TGOM03 - Celts in Space (C3C Demi-god)

[Bede]

All is more or less in order. Settler puts down Scoutsrest in the BG heaven and warrior wakes up and moves to the east. I want to see what's over there!

That plan changes as another barbarian horseman comes out of the fog.

So I adopt the Passive/Aggressive Defense(TM) and move the warrior out of town and hope we only lose the gold.

Important, keep the budget maxed out so that the gold pile does not tempt the neighbors.


General M - up
eotinb - on deck
scoutsout - found some silks for Bede's jammies
gmaharriet - survived the barb threat
Bede - built a boat and whacked a barb or two

 

[scoutsout]

Lookin' good so far...

@gmaharriet: you did well with what you had... which wasn't much to work with. Sorry some of my suggestions weren't timely.

@Bede: How close are we to having enough archers that we might spare a couple to go play a little whack-a-barb(TM)?

 

[General Mayhem]

I have it, will play tomorrow.

 

[gmaharriet]

Sorry some of my suggestions weren't timely.

Not your fault that the barbs wouldn't cooperate. Actually, I've been thinking I have a rather sweet spot in the roster...between you with warmongering tactical ideas and Bede to clean up after me...I should learn a whole lot from this game.

I just tried a similar SP game at Emperor, Celts with raging barbs and emphasizing commerce for research. I managed the barbs just fine, but was beaten to both Myst and Poly, so I couldn't even trade for Warrior Code. Back to the drawing board.

 

[scoutsout]

We need to start thinking in military terms v. Inca. I'm really not crazy about Archers v. Chasqui Scouts... because those little bugger can strike deep, and evade archers.

 

[General Mayhem]

Turn Log

Turn 0 (1750 B.C.)

Picking up after Bede - nothing to do

Turn 1 (1725 B.C.)

SSEotinboat sinks another barb galley without a scratch. Granary chop finishes, reveals a bg, set Norm to build a road there.

Turn 2 (1700 B.C.)

GOC finishes granary, starts boat due in 3.

Turn 3 (1675 B.C.)

Exploring, worker moves.

Turn 4 (1650 B.C.)

TJville finishes archer, starts settler, Scoutsrest finishes worker, starts rax. SSEotinboat is renamed to SSEotinbarbslayer as it kills a 3rd barb galley without a scratch.

Turn 5 (1625 B.C.)

GOC finishes boat, starts settler.

Turn 6 (1600 B.C.)

Incan settler pair starts cutting through our territory, but really can't do anything about it other than hope to get a settler out of GOC to the silks before Inca does.

Turn 7 (1575 B.C.)

Barb horse that came out of the fog near GOC gets whacked by our archer.

Turn 8 (1550 B.C.)

Inca start the Colossus and Oracle (hope they get them ) Tjville grows to size 5, so bump lux to 20% to prevent riots.

Turn 9 (1525 B.C.)

GOC finishes settler, starts rax. Our boat in the south gets renamed to barbslayer2 as it sinks a galley.

Turn 10 (1500 B.C.)

Exploring, move settler to settle in place next turn. Poly due in 9 with a 3gpt loss to try to reduce the treasury to a non-tempting to neighbors level.

Inca has rather the short end of the stick land-wise in the north, but they are trying to run 2 settler pairs through our territory that we really can't do anything about. I'm guessing things are a bit crowded down in Bab/Hittite lands since we now have a hittite city visible that was just built last turn.

The Save

 

[General Mayhem]

The world in 1500 B.C. :

 

[eotinb]

I've got it. Man,those DG opponents don't waste any time settling everything in sight.

 

[Bede]

No they don't they start with two and all the military they will need for a while and produce settlers with 15 shields I think and produce them everywhere. So dance with them - use whatever you have on hand to keep them out of the peninsula. And unless GOC can be a six turn cycle warrior/settler producer kill hte barracks build. We can afford troops, settlers and workers but extra buildings will slow us down.

 

[scoutsout]

Man...this is going to get tough. I was hoping we'd have a few more towns in...

@Bede: I don't think it's going to be possible to keep the AI off the peninsula. I expect to see galleys with settler pairs sailing along the coast at any moment. We need to start laying plans for a high kill ratio campaign v. Inca... or whoever puts the most settlements on the peninsula. I like the amount of tundra I see up there... lots of fishing villages, but low shield production for Inca. That, and the shields dumped into wonders, should slow them down a bit.

...we need to get some of those plains tiles irrigated around GOC....

 

[General Mayhem]

I'm going to be gone for about 5 days, so if I come up again before Sunday afternoon (the 27th) skip/swap me please.

 

[Bede]

Any progress, EB?

 

[scoutsout]

Just checking in...

@Bede: I'll be travelling over the Thanksgiving holiday, out of pocket from Wednesday through Saturday.... I might be able to play through Wednesday morning, and available again Saturday night/Sunday morning.

...but if EB posts a log tonight or tomorrow, I'll be able to pick it up tomorrow night or Wednesday morning.

 

[eotinb]

Let me have a switch please. Darn RL getting in my way. I don't have any real holiday plans though, so the end of this week is fine for me.

 

[scoutsout]

Okay... I've got the save. I haven't looked at it, but in looking over the General's turnlog, I see a couple of barracks builds in the queue... I'm a little concerned that it might be a bit early for 'rax builds... we need more towns, and more units... and the rax maintenance will cost us some gpt ...

@General Mahem: Please don't take this harshly. IIRC, Scoutsrest is founded on a site with a bunch of BG and no fresh water... so it's a good "unit factory/peel off a worker when it hits size 6" type of site... it's a great place for a barracks town... I'm just wondering if we might be better served to get another pointy stick and settler out of it first...

I'm off to take a look at the save. I hope some of the team is around tonight... I'd like to play late tonight or in the morning.

