The 'Teers 02: The Man in the Iron Mask

[frankcor]

Sacre bleu! Count me in.

 

[JerichoHill]

muwahahaha.

I already have a new grand strategy in mind. You may call me Armand Jean du Plessis for this game.

This will make the Astronomy gambit look like child's play. Believe me, pissing off a few civ's with extraorbinant demands is KEY to this.

God, I will be so happy to destroy things in this game. I played waaaayyy too nice last time around.

You know what REALLY bugs me? That we didn't flip a city in NewFoundLand last game. We were SO close, and then we won. We would've had a flip once the forbidden palace was completed. Argh.

 

[pholkhero]

I already have a new grand strategy in mind. You may call me Armand Jean du Plessis for this game.

This will make the Astronomy gambit look like child's play. Believe me, pissing off a few civ's with extraorbinant demands is KEY to this.

Care to fill in the group?

 

[JerichoHill]

I'm currently working out the details. I'll have to see the surrounding environment, our neighbors, and other things to flesh it out, but let's say that I plan on using our weakness as a strength.

The primary goal I have in mind is to knock out 1 neighbor early.

Following from that, that neighbor's potential territory should become the property of another neighbor, with whom we will befriend, thus creating a VERY POWERFUL FRIEND, who will LAYETH THE SMACKETH DOWN when our true Monarch is revealed.

Of course, since the True King will view anything the Pretender King has done to be an affront, we must naturally declare and take out our friendly war partner, but only after he(she) has expended all their troops helping us.

Think of it as Germany waiting to attack Russia until after defeating the British.

 

[Lobsterboy]

As much as it might be a blow your strategy Jericho, I am of a mind that the Pretender is not only weak, but also a wimp. He would not think to demand tribute from other rulers, only to apease them. To me, backdooring a war by demanding tribute, just doesn't fit the rationale for the variant. If this doesn't work, may be we can try again with this change to the ground rules.

Of course we can't predict how the story will unfold until we see the lay of the land and find out who our potetial victims...er...opponents will be!

 

[pholkhero]

To me, backdooring a war by demanding tribute, just doesn't fit the rationale for the variant.

I tend to agree w/Lobster. Though i don't mind you making ridiculous demands during your turns, i think a strat based on getting us into wars (which a wimp would definitely not want) is against the spirit of the variant.

If we all think it's too hard, we can lower the AI to Noble, but i'd rather try it w/these rules in place and then modify it if we fall on our face. I would even say that the Pretender can't start wars by bribing opponents, but I won't disallow that. A strat based on that, though, i think, is anti-variant.

edit: I'd also like to try and come up with a tech path for us to use during the run-up to Gunpowder, something that hits what we'd like, but also gets us to Gunpowder fast as can be, one taht we can stick with until the 'Teers arrive. Nappy starts w/The Wheel and Agr.

 

[Lobsterboy]

Seeing as we need to get to Gunpowder rapidly, it is probably unlikely that we will discover Theology (Christianity) before another civ, except, maybe, in the unlikely event than none of them are Spiritual. Would changing the conditions of Aramis's quest from founding Christianity to simply converting to Christianity be too easy? Since we can't capture cities before Musketeers (except the Christian Holy City - I think Aramis would be pissed if we razed it!) getting Christianity passively may not happen. Alternatively, perhaps converting of all of our cities to Christianity would also fulfill the conditions of the quest. (This won't be possible if we can't build a Christian Monastery before Scientific Method.)

Also, do Lake maps wrap? I don't think that I've every played one.

 

[SpriteSODA]

I tend to agree w/Lobster. Though i don't mind you making ridiculous demands during your turns, i think a strat based on getting us into wars (which a wimp would definitely not want) is against the spirit of the variant.

If we all think it's too hard, we can lower the AI to Noble, but i'd rather try it w/these rules in place and then modify it if we fall on our face. I would even say that the Pretender can't start wars by bribing opponents, but I won't disallow that. A strat based on that, though, i think, is anti-variant.

edit: I'd also like to try and come up with a tech path for us to use during the run-up to Gunpowder, something that hits what we'd like, but also gets us to Gunpowder fast as can be, one taht we can stick with until the 'Teers arrive. Nappy starts w/The Wheel and Agr.

