Dear Saber Friends (and future Allies?),
Thank you so much for getting back to us. Again, we apologize for the large demands and lack of information. We deeply appreciate your honesty in the face of all that. In return, we’re going to be very open with you also.
We'd like to propose a sweeping alliance to propel both of our great peoples to new heights, and hopefully thwart the juggernaut of team FREE.
Here’s the scoop on why we’ve had all the cloak and dagger recently…
Confidential Disclosure:
The Council anticipates the completion of Newton's University next turn (161). We also know that team FREE has an aggressive pre-build in place for the ToE. After completing this wonder, they will use it to advance to Electronics, and then use a Scientific Great Leader they drew earlier in the game to rush finish Hoover Dam.
Team FREE is becoming increasingly uncooperative, and The Council has decided we’d really like to thwart this massive leap forward. To do this, it is essential that team FREE be denied the ToE. We briefly considered giving up on Newton's University in favor of trying to beat FREE to the ToE, but this move alone is fraught with problems, as FREE has made it clear that they consider that to be “their” wonder. Making a change in allegiance at this stage only makes solid strategic sense for us if we can get a new ally, get Newton, AND deny the ToE to FREE.
Since we haven’t ever officially completed a new alliance agreement with FREE, we feel comfortable making this kind of a strategic jump without breaking our word. However, as you can imagine, FREE is going to be “less than impressed” and there will certainly be broad and probably severe repercussions to us shifting our allegiance. We're willing to take that risk if we can keep Newton and still stop FREE before they become a runaway train.
If we can't work out a deal with someone, we'll have to stick with our alliance with FREE and hope we can somehow overcome their Hoover advantage in the Modern Age.
This is where you (hopefully) come in!
Since you’ve indicated you can get a city to 600 shields in 10-11 turns,
(we understand that it's probably a pre-build for Newton, but remember: if we can't work out a deal here, you're going to lose it anyway, unless you're completing it this turn), we are proposing a deal where you divert that pre-build towards beating FREE to the Theory of Evolution.
If you're open to it, this would do a few wonderful things for you. 1) It would save you shields you're likely to lose (or be forced to dump into a stinky wonder as FREE gobbles up the good ones in the IA). 2) It would lock you into an exclusive advantageous alliance with us for much faster tech advancement. And 3) it would radically change the current FREE-dominated dynamic of the game giving you a more realistic potential path to victory.
And on that note, we'd like to propose an agreement we're calling the SCIAA – Saber-Council Industrial Age Alliance.
Here's the proposed details:
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Draft SCIAA
I. Peace
- Team Saber and The Council agree to guaranteed peace with each other through the Industrial Age and beyond.
- This peace may only be terminated by a "15 turns notice of intent to cancel" letter. This letter may not be sent by either party until after the swap of our Modern Era Bonus techs.
II. Technology Plan
- Team Saber and The Council agree to cooperate to get into the Modern Era as rapidly as possible.
- Both teams agree to not execute a "slow burn" in getting technologies slower in favor of stockpiling gold, unless explicitly approved by the other team.
- Both teams pledge to do their level best to not undermine the alliance in rapid advancement of knowledge.
- The following Technology Balance agreement may only be modified by joint agreement of the teams.
Technology Balance
Team SABER
- Military Tradition (1920)
- Medicine (3000)
- Scientific Method (3000)
- Replaceable Parts (4200)
- Atomic Theory (TOE)
- Electronics (TOE)
- Refining (4800)
- Combustion (4800)
- Flight (5400)
The Council
- Nationalism (3600)
- Industrialization (3600)
- Electricity (4200)
- Sanitation (2700)
- Corporation (3000)
- Steel (4200)
- Motorized Transport (4200)
- Mass Production (4200)
- Amphibious War (3600)
* Then exchange Modern Age bonus techs without regard to beaker value
Team Saber Total Beakers = 27,120
Council Total Beakers = 33,300
III. Balancing the Industrial Age Wonders
- The Council is contributing 6,180 beakers more, is giving up the 2 free chances at an SGL from the ToE, and is risking the brunt of team FREE's wrath due to our switch, therefore, The Council will also be granted the right to build the Hoover Dam in compensation.
- Team Saber will have the right to build the Universal Suffrage wonder, should they desire it.
IV. Defense Against All
- If either team is invaded during the Industrial Age, the team that hasn’t been invaded will provide 100 gold per turn to the besieged team for the duration of the invasion, or up to 1500 gold total (15 turns), whichever is less.
- If either team is invaded, both teams will be relieved of their obligations to continue research at top speed on the tech plan, in recognition of the enhanced need for gold. When the invasion is over, normal obligations will resume – but both teams pledge to be generous towards the other if the tech balance needs to be adjusted after the invasion due to setbacks from the fighting.
- For purposes of the Defense-Against-All, an “invasion” will be defined as any enemy units on shore, or waiting immediately off-shore.
- Each team will immediately notify the other of any sightings of potentially hostile foreign ships with their (approximate) locations and heading. Each team will also notify the other if any foreign team begins making aggressive demands or sends other signals as a possible prelude to war.
- As a defense against other's catching us in our technology lead, both teams agree to henceforth not trade, sell, or otherwise transfer any technology to foreign teams without the express permission of the other ally.
- If either team lacks a strategic resource, and the other team has a surplus of that resource – the team with the extra supply will gift it to the lacking team.
- Both teams agree to give the other first preference in any luxury resource trades.
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We hate to put pressure on you with such short notice again – but we would REALLY like to know if you’re interested in the broad outlines of this before we play this turn. Of course the specific points can be negotiated in good faith if you’re interested in the basic concept… just let us know!
All the Best,
Your Friends,
General_W, speaking with the voice of The Council
a big part of switching to saber, imo, is the ability to stop FREE and still get Newtons.
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