SGOTM 11 - Gypsy Kings

[AlanH]

BtS SGOTM 11 - Welcome the Goddess

Welcome to your BtS SGOTM 11 Team Thread. Please use it for all internal team communication, turn logs and discussions. Subscribe to it to receive notifications, and do not visit the other team threads for this game until you have finished. Please also subscribe to the Maintenance Thread for this game, where teams and staff may post non-spoiler information of general interest.

You are playing as Gandhi and, appropriately, your civilization is dedicated to the worship of the Goddess of Peace, Eldine, who will enter the world to bring in an era of everlasting happiness on the very day that you prove her righteousness to the world by securing a peaceful victory over the other civilizations. There is but one problem. Eldine is currently naked and must be clothed when she enters the world. In order to clothe her in a manner as befits a great Goddess, you must have access to fur, dye, silk and ivory. Your Holy books tell you that Eldine will use the fur as a portal through which to enter the world, and to demonstrate your devotion to her, you must have a welcoming party ready on the fur: Four great people (to symbolise Eldine's greatness) and four warriors (to symbolise the toil and labour as you raised Eldine's great civilization from a single settler). This will be no easy feat, since rumour has it that fur is so rare that only one unique supply exists, and that is heavily guarded by the most vile barbarians. Doubtless this was the result of meddling by the Devil Satan when the world was young and the Gods not paying sufficient attention.

Oh, and Eldine detests war and all its trappings. On the day she enters the world, she will question your brother and sister AI civs to ascertain how you have treated them, and will be distressed beyond belief should she discover that you have been excessively warlike towards them - in that case she will reject your civilization and look for more worthy worshippers.

Your aim in this game is to welcome in Eldine by securing a cultural or diplomatic victory that satisfies the following conditions:

• Every AI is still alive and running a state religion.
• All your cities have access to fur, dye, silk and ivory.
• You have the welcoming party of four great people and four warriors standing ready on the only fur in the world. (The great people can be of any type)
• You are running a state religion which has been spread to every one of your cities.
• No more than two AIs have a 'you declared war on us' negative modifier towards you.

The winner of the competition is the team that secures the earliest (measured by date) cultural or diplomatic victory where all these conditions are satisfied on the turn of your victory. Obviously your game is forfeit should you lose the game or win by some other victory condition. If you win a cultural or diplomatic victory without satisfying all the conditions, your game will be listed and ranked within a secondary group for the amusement of other teams (especially if you do something silly that makes it impossible for you satisfy the conditions, like letting ivory become obsolete, or having fewer than 4 warriors when your tech becomes too advanced to let you build any more).

Timetable
The start files will be published on Friday, April 23 here. There will be one start file per team. Please ensure that you only download your own team file.

The finish deadline is August 23 2010. If any team has not finished by this date they will be deemed to have retired, and will not be eligible for any awards.

Starting Position
Here's the starting position - click the image below to see a larger version.



Map Parameters

• Playable Leader/Civ - Gandhi of India
• Traits - Spiritual, Philosophical (starts with Mysticism and Mining)
• Unique Unit - Fast Worker (replaces Worker)
• Unique Building - Mausoleum (replaces Jail)
• Starting Era - Ancient
• Difficulty - Emperor
• Game Speed - Epic (750 turns)
• World size - Standard
• Rivals - Six
• Landform - Fractal
• Sea level - Medium
• Climate - Temperate
• Other settings - No goodie huts, No events
• Victory Conditions - All enabled

Notes

• Versions
  This game will be played in Civilization IV Beyond the Sword, version 3.19, using the HoF Mod BUFFY-3.19.003. This HoF Mod version is available here.
  
  If a later BtS patch, or BUFFY version, is released during this game you will NOT be able to use it to play. You will need to complete this game in the above versions before updating your copy of BtS, or create and update a separate copy.
  
  Mac players can only join in if they are able to run the Windows game on their system.
  
• Awards
  Teams will compete for up to four awards - the Gold, Silver and Bronze Laurels for the Fastest victory that meets the above stated conditions, and the Wooden Spoons for the lowest scoring finisher.
  
• Rules and Procedures
  Please visit the Civ4 SGOTM reference thread to check out the rules and procedures to ensure that you are adequately prepared for this game.
  
  All saved game files uploaded to the server are parsed through software that extracts and archives data about your save, including reload count for each turn set.

