The pelican strategy

[Lily_Lancer]

This is a thread to answer the problem "who is your favorite neighbor?".

My answer: Aztec.

First let us recall how fishermen use pelicans to fish (in ancient times). Pelican is a type of bird with a really big mouth, so they swallow fishes. The fishermen tied a string on their neck so that they can only swallow fishes to their mouth but cannot swallow them to their stomaches. Then the fisherman open its mouth and get those fishes.

Then we come to our topic --- Why it is best having an Aztec neighbor?

We know that Eagle Warriors convert defeated enemies to builders. The captured builders are at the front line so Aztec have to move them back to their own territory to make real use of them, like the pelicans have to swallow the fishes from their big mouth to their stomach to really enjoy them.

So our strategy is like the fisherman-- Let pelicans catch fish, but don't let them to swallow fishes to stomaches.

The strategy is clear--we produce scouts to feed the Eagle Warriors, and use other units to prevent eagle warriors from taking the builders back. Scouts cost much less than a builder, and we're earning severe production profit from the process. As long as the Aztecs haven't upgraded their Eagle Warriors to Swords.

 

[Victoria]

Nice, I do try and capture a worker with a scout at the start of war but this will be an interesting strategy. I can even see the sacrificial scouts capturing the workers.

 

[Icicle]

That sounds like a fun way to micromanage early war. I may try this someday.

 

[kb27787]

Side note: Can somebody verify whether pelicans have ever been used for fishing?
I mean I've heard of cormorants but...

 

[Victoria]

Can somebody verify whether pelicans have ever been used for fishing?

I can confirm from web research some sites state “Pelicans have not been domesticated in any way”
An elegant cormorant slipping over the side of those rather unstable looking boats seems a far cry from a squadron of Pelicans hitting the water at 40 mph which is more their style... love that they are called squadrons and for that reason alone I am happy with the pelican strategy, after all we all make mistakes and sometimes they lead to fun facts.

 

[DJ_Tanner]

I have my doubts on the practical nature of this approach. You enough space between the 'front lines' and their territory (as it will be much harder to steal the workers back if they are within the Aztec lands) to intercept the workers with any level of effectiveness. But I think all the work to do this defeats the benefits gained. If you need to let them get close enough to your borders to give space between capture and recapture point you now have issues with Aztecs running amok in your lands pillaging and possibly sneaking a city. To intercept the workers heading home you need a faster unit, scout or horseman, to effectively cap the workers on their trek, but any reinforcements creates a mess in this process. Then you have to walk them back to your lands and are either still in a war with your neighbor or have, at best, a very angry one. It seems like the work you would need to put into doing this in large form is more work than its worth. Overall with the amount of production you need to build up a bend but don't break defense, scouts to feed, capture squad, and "lost" turns as the workers have to walk back to your lands, then the added risk of losing production from pillaging or occupied tiles and/or lost cities I don't think this is going to be that much more beneficial than just building the workers yourself. I can see the merits if you are able to come across a rouge eagle or two far from home and you can feed them a couple scouts and intercept them as they walk past you, but that really doesn't' necessitate the Aztec as a neighbor. I think its an interesting idea and could be a situational move, but not sold on it as a "go-to" strategy when you see Monty over the horizon.


To kb's point, yes this is how it is done with cormorants, not pelicans. It would not work with how a pelican actually fishes, but will concede that pelican strategy has a much better ring to it than cormorant strategy.