SGOTM 06 - Xteam

[ShannonCT]

When should we cease production of units?

Perhaps we should grow some population in farther away cities and focus that population on commerce? If the units can't reach a war theater in time to be useful, why pay maintenance on them?

Are we considering a change to Police State, and/or Caste System? What timing should we use for that? Once the cities on the enemy continent are tapped out and useless for pop-rushing or forest chopping?

After Mecca and Parsargadae produce their cats next turn, we should have all the units we need for killing the AI. Those two cities can finish off with archers to protect them from a bold AI unit.

I don't think we'll need to change civics to avoid bankruptcy. Capturing Persepolis next turn and Nidaros and Upsalla soon after should bring in all the cash we need to stay afloat.

CP already has us MMed for commerce so all JT needs to do is worry about the war.

 

[DJMGator13]

Capturing Persepolis next turn and Nidaros and Upsalla soon after should bring in all the cash we need to stay afloat.

We don't want to keep them though, correct? Only city we want is Susa with the HG, it will never come out of revolt but will still have increased cost associated with it.

 

[DJMGator13]

Team OSS posted another save thru T206 590AD - their score and power graph reflect sharp increases. They are taking cities again and increasing pop.

This is going to be close.

 

[Cactus Pete]

"while the survivors of Medina heal" Agree with SCT that we should plan to win in no more than 5 turns, so wounded Medina sword does not have time to heal if he is going to be of any use.

"Can we get the Medina Workers up to Mecca and chop in time? They can be chopping in two turns with two workers per forest." Again, won't help us to a 5-turn victory. Three of them could be put to use building a road on the plain 2east of Persepolis to shorten the travel time to Gordium and then on the next turn to build a road on the plain 3east should a Persian unit move to the grass tile SE of Parsagadae. The fourth worker could be employed to entice a Gordium unit out of city, even if the enticee returns to the city the same turn thereby losing its fortification bonus.

 

[Cactus Pete]

We don't want to keep them though, correct? They're of no use. Only city we want is Susa with the HG, it will never come out of revolt but will still have increased cost associated with it.

Irrelevant -- game will be over!

 

[DJMGator13]

Agree with SCT that we should plan to win in no more than 5 turns.

This sounds great.

 

[Cactus Pete]

The Baghdad Xbow should be free to help with Kufah. Hope it won't need to, but if another archer is built in Kufah, it could bail us out.There's always some chance that a unit could come up the road from the south and retake it. We could keep one galleonload in reserve half-way between Baghdad and Nidaros, so that it could amphibious assault Baghdad to retake the city or assault Nidaros if mop up duty is required there. Unlikely to be needed, but absolutely no reason not to take this precautionary action once Nidaros falls. Shannon's Raiders can pick up a medic-promoted WE and 2 cats and sail there through Haithabu next turn (perhaps exchanging a cat for a WE as it passes Nidaros) and reach landfall at Bagdad in 4 turns.

Otherwise, I think it's feasible to take Kufah, Susa, and Damascus in 5 turns even without reinforcements from Cactus Breeze. My greatest concern is that another archer gets built in Kufah. For that reason, let's consider an alternative scenario to the one SCT posted earlier that attacks Kufah in just three turns with bombardment of culture down to only 14%, using the sword in Mecca at Kufah and compensating in Damascus with troops transported by Cactus Breeze. SCT, would you compute the odds of our two 3CR swords winning at Kufah after a cat attack in three turns? We would also have an axe and a Xbow available to attack that same turn if necessary, and another Xbow available the following turn. Probably will want to move the cat in Mecca to Kufah to attack as well in order to maximize probability that axe and Xbow can both help in Susa. (May want to wait for the IBT to decide.) Moving the sword to Kufah would also be a kind of insurance should another archer get built there in the next three turns. In that case, would we be in good shape if we did reduce culture to 0% while waiting that extra turn for the Bagdad Xbow to arrive?


3) Susa can be taken by the Xbow, cat, and axe approaching from Baghdad, and the WE, axe, and 2 cats from Parsargadae. Survivors of Persepolis can follow behind as insurance. You mean if we can't take Susa in 5 turns? I'm thinking they're help would be more timely in Gordium. I haven't worked out the percentages here but with three cats suiciding against Susa and with Susa not being on a hill, I think we should be in good shape here. The Medina sword can reach Susa in 4 turns (Damascus in 5 -- too late), giving us a little insurance, and I'm thinking the best use of the last cat out of Mecca is in Susa, in case the axe and Xbow by Kufah are indeed needed there.