Have fun

 

[Ronnie1]

The following are the RULES for competing as a member of the Gypsy Kings. All participants are EXPECTED to follow these rules, if you choose not to, please let me know which rules are at issue, and then I'll excuse you from further competition.

1. All standard GOTM rules apply. Mainly, we get 1 shot, no replays, period!
2. No viewing other team threads, period!
3. Have FUN, compete fairly, argue your points until your fingers bleed, or you convince a majority that your plan is superior!

The following rules taken directly from Murky Waters! Edited as needed, all credit given to Erkon!

This time around, we shall have more fun, learn even more and perform better than ever!

The following rules apply to all players in the Gypsy Kings SGOTM9 team.

Ensure that you have read and understood the rules provided by the administrators (C-IV SGOTM Reference Thread)* and follow any ongoing discussion at the SGOTM 11 Maintenance Thread

The next player shall post a ”got it” within 24 hours of the upload of the previous game. Else the next available player has the right to post the ”got it”. These rules replaces guideline 6 and 7 in the C-IV SGOTM Reference Thread. To ensure a smooth handover, please post the ”got it” within 24 hours. The rest of the team needs the in between 24 hours to solve who's next. It is mandatory to wait at least 12 hours after the "got it" before you play, and it's recommended to wait at least 24 hours after the ”got it” before you play. Else, the difference in time zones and busy work days may prevent players to post useful advice. If you for some reason have to "unget it", please post within 24 after the "got it" if possible. We aim to play two turn sets / week.

I would like us to use something that a lot of other teams practice: a pre-play-plan. Before you start playing, please post a short plan for your turns set, including the following topics: builds, military activity per theatre, tile improvements, research, civic switches, diplomatic actions and miscellaneously. You don't need to write a novel. A sentence or two for each topic will suffice. Lets take it from there and see how it falls out. Hopefully this will enable each player to feel more responsible and active. It is not intended to replace the incredible amount of interference advice from the rest of us.

One other thing I would like us to test is a mid-turn-set upload. If you are playing while other are online, please upload and the rest of us can review the save.

I don't want the above to be a burden, so feel free to use it and we can evaluate half way into the game if these ideas are good or not.

No-one is forced to play a turn set. You don’t need to announce the reason for skipping a turn set. Any players can swap turn sets if they announce the swap in time. Since the captain has a memory capacity of a demented gold fish, I urge you to make it clear when you intend to skip a turn. Please post as quick as possible to reduce unnecessary confusion and delays.

Please use smilies and emotes in your posts as much as possible. Jokes, humor, sarcasm and offensive language can and will be misinterpreted. Remember that written text is a poor method to convey feelings. Several of us are not native to the English language (R1 for example use's American English). The differences in culture is also a source for misunderstanding. If you get upset by a post, please wait a few hours before you respond. With this in mind I would like to encourage all and everyone to trash talk to your hearts content, particularly when dV screws up.

Don’t be afraid to post things that may appear stupid or evident. Each player have strengths and weaknesses. There are numerous examples in the SGOTM4, SGOTM5 and SGOTM6 thread when the most simple rule has been unknown to several of us (such as the difference between peace treaty and cease fire). Don’t be afraid that other members will think you are stupid. As a captain, I am obliged to post the most stupid questions to ensure that the rest of the team appear brighter.

Issues where we cannot reach consensus is resolved by the active player. If you run into a situation where you need advice, please upload the save and let the rest of us take a look. Or post a quick request for advice. It’s better to delay the game a day than build the Globe Theatre in the wrong city. Don’t be afraid making mistakes though. We all screw up once in a while.

Don’t promote units until they are close to action (unless the promotion increases movement). If you are unsure of suitable promotions, don’t hesitate to bring that up for discussion. We all have very different experiences from promotions, for example barrage/CR for cats and combat vs other promotions.

Don’t play intoxicated (from alcohol, drugs or smoke). Don’t play when you are too tired. Or when you have your kids/wife screaming at you.

Try to keep track of the diplomatic events each turn, and visit each city regularly. It’s mandatory to check cities that grow or have a border expansion. Remember that the number of happy people will change due to changes in war weariness (WW), gained/lost resources etc. Keep track of specialists. We don’t want to pollute the great person pool. Please respect the micro management plans.

Please contact AlanH if your game crashes, even if you can repeat all your moves.

