TJ01: Famous Five

[mad-bax]

We're tantalizingly close to the objective. In fact I am not worried now about being able to get the spreadsheet to say we can do it. We will probably have research labs, cure for cancer etc. for over a hundered turns...

I think we should attack Russia, and continue to raze the entire continent. We chould leave some units there to prevent Carthage settling it and then wipe out carthage, leaving Spain and Germany as puppets.

This won't be that easy as we have to research as quickly as possible, so we will have to limit our troops and be wary of dropping out of democracy.

Nicely played Yndy.

 

[a space oddity]

I agree on targetting Russia first, to prevent her from getting too powerful. I was wondering whether it is within the rules to capture a city and gift it away in the same turn? We could use this to mess up relations between the other civs. This would make them lose production and units on each other, before we finish the job.

 

[TedJackson]

Here's the summary for 1290AD

As you can see it's Second Minute & Three Cows that are now trailing behind.

I can see the benefit in attacking Russia ASAP but I'm not keen on the capture & gift idea. It just seems to be against the spirit of the game.


Ted

 

[a space oddity]

That's fine with me, Ted. You're da bozz.

(I don't think we really need such tactics either, it's just that I like to muddy up the waters in foreign politics.)

 

[Northern Pike]

Got it. Good round, Yndy.

Ted, thanks for posting the spreadsheet.

 

[Northern Pike]

1290 (0): I agree that we'll have to attack Russia eventually, but since Cathy already has musketmen, the project will presumably have to wait until we have cavalry. One thing we can do now is build up our navy, and I'll try to produce five caravels in Fourth Horseman this turn. I think we're underestimating the transport capacity we'll need to make war successfully overseas.

Physics discovered, Theory of Gravity due in six turns at 100% (later reduced to 90%).

Fourth Horseman knight --> caravel (and produces a caravel every two turns for the rest of the round).

We lose our supply of spices. Since all our cities remain in Love status, I don't renew it.


1295 (1): The Russians want to renew our peace treaty. I decline, on the assumption that we should be able to form some alliances against them, and we go to war. But when I look into our options, our potential allies either won't join with us for any price (the English and the Persians) or will only do so at such a high cost in techs that it would defeat the whole tech-retarding point of the war (the French and the Carthaginians). Have we done something to soil our reputation?

In the (futile) process, I establish an embassy with the Carthaginians. Carthage is producing 22 spt after corruption, is building a musketman, and has every possible city improvement.

First Attempt knight --> knight.


1300 (2)-1305 (3): I get some elite units moving from Germany to Spain.

Fifth Wheel knight --> musketman.


1310 (4): Three Cows ADAM SMITH --> musketman.

First Attempt knight --> knight.


1315 (5): We return to war with the Spanish, and destroy a warrior/settler team for no loss.

The French declare war on the Russians without any inducement from us. The English and the Persians still won't fight the Russians for any price, and the Carthaginians still demand a cornucopia of techs.


1320 (6): We raze Santander (for no loss), getting two elite victories out of the battle but no GL.

I sell our WM around for 46 gold and 1 gpt (from Germany).

The English join France's war against Russia. I don't know what it says about our diplomacy that we get exactly the outcomes we want--as long as we're not involved in the negotiations.

An unwelcome novelty--the French land a settler on our continent, in Spain.

We discover Theory of Gravity and Second Minute switches to Newton, due in five turns. We begin researching Metallurgy, due in six turns at 90%.

Fifth Wheel musketman --> musketman.


1325 (7): The last attack we can afford to make on the Spanish without actually eliminating them produces the GL Boudicca.

The French have taken a Russian city, Odessa.

The French found Dijon on our continent, three tiles from Vitoria.

Three Cows musketman --> musketman.

First Attempt knight --> knight.


1330 (8): Zzzz....


1335 (9): Fifth Wheel musketman --> musketman.


1340 (10): I sell our WM around for 16 gold.

