RFSTL-01: Got Change?

[radiofreestl]

Nice turns, esp. with the diplo

Not urgent to resolve as my set will still be about courthouse + growth and not expanding our fishing villages but we need a definite ruling here!

Sorry, I should've been clearer. I meant "ocean" in the generic sense, as in all salt water tiles (as opposed to lakes and such).

That rule probably is a bit harsh...I just didn't want us getting an ocean start and taking advantage of the +1C too much, since the point of the variant is to negate Lizzy's traits. But since our land is such that no cottages will more than make up for it, I'm open to waiving it.

Anyways, got it, though not sure when I'll play (as early as tonight, as late as Tuesday). Currency next? Settle Blue Dot? Shop CS?

This also may be a good time to start thinking about how we're going to secure our continent, since we can't use Redcoats on the offensive.

 

[Ralph_Jackson]

Well with waiving the condition I certainly think we can start settling our fishing villages, porbably just building a couple of settlers when our high production cities finsh courthouses, a monsatery is being built so we can give them Judaism once settled for the border pop leaving them to put their few hammers into Workboat, granary, Lighthouse, library, courthouse with regular application of the whip.

Currency would help our commerce and I have given up on waiting for the AI to research useful techs so would go straight to it post civil service.

I would guess our next GP (a keeper!!) will be a GS for bulibing Philosophy which will help on the path to liberalsim. Hopefully once we have paper we will have burned one and kept another GP to partially light bulb Education??

Anyway thats a while off!!

As for our continent I am guessing we go offensive at Grenadiers though slingshoting Mil Science is proably a bit optimistic!! We could try for a Teb and Macemen war but would need to divert off our Liberalism apth too much for that to feel the best move to me???

Ralph

 

[Ralph_Jackson]

Re playing time I would say take your time, do a long set and the game will still come back to yena and I in time to keep things interesting.

Ralph

 

[radiofreestl]

Re playing time I would say take your time, do a long set and the game will still come back to yena and I in time to keep things interesting.

Good advice, but I'm working on a big paper and I wanted to procrastinate RIGHT NOW So I played 10 and stopped for feedback.

A photoessay:

The GS comes in and I go for the immediate bulb.

Holy city is Thracian (barb city).

The good news is the next GP will come from Cambridge, and is likely to be a Parthenon GA, which won't be so agonizing to delete.

A few turns later we get this:

Our research rate is hopping along pretty well. Here are the next options:

Currency was a big boon...took us from +0 at 0% to +13. Blue Dot settler is due soon.

I'm most worried about Alex's WHEOOH. He has 4 Cats, 3 Swords, 2 Spears, and a Phalanx running around near York. He's SB's worst enemy, but not the other way around. I moved a few troops down a few turns ago, but I can't say we're really prepared.

Save attached, in case you want to look.

 

[radiofreestl]

It wasn't pretty:

980- Get what we can, and maybe trade for Feudalism next turn.

990- Here he comes:

But SB is willing to do this:

Take it, and start whipping Longbows.

1000- Alex has this:

And we have this, with LBs en route:

1010- Alex bombards, giving us an extra turn to shore up defenses.

1020- After the battle:

More LBs coming, hanging in for the moment...

1030-

Still hanging in.

1040-

No attacks, but Alex significantly reinforces...

Doesn't look good.

In other news:

1050- York falls.

And Canterbury goes against the odds and pops a GS, which we have to delete

1060- A Greek Spy destroys Nottingham's wheat, which makes it unhealthy. By now I'm half expecting the volcano random event to round out a perfect turnset...

1080- Alex isn't advancing any further, so I think the bleeding has stopped. He still has a force in York.

In the meantime, we research this:

I'll pass it off here. In retrospect I should've done the Monarchy/Feudalism trades as soon as I saw the WHEOOH, but by the time I saw the buildup it was too late. Alex should be willing to talk soon. SB is still Pleased with us, but I checked on every turn to bribe him in and he wouldn't do it. Did what I could in the meantime, but I don't think we're getting York back for a while.

 

[yena]

I'm back, and it seems that I'm up. It will take some time before we get York back, but at least it should help the economy a bit. I guess we are heading for cannons and grenadiers. Do you think we should use the liberalism tech for Nationalism (for drafting musketeers that we can upgrade to grenadiers), or trying to get steel for free?

 

[radiofreestl]

I guess we are heading for cannons and grenadiers. Do you think we should use the liberalism tech for Nationalism (for drafting musketeers that we can upgrade to grenadiers), or trying to get steel for free?

My thought would be: self-research Construction and Metal Casting (can be done in 9 turns), bulb Education from the likely GS coming from London in 7 turns, and then see what we can get from our neighbors in trades (Alex will go back to cautious when the war ends and should be willing to talk next turn). We'll still need Machinery, Engineering, Guilds, Gunpowder, and Chemistry to open up Steel, but we may be able to make up that ground quickly.

 

[yena]

This doesn't look good. I played until 1200, and got construction and MC. We got a GS who light-bulbed education. However, in my last turn Liberalism was discovered abroad. This is a bit early, so we have some tech civs trading happily elsewhere. Alex attacked Hastings but lost his stack. He is now coming for a second attempt, but at least he is willing to consider peace. It may cost Philosophy or similar, but perhaps we have to take it? I have a GG waiting in London. Perhaps he should be a military instructor in Nottingham? Nottingham is building a forge, and other cities are busy building cats. I also settled the red spot in my set, and we can soon whip a library in Coventry.