If you PM the team, please ensure every one receives a copy.

Remember that a lot of players read what we post. Don't be rude or disrespectful to any player not on our team.

Try to run a test game or two before we start. Your experience may either confirm or contradict some one else's, and is therefore valuable.

The goal for Team Gypsy Kings is to end among the top three teams. The ambition is to grab the GOLD!

This is the motto of the Captain: "We have an ambition to perform well and of course we want to win the gold laurel. We also want to have fun while playing and we want to learn more. It's more important to me to have fun than win the gold, and I think that it's the same for most players."

Ensure that your autosave config is set every turn. Don't forget to enable all HOF settings in case you lost them during a dual-install or whatever reason. And set the first-turn-setting to first turn = 0. This will reduce future confusion.

When you state the turn/year research is completed (or any other event), please use the turn/year that is stated by the event log. Research for example is completed at the end of a turn. The pop up thus shows the turn after the tech is learned.

When the game is over, and the staff has confirmed it's over, you are free to read other team threads. When their game is over, and the staff has confirmed it, you are free to post in their threads as well.

Ok, if you have bothered to read this far, you are eligible to either a) ignore this crap or b) provide valuable comments.

Mostly cut and pasted from last game....please ask/say if something doesn't feel right or you have a different idea!

 

[Ronnie1]

place holder

 

[Ronnie1]

1 more

 

[Ronnie1]

I'm here...let the fun begin!

Game starts in 3 days....with so many weird restrictions, I'm not sure how much testing we really need to do.

What I do think is important, is to get our basic LONG TERM strategy in place.

What will the FASTEST victory condition be?

 

[Conquistador 63]

Signing in.

Regarding Ron's question, my 1st impressions:

Gandhi (phi/spi) is a pretty good leader for culture (cheap temples, GA generation) and diplo (GS generation and anarchy-free civic switches).

However, given the need to control some resources and to force the AI to have state religions, it is likely we'll need to wage some wars. If that is the case, the path for a diplo win should offer more flexibility for us than the traditional turtle play of the fast cultural wins. Also, there is the question of strong barbs guarding the furs, so we may also need advanced military techs.

 

[Grifftavian]

Reporting as ordered

Thanks for allowing me to join the Gypsy Kings for this game

I have subscribed to both this thread and the SGOTM11 maintenance thread.

RE: fastest win - I'd say Cultural, but agree that Diplomatic may give us more options if we have to impose our will on some of the neighbors. Would it be possible to begin by laying the foundation for a cultural victory initially while keeping the option open for the UN later?

Attached is a test game I created. I think I got the visible starting tiles correct. It should let you try out some opening strategies.

Conflict alert: My Niece is getting married on May 1st, so if my turn set comes up during the weekend of April 30 - May 2, I'll have to be skipped. And as luck would have it, in today's mail, I received a summons to report for jury duty on May 17th It says it should only last for one week, and hopefully I'll be home in the evenings to keep up with the team thread. It's possible I may be able to play that week, but be prepared to skip me that week as well. I'll have a better feel for that after I report to the Courthouse the first day.

 

[Grifftavian]

Since we need to keep four Warriors around to welcome our naked Goddess when she delivers our I'd suggest that we rename four Warriors so that they don't get inadvertently deleted or upgraded. Something simple such as...

• Honor Guard 1
• Honor Guard 2
• Honor Guard 3
• Honor Guard 4

just to make them different from any other Warriors we may build. Might be best to keep those four safely tucked away inside cities until we locate and secure the Fur resource. Wouldn't want them wandering around busting fog and get eaten by Bears or Lions.

Also, to keep things simple, just refer to me as Griff if you'd like (how does the old saying go: you can call me anything you want, as long as you don't call me late for dinner )

 

[adrianj]

Checking in.

As I mentioned in the sign up thread, I don't (read: shouldn't) have that much time free for this, so I apologise in advance. Thanks for having me on the team

Having said that, I'm very easily distracted from whatever is actually important in real-life, so who knows what will happen. One thing for sure though - I'll be away from 1 May to 24 May - visiting the US of all places.

I agree with what's been said so far - Cultural could be fastest, but not very flexible. My vote is for Diplo, and Culture can be our fall back position. Naming some warriors is a handy tool as well. Maybe even turn one into a super medic? Or all 4! Eldine will surely be most impressed!

