SGOTM3 Rome - Team Bugsy

[Bede]

Getting those roads built was impossible. Too many heavy attack units in the due north. Last set the only place I could build roads was the NE.

Play it first thing in the morning tomorrow. Look it over tonight.

You guys are doing a heckuva a job keeping us alive

Will try to game up to the standards set since the last set.

 

[RowAndLive]

That is an ugly picture for sure. We're all giving it the good fight, though, and have to hang on.

While I'd prefer to stay the course, as I don't see us going any place by changing this late, I will now concede to giving up on the variant if the whole team so wills. Perhaps we could get enough peace to survive a few extra turns. We do have to keep in mind that that is all we'll get from it, as our rep was trashed eary on, we have no oney, and are so far behind, that we have no techs to trade, except maybe to Greece. Alas, defeat in abandoning the variant...

 

[grahamiam]

i don't want to abandon the varient now. i know it's hopeless, but what do we gain by changing now? i vote to play it out, pain and all plus, i always need work on fighting defensive wars. it's something you have to do at diety and sid so this is as good a time as any to hone those skills.

 

[Bede]

Honing skills is right.....

As Bugsy would say....

Fight like mad dogs, fight!

Stay the course.

 

[alerum68]

Sorry about the road thing, but those we're a very painful 5 turns that could have been much easier if we had put an army with some workers and roaded as tiles became open in the northwest.

 

[Sir Bugsy]

Sorry about the road thing, but those we're a very painful 5 turns that could have been much easier if we had put an army with some workers and roaded as tiles became open in the northwest.

Which we did and the road promptly got bombarded from the sea. You will notice a whole lot more roads northwest of Caesarea, however, those workers were captured then put to the sword. Comparing the first save with the last save in my turns, I got three tiles roaded.

So did you build any roads? Or did you find it as difficult as the rest of us?

Slamming people isn't going to get us further along. Dealing with each situation as it comes up and trying to get ahead of the AI is how we're going to win.

 

[alerum68]

Yes, I built roads on my turns. I said I was sorry Bugsy. Either you can take that, and move on, or slam me for it. As for the roads being bombarded by sea, that's a non issue, because the action is not happening by the sea, but inland.

 

[Sir Bugsy]

Sorry, I suppose I need to read things more thoroughly.

 

[Bede]

The meatgrinder grinds slowly and finely but it grinds.

Post tonight.

 

[RowAndLive]

Just to confirm, with Bede playing, that I'm on deck? We've mixed it around a bit this round. I'm not trying to grab it, just trying to confirm. Thanks.

 

[denyd]

That order works for me. I got my replacement monitor and installed it last night ($109 for a 17" monitor. Must be bacause nobody wants the non-flat panel screens anymore).

I just caught up on all the action since last Friday and I'm not in any big hurry to take my turn as Davy Crockett on the Alamo walls.

I do think it might be possible to win this one if we abandoned the variant. With France and England in their weakened state we could hammer on them until we got to their final city and then grabbed a bunch of tech for peace. That might get us close to tech parity and then we could repeat that on America & Russia and again on Babylon & Germany. Then go back and start eliminating the remains. With tech parity and the full continent under control the other island would not offer much resistance. If we stay with the variant, we might be able eventually take out France or England (maybe both if we got lucky), but we'd never be able to catch up on tech and eventually either the vote would happen or they would launch. So I guess it's a decision between "DIE WITH YOUR BOOTS ON" or "HE WHO FIGHT'S AND RUNS AWAY, LIVES TO FIGHT ANOTHER DAY".

 

[Sir Bugsy]

Well we've played this so long in variant mode that all we would get is a hollow victory. If we keep playing and lose, it will be a learning experience. If we win, what a victory.

R&L - You'll be next to wear the Davey Crokett hat after our favorite Monk.

 

[alerum68]

I can't believe you guys are really talking about it. I don't want to stop the varient. The AI would become even more powerful if we did! No, we just have to keep "the meatgrinder" coming as Bede says.

 

[RowAndLive]

Incidentally, the posting for SGOTM4 is up - to start 9/20.

 

[denyd]

Alerum68: My suggestion was based on three things.

1. The need to finish this game before SGOTM4 comes out (edit: just read prior post)
2. A selfish reason, that I've never lost a SG yet. (9 wins in 9 games)
3. The fact that the turns are taking longer and are more stressful than any I've played before. (this is supposed to be fun)

While I'm not advocating surrender, I don't believe there is any chance to turn this game into a victory under the current conditions. I'm willing to give each turn set a maximum effort, but all we seem to be able to do is tread water and soon the AI will be getting tanks, planes and then nukes. Even if we managed to get to cavalry soon, it's just a matter of when not if we'll get overrun.

 

[grahamiam]

While I'm not advocating surrender, I don't believe there is any chance to turn this game into a victory under the current conditions. I'm willing to give each turn set a maximum effort, but all we seem to be able to do is tread water and soon the AI will be getting tanks, planes and then nukes. Even if we managed to get to cavalry soon, it's just a matter of when not if we'll get overrun.

i think your right so let's consider an alternative...

everyone agrees that this is a grind, not particularly fun to play, and very intense, right? perhaps we just conceed the inevitable and accelerate it in a blaze of defiance! strike France, selling out our defenses. try to sack all her cities while leaving little to defend our own. take the remaining legion army (i think only 1 is left) and send it out with 25+ cats. take all the remaining knights and knight army's behind it and start razing france to the ground. leave a legion or 2 in the remaining cities, destroy roads in the core to slow down the AI's advance, whatever, just lash out with our remaining offensive weapons and try to kill France before we are killed. maybe even stack 35 legions in 1 town, on a hill, with walls, abandoning the rest of the towns, and let the rest of the units go till they're exhausted, whatever makes the most fun.


might be a little more fun and it'll take the pressure off. and who knows, maybe we'll kill france 1st and get to start in on someone else?

 

[alerum68]

A Battle of the Bulge style assult? I love it. But should we do it now, or wait til we can get Cavs?!

 

[Sir Bugsy]

I think when we get cavs we can just go nuts. We'll gather a force of ten cavs and just cut them loose.

Edit - So as the kind of leader guy, do you guys want to keep the team together for SGOTM4 or go our separate ways? I understand either way.

We could sign up as a team or individuals.

 

[denyd]

I'm hoping we'll be able to stay together for SGOTM4.

I'll probably sign up later tonight.

 

[Sir Bugsy]

Next question for everyone to consider, do we want to try the 5CC variant?

I think with this bunch of builders, we should be able to kick butt. Remember that this is the game where we share a continent with X-man, and he has the only iron on the continent. So it isn't as simple as just building five cities and becoming a cultural giant.

Further, we would need to consider which victory condition we would want to go for. Conquest would be very difficult. Obviously domination would be out. A 20K cultural would be possible, 100K would be difficult without getting 20K first. Diplo is always an option.