forced to switch production away from SS parts to military units.
 
It's WAY past my bedtime, but here are the most important points:
In 1866, the Celtic United Free-People's Federation launched a space ship toward Alpha Centauri - a BIG space ship. Fusion powered, it is due to arrive in 1877, fulfilling the dream of Civilizations.
Meanwhile, no one else has yet got off the ground. The Babs are closest, with a fast ship, but they haven't yet built any SS Modules and don't even have the requisite technology (Superconductor - although this is available on the open market, since the Americans stole it from us). As long as we can prevent a launch within the next 2-3 years, we should be golden.
No one has yet built, or even started Manhattan. However, the French just built SETI and had another city also building - and on the verge of completing that same wonder. We don't know what they are going to do about that, but it may be time to start putting up SDI.
Nobody loves us; everybody hates us. So what else is new?
I'll try to give a fuller write up, later.
 
I believe our warmonger, Viking, is up for some brief "peace-enforcement operations"...

Who to hit first: the French, the Babs, or the Americans?
 
Ah, it is good to be followed by someone whose strengths will more than compensate for my weaknesses.
Whom to attack? Decisions, decisions. I would rule out the Americans: they are not a threat with a spaceship or with Manhattan. The Babylonians are the only ones close to launching a ship that might catch us, so they would certainly be a worthwhile target, although they can probably best be handled with a few boat loads of spies to sabotage their SS Modules. The problem is that they are so darn far away, and of course, I always manage to screw up our transport chains. The French are nice and close, and they may have Manhattan the next time we turn around.
BTW: one other largish point I omitted: displaying all the cultural sensitivity of the Afghan Taliban, our forces bulldozed Michelangelo's Chapel. (Too much nudity!)
 
I always thought of our sexy female Spy as a "seducer" rather than a "shooter". When she gets in, things seem to have a way of blowing themselves up, and then she comes back with this funny grin on her face...

RE: Mikes Chapel, no explanations necessary. In fact, that could be considered part of the "destabilization" measures for bringing down a "non-cooperative" civ...
 
I'm starting to look at the game. A major problem is the fact that our military is in a very bad shape but I'll start my reign by rush buying barracks, howitzers, stealth fighters, spies, engineers and paratroopers for $12000.

The plan is to destroy the Mongols and start operations against the Carthaginians and/or Americans, destroying one/both of these civs if possible. The only problem is that the spaceship is too fast, we will be far from conquering the world (except for a pet city) in 1877 AD.

I wonder if fundamentalism is allowed in this game...
 
Originally posted by TheViking
The only problem is that the spaceship is too fast, we will be far from conquering the world (except for a pet city) in 1877 AD.
Click to expand...

Gee, of all the problems I can think of with my playing, that just never came up. My bad. :spank:

Of course, you can fix that by taking the defenders out of Cardiff and hoping someone will wander in and capture it . . . .;)
 
Nah,

The goal was always Alpha.

However, there is no reason for those of us remaining on the ground to have some fun...
 
The spaceship is fast enough to rich Alpha before my turn. Conquest is not so important.

Thanks for nice game, everybody - it was a pleasure for me.
 
Okay, withwork and taxes and everything else going on right now, I'm not going to have time to refine this write up, so I'll just post the rough draft instead of waiting any longer. Here's what happened during my set of turns:

1864(0) – Enraged and at war with Babylonians, French, Carthaginians and Mongols; Cease Fire with Egyptians (Hostile) and Americans (Receptive).
We switch entire production to spaceship, with the following exceptions: NextToFrance (continues to build military units for on-going war effort); Tabriz and Abydos (producing Gem and Gold Freights for delivery); Bokhara Academy, South Whale, Wonder Bread, Bermuda and SouthPlace (spies and mech inf., for defense).

1865 (1) – Babylonians builds SS Components and develop Computers; French develop Computers and undertake SETI; Egyptians develop Computers, undertake SETI, and build more SS Structurals; Americans develop computers, build SS Structurals, and start SETI (dips try to steal from Leo’s Canal); Carthaginians build SS Structurals and Cavalry destroys our howitzer.
Our spaceship suddenly has 39 Structural; 8 Components (4 each); and 2 Modules.
Contact Americans (Receptive): they refuse peace treaty and we are not given the option to demand their withdrawal.
Assault Kashgar: aiming to wipe it off the face of the planet, along with its pagan Chapel!
Bribe Egyptian Destroyer outside of Busiris (blocking our shipping route) for 453 gp.
Contact hostile Egyptians, refuse demand for 1,000 g, and they declare war; consider subverting City of Buto.
Deliver Wine Freight from Big Production to Pi-Ramses for 885g (d).
Rush buy for 10 more SS modules and 8 more SS components, so we can launch next turn. Convert all other production to “spies” as place holders for military units.

1866(2) – Babylonians build more parts, trade Fundamentalism to Egyptians for Guerilla Warfare. French land near Ormuz (they only lose units in attacks). Egyptians build more parts. Egyptian fighter plane sinks our transport with spy and freight. Egyptian battleship sinks our destroyer. (We had hoped that the BB would attack the DD, and the transport, et al., would be left alone.) Americans steal Superconductor from Leo’s Canal and Fusion from Dinas Powys, and Rocketry from Swansea: we declare WAR! Carthaginians build more parts and develop plastics. Scientists are alarmed by rising global temperatures. (A good time to leave the planet!) The C.S.S. Conan is complete (39-8-8-4-4-4) and LAUNCHED! Estimated arrival in 1877. Our spy poisons the water supply of Khashgar (reducing population to 1, gain vet status), and our armor wipes the city from the face of the planet. Shift all production to units.

1867(3) – Babylonians build more parts and develop Theology. Deliver Gold Freight from Abydos to NoCol for 238g (d). As the French are working on SETI in two cities and are believed to pose the greatest risk of building Manhattan, we begin preparing a task force of spies and transports on the Bokhara continent, within easy striking range.

1868(4) - Babylonians build more parts and develop nuclear power. French have nearly completed SETI and receive Rocketry from Americans. Incite revolt in Buto (940 gp).

1869(5) – French build SETI; everyone else abandons. Deliver Spice Freight from Beaver Dam to South Place for 816g (d). Deliver Silk Freight from Lish to Newton’s Figs for 576g (d).
 
And finally some military operations as well :D. I'm almost halfway through my turns and have captured and razed a few cities. However, the bad shape our military was in means I may need some luck to eliminate more civs than the Mongols. Carthago delenda est !

The geography in this game is fun and challenging, lots of islands where a ship cannot sail between two islands in one turn.

An interesting extra challenge in the game would have been if we had been required to win by both spaceship landing and conquering the world (except for one city) :D.
 
When in desperation to get somewhere by ship, consider packing along a few Engineers who can make instant canal cities (such as between the Babylonians and French on their massive continent).
 
Conquering the world and space ship is a joke. Conquer the world first, then you are guarentied to be the first to alpha.
 
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