 

[da_Vinci]

Reporting for duty.

We should start with a list of the unique victory conditions, and then strategic implications of each. Running to work just now, but some things that come to mind:

Must own the one fur: this puts priority on early exploration, so we know what we are dealing with, particularly since ...

Only two "you declared war on us" modifiers allowed, so we need to know if we need to save one for conquering the fur. Also, how does limited warring limit our ability to get civs happy enough for the diplo win?

On that front, if we need to war on neighbors for initial expansion, can we use religious differences to get them to declare on us?

You get the idea, got to run ...

But first a quick edit ... problem with cultural here is that you can't shut it off if a civ adopts free religion on us and third city is too close. If you plan to finish cultural with bombs, then you have some control. Of course, with diplo, you can only win when the votes come up. Hmm ...

dV

 

[Grifftavian]

<snip>We should start with a list of the unique victory conditions, and then strategic implications of each.<snip>

You are running a state religion which has been spread to every one of your cities. With the Spiritual trait, Gandhi starts with Mysticism (and Mining). Given this victory condition, should the first tech we research be Polytheism (or Meditation) in order to found the religion we adopt as our state religion? It would give us the option of having a Great Prophet build the Holy Shrine to help the religion spread, and spamming missionaries to the neighbors when we have the holy shrine could help the treasury and allow the research slider to be kept a notch higher. How does everyone feel about having the capitol as a holy city? (We could always move the capitol later if you don't like having a holy city as the capitol)

Must own the one fur: this puts priority on early exploration, so we know what we are dealing with, particularly since ...

Only two "you declared war on us" modifiers allowed, so we need to know if we need to save one for conquering the fur. Also, how does limited warring limit our ability to get civs happy enough for the diplo win?

Agree with the need for early exploration, not only to meet the neighbors, but to locate the four resources required to meet the victory conditions. Hunting should be one of the first five techs we research; gives us Scouts for exploration, and its needed for the Fur and Ivory. [EDIT] Getting Alphabet early on would allow us to use spies to explore territory of any civs who won't sign an Open Borders treaty.[/EDIT]

Getting an early religion and spreading it to the neighbors would be one way to improve happiness. We can also use our Spiritual Trait to switch to their favorite civic, although IIRC, we don't get the favorite civic bonus unless they are already running that civic. If we get the tech that enables their favorite civic before they do, we could gift it to them, and get some extra bonus points for helping them as well.

On that front, if we need to war on neighbors for initial expansion, can we use religious differences to get them to declare on us?<snip>

I think so, that heathen religion thing seems to be the root cause of most early wars, IMO. We can also trade with their worst enemy, make some arrogant demands for techs and money, and refuse any of their demands. [EDIT] Sending in spies for sabotage missions can earn us some negative modifers as well, especially if they are caught in the act.[/EDIT] I'm usually much better at getting AI Civs to hate me than to like me

 

[Ronnie1]

I'm usually much better at getting AI Civs to hate me than to like me

I can totally second this point...I'm very good at getting them to hate me!

And welcome to our only NEW member Griff!

I also agree with the assessment that Culture is probably faster, but not very flexible. Diplo on the other hand should be easy enough to achieve, maybe not just super quick.

We really need only one civ happy enough to vote for us if we can basically self vote through a giant empire.

I don't normally go for an early religion, but see that it could be beneficial here for getting others to "hate" us early so we can get into some wars without actually having to declare.

 

[da_Vinci]

Continuing the list ...

Old:

Must own the one fur: this puts priority on early exploration, so we know what we are dealing with, particularly since ...

Only two "you declared war on us" modifiers allowed, so we need to know if we need to save one for conquering the fur. Also, how does limited warring limit our ability to get civs happy enough for the diplo win?

On that front, if we need to war on neighbors for initial expansion, can we use religious differences to get them to declare on us?

New:

Every AI survivies: more premium on early exploration, as we might have to sail out to rescue an AI in trouble. But that means us declaring on the aggressor, and we can only do that twice ...

Every AI is running a state religion at victory time this could be the hardest thing of all ... so we need to understand our strategies for this, as that will frame everything else we do, I think.

dV

 

[bcool]

Hello everyone,

Thanks for having me back even though I wasn't able to contribute to the last game.

