Rat 41 CCM - AW a first attempt

[Elephantium]

Good one I don't think anyone can play faster than you did.
I think some people will play less than 10 turns and they eventually even out. So, I think we continue with the regular 5 or 10 turns unless someone cannot finish them.

I might start playing 5-turn sets. This last one took me all day to complete.

Re: Mongols, we've barely scratched the surface -- we're still just taking old Greek cities from them. I wouldn't be surprised if we don't eradicate them until after we enter the IA!

Re: Vaxjo, the stack is fortified because the city is still size 1. I was waiting for it to grow before attacking, thinking that it's better to capture than to autoraze.

 

[Elephantium]

Oh, one other thing: Retreats helped me out a lot. I would have had double the losses without it -- and I had a lot of losses!

 

[vmxa]

We do not have superior units, so open field is a slight edge for us, but cities are not. Until we get a tech edge losses will be a sure thing. Normally we use armies on towns and better units in the fields, CCM does not allow armies and AW makes the tech pace a bugger.

That will improve, once we get to the no trade techs and our massive size lets us move ahead.

We tend to play the number of turns per set that you can manage at about this stage. Be that 5 or 10 or some other number. Relax times are not uncommon, so I would just play as long as you feel you want to and are making progress.

Stop, if you know you are going to not be able to play for a time or at least post a status. I think that is what Rat/GR games tend to do.

 

[Northern Pike]

Re: Vaxjo, the stack is fortified because the city is still size 1. I was waiting for it to grow before attacking, thinking that it's better to capture than to autoraze.

Good thinking. It's at size two now, though.

I wouldn't tend to leave a stack waiting to attack a city right next to the city, in case the AI is provoked to rush units there, or perhaps (in CCM) to make stealth attacks.

 

[Elephantium]

We tend to play the number of turns per set that you can manage at about this stage. Be that 5 or 10 or some other number. Relax times are not uncommon, so I would just play as long as you feel you want to and are making progress.

Stop, if you know you are going to not be able to play for a time or at least post a status. I think that is what Rat/GR games tend to do.

I probably should have called it quits 2-3 turns earlier and picked it up again today

OTOH, if I'd started playing my set on Monday, I think it would have taken me all week long to make the same progress!

Good thinking. It's at size two now, though.

I wouldn't tend to leave a stack waiting to attack a city right next to the city, in case the AI is provoked to rush units there, or perhaps (in CCM) to make stealth attacks.

Oh. I didn't notice that when I was wrapping up my last turn

Good point about not leaving stacks sitting next to the city - I'll keep that in mind for my next turnset.

 

[vmxa]

Sometimes it is slow going. I have taken most of the day to do a PRE in late GR games. Just because you have not seen the game in some time and lots to look at trying to get a feel for whats next.

Some days there are lots of distractions, phone, boss lady and just lack of focus. No one is concerned as long as we are not keep in the dark. The few SG's I was not enjoying were when you had no idea, if the turn player was playing or went over the hill.

This is why I like to now post in pieces, plus it is easier than trying to do an all in one post. Often I finish late at night and I am no so clear headed. Then just rush out a log, better for me to have already done part of it.

 

[Elephantium]

Sometimes it is slow going. I have taken most of the day to do a PRE in late GR games. Just because you have not seen the game in some time and lots to look at trying to get a feel for whats next.

I've been there, too, in some of the larger games I've played. One of CBob's games (German 100k) stands out for some reason

Some days there are lots of distractions, phone, boss lady and just lack of focus. No one is concerned as long as we are not keep in the dark. The few SG's I was not enjoying were when you had no idea, if the turn player was playing or went over the hill.

This is why I like to now post in pieces, plus it is easier than trying to do an all in one post. Often I finish late at night and I am no so clear headed. Then just rush out a log, better for me to have already done part of it.

I like posting in pieces, too -- it's fairly common that I'll get partway through a set and need/want some team input before proceeding.

Counter to that is a desire to not hold up the game, of course

 

[vmxa]

The holding it up I am thinking of was 5 days or more and not a peep. No I got, so skip me. If turn set players are playing for 5 days and drop a "still playing" once during that time, I think the team is fine with it. We know it can take that long and now we know they are still involved.

