Soda I - Jumping to Monarch

[retro V]

Skippity do da, skippity ay. Next up is aquar.

 

[aquar]

Ok, I got it. Anyone who wants to join is welcome by me. I'm surprised to see you so busy lately, Retro. I hope Sprite is doing well over in Israel. He's been away for a while now. Will probably be done with my turn within 14 hours.

 

[aquar]

Good morning, campers! --- The Who.

IBT---adjust cities.

1. 1202 AD---Peace treaty with Catherine is cancelled. Will she attack us again? Will she make peace with Hatty? Who cares. Market complete in Tenochtitlan. Start training a longbowman for defense of our frontier cities.

2. 1208 AD---Peace treaty with Bismarck is cancelled. Now that might be something to worry about. Worker is done in Persepolis. Start training another longbowman. Lighthouse is complete in Tlatelolco. Start yet another longbowman.

3. 1214 AD---The Colossus- what a show- is complete! Start the forbidden palace in Teotihuacan. Seems like a great location after checking all the nearby city maintenances and Teotihuacan's maintenance is the highest. Only 13 turns at current rate. And there are courthouses in all the cities.

4. 1220 AD---Worker improvements but more exciting is that Germany has six workers nearby Essen. Tempting....

5. 1226 AD---Longbowman complete in Persepolis. Begin a war elephant. I send the longbowman to Susa up north.

6. 1232 AD---Longbowman complete in Tenochtitlan. (I sure am going to learn how to spell all these foreign city names soon) Begin a catapult. Send the longbowman to Harappan (9 turns).

7. 1238 AD---Longbowman in Tlatelolco complete. Begin a war elephant. Longbowman is sent to Essen (5 turns). A longbowman entrenches in Susa.

8. 1244 AD---zzz

9. 1250 AD---War elephant complete in Persepolis. Start another war elephant. Forge complete in Susa. Begin barracks.

10. 1256 AD---Guild tech is complete. Begin HR.

Catherine and Hatty are still at war. We are still struggling with science; we just don't seem to have needed improvements and city size yet. I built quite a few farms so our cities could grow and work more tiles. Our cities are near their max growth so we need to keep an eye on needed farms and perhaps rework some tiles in at least one city that I noticed. Germany has built quite a network on our border and continues to grow it toward Hatty. In other words, there is a lot of nice stuff to loot if we need gold fast in a war with Germany. I sure was tempted to make a run for his six workers, but with movement costs, I could probably only have stolen one. I've been down that road before. I have two elephants guarding workers on the German border and a swordsman just outside Essen to protect workers as well. Not much to say other than that.

The lovely and talented, rrau, is up next.

 

[retro V]

Getting some defences in place. Nice work

We have a lot of coastal area we can work. That Colossus will be very profitable.

 

[rrau]

The superior education system of the Persians has produced a great scientist.

Options:

1) Academy in the capital (my preference)
2) Learn Philosophy - already known by 1 civ - would give us a chance to trade to catch up in techs. (we're still up guilds and I could probably trade us to tech parity with it, but all I'm being offered for it is music, which I don't think is worth it)
3) Great scientist somewhere (least favorite option)
4) Save for a GA or to research a tech after we learn philosophy

Opinions?

 

[retro V]

Are we gonna get much long-term use out of an academy? If so, fine.

I'd go with a future golden age, at a point where some of the cities are fully developed.

rrau - just played
AdamW81 - you're up
VeryApe
retro V
aquar

 

[rrau]

I'm not done playing yet. I was only a turn or so into my 10 when I got it. I'll finish my turns tonight after work

 

[retro V]

Oops. Sorry.

 

[rrau]

1256 (0) Trade Mansa CS for Drama, HBR, 40gcs. (Everyone else had it) Start researching banking for our economy

1262 (1) We get a great scientist. He's sleeping in the capital.