 

[Northern Pike]

THE FUTURE:


We need to decide what we're going to do about settler landings on our continent. So far I've kept the French from landing any more settlers by blocking them, both with ships and with ground units on our coasts; do we consider this a legitimate tactic if used for the rest of the game? We probably can't defend our whole continent this way in any event, of course.

France's payment of 96 gpt to us has just expired, so our financial position isn't as strong as it was for most of my round. I chose not to sell any of our techs for gpt because the available rewards weren't very great, but this decision could be reconsidered.

Three Cows should begin a palace pre-build for Military Academy when it completes its current musketman build.

Boudicca is waiting in First Attempt.

 

[Northern Pike]

The save:

1340 AD, end of turn

 

[Northern Pike]

The rewards of bullying:

 

[mad-bax]

Hmm.. So I guess we use the leader for the military academy which should get 3 cows back in the game.

I would be tempted to allow France to settle as an additional punch bag. My worry is that we will have towns spring up all over our continent that we can't police adequately. For this reason I think settlement should be discouraged and we should squash the settler. Once we get rails and have a network in place then allowing settlement should help rather than hinder us IMO. But it's too early ATM.

 

[a space oddity]

Good round, NP.

The row of boats is good too.

MB the city is founded already... but is confined neatly. They were kind enough to settler very close to spain. As we say here that's 2 flies in one blow. (Twee vliegen in een klap.)

 

[mad-bax]

Alas. Gone are the days I can open a save at work.
No excuse for not reading the turnlog properly though.

So we are maybe 6 turns from Military tradition by which time the Military Academy pre-build should be almost there. So what do we do with the leader? The intelligence agency and TOE are still a long way off. Cavalry Army perhaps?

 

[Yndy]

I'd say The Universal Suffrage but that's still some good 20 turns ahead. We'd better build an army just before the next war. The army would later be used to rush some shields of a factory someplace.

 

[TedJackson]

Nice progress NP

I awak from my reverie and realise everyone's looking at me. Furtively I check that my fly is fastened, no that's not it. Surreptisiously checking my toupe is on straight I suddenly realise that I'm up


Ted

 

[TedJackson]

Pre-flight checks... OK

Pre-turn
Hawk WM to get up to speed on Tech & Diplo
Research 90% (3 turns @ -77gpt, 832gp in bank)

Press button
Ivory for Silks from Carthage expires - I renew grabbing their WM (no gpt or gp deal aavailable?)
Furs + 8gpt from France for Incense + Gems expires - I up the ante to Furs, WM + 15gpt
FA Knight - Knight
TC Musket - Palace (pre-build)
FH Caravel - Caravel
The French Galleys split up, one goes SW, the other NE

1 - 1345AD
I decide to maintain the blockade against the French for the time being
Detail workers to road East coast
Upgrade Horse (FA)
Hawk WM

IBT
French Galleys turn North
SM Newton's - Explorer

2 - 1350AD
Upgrade Horse (FA)
Maintain blockade
Protect Coast with Knights & Explorers
Research 70% (next turn @ +1gpt)
Hawk WM

German borders expand and our troops are moved automatically
Discover Metallurgy - Mil Trad (Great Wall is obsolete)
SM Explorer - Cannon
FH Caravel - Caravel
FW Musket - Cannon

3 - 1355AD
Maintaining blockade
Workers work...
Hawk WM

IBT
Carthage lands 2 Settlers in the South, One close to our Silks colony, the other near Incense.
Germany founds Salzburg
FA Knight - Cannon

4 - 1360AD
Send 3 Knights South to keep an eye on Carthage.
Upgrade 2 Catapults (FA)
Maintain blockade vs French Galleys
Hawk WM
Spain won't talk

IBT
France lands Settler/Spear (oops)
Carthage founds Cadiz (destroying Silk Colony) & Hadrumetum near Incense

SM Cannon - Musket
FH Caravel - Caravel
FW Cannon - Musket

5 - 1365AD
I decide to go full speed to Mil Trad in order to allow the next player to use our upcoming Cav to remove these unsightly blots on our landscape.
Research 90% (4 turns @ -80gpt, 712gp in the bank)
Send Cannon & Muskets toward FA to form our 1st Artillery Brigade
Hawk WM