Mostly the leader of the SG is the one that keep them moving. The ones that die the leader is as bad as the others about posting. Any serious player soon decides they are the only one that cares and it goes belly up.

 

[Northern Pike]

BTW, Vmxa, are you playing? I'm sure you are, but I just ask because you've posted several times without an explicit got-it.

 

[vmxa]

AFAIK Elephantium is a still playing. I will go back and see, if a save was posted and I missed it.

 

[vmxa]

Whoops I thought we was saying he intended to finish, my bad. I got it now.

 

[ThERat]

He did finish his 10 turns and asked others to make up for the 3 missing turns.

We agreed that 5-10 turns are fine, so as you noticed, you are up.

 

[vmxa]

Yeah I did not see those entries on the end of the page. I came in on last post for the next page and did not realize I had not seen all the entries.

 

[Elephantium]

LOL, I should have just played another three turns today. Instead I've been playing my solo game: CCCM (that is, a CCM game playing as China! ).

I just entered the Age of Discovery.

 

[vmxa]

I think one reason turns may have been long is all the units that are going one step at a time from the rear area. I think I had at least 30 that looked like you moved them as far as they could go that time and do it each turn.

Some will have to be move 10 times and muskets 15 or more turns. I would just use a goto to a safe town or area and not move them every turn. As long as they are in our borders not near the front Muskets and cavs should be fine.

I think it took up 3/4 of the time spend on my first turn. One thing we may want to start doing is to use rally points to save hassles. Rally to a town not too far from the front. I toss that out for consideration.

 

[ThERat]

I am fine with using a rally point as this process really takes up a lot of time and will only get worse.

However, the rally point would have to be inland as I always have the problem that ships would also follow to the rally point and that's usually not what is wanted.

We should simply agree on one city and make it known to everyone here. I'd say currently the rally point should be in a city just before we have to divert troops east and south.

 

[Elephantium]

Cheju or St. Petersburg sound like they fit that bill.

Can you set a continental rally point and then clear it from individual cities? We'd want to exclude unit-building cities to the south/east of our Rally City.

Also, we should keep a few troops around in Old Carthage and Old Indochina in case of landings.

 

[vmxa]

Jump right in and attack Vaxjo with cannon losing to pike (0-1).
2 e/hussar win and 2 cavs do as well and we get 3 gold from the town (4-1).


I see Prey Nokor is size 2 and not growing and making a rax. I just do not see the point to doing anything here.
It is all hills and desert. We have no workers to do anything here, so I set both pop to sci and once it drops to
size one that lone citizen can stay a sciman.

Vaxjo is making a Symbol as we want to get borders to expand. In the end it too will probably go sciman.

IBT:
3 attacks we won 2 and one retreated (2-0-1).
National Exchange they want to build.

(1) 1778AD:
Research Sacred Art as we want to delay Enlightenment and Med. Set to 30% in 4 turns.
Sink Vike boat (1-0).
I have 2 boats that are in port at Delphi with 11 boats next to the town. This means they are trapped and doomed, so I will attack with

them and write them off. They already are damaged. Catapult ships have lethal sea and land bombardment. So you are better off to stay at

sea and look for a safer port as those ship will stay on the coast. The dummies killed two boats, so they await the IBT (3-0).

cannon retreats from rifle in Sparta. I guess a conscript as it only had 2hp.
e/cav kill rifle (4-0).
cav dies after redlining rifle and then rifle promotes, so back to 2hp (4-1).
cav kills it and captures Sparta and 1895 gold (5-1).

I am going to send the workers to Rome to cut one of the forest as we are starving at 43 food. We have 61 shields, chop and mine will

get down to 60. Could get lucky and find a BG, anyway we are making 50 shield units so lets not starve.

Naples is about the same, starving and 21 net shields on an 80 build. Will do it next.
I have no idea where the couriers should go back to, I would not use cavs to ferry supply units from the front. Again lets keep them in

the action. If they are local supplies, then send then unescorted and let Rome pick them up.

I guess all the units that come up for movement in the core were just a case of not using goto? I would rather see a goto to a safe

location, than to figure out where the plan called for the units to be sent. Goto with strong units in our borders is not an issue in my

book.

It is not the same as a defense 2 or 3 unit that could get hit by a hidden unit. At least muskets should be safe. The non coastal

interior should not have hidden units anyway. Check CAII.