I also agree with Lobster.
For the tech path, we should go to the fastest way possible to guilds and from there to gunpowder. for guilds we need fedualisim and machinary, for fedualisim we need writing, and we should get metal casting quick too cus we're industrious.
I would go for HSB if we have cow->Masonary if we have stone for wonders, and if so we will need to get Myst. for stonehng. ->pottery->Bronze working->writing->metal casting->fedualisim->machinary->guilds->gunpowder.
Something like that.

EDIT: we should change to Large cus lakes's standard is quite small.

 

[pholkhero]

@ Lobster: it's only an Optional quest so, I'm not too concerned with it. Converting definitly is too easy...a compromise of sorts would be that ALL our cities must be Christian and then convert. however, we can only stay at peace for the duration of the treaty, rather than 30 turns.

@ Sprite: don't forget some worker techs, too. I'm thinking take care of the worker techs (Hunting, Pottery, Mining, Fishing, etc) and perhaps up until Priesthood for the Oracle and then head for Guns. MC will be key to get our cheap forges (plus our cheap barracks...oooo baby!)

 

[SpriteSODA]

@ Lobster: it's only an Optional quest so, I'm not too concerned with it. Converting definitly is too easy...a compromise of sorts would be that ALL our cities must be Christian and then convert. however, we can only stay at peace for the duration of the treaty, rather than 30 turns.

@ Sprite: don't forget some worker techs, too. I'm thinking take care of the worker techs (Hunting, Pottery, Mining, Fishing, etc) and perhaps up until Priesthood for the Oracle and then head for Guns. MC will be key to get our cheap forges (plus our cheap barracks...oooo baby!)

Yeah, the problem with going to gunpowder is that the techs dont give new things to build except of army, so we need to be careful not to destroy our upkeep.

 

[pholkhero]

Yeah, the problem with going to gunpowder is that the techs dont give new things to build except of army, so we need to be careful not to destroy our upkeep.

perhaps we should allow ourselves the luxury of squeezing in Alpha, too??

 

[SpriteSODA]

yeah that might be a good idea... but see - our tech list is getting longer and the Musketeers will prove useless=P

 

[pholkhero]

yeah that might be a good idea... but see - our tech list is getting longer and the Musketeers will prove useless=P

ha! that's just what i was thinking, but i think that we'll do well enough that we'll be just mopping up our first 3 civs as the other ones are getting the gren's and rifles. Plus, we'll have the Knights and Cavs ~ ya'll're just lucky that i don't make it so that ONLY musketeers can take cities AND, we're making it so that they HAVE to be useful be keeping rifling from us until later

 

[SpriteSODA]

its not that simple. to get cavs, we need to learn litrature->music->nationalisim->Militry tradition, which is WAYY off the course.
In addition, i would just want to notify you that with musketeers we cant even kill unupgraded longbow sitting in a city.

 

[pholkhero]

but Knights are not. Also, we can head for Cav req's after guns (I was thinking quite soon after) as well as the fact that, if we get Alpha, we will be able to trade techs, and so won't be too far off the tech lead, if we play our cards right. I'm not worried, neither should you be

 

[pholkhero]

I'm thinking:

various Worker techs (i.e., Fishing, Pottery, AH, Hunting, Mining, BW) and then,

myst>med>priest>writing>alpha, and then,

metal casting->monarchy>fedualisim->machinary->guilds->gunpowder

* we can skip a few worker techs or go to any of these other techs earlier, but these should be the allowable techs before Gunpowder.

** also, i'd like to use the Oracle sling on any of those techs on the bottom line, preferably Machinery

 

[pholkhero]

i gotta say, I LOVE the starting spot, if only for the poetry and *theatrics* of a city on a lake like that.

I will play the first 30 later tonight, but most likely will head for Husbadry and a Warrior off the bat

 

[Lobsterboy]

B-ZAAR!! A potential Paris with a built-in moat!

Either settle in place, or somewhere NE. Methinks there is desert to the NW, although there appears to be forest N of the desert hill. South is out. Too much jungle.

 

[JerichoHill]

I have one word for you all

Boo-Urns

With that out of the way, I love the starting location.

 

[SpriteSODA]

I agree, settle on spot.