Nobles' Club L: Augustus Caesar of Rome

dalamb

Deity
Joined
May 9, 2006
Messages
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Kingston, Ontario
The Nobles' Club series started out as a way for Noble-level (and below) players to improve their game. Most of the original participants now play at much higher levels, so this has become a way for advanced players to help others learn to play better. You can play your own game at any level and with any mod, but it would be nice to comment on the games of other players and give them advice.

Our next leader is Augustus Caesar of Rome. The Romans start with fishing and mining, just like the English (whom we played last time, with Churchill).

  • Traits: Both Roman leaders are IMPerialistic. Augustus is INDustrious instead of ORGanized like Julius (NC XXXV); instead of warring early, you might decide to wonder-spam a bit first. FWIW: IMP + Great Wall means a big GG-points boost whenever somebody attacks inside your borders.
  • UB: Forum, a market that gives a 25% boost to GPP in its city -- a nice help for a non-PHI leader.


  • UU: the (in)famous Praetorian, a super-swordsman often viewed as the best UU of its era.
And the start:

Spoiler map details :

Random opponents; I added two AIs (8 total) because of the low sea level. There are two main continents with various islands between them -- some tiny/useless, some of moderate size.
Spoiler map edits :
As usual: Most deserts became plains, and I made sure each AI seemed to have a reasonable start with metals not too far away. Iron, for our UU, isn't too far away.
Spoiler the start :
I turned the plains we were standing on into a hill, and added the seafood to make the initial Fishing useful. I extended a couple of rivers a bit further (I like rivers!)
Spoiler late-game consideration :
I removed Uranium from the continents, but at least one island has some.
Finally, a cut and paste of our standard doctrine:

There are no hard and fast rules here: fun and learning are our primary goals, but we do request that you update your progress at various points in the game, using the Spoiler feature of the boards.

Tentative posting updates are suggested at:

4000 BC (starting thoughts, no spoiler required for that discussion)
1000 BC or so (how you decided to progress up the early tech/build paths, which AIs you have met, where you're thinking of putting cities, etc)
500 AD or so (after establishing some cities and a possible plan of action)
1200 AD or so (mid-game, Lib race, wars or peace, or whichever happened or didn't, met other continent if applicable, etc)
1600 AD (or when you have decided on a course of action and a specific victory condition)
End of game (Victory!!! or defeat, no shame in losing, especially if you tried a higher level. Learning is what we focus on, not fastest win or biggest empire)

Remember, these are only guidelines. What we really want are your thoughts as the game goes on, so if your strategies don't fall into line with those dates, feel free to adjust your reports accordingly.

We also welcome players to ask for specific game advice, as we have a number or stronger players who lurk and help out with solid tips, and of course, we help each other. Replies to specific questions should also be in spoilers, with a simple "@" in front of the person the answer is directed towards.

Special Thanks go to Bleys and TMIT, who really made this series a great one, r_rolo1, mapmaker extraordinaire, for his maps for most of the series, and all of you for playing.

The WB-saves are attached (zipped; they are bigger than standard saves). To play, simply download and unzip it into your BTS/Saves/WorldBuilder folder. Start the game, and load your favorite MOD (if you use one, if not, check out the BUG MOD), select "Play Scenario", and look for "NC 50 Augustus Noble" (or Monarch, if you want the AI to start with its usual Archery bonus tech, or Immortal for Archery+Hunting, or Deity to add Agriculture). This allows you to play with your favorite MOD at the Level and Speed of your choice. From Quick-Warlord to Marathon-Deity, all are welcome! We stuck with the name "Nobles Club" because it has a cool ring to it.
 

Attachments

  • NC 50 Augustus.zip
    83.8 KB · Views: 362
Where is the save link? I can't seem to see any :)
Also I have a couple of questions if I want to post my results:
1) How to do I take screen shots?
2) How do I use the spoiler thingy?

Thanks!
 
Where is the save link? I can't seem to see any :)
Also I have a couple of questions if I want to post my results:
1) How to do I take screen shots?
2) How do I use the spoiler thingy?