AFAWK only Arabia and Mongols know Colonialism. Yet we are the only one making East India wonder? Did we hit a town that was making it

and now it lost the shields or did the just not start it?

National Exchange can be built, not sure I should or wait for a leader?

The musket that got hit twice next to El Arm is down to 2HP, not sure why it is there all alone. Lone survivor of a previous battle?
He is doomed, so I disband to prevent possible promotion.



Padivas has a supply captured, maybe I can send it back in a few turns.
Found an elite Hussar damaged next to Alexandria? This must be the guy that got the other kill during the IBT.

e/Lawyer kills 3/4 zerk by Byblos (6-1). [12-2]

IBT:
nada

(2) 1780AD:
2 e/cavs kill arq in Alexandria (2-0).
cav kills arq (3-0).
e/hussar kills knight (4-0).
e/hussar kills LB and takes Alex for 18 gold sinking galleass and galleon (7-0).

cav kills Mongol cav next to Pharsalos (8-0).


cav retreats from rifle in town.
cav kills rifle (9-0).

I forgot I founded a town.

cav kills rifle (10-0).
cav kills r/rifle (11-0).
cav kills cav with 1hp to spare and takes Pharsalos and 3053 gold (12-0).

hussar dies on FL next to the town (12-1).
e/cav kills it barely (13-1). Clearing the area for now.
Send the trapped boats into battle again and go 1-1 (13-1).
[25-4]

IBT:
The Egyptian were not quite dead as they sent 5 attackers out and ever battle went to red/red. We lost a musket next to Sakkara and one

promoted. We lost a hussar in Alex (3-2).

I saw a privateer hit a large stack of Mongol boats and die. The ship was yellow as it attacked, not sure what they hoped there.
Vike boat attacked us and died and our frigate promoted (4-2). [29-6]

(3) 1781AD:
Lawyer kills the knight at Alex and goes elite (1-0).
Upgrade clan.
5 cavs attacked Sakkara the only one that died was the elite (5-1) Got 18 gold and 2 slaves.
cav kills arq next to Sakkara (6-1).
Looks like the bombardment at Delphi finished the boat (6-2).

I set continential rally to grass next to Piraeus

I have only 5 towns with continental rally now. I am not clear, if a city rally can be set that is different than the continental one.
[31-6]

If we can set unique rally points for cities that are not the continental point let me know. I think we can, but this is the first I have set rally points. I will set a few tomorrow, if we can.

Late start, but another day Monday for an earlier one.

 

[Elephantium]

Excellent progress, vmxa!

Prey Nokor: I didn't really know what to do, either. I figured a rax and unit builds would be the best we could do (unless we want a bunch of Wealth builds in the hinterlands). That way we might get a spare cav or Lancia towards the end of the game.

Delphi ships: I thought they could heal in Delphi.

Rome and Naples: Good idea with some worker turns there. The grow-starve cycle is annoying. I'd have done the same, but there was always something more pressing to do...

Couriers - the Schneider75 picked up a shipment from Carthage, so it didn't get pulled away from combat. Padivas came from the Arab front, but then again, so did that shipment.

We're probably fine sending stuff from Carthage unescorted, but running stuff from Arabia might be risky.

Core units: Yep, I had been moving them towards the front manually. Re: CAII, how will it help? Even if it *can* show the location of invisible units, I'd rather not use the spoiler.

Musket by El Arm - scouting. Sorry, that was a bad idea

Rally points: I'm not really sure how they work. Are wiser heads available to give a lesson?

 

[vmxa]

Delphi ships: I thought they could heal in Delphi.

Core units: Yep, I had been moving them towards the front manually. Re: CAII, how will it help? Even if it *can* show the location of invisible units, I'd rather not use the spoiler.

They can heal, except they will get pounded faster than they can heal. The other thing is that many of the ships take extra movement in coastal waters, so the 4 move they have only gets them 2 tiles and they are sitting ducks. In this case the only harbor point was blocked anyway, so they could not leave.

No location is given in CAII, just that it says how many units in borders. You count them and if you came up short, you got a hidden unit around. If you see them all you do not have to worry.
By watching that you see when one enters and you have an idea of at least what area is safe. You may even have an idea where it is at.