1268 (2) ZZZ

1274 (3) ZZZZ

1280 (4) ZZZZ

1286 (5) We have our F.P. Increase research from 40% to 50%

1292 (6) ZZZ

1298 (7) ZZZZ

1304 (8) ZZZZ

1310 (9) ZZZZ

1316 (10) Start heroic epic in Teitohuacan. (vetoable)

Notes:

Cathy's in pretty bad shape. If she is eliminated, we might consider using our great scientist to learn philosophy. She still has a monopoly on it and might take it to her grave.

We don't have a monopoly on guilds anymore. Can only get music and compass along with some gold for it. Might be worth it to trade to get those techs.


I will be out of town until Oct 2 and will need a skip if my turn comes up before then

 

[aquar]

Lot's of zzz's. I can't wait for the action again. AdamW81!

 

[AdamW81]

I should be able to play tonight but if not it will be tomorrow night.

So what are we doing with the GS? I hate leaving great people sleeping so I will be picking either academy or philosophy my first turn unless someone else has some feedback.

 

[retro V]

If you don't like the philosophy lightbulb option, research philosophy yourself then lightbulb whatever is available next. Usually astronomy.

Or let him sleep until there's another GP, then burn them both for a GA; more useful for the conquest endgame, imo.

 

[AdamW81]

IT: enter

1: Hatty makes peace with Catherine! Maybe we should go for Russia next and finish them off...I'm going to start moving some troops that way, but I will leave it up to someone else to go to war.

2: discover banking, islam founded in munich. start research on paper...the AI doesnt usually go for this right away so it might be a good trade tech...plus then we can go for education! I remove the 2 scientists from Persopolis...using those on cottages gives us the same research + some food and gold I start a prophet working in tenoch...I have been doing this but I guess I didn't say anything...we really need a priest to make our budhist shrine, this will be worth alot of gold! Make academy in capital.

3: zzz

4: Troops are heading to harrapan and sleeping once they get there fyi. zzz

5: trade guilds to Hatty for Music, Compass and 150 gold...she has offered for awhile I figure we should take it since guilds is a high priority tech for the AI and we will likely not get much soon.

6: heroic epic done..start harbor in teo. Harappan's borders expand. zzz

7: zzz

8: zzz...move workers about...notice Ceasar has paper, he looks to be the tech leader but he is small, we should try to get someone in a war with him (probably Hatty). Start on printing press..we may want to choose soemthing else, this is just something the AI doesnt have...maybe we should go for education instead?

9: zzz

10: zzz

In general I was trying to get the workers to build more cottages...our lack of cottages (or working them) is one reason we have been slow economically.

 

[AdamW81]

If you don't like the philosophy lightbulb option, research philosophy yourself then lightbulb whatever is available next. Usually astronomy.

Or let him sleep until there's another GP, then burn them both for a GA; more useful for the conquest endgame, imo.

sorry didnt see your post till after I played. probably would have been paper then education...we would have needed compass, optics, and I think education for astronomy.

 

[aquar]

Personally, I agree with the academy, but I am a novice and don't know for sure. I like the idea of going to destroy Catherine as well. I will say this: In my own games at Noble level when playing against this many civs, I always get beaten. I'm especially looking forward to seeing how we beat this in this game. That must inherently mean also not going to war with Catherine.

After looking at the save, I would say we finish off Catherine since she only has two cities left, perhaps three cities if hidden. I trust your call on this. My way will probably get us ambushed or bogged down in a war.


Well done, AdamW81. Kurt Cobaine----You are UP! Very Ape of you. I'm from Seattle and was there during "that" time.

 

[VeryApe]

I can't play until tomorrow (wednesday) evening/night. I have a lot to do in school atm.

Well done, AdamW81. Kurt Cobaine----You are UP! Very Ape of you. I'm from Seattle and was there during "that" time.

