SGOTM 17 - The Shawshank Redemption

[Dhoomstriker]

Mansa is running Slavery but Timbuktu is still Size 6. Meanwhile, Djenne has grown to Size 2, which is consistent with the test game (maybe off by 1 turn, but I could have been off by 1 turn in placing Monte's City 2 in the test game). So, we might see a whipped Monument (Monte did that) or another Skirm from City 2.

 

[Dhoomstriker]

Actually, I feel really silly now. I should probably use one of those Workers to build partial Roads for the Archer, to see if we can trap further Workers. Oh well, I can have one Worker aim to do so beginning next turn.

EDIT: Actually, there's no need to feel silly... it is worth losing 1 Worker turn to ensure that the Worker is guarded by the Archer.

 

[Mitchum]

Nice. Be sure to check each turn if Mansa will talk. Having our archer threaten hi city should help our odds of peace once he'll talk... Unless he's threatening our city too, I guess.

 

[Dhoomstriker]

Turn 30, 875 BC
Mansa will talk with us but won't give us Peace or a Cease Fire, so we'll have to earn a win somehow (or else wait for enough time to go by?).

His Skirm is camped at our capital so our Archer and Worker head toward the north-east to start Roading toward the Ivory City location.

 

[Dhoomstriker]

Worker 3 heads to the G Jungle 1N of City 2, where he can help to improve the Cow Pasture 1 turn sooner.

Worker 4 and the Archer can work on setting up a two-pronged trap... one Road can be next to the Copper and the other Road can be next to the north, with a partially-Roaded GH Jungle square in between them.

 

[Dhoomstriker]

There will be a minor cost for now... we're paying 1 Gold per Turn in Unit Supply Costs. That cost will disappear after we've founded Ivory City and can get our units inside of Ivory City's Cultural Borders. In the meantime, we'll just have to suck it up.

A Bear has been spotted on the peninsula by our Scout. Sigh. That won't be fun to try and dodge.

Spoiler :

 

[Dhoomstriker]

A Panther has also been spotted to the south-west of City 2, but it shouldn't bother us. However, its presence does highlight the need to be careful about sending Workers outside of Cultural Borders unescorted. (Mansa could learn the same lesson, haha.)

Spoiler :

 

[Dhoomstriker]

T31, 850 BC
Uhhhh, poop. I don't think that Barb Animals can walk on the same square as each other, but when trying to watch where the Bear went, I missed seeing where it went, but I DID see a Panther move onto the Plains square that the Bear had just finished occupying and then the Panther walked away.

So, there are 3 squares on which those 2 animals could have gone (the 4th one is the G Riv Banana Jungle that we can see, but no animal is on it).

Thus, if we were to move our Scout 1SW G River Jungle, we'd have a 66% chance of walking next to a dangerous Barb Animal. I think that I have to wait at least 1 turn without moving the Scout.

 

[Dhoomstriker]

Aachen has hit Size 4 and starts to build a Settler. In testing, I waited a few turns to whip the Settler, since, after 1 turn from now, we'll have 4 Happy people with 4 Healthiness, so we can work 4 squares (even if the 4th one is just a G For) and can "save up" some Hammers to go into... probably another Archer but they could also go into a Galley or a Library.

 

[Dhoomstriker]

The Cow Pasture has been improved 1 turn ahead of schedule!

Math won't come immediately, but it will still arrive quite soon, with I think just 1 turn at a 0% Science Rate to get us there (and possibly a turn at a partial Science Rate if we're ready to Chop a Forest at that time).

 

[Dhoomstriker]

Timbuktu is still at Size 6. I'll leave the Scout in place and wait for the Barb Animals on the peninsula to make their move first.

 

[Dhoomstriker]

I just noticed that Djenne is at Size 1. I'm not sure what Mansa made, but if it was a Skirm, we'll probably see it soon enough.

 

[Dhoomstriker]

I saw Mansa's Scout move (he's to the east of our capital) and I saw the Panther in the south-west move, but I didn't see Barb Animals on the peninsula move. I guess that with a 66% chance of a Barb Animal being on the one square that we fear LAST turn, and a Barb Animal HAVING to move for THIS turn, it's about as safe of a time as we dare to move prior to the mass-Animal-extinction event.