Well, what to do? Even if we get rid of Alex and SB, we will have a hard time catching up with the guys next door.

 

[radiofreestl]

I don't think we have a choice but to go all out with production/military/spies/diplomacy. With our variant, we're not going to be a tech player until we have a lot of cities. Keep beeing to Grens/Cannons and make the push to conquer/vassalize our continent, with an eye toward invading other continent(s) at Infantry. We can still be at war and even invade other civs when we have Redcoats--we just can't enter those specific units in their cultural borders. So we can still do plenty to stall our Space competitors.

Ralph, you got it? My availability is kind of erratic right now, so take your time.

 

[Ralph_Jackson]

OK got it will have a look tonight, although the game is looking like we may well be in a difficult position I will plough onwards.


Ralph

 

[Ralph_Jackson]

Ok had a look and haven't given up hope yet!! But may wehn we meet the other AI of they are completely .

Plan is as Radiofreestl says a pure Grenadiers beeline as only then can we take on Alex + SB offensively and just hope we can then get to Assembly line in time to take on the other AI's..

So that's the good news.. the bad news is I need to pray for your indulgence as I won't be able to play / report until Friday / Saturday as I am travelling (but will put it top of my todo list when I return on Friday!!)

Ralph

 

[yena]

No worries, take your time.

 

[Ralph_Jackson]

Ok Well thanks for your patience but I think our position has improved (albeit the game could still be very lost!!)
Start by deciding we need peace with Alex, we are never going to destroy enough of his troops just being defensive for him to “want” peace so we are going to have to pay a high tech price so might as well get it over with

I decide on these techs as they have no trade value with SB whereas if we give Alex Philosophy he might trade it losing our leverage.

Do this trade to unlock Windmills as we need some commerce.. You may say will they really help, well have a look at this a few turns later..

Also do this civic switch as we need the extra GP’s from Pacifism and bureaucracy helps our meagre economy.

We now hunker down and start researching and with Education in start on Gunpowder

As we are in Pacifism i soon get the joyous task of deleting a GS !!

In the meantime we have Maoi in Coventry making it a nice city for ours

At least i get to settle our Next GS

Now SB won’t trade Engineering so we will have to research it ourselves but the tech position and economy are now a lot better!

 

[radiofreestl]

Nice turns. Got it for soon. Keep beeing, keep stablizing. I notice SB has enough on his hands. He won't declare on us if he's Pleased, and Alex is his worst enemy, so he's likely to help us out by starting something.

There is a size 19 city abroad with the Buddhist shrine, Stonehenge, Oracle, Angkor Wat, Chichen Itza, Notre Dame, Taj Mahal, Temple of Artemis, Mausoleum, and Shwedagon. Makes me think there's a runaway AI, which may work out in our favor if we can dominate everyone else, but still...this will be a very satisfying win if we can push through to Infantry and overcome our variants, subpar land, aggressive neighbor, and overseas tech whore(s).

 

[yena]

This looks is certainly looking much better now, those windmills made all the difference. Well played, Ralph. Furthermore, I think Alex is to be destroyed...

 

[radiofreestl]

Furthermore, I think Alex is to be destroyed...

Maybe we ought to discuss what to do when SB inevitably comes to ask for help on turn 3 of the war. Jump in then and risk the quick peace? Wait until Alex is gassed and then try to get York and whatever we can? Or let SB have his way? If SB hits Alex with anything substantial, he's toast.

 

[yena]

Maybe we ought to discuss what to do when SB inevitably comes to ask for help on turn 3 of the war. Jump in then and risk the quick peace? Wait until Alex is gassed and then try to get York and whatever we can? Or let SB have his way? If SB hits Alex with anything substantial, he's toast.

I'd say no to SB, but keep building an army to be prepared to jump in for war spoils once most of Alex army has been spent fighting SB. You have to judge for yourself when the time has come to strike, and avoid inland cities that can't pay for themselves.

 

[Ralph_Jackson]

I would say position our cats and Mace(s) to take advanatge if a juicy situation presents itself (e.g york?) and use your judgement as each turn goes by.

So basically enjoy....

Ralph

 

[radiofreestl]

1410- We don't actually have any Maces at this point...will try to do something about that. But we're lined up for infra builds that are almost all necessary, so we'll see.

1430- Alex strikes, but not with military:

1440- SoL and Versailles built abroad.

1460- Another GS bites the dust.

1470- Slave revolt in Knossos. That's nice.

This not so much:

Looks like he got to WHEOOH with us when we were cautious, and now is stuck, and isn't going to destroy Alex for us. Which would totally suck.

1480- We meet some guys:

Hannibal is backward, and Ramsses is our runaway. Check the scores:

And then, I saw this hanging around Hastings:

Stopped here. Engineering in 1. Next GS we can keep, but not sure what good it's going to do. Despite our continually improving economy, we'll need a miracle. We can't get SB to help, because he HEOOH, and Alex is going to come soon with an overwhelming force. Bad breaks

 

[yena]

looking bad indeed. Move cats Hastings, get money somehow to upgrade them to trebs once Engineering is in, and then blast the stack with trebs? I think it is the only thing that could save us, but chances are that Alex attacks before we have the trebs ready.

Are you still playing? How many turns left?