I wish I were

 

[VeryApe]

1388 (1): Change Susa to work the gold and up the research to 60% at +6 gpt. I also demand 10g from Cathy since we are going to kill her anyway and get it
1394 (2): Arbelas borders expand but we don't get the second gold Hatty adopts Mercantilism and we drop to -6 gpt so I go back to 50% research at +18 gpt.
1400 (3): -
IBT: Exchange world map with Mansa
1406 (4): -
1412 (5): Try to get some more money from Cathy but she refuses. I start moving towards her borders.
1418 (6): I declare war on Cathy by moving our troops into her territory.
1424 (7): Kill the longbowmen guarding the iron south of Moscow.
1430 (8): Open Borders with Mansa. Move our SoD next to Moscow.
1436 (9): Bombard Moscow, should probably attacked here, but I was playing it safe or something
1442 (10): Cathy has sent a small force toward Harappan so I keep some troops there. Start the siege of Moscow by throwing four catapult on the city walls and two of the retreats and survive. Then the knights charge and one dies unfortunatly, but we take the city without further losses.

I think we should go for Education after Printing Press and trade for Philosopy and get Liberalism for a free tech. Shouldn't be hard to pull off. Cathy's defenses haven't been very strong from the little I've seen so the next player should have no trouble there, just don't forget the troops on their way to Harappan

 

[retro V]

Those troops turned the other way and scampered back to try and defend their new capital. I stood outside admiring the Tao Holy City with my 3 knights, 2 elephants, 3 swords and 2 cats. Rostov was eventually defended by some 6 units, including pikes, so I'd have to keep admiring for a couple more turns.

After 2 more knights and 1 more cat joined the siege, Cathy thought it was clever to send 2 maces and a pike across the fields to take back Moscow. I just thought she was nuts. Suiciding 2 cats, I wiped out her little advance party with the 2 elephants and little old axeman I had sitting in Moscow.

With Rostov down to 3 defenders, I halted the siege and stormed in. Lost 2 out of 3 cats, promoted 3 knights, while everyone else put their thermals on and went north.

In other news, Caeser built the Notre Dame, Bismarck erected the Musajh al-something or other Islamic Holy Shrine, and Toynbee declares our pitiful civilisation the least advanced in the world. What does he know!

Crossbows, longbows, macemen, pikemen, cats and knights are pumping out of our cities in quantities too numerous to mention. A library here, a bank there, if they were commercial enough cities.

Printing press came through and I looked around for good trades. I only sold it to Mansa Musa for engineering, theology, his map and 850 gold. I tried to get philosophy for the slingshot; Hatty was up for it, but only on the cheap. I'd thought of suing Cathy for it, but she obviously valued her life higher than that, so I eventually discovered it myself in 4 turns, at some -110 gpt

A great merchant was born. He's on his way to the other side of the continent to make us miwwionnaires. I'm still running research at over -100 gpt to get liberalism in 12 turns. The money will run out in about 8-9 turns at that rate. That gives plenty of time to cash in the merchant at a suitable place, the furthest and largest city away from our capital, netting usually 1500-2000 gold. There's a few possible cities to choose from, have a look which is the largest when you get there: it's not always the same as what is visible through the fog.

Then on my last turn, just as a special treat, I revolted to new civics. Going for mercantilism, caste system and hereditary rule. HR was just an afterthought, it would have taken 3 turns of anarchy for the merc-cs combo. With free scientists in most cities, free engineers in others, I reckon liberalism might come down to about 10-11 turns when government is reestablished, making up for the unproductive revolution somewhat.

There is only one cat left in Russia, but enough green units to sacrifice for an easy victory. The german front is piled sky high with a nice assortment of our troops. Bismarck is currently at war with Hatty; I only just bribed her to attack him Give it a couple of turns then have some fun with those saxons.

P.S There is a marauding Russian galley pillaging fishing boats down by Tenochtitlan. It had just delivered a settler pair to Rusty Island, of which I've since despatched (sp?). See if our galley can be upgraded before trying to take out the Russian's.

 

[retro V]

All yours, aquar.

Just a thought, what tech would the GM lightbulb?

 

[aquar]

The GM would produce 1872 points toward Replaceable Parts. I don't think the galley can be upgraded but will see. I got the save and will play soon. You all have done excellent toward Russia. Catherine's last city should fall tonight!