Pere - 001

[predesad]

Predesad's Emporer Random Everything

Game Results: Space Race Victory 1808 AD - 3633 points

I consider myself a beginning emporer player. I have a couple emporer wins under my belt and no losses. Due to PBEMs I have little time for SP, and I have been looking into playing SG's recently, so I thought an emporer level SG might be in order. I want to go random everything and I am looking for about 4 other players who are monarch level wanting to take the emporer leap or have just recently made the emporer leap. In this way we can learn together and it won't be so much a training exercise if there were experienced emporer+ players.

I need players willing to give it a try no matter what we get out of the random start. Any takers? I will generate the game if / when I have 4 sign ups, not including myself.

 

[gunnerxtr]

hmm im semi comfertable on monarch (havent lost yet) but i havent played that many games, i might be interested in joining

 

[DBear]

Just won a GotM on Monarch, I'll be willing to try emperor.

 

[predesad]

Dbear - welcome aboard, glad you're up to the challenge

gunner - how about you agree to sign up now and we'll give you an out if you later decide you are not up for it and decide to quit for any reason, or perhaps you might even skip a turn in the rotation every once in a while, or whatever level of involvement you are comfortable with, just don't be chicken

 

[gunnerxtr]

im in, i just won a pretty difficult monarch game where i had no early and important strategic resources (saltpeter/iron) i was the biggest nation, but copped out for a diplo win because the modern age is tedious. so if you will have me im in, just realize i am not the best and i would like a lot of discussion before my turns so i dont mess up, thanks!

EDIT i think im gonna start up a emporer game and see how it goes, hopefully good becasue its been a while since ive been ina succession game

 

[Mach]

Ok, I'm in. Totally random start, huh? Can't wait to see it...

 

[gunnerxtr]

k i started an emporer game that im prolly not gonna finish, but it went ok. started alright but the AIs jumped out to a big lead in techs and size but i attacked the byzantines and took most of their land. so i was basically at equal size, but still behind on tech, i think i should be able to hold my own in this game, so if i am still welcome, im in.

 

[predesad]

Mach - welcome aboard

gunner - it'll be alright

 

[predesad]

Okay, I hoped for five total players, but I think I am going to get things underway now since I got 3 signups rather quickly.

I hope to have lots of discussion, I feel everyone will have valuable input and we may even get a few helpful suggestions from lurkers. As I said before, I am viewing this as a group learning experience, we do seem to all be at about the same skill level. Because I want to emphasize discussion I am going to set the time limits at 24 hours for a "got it" but 72 hours to play. Of course, you don't have to wait the whole 72 hours, I guess it depends on how much advice you want / need. I also figured perhaps a player might take 4 or 5 turns and come to a decision he doesn't feel comfortable making on his own, so he would have the extra time to stop playing and open discussion again if he wanted.

All victory conditions will be on, but we should prolly decide on a chosen victory path within the first rounds of play. Culture flips will be on, respawn off, preserve seed on, culturally linked starts off since they are buggy anyway, AP off, and scientific leaders off. I think that is all.

I am going to play a couple of my PBEM turns and then generate our game. It will be one roll of the dice, no restarts we MUST take what we get, and I am hoping for a challenging game, perhaps even seafaring on a pangea, or expansionist on arch (wouldn't Zulu on an island by ourselves suck?)

Once the game is generated, I will use seed beast to extract the settings, I want a random game but I do want to know what I am playing. I will then post the game, pic, and the settings (including opponents) and discussion can begin, I prolly refrain from initial discussion until others have given their insights. I am unsure about the turn order and I don't want to be selfish and go first, so I think I will just pull everyone's names out of a hat, so if you prefer not to be first please specify. After we have had plenty of time to discuss our start / world (prolly tomorrow) I will post the turn order and the game can begin.

Any questions / comments?

 

[predesad]

Here is the start, definitely outside my comfort zone, also a reminder to be careful what you ask for, you just might get it:

Civ: Carthage (Seafaring, Industrious; Numidian Mercenary)

AI Civs:
Babylon
Zulu
Rome
Celts
India
England
Egypt
Germany
Mongols
Iroquois
Spain

World: Large Pangea, normal climate, temperate, 3 billion years old, 70% water, no barbarians

At least the start has possibilities, see pic below, interested to see if other players have some of the same thoughts I am considering for opening

Also I am going to post links to a few articles I highly recommend reading if you have not already:

Monarchy to Emporer: the Great Leap by Ision

4 rules of Wonder Addiction by Ision

The Carthaginians by Zardnaar

 

[predesad]

Here's the pic, annoying that it wont show the pic if the save is also attached:

 

[gunnerxtr]

well, ok im excited to get this rolling.

about the start, i always have trouble deciding what to do in a situation like this; we are on a bonus grassland correct? if it were me i would probably move 1 SE to save the bonus grassland and stay on the coast (so we can get some curraghs becasue we are seafaring, to get some contacts. i would say moving to the river is definately not even in consideration.

 

[predesad]

gunner - i think you're right about the river thing and coast we're not getting much out of seafaring this game, but we could get a couple early contacts for some trades. There are 5 civs besides us who start with alphabet, but only 1 that starts with masonry. i am undecided about moving off BG.

what should we research first? should we build a curragh first or a warrior?

