Team GONG Embassy

[General_W]

Ok – thanks all … I'm now sending version 2!


Title: "Next Steps?"

Spoiler :

Dear jb and all GONG funlovers,

As you have correctly gathered, rumors of The Council flying cars and spaceships were greatly exaggerated. Don't despair over the marginal returns on your Great Spybary just yet… I'm sure you'll get your money's worth out of it… at the very least, it's sure to be a great source of cultural improvement!

We'll admit to some hesitation at working with you, as the Council Intelligence Agency long ago uncovered the GONG-BABE cooperation that catapulted you both into the (formerly fashionable) Middle Ages. But now with the BABE armada frustrated and wandering about aimlessly looking for beach party that's not already too crowded (if you catch my drift)… we're wondering if perhaps you're truly interested in other friends?

As a starting point, we'd like to offer you a D.A.B. treaty… Defense Against BABE. We could both agree to some guaranteed peace and to send gold to the other team if they're attacked by BABE?

Would you have any interest in such a deal?

Looking forward to seeing where we can go from here.

All the best,
General_W, speaking with the voice of The Council

 

[Paul#42]

I'd also add to the second paragraph that we were concerned because they did establish an embassy without saying hello. We considered that bad style.

And maybe we could even mention their bad behaviour towards FREE, maybe we get them to uncover some of their diplomatic plans? I feel them slightly more friendly towards us but that could just be the case because it was not our galley to sail their shores without asking for permission...

 

[General_W]

We can try fishing for info on GONG's relationship to FREE in the next letter Paul - you posted about 8 hours after I'd already sent the letter

 

[General_W]

Response from GONG:

Honorable General_W and fine Council members,

Thank you for your kind words of encouragement regarding the future value of the Great Gong Library. Since all our information was filtered through Team Babe we only got a look at the picture that was painted for us. Daghie's calling it a Whompian Consipracy and Killer's words are less kind. Babe had a choice as to whom they wanted to tech partner up with to catch up to the FC-Axis and we got the nod over Saber. Lucky us. Obviously Saber felt the lack of love from the Babe hotties and wisely prepped for the worst.

Now the Babes were on a bit of a rampage, evidenced by the UN rants, and although they should/could be saber rattling, no pun intended, I think the remaining players are trying to lick their tactical wounds and settle on a change of direction. Also, since we currently have a peace agreement w/ the Babes we're counting on them retaining a sense of honor and not pillaging our malted beverage supply in the near term. We've also given them glimpses of our roaming GS's and let them figure out just how long a stack of MW's would last against that. So we don't have an urgent need for a D.A.B. treaty. Also being a Feudal society sitting on our Spybary our need for gold to rush anything is about zero. But our ability to provide gold in a time of need is certainly not zero.

Like you, we're not interested in the Babes running amok, even at your expense, while the rest of us are so far from Astro and the ability to keep them in check. So we're interested in a faster tech pace that would move all of us towards Astro and provide some parity in the high seas and a real fear that an offensive move could be countered w/ a landing from a partner. But now we're back to our investment in the Great Gong Library. Our desire to move forward scientifically is counterbalanced by our desire to sit on our lazy butts and rake in techs for free.

Therefore, if the Babes are going to leverage their ownership of the seas we would like to enter into an agreement that helps us reach Astro before long while also providing the D.A.B. partners some level of comfort in the event of an unwanted beach party. The question becomes, are you interested in helping us get to Astro and at what cost? Also on the table are the lower tier techs and long term agreements reguarding the sharing of luxeries once trade can be established.

Best Regards,

jb

Quick analysis – BABE and GONG still friends, but not as close as we had feared.
Traditional DAB treaty is out of the question, (forgot about the feudalism thing!), but other ideas might be possible.

Wild idea: (FREE would have to be consulted and then agree to this) What if we offered GONG Astronomy for free, in exchange, they promise to not trade Theology, Education or Astronomy with BABE, and agree to burn the Great Library if BABE has a chance to capture it during the Middle Ages.