With 6 units available to take Gordium Really think we need to send Cactus Breeze to Damascus (with at least two units still on board, if not all three) and ad lib in Gordium -- three units off of Fred's Ferry and what we can put together after Persepolis falls. Decent chance we'll be able to attack one Gordium axe with the chariot now on the copper. We can wait to see if the Gordium axe and cat advance away from the city in the IBT and until Pers is attacked at the beginning of next turn and we can see what the post-combat report is before deciding.

more units than I can count ready to take Nidaros and Upsalla, I think we have everything well in hand. Yes

BTW-Parsargadae is starving. Whip an archer there now (or a sword after Pers is taken) and then shuffle the queue so that the cat comes out first. Why not another cat?

"After Mecca and Parsargadae produce their cats next turn, we should have all the units we need for killing the AI. Those two cities can finish off with archers to protect them from a bold AI unit." Don't agree that we are sure to have all the units we need. Can't both cities produce one more unit (cat?) in time to be useful?

Additional thoughts:

The Medina WE may be frustrated in Susa by spear, so let him trek to Damascus where his full benefit is certain.

Put WE, wounded (but can promote) sword, and cat in Galleon on flood plain west of Damascus next turn, unless chariots move and we have to adjust to that.

I failed to pillage sea resources around Viking cities, increasing probability that they will research Feudalism and whip units. JT, please correct my mistake next turn.

BTW, wounded WE on forest SE of Nidaros is intended as tempting target for Viking spear.

 

[rrau]

Is the sword N of Kufah fortified? I'd wake it up so it doesn't get forgotten about.

[edit] There seems to be multiple fortified units. Maybe not the best thing to do in a SG when the next person playing may not know about them.

 

[Cactus Pete]

Is the sword N of Kufah fortified? I'd wake it up so it doesn't get forgotten about. Not sure, but nothing I can do about it now.

[edit] There seems to be multiple fortified units. Maybe not the best thing to do in a SG when the next person playing may not know about them.

Point well taken -- shouldn't fortify unless there is a real need. JT is alerted that I may have fortified some units as a convenience to myself.

 

[DJMGator13]

Can we position any of the captured workers as blockers just incase the AI/barbs puts any units on the roads? Most of the workers appreared to be in the south so this may not be useful.

 

[Frederiksberg]

Finally got a chance to look at the save. Looks like we are almost done .

I notice a couple of things.

The WE and 2 cats north of Ecbatana can enter Shannons Raider next turn and be available for an amphibious assault on Gordium 5 turns from now in case we need this extra backup.

Assuming that we can take Persepolis next turn we we will have access to horses in Parsagadea. This means that we have time to build a chariot there that can attack Susa 5 turns from now. If we whip yet another chariot it could attack Gordium in turn 5. Whipping an archer now won't stop starvation so I suggest we don't do it and save the pop for whipping chariots.

MP's Floating Lab have time to load WE and sword near Medina ruins, bring them to Damascus and return to chain units from Cactus Breeze to Damascus.

By doing this we should have the following units available to attack in no more than 5 turns:

Gordium: xbow, sword, cat (FF) 2 cats, WE (amphibious from SR), 1-2 chariots, cat (constructed in Parsagadea next turn) and survivors from Persepolis.

Susa: 2 cats, xbow, WE, 2 axes, chariot

Damascus: 4 WE's, 3 swords (2 are somewhat wounded), 2 cats

Kufah: 2 xbows, 2 swords, 2 cat

It's possible to do some trade-offs between Susa, Damascus and Kufah since some units have the option of reaching several cities in time. I have assumed that Mecca builds another cat next turn. No need to discuss the Viking cities since we have plenty of units there.

 

[Frederiksberg]

"After Mecca and Parsargadae produce their cats next turn, we should have all the units we need for killing the AI. Those two cities can finish off with archers to protect them from a bold AI unit." Don't agree that we are sure to have all the units we need. Can't both cities produce one more unit (cat?) in time to be useful?

Mecca should be able to produce one more cat that can reach Kufah in time and Parsargadea can produce one (or is it two?) chariots that can be used against Susa and Gordium (If two).

Unlikely to be needed, but absolutely no reason not to take this precautionary action once Nidaros falls. Shannon's Raiders can pick up a medic-promoted WE and 2 cats and sail there through Haithabu next turn (perhaps exchanging a cat for a WE as it passes Nidaros) and reach landfall at Bagdad in 4 turns.

I would rather reserve Shannons Raider for transport of some backup units to Gordium. We have a nameless galleon NE of Nidaros that can move towards Baghdad for insurance.