I should have time this time around to contribute. I might have less time until June 4th, then I should have a good amount of free time. I should still be able to play turns and contribute to the discussion before then however.

I made a test game and played for a diplomatic victory and cultural victory, and I agree with the comments made earlier that a diplomatic victory will be more flexible. And as it turns out I was able to win the diplo game significantly faster (probably because I don't have much experience with cultural games). I'm at work now so I don't have the two dates but I won the diplo game in the 1400's and cultural game in the early 1700's.

I'll post the test game and results when I get home if anyone expresses interest.

I don't think we will need to found an early religion. I think researching those slows down our early development more than the benefits it gives us. I'm assuming we are not isolated and we will be able to pick up a religion from someone else relatively easily. This is good because we can choose a popular religion and get some diplomatic benefits from sharing the religion with the AI, rather than having to spread our own to them and trying to get them to convert.

In both games I found building the (religious diplomatic victory wonder-name escapes me) really helps. For the diplo game I was able to use the power of that to open borders, stop wars, close borders, etc. to manipulate the relationships the AI had with me and each other. In the cultural game it allowed me some protection in the event that I was declared on by an AI.

In both games I also found the espionage system to be very important. At the very least, you might need to change an AI's civics to make sure they have a state religion at the end, so espionage is something we shouldn't totally neglect. Espionage can also help switch the other continent's AI's religions over to our own for diplomatic bonuses.

bcool

 

[Grifftavian]

<snip>Every AI survivies: more premium on early exploration, as we might have to sail out to rescue an AI in trouble. But that means us declaring on the aggressor, and we can only do that twice ... <snip>

<snip>
In both games I found building the (religious diplomatic victory wonder-name escapes me) really helps. For the diplo game I was able to use the power of that to open borders, stop wars, close borders, etc. to manipulate the relationships the AI had with me and each other. In the cultural game it allowed me some protection in the event that I was declared on by an AI. <snip>

I was just thinking that when I read dV's comment above. The Apostolic Palace would be useful as a peaceful means to stop foreign wars. Plus, if we control the AP, we wouldn't have to worry about a Religious Victory vote being called.

 

[da_Vinci]

Quote from opening post:

Your aim in this game is to welcome in Eldine by securing a cultural or diplomatic victory that satisfies the following conditions:

1. Every AI is still alive and running a state religion.
2. All your cities have access to fur, dye, silk and ivory.
3. You have the welcoming party of four great people and four warriors standing ready on the only fur in the world. (The great people can be of any type)
4. You are running a state religion which has been spread to every one of your cities.
5. No more than two AIs have a 'you declared war on us' negative modifier towards you.

By the numbers:

1. Every AI is still alive and running a state religion.

Every AI survives: more premium on early exploration, as we might have to sail out to rescue an AI in trouble. But that means us declaring on the aggressor, and we can only do that twice ...

Every AI is running a state religion at victory time: this could be the hardest thing of all ... so we need to understand our strategies for this, as that will frame everything else we do, I think.

bcool brings up espionage, and changing religious civics as a means to this end. Espi is my weakest game area I think, but do we run an "espionage econcomy" at some point?

2. All your cities have access to fur, dye, silk and ivory. This should not be too hard, unless these resources are scarce. We already know that fur is scarce. Early exploration will tell us about the rest. Speaking of exploration, are huts present or absent? Or do we know?

3. You have the welcoming party of four great people and four warriors standing ready on the only fur in the world. (The great people can be of any type) Need to find the scarce fur ... 4 warriors is not an issue, four great people of any type probably isn't either.

4. You are running a state religion which has been spread to every one of your cities.

5. No more than two AIs have a 'you declared war on us' negative modifier towards you. We need to know if we need to save one for conquering the fur. Also, how does limited warring limit our ability to get civs happy enough for the diplo win?

On that front, if we need to war on neighbors for initial expansion, can we use religious differences to get them to declare on us?

The three in bold are probably thorny items, the two in underline are readily under our control, I think.

OK, themes for discussion:

Early exploration: how high a priority?

Religion: how early, and what purpose? To get civs to like us? To get civs to hate us (for wars)? Seems we need to pick early our friends and enemies, and use religion to manipulate them appropriately. Do we want to found most religions to make that easier? Or is that a waste of beakers in an emperor game?

Role of espionage: How important, and when to emphasize it?