If GONG is really not too keen on BABE anymore, this is a wildly good deal for them. It's costly for us, but it does a couple good things.

• it gives us the best insurance we're likely to get against the Great Library Elevator threat.
• It gives us a friendly deal with GONG
• It speeds GONG to astronomy, and speeds them along to potentially contesting FREE for those bonus islands… might help put the brakes on FREE's run-away advantage over us.
• It for all intents and purposes locks BABE out of trading… and not just on the peaceful side of the tree! It's hard to see how they could get any deals going, unless they make a deal with Saber.

Still – it's a wild idea. Thoughts?

 

[peter grimes]

Very interesting, G_W

It's one thing for us to think Astronomy is worth that, it's another thing entirely for us to be able to sell FREE on that... sounds like a job for Diplomacy

 

[cubsfan6506]

I want a peace treaty with it.

 

[General_W]

it's another thing entirely for us to be able to sell FREE on that... sounds like a job for Diplomacy

- yeah, what does a guy have to do to win the Councilor Award thing anyway? Maybe if I talk us into a UN victory?

Seriously though – I think we can get FREE to go along with it. Just need to convince them of the threat of the Glib, and play up the value of cutting BABE out of trading.

 

[cubsfan6506]

If you talk us into a multiplayer U.N victory that would be impressive.

 

[cubsfan6506]

Oh I also wan't a no competition clause on the observitory.

 

[dl123654]

Weren't we worried a days ago that GONG was going to beat us to copericous, and now we are just going to give them astronomy

 

[cubsfan6506]

That's why we need a no competition clause on it.

 

[Niklas]

I agree with cubsfan. Though if we start building it in TC as soon as possible, which I guess we will, then it's less of a threat. I haven't decided if I like the idea or not. It certainly is brazen.

 

[cubsfan6506]

This will be tough to sell to free they certainly don't seem to keen on gong.

 

[peter grimes]

Well, they don't have to been to keen on GONG. Really this is about ensuring that the Great Library has no chance of ever falling to BABE. Really, when you think about it, the proposal is a no-premium insurance policy. There's a high deductible if and only if BABE has a real chance of capturing the Library town.

On top of that, if we find that BABE has Education the policy dissolves, right?

Now that I'm writing all this out, it doesn't seem as crazy an idea as I first thought!

For possibly having to gift GONG Astronomy, SABER, GONG, FREE, and The Council are assured that BABE can't use the GL-Elevator trick. The cost is sizeable, but the risk is nil - it's only in effect if BABE is having a successful Military campaign. Besides: the cost of doing nothing could be catastrophic.

 

[dl123654]

Maybe we shouldn't talk about BABE capturing the GL until/if war is declared and BABE doesn't have education. This will cause GONG to be a little more desperate.

 

[General_W]

That's a good idea dl… but doesn't account for the fact that GONG may give the Great Library to BABE peacefully, in exchange for sharing all the techs they would steal for free.

 

[peter grimes]

...or BABE could extort control of Sugar Mountain (city with the GL) in exchange for peace. That's the nightmare scenario.

We need to get GONG to agree to something that will neutralize the threat of Babe's control of the GL - at least until BABE learns Education.

 

[cubsfan6506]

Could actually give them techs for Sugar mountain.

 

[General_W]

...or BABE could extort control of Sugar Mountain (city with the GL) in exchange for peace. That's the nightmare scenario.

The nightmare scenario indeed… and also the glaring weakness in my plan. There's nothing to stop GONG from taking Astronomy and then giving up the Great Library anyway under threat from BABE. Sure it'd totally ruin their reputation, but that may seem small potatoes to them when they're staring down the barrel of a BABE invasion force.

However – all-in-all – I think that's unlikely and a promise from GONG is more likely to hold… if they actually agree to it in the first place.

 

[cubsfan6506]

True but once we get astronomy we can help them directly.