 

[gmaharriet]

I hope some of the team is around tonight...

Do what you think is best, scout. Seems like we're right where I left off last time...needing more of everything. As much as I prefer regular units, we are probably going to need another settler and more units even worse.

 

[scoutsout]

...apologies to Jimmy Buffet for the title of this post... but with the combination of settler pair dancing and trading...it fits.

Pre-flight check:

Swap Scoutsrest, GOC to Archer builds.

IBT - TJ'ville Settler>Archer

Turn 1/1475BC - Settler build lets me drop lux, now at -1gpt. Camulodunum founded, queue up archer. Sailing yacht spots a brown border. We've got 2 AI settler pairs in our territory, and one on the border.

The new town got us to +3gpt. Mursilis wants our treasury (153+3gpt) for The Wheel. The best I can do is 140g+2gpt... but I do the deal. Drat. No ponies.

IBT - AI settler pairs continue to tresspass. Hammi and Pacha have HBR, Mursillis does not.

Turn 2/1450BC - Lose a Warrior attacking a one of a pair of barb horses...forced to send an archer out of GOC to deal with the threat on Camulodunum...lux up, -1gpt, Poly in 7.

IBT - Camulodunum is ransacked by a barb horse, loss of 3g. Camulodunum is ransacked again by a barb horse, loss of 2g. GOC Archer>Settler. Treasury warning (7gpt -1gpt) Barbslayer2 sinks a barb galley.

Turn 3/1425BC - We officially become a 5CC as Richborough is founded. Brings us to breakeven. Barbslayer2 continues to sail home (down to 1hp)

The new archer in GOC might give me just enough units to build a skirmishing line against these blasted settler pairs. Take a screenie.

Our other Curraugh meets the Carthaginians... who are up IW, Writing, HBR, and ...

Polytheism.

He won't trade it initially, but shutting down research will let me buy it for an initial offer of 7g+7gpt. I take the 7g off the table and do the deal.

Hammurabi offers Writing and IW+190g... hmmm... trade Polytheism to Babylon for Writing, Iron Working, Horseback Writing, and 110 gold. Tempting, but there's a reason he's got that much gold.

Poly to Hittites for Writing and Iron Working? Toss in HBR and you've got yourself a deal.
Hammurabi is up Philosophy, CoL, and Maps. Pachachuti and Mursillis also know maps.

Hammi won't trade CoL at any price, but he'll trade Philosophy for Poly+10gpt+7g. Knock the price down to 7gpt and do the deal.

Peddle Polytheism and Philosophy to Pachachuti-the-soon-to-be-dethroned for Maps+27g.

Sell Philosophy to Carthage for 330g. (This turned out to be a move.)

Research slider doesn't make a dent in Monarchy until 80%...46 turns at -14gpt. But with this pile of cash... we can afford it.

WOO-HOO!!!! We've got Iron at Richborough. Dangit.. I meant to name that town for a team-mate.

Take another screenie.

Dangit... taking that archer out of Scoutsrest causes the need for lux at 30%... which takes us back to 50 turns on Monarchy...

Hire a scientist in Scoutsrest for a turn or two...(until I can get an MP in there). Science to 90%, Monarchy in 36 turns.

IBT - Hittite and Incan settler pairs dance near the ends of our pointed sticks. A mine is completed near Scoutsrest, which finishes the archer build. Our curragh that found Carthage sinks in treacherous waters.

Turn 4/1400BC - shuffle some units on the picket line... Carthage has learned math. I am kicking myself for selling Philosophy to him.

IBT - more settler pair dancing... TJ'ville Archer>Settler

Hittites start ToA, as do Babs,

Turn 5/1375BC - just some dancing and worker moves.

IBT - more dancing

Turn 6/1350BC - Forest chop near Camulodunum will be done before archer, so swap to Barracks.

IBT - Babs building Colossus.

Turn 7/1325 - not much.

IBT - GOC Setter>Archer Richborough Warrior>Worker.

Turn 8/1300BC - Whack a Mauryan barb camp for 25g. Move the settler pair out. I think the coastal site with the river and the cow looks good.

IBT - these AI Settler pairs are starting to annoy me.

Turn 9/1275 - adjust the skirmishing line...take a screenie. Move some stuff.

IBT - SS Barbslayer2 sinks another Barb galley and promotes. Scoutsrest Archer>Settler. Forest chop completes in Camulodunum.

Turn 10/1250 - complete a 4-archer skirmishing line to keep the Hittite settler pair from moving east. I'd like 1 or 2 more archers for deterring settler pairs, and then we start building Rax... and maybe a few Vet Warriors. (But not more than 1x the number of towns we have.)

Note: Yellow dots in screencap indicate tiles that are important to control in this settler-pair-skirmishing (TM) tactic.

A little MM in TJ'ville will slow the settler build by one turn, but will time it so that the city grows on the turn the settler is completed.

That's it! On to the next better player.

Here's >>The Save<<

 

[scoutsout]

The good: Got us some techs... and some gold... though I don't know what to do with the pile of gold. I guess we could build some embassies.

The bad: If I'd held on to polytheism with Carthage, I might've gotten us math.

The ugly: With Maps known, our settler-pair-skirmishing will only be able to hold 'em off for so long. Settle the coast!!!

 

[scoutsout]

sorry for the triple post...

Have a look at building a Galley in Camulodunum. It might help us to settle some coastal plains sites along the peninsula.

Edit: That's... swapping the barracks build to a Galley....

 

[eotinb]

I've got it. Tonight looks open. Thanks for the switch, scout. Is the idea with the skirmish line to shuffle back and forth to block the settler pair? And would it make sense to block water access to our coast with a couple of curraghs until we can get the coast settled or would that be a waste of shields?