Victory condition: Cultural can't be stopped after a certain point, like a nuclear reaction past the point of no return. But with a host of stored GA for the third city, we would actually have more control of the turn of victory than with Diplo (vote only every 4 or 6 turns, whatever it is in BTS). Is Diplo faster than cultural in say aj's hands, or C63's? If religious manipulation is key, then founding most religions is consistent with a cultural VC.

and, I almost forgot ...

What is the first move?

dV

 

[Ronnie1]

So speaking of opening moves....

I will set the roster tomorrow....

I personally like settling on the plains hill, but wonder about the lack forest there being a sign that it holds copper/iron.

The warrior will provide very little help in a settling decision IMO, but we should move him somewhere!

 

[Grifftavian]

<snip>I don't normally go for an early religion, but see that it could be beneficial here for getting others to "hate" us early so we can get into some wars without actually having to declare.

<snip>I don't think we will need to found an early religion. I think researching those slows down our early development more than the benefits it gives us. I'm assuming we are not isolated and we will be able to pick up a religion from someone else relatively easily. This is good because we can choose a popular religion and get some diplomatic benefits from sharing the religion with the AI, rather than having to spread our own to them and trying to get them to convert.<snip>

That's why I brought the early religion topic up. I don't usually try for one either, and I think most people wouldn't normally try for an early religion. The exception may be when your playing with a leader who has the Spiritual trait, as is the case in SG11.

With the test game I made, I founded Delhi in place and researched Polytheism first, founding Hinduism in Delhi. After building a Fast Worker, 5 Warriors and 2 Settlers in Delhi, I was able to build The Oracle there, and took Code of Laws as the free tech, which founded Confucianism in another city. After The Oracle, I built Hindu and Confucian Temples in Delhi and ran Priest Specialists, which, along with the Oracle bonus, let me get some early Great Prophets. I used the first two Great Prophets to build the Hindu and Confucian Holy Shrines, and the income from those let me move the research slider from 40% back up to 70%. I used the 3rd Great Prophet to light bulb Theology, and founded Christianity. So by 10 AD, I had founded 3 religions and had started building the AP.

My point is, the can be some benefit from going for the early religions. I'm not saying this is the best way to go. My game above would most likely result in having a better chance for a cultural victory than a UN/Diplomatic Victory. I think I'll replay it without going for the early religion and see what happens.

Another question for team discussion: Having a leader with the Philosophical trait, we shouldn't have any trouble generating Great people. Should we go ultra-conservative and save the first four GP we get to make sure we always have enough to welcome our naked goddess when she brings us our ?

 

[adrianj]

I think that an "Espionage Economy" is a viable option:
Pros
1. This is emperor level - the AI researches well enough that stealing techs could be cheaper than self researching them.
2. Espionage is flexible for controlling AI civics - keep them out of Free Religion.
3. It synergises very well with an early religion - if we found a religion, build the shrine, and spread it round we get discounts on spy missions in cities with the religion. It has been shown that investing to steal techs is more efficient that researching the hard way.
4. Our UB is a jail after all... (pretty weak, only extra benefit is +2) might be late in the game before we use it, if at all, but at least we would have a reason to build one

Cons
1. We can't have an actual tech lead. UNLESS we bulb techs - thankfully pretty much the entire route to Mass Media can be bulbed by Scientists.
2. There is also a hammer cost to building spies.
3. If spies get caught, AI will get upset. This could make diplo harder.

 

[Grifftavian]

<snip> Speaking of exploration, are huts present or absent? Or do we know? <snip>

Per the map parameters section in the first post above, goody huts and random events are turned off.

<snip> I personally like settling on the plains hill, but wonder about the lack forest there being a sign that it holds copper/iron.

The warrior will provide very little help in a settling decision IMO, but we should move him somewhere!

I have the same concern about settling on the hill, more so with Copper than with Iron. If we settle on the hill and it has Copper, we'd need to build the four Warriors before we research Bronze Working, or else scramble and build them in a city not connected to the capitol. Moving the Settler to the hill delays founding our first city by one turn, but its a better defensive position, and it would bust about 5 tiles of fog. Would an evil map maker put a nasty barbarian animal on the other side of that hill?

Moving the Warrior N or NE looks as if it would only fog bust 3 tiles. Moving him SW would fog bust 4 tiles. Moving him NW would fog bust 5 tiles, but leave him exposed on a plains tile.