Worst case, we lose the Scout and then we'll have less Unit Cost and Unit Supply. I'm playing fast-and-loose with our Warrior for the same reason by scouting near Mansa's capital.

 

[Dhoomstriker]

Darn, it looks like Mansa completed his next Worker already. Our trap will come too late.

By the way, Mansa has access to Horses. Yikes. Let's hope that he says "Chariots are weaker than Skirms, so I won't build any."

Spoiler :

 

[Dhoomstriker]

Well, we gambled with the odds, but a Panther still showed up on the square that we didn't want him to appear on. At least he's not the Bear, we're in a Jungle, and the Panther cannot walk to a flatland square on the same side of the River first, so we'll get the River defence bonus. The odds are in our favour, but you can lose any battle in Civ 4...

Spoiler :

 

[Dhoomstriker]

Turn 33, 800 BC
Our Scout defeated the Panther and now has 2 XP! He quickly promotes to Woodsman I and goes from 0.8 to 0.9 health, being able to heal within the span of one turn.

Mansa's Worker is tantalizingly out of reach. I guess that the goal will be to scare him back toward the capital, buying us some more time to get our trap in place. The last thing that I want is him heading toward City 2, so I will move the Warrior back 1SE. Doing so should force Mansa's Worker to head back toward his capital.

Spoiler :

 

[Dhoomstriker]

I 2-pop-whip the Settler in Aachen as it looks like doing so can get us 2 Archers "in the field" guarding our Worker and Settler as they head toward Ivory City.

 

[Dhoomstriker]

T34, 775 BC
Sweet! Math comes in and we complete our first post-Math Forest chop by Prague (the Forest 1S of the G Copper). Next turn we can whip our Granary.

I didn't exactly see where Mansa's Worker went, but we've definitely bought ourselves some time to set up a trap.

Oh, there's his Worker... to the north of Timbuktu... and Timbuktu was just 2-pop-whipped. A Chariot is not a 2-pop-whip (unless it's an emergency whip, but he should have had no reason to perform an emergency whip), so he possibly whipped a Library or a Settler.

Spoiler :

Meanwhile... the Bear showed up 1SE of our just-healed Scout... and then DISAPPEARED! Yes, that's right... the Bear moved into view and then "went into hibernation." We could have dodged him anyway by going 1SW, which I did just in case I was hallucinating at this late hour, but I'm pretty sure that we just got rid of both Barb Animals down there.

Spoiler :

Also, settling on top of the G Jungle Rice looks even nicer now. I think that we'll stick with settling by the Ivory, since we've already got our plan for a City there and it will leave either our Settler or Worker at risk to Barb threats if we don't get the Ivory City set up. Plus, we don't want a Barb City to spawn by the Ivory.

The Scout should hopefully be able to prevent any Barb City from appearing near this cache of resources on the peninsula.

There is still a good chance that the peninsula connects to Jastrow's hoped-for island... we should be able to use the Railroad next turn to help us explore a bit faster.

Note that the Settler will stay inside of Aachen this turn... it will work out...
T34 (now) the Worker finishes the Road SW + W of Ivory City
T35 Archer + Worker move 1NE to the Grassland square 1W of the planned Ivory City location and the Worker starts Roading
T35 Settler uses the Roads to join the Worker and Archer
T35 Freshly-built Archer moves NE + NE
T36 That freshly-built Archer guards the Worker while the Archer that is guarding the Worker and Settler will guard the Settler as it moves into position at the Ivory City location


Sure, a Bear or Barb Archer or something could appear and mess us up, but an Archer SHOULD be enough protection, and we'll have a second Archer coming from behind to help out should we win a battle (i.e. should our first Archer be wounded).

 

[Dhoomstriker]

Another AI has a Size 6 City.

Top 5 Cities reads:
6
5
4
4
4 Timbuktu

Rival best GNP is 45.

Our Soldiers value is 48000 while the Rival Best is 55000, Average is 51000, and Worst is 40000. So, we're keeping up militarily.

 

[Dhoomstriker]

T35, 750 BC
Trollololololol! That event I did not predict... Mansa built another Worker. Hahaha. Oh, I really hope that our trap works out! I can't wait! ^.^

Spoiler :