 

[Mach]

I agree with gunner, but I think we should cross our fingers and move the settler directly east. Moving se picks up too many ocean squares for my taste. I like ocean squares in unproductive towns (like tundra towns) for the nice commerce, but not in the capital. East gives us the best shot at finding nice food.

I agree seafaring is pretty much useless, but at least we'll get the fastest scouts in the game, especially with no barbarians. I think our build order will depend on what our city contains, esp. if it has food bonus or not. But I would like two warriors and a curragh -- one warrior for scouting, one for mp, and the curragh takes off along the coast. I think the scout should first do a quick sweep around our capital, looking for important city sites (food or luxes), then take off looking for contacts.

What should we research first? Pottery, at max. Granaries are mucho important. Then maybe writing.

 

[gunnerxtr]

I agree with gunner, but I think we should cross our fingers and move the settler directly east. Moving se picks up too many ocean squares for my taste. I like ocean squares in unproductive towns (like tundra towns) for the nice commerce, but not in the capital. East gives us the best shot at finding nice food.

not a bad idea, but we should move the worker instead. i say if where he moves isnt on the coast, then we build on site.

edit: hehe obviously on the coast 1 E so yeah i totally agree with Mach

 

[Elmarae]

I would like to sign up. I'm a confident monarch player so I guess a move up to Emperor is on the cards.

I'd recommend moving the settler NE to the hill and settling there. Worker stays where he is and mines. That gives access to 4 bonus grassland and 3 forests for chops. Only 2 sea squares are wasted but that can be rectified with an overlapping city with a harbor at a later date.

Definately max research to Pottery then either min research or max to Writing.

 

[predesad]

Another good idea from Mach, i had not considered moving east, should have looked at map more, I say move settler east, worker mines immediately on site, unless settler move reveals something better to work like a cow, also consider if we move once and there is a river in site next to coast should we move again, i would think so. i think 1st build should be curragh to get out there for contacts ASAP then warriors.

pottery @ max okay, but i would consider a gamble to trade for it and go straight wrinting at min, but that is a risk, after pottery i would think writing min.

randomized play order:

mach
dbear
predesad
elmarae
gunner

gotta go now and wont be available for awhile tonight, so Mach if you feel comfortable starting tonight go for it or wait for more discussion, whatever. first turn mach can either take 10 or 20 turns, since several turns will be just hitting enter not to mention looking for a capitol site. then 10 turns per player.

btw, Elmarae, glad to have you.

 

[Mach]

Ok I got it. I'll go with the plan -- settler east, pottery on max, and I'll try to get a curragh out amongst warriors.

@Elm -- I think you have a point there about settler ne. I've always liked the inland capital with small harbor town thing, because of history -- Ancient Athens and its Piraeus. Besides that, moving ne gives us a better chance at finding food, and it gives the capital more productive tiles.

If we weren't seafaring...or if we were going for a 20k win...then I think we would definitely go for the hill. But I still lean toward moving east for the seafaring commerce bonus, for the curragh, and because our capital doesn't need more productive tiles, or at least it won't need them for a long time.

 

[Mach]

Turn 1 (4000) -- Settler east, and...nothin'. worker mines.
Turn 2 (3950) -- Found Carthage, and...more nothin'. Looks like we're at Land's End. Work bg, start on warrior.

Turn 3 (3900) -- Nuttin'.
Turn 4 (3850) -- Ditto.
Turn 5 (3800) -- Mine done, worker roads.

Turn 5 (3750) -- Ok we have a warrior, name of Fluffy. Heads north. Carthage starts a curragh.
Turn 6 (3700) -- Fluffy strolls onto hill...so we're not Land's End after all. That water to the ne is a lake...

Turn 7 (3650) -- Fluffy explores.
Turn 8 (3600) -- Ditto.
Turn 9 (3550) -- Ditto.

Turn 10 (3500) -- Curragh built, heads e along coast. Carthage curragh --> warrior. Fluffy explores.
Turn 11 (3450) -- Carthage grows, lux to 20%. Fluffy hits coast. Curragh explores.
Turn 12 (3400) -- Fluffy, Curragh explore.

Turn 13 (3350) -- Carthage warrior --> rax (holder for granary). New gentlemen goes by the name of Tex. Everyone explores.
Turn 14 (3300) -- Everyone explores. Ok, I'm geting dizzy. Fluffy hit ocean; either we're on an island, or the rest of the pangea is beyond the Himalayas there to the sw.

Turn 15 (3250) -- Everyone explores.
Turn 16 (3200) -- Ditto. Spot more land to the n within reach of the curragh.
Turn 17 (3150) -- Ditto. Spot powder blue borders to the n. All the fog in our "peninsula" has been busted.
Turn 18 (3100) -- Pottery comes in, start on writing at max. Everyone explores, curragh moves into Spanish territory.

Gonna stop here. Trades are available, I didn't make any so we can talk about it. Spain has cb & wc, we have masonry & pottery.

I haven't moved the curragh yet, I leave that for the next player as a freebie. Tex is heading home for mp duty, Fluffy is heading sw to bust fog. The rax is a prebuild for something, there are 25 shields invested in it. we could switch to either a settler or granary.

Not a lot of food around -- 3 plains cows 2 cities away to the ne, and that's about it.

The Save.

 

[Mach]

And a screenie. You can see on the minimap where the Spanish is, to the north of us.