The Medina sword can reach Susa in 4 turns (Damascus in 5 -- too late), giving us a little insurance, and I'm thinking the best use of the last cat out of Mecca is in Susa, in case the axe and Xbow by Kufah are indeed needed there.

My suggestion would be to move him to Damascus in MP's FL. That will also give him more turns to heal.

 

[Cactus Pete]

The X-team is built for speed -- fastest winners in three categories in GOTM27.

 

[leif erikson]

The X-team is built for speed -- fastest winners in three categories in GOTM27.

Congratulations gentlemen!!

 

[Cactus Pete]

The WE and 2 cats north of Ecbatana can enter Shannons Raider next turn and be available for an amphibious assault on Gordium 5 turns from now in case we need this extra backup. Yes, that's a better option. As you suggest, another galleon can sail precaution patrol on Bagdad.

Assuming that we can take Persepolis next turn we we will have access to horses in Parsagadea. This means that we have time to build a chariot there that can attack Susa 5 turns from now. If we whip yet another chariot it could attack Gordium in turn 5. Real good idea.Whipping an archer now won't stop starvation so I suggest we don't do it and save the pop for whipping chariots. Please clarify . . . We've just whipped a cat. Don't understand talk of an archer.

MP's Floating Lab have time to load WE and sword near Medina ruins, bring them to Damascus and return to chain units from Cactus Breeze to Damascus. I don't think that works, Fred. You can't get to Damascus and then far enough south to be waiting a turn for CB in 2 turns. If you don't rendezvous in two turns with the second turn and one more to sail back to Damascus, you don't save a turn (but that is probably not critical).

BTW, I was wrong that the Medina sword can't get to Damascus in four turns. It can, if three of the workers under the Medina WE move to the forest 2SW of Damascus and build a road. Not sure we want to send him there rather than Susa, but it is an option, and we can send the workers and move the sword two turns NW before having to decide.

By doing this we should have the following units available to attack in no more than 5 turns:

Gordium: xbow, sword, cat (FF) 2 cats, WE (amphibious from SR), 1-2 chariots, cat (constructed in Parsagadea next turn I think we're going to want to send that cat to Susa, but we can wait until early next turn to see what happens with PERS and the units just out of Gordium before deciding.) and survivors from Persepolis.

Susa: 2 cats, xbow, WE, 2 axes, chariot You're assuming Xbow and axe are not needed at Kufah. If we can devise a plan that allows for that contingency, it would be desirable. In any event, I'd like to maintain the option of sending at least one more unit here

Damascus: 4 WE's, 3 swords (2 are somewhat wounded), 2 cats This may be overkill -- especially question if we can afford the second cat there, since it could get to both Kufah and Susa in time to be effective.

Kufah: 2 xbows, 2 swords, 2 cat If another archer shows up, we might need the axe and/or another cat here as well.

It's possible to do some trade-offs between Susa, Damascus and Kufah since some units have the option of reaching several cities in time. Yes, I'm beginning to think that we might want to pause after the IBT and Persepolis attack to make initial troop committments.I have assumed that Mecca builds another cat next turn. That's certainly my assumption as well.No need to discuss the Viking cities since we have plenty of units there.

If Ragnar get Feudalism, it might prove interesting.

 

[Cactus Pete]

Mecca should be able to produce one more cat that can reach Kufah in time and Parsargadea can produce one (or is it two?) chariots that can be used against Susa and Gordium (If two). If we get Persepolis next turn and then whip it.

My suggestion would be to move him (Medina sword) to Damascus in MP's FL. That will also give him more turns to heal.

Yes, if we load the medic-WE in the galleon with him and wait until turn 4 to unload. If both are taken to Damascus, then we need to be sure we'll have enough units in Susa, and I'm not sure we can be sure, though your chariot idea helps.

 

[Jimmy Thunder]

I'm alive and well but won't get a chance to play quite yet. Expect me to post a plan before the end of my weekend.

 

[leif erikson]

I'm alive and well but won't get a chance to play quite yet. Expect me to post a plan before the end of my weekend.

No problem here. It would take me at least that long to figure it all out!

Good luck with it JT.

 

[DJMGator13]

The X-team is built for speed -- fastest winners in three categories in GOTM27.

Well done.

I haven't played a GOTM since CivIII days. Need to improve my opening sequence before I return to that arena. Start of the game is so important. But playing in SG's like this is the best way to do just that.

 

[leif erikson]

I haven't played a GOTM since CivIII days. Need to improve my opening sequence before I return to that arena. Start of the game is so important. But playing in SG's like this is the best way to do just that.

I saw your name up in lights on the front page recently.

Something about a fantastic HoF finish...