Thanks!

1) Printscreen > then load it up to imageshack or something

2) Click on the "Spoil" button up top
 
Where is the save link? I can't seem to see any :)
Also I have a couple of questions if I want to post my results:
1) How to do I take screen shots?
2) How do I use the spoiler thingy?

Thanks!

Print screen. Saves in your screen shots subfolder for bts.

Anything but quick reply has a button titled "spoil". Click on that, and put what you want spoiler'd between the two.
 
I picked Monarch with random events off, defensive pacts on, and Time victory disabled. To me, nothing is more lame than a time victory, no matter who gets it. Diplo victories are kind of cheeze too but it adds the challenge of preventing the AI from getting one, at least.

I'm going to SIP. The production bonus from settling on a plains hill is always nice, and this looks to be a very strong start with plenty of food resources and gold that can be hooked up as soon as we get a worker out. I'm kind of tempted to build a worker before a work boat, but my understanding is that there is a stone tablet somewhere that says:

If (seafood) in BFC
Then: Build workboat first

Yes, no, maybe so? Definitely fish would be superior to clams, so maybe that rule is only set in stone when it's fish?

AC is one of the easier leaders for me, praets rock. The only thing that would nerf our huge praet advantage is if we have an isolated start- not very likely though. And I'm off...
 
I would settle 1S.
1S has its charm, and I might do so myself; I'm reluctant to give up the extra :hammers: from mining the hill. But lots of people think that a 2 :hammers: capital tile is critically valuable in the early game. I did a little worldbuilder trial. At size 2 with fishing boats on the clams and a mine on the PH 1W, the city produces a settler in 14t with the IMP bonus. Settling 1S gives 17t under the same circumstances. 3t may not seem like much over the long term, but getting a settler out 3 turns faster (and 2 settlers 6 turns faster) can be critical in claiming good sites from nearby AI.

I've been told Rome is supposed to tech BW then [Wheel and IW in some order]. With IND I might be included to try BW > Myst (stonehenge) but I try for Stonehenge so often maybe I should do something different. I plan WB > Worker > Warrior in any case.
 
~500 AD

I really abused the IMP trait, having 6 cities by now (3 more than the Incas).

I wouldn't call 6 cities by 500AD abusing the IMP trait at all

by the way - use spoilers
 
Well, for a guy like me, that's abusing :D It's only made worse by the fact that it's normal. If it was epic, I'd be "abusing" it even more.

Anyway, sorry, that post wasn't finished. I just had it there while I was playing cIV and it accidentally got posted.

Expect it to be updated with the rest of the game and screenshots later on.
 
950BC: I have two cities. I've taken lots of screen shots but not sure they're useful to anyone right now. If people want to see them I will upload them. Not much to see yet besides giving away what's on the map.

Spoiler :
I've met Zara, Huayna, WvO, Pacal.
Pacal completed Stonehenge a few turns ago and I was already planning a praet rush against him by then. Considering rushing everyone on the continent early with praets & cats, trading for whatever techs I can before they dissapear, and settling all the land myself. In that case, I will prioritize settling around the coast so as to have enforcable borders in case Poseidon belches a settler upon my shores.

I've teched TW->AG->Pottery->BW->Writing->Aesth->IW
Picked up Alphabet from WvO for Aesth, then traded with Pacal some since I knew he would be gone soon anyways I wouldn't really be giving the AI any advantage. Did not trade him IW yet, planning on doing that the second before I invade so he won't have time to benefit from it.

The landmass is a bit crowded so an early rush with Praets really seems to be the way to "play the map" in this case. I might leave one AI civ alive on the continent to have an ally and maybe set up for and eventual defensive pact->perm alliance.

Given HC and Pacal have the same peace weight, I will probably be taking him out next as he's most likely to hate me for this invasion. It also makes the most sense geographically. Zara is probably who I will choose to ally with just because he is least likely to get along with the other AIs on the continent. On the other hand his traits favor fast expansion and he might become a pain once he gets his UU with gunpowder. And getting culture pressed by a creative AI is never fun.
 
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