IBT
FA Cannon - Musket

6 - 1370AD
1st Artillery heads South (5 Cannon, 2 Muskets, 2 Knights)
Hawk WM
Spain won't talk
Sign Peace Treaty with Russia - we give Economics, she gives WM + 57gp (broke)

IBT
Russia lands Settler/Spear
FH Caravel - Musket

7 - 1375AD
1st Artillery South
Sign Peace Treaty with Spain - she gives WM (broke)
Hawk WM
Workers roading East Coast

IBT
SM Musket - Knight
FW Musket - Knight

8 - 1380AD
1st Artillery South
Workers road East coast
Research 80% (1 turn @ -46gpt, 557gp in the Bank)
Hawk WM

IBT
Persia demands Incense - Bugger off! I say - he declares war
Discover Mil Trad - Magnetism
Get Military Academy message
WLTKD breaks out
FA Musket - Cav

9 - 1385AD
TC switches to Military Academy (13 turns)
Upgrade 7 Knights
Boudicea forms Army
Research 60%
Hawk WM

10 - 1390AD
Cav Army moves South
Upgrade 4 Knights (FW)

I leave the rest of the moves for the next player

Ongoing Trade Deals
Spain - Peace Treaty (17 turns)
France - Furs + 15gpt for Incense & Gems (10 turns)
England - none
Carthage - Ivory for Silks (10 turns)
Russia - Peace Treaty (16 turns)
Persia - at war
Germany - Peace Treaty (6 turns)

Notes
Now the fun begins. We can either wait for the deals to expire or we could wipe out the various settlements on our continent immediately.
There are forces already near Cadiz - 1st Artillery - and more on the way - Cav Army + 3 more Cav.
I'm inclined to kick Carthage off our turf then invade their territory. We want luxuries or resources for peace deals.
There is a Russian Settler 2SE of our Gems colony - he slipped in from the fog and I couldn't get to him in time.
France have 2 towns on our continent - Dijon in the South & Amiens in the East.
France & England are still at war with Russia but not much has happened there since France captured Odessa.
I've left research at 60% until all the Knights are upgraded.

Culture Summary

The save is > here < and mad-bax is up!


Ted

 

[a space oddity]

Am I reading the table wrong, or did I mess up by pulling 4th forward? Do we have enough wonders left to get 2nd and 3rd up to speed?

 

[mad-bax]

OK. I see it. Will play tonight, but it may roll over till tomorrow as I have an issue at work and I may get home late.

 

[TedJackson]

@Space
Not to worry, we can even things up in the next age.


Ted

 

[mad-bax]

1390AD: Pre-turn.

From the thread it sounds like Ted is advocating breaking a gpt deal. I'm not sure I want to do that. I think we can afford to wait 10 turns. Sorry if this is wrong.

IBT:
4th cav - cav
Catherine settles near our Gems colony. 1 cultural expansion will destroy it. We have a straight peace deal with her, but we can wait for the deal to expire. Looks like the next player will be doing a lot of clearing up.

I think the Germans can go now. I'll wait for magnetism, gift them to the new age, take their tech.

1395: Just moved some troops, upgraded a bit etc.

IBT: Catherine demands we leave (autoboot). I'm soreley tempted to squash her.
2nd Cav - Cav
5th Cav - Cav

1400AD:
Moved troops.
Sent a couple of workers to build a couple more colonies just in case.
Germany ejects another settler/spear pair

IBT:
Germany and France sign MA against Russia. Good maybe the french will wign and MA against us when we declare war on Germany.

1st Cavalry - Cavalry

1405AD:
No News

IBT:
I am playing with another french galleon. I'm not going to be able to hold them all off forever.
4th Cavalry - Cavalry

1410AD

IBT: A knight and a canon die of disease in the jungle. A canon

1415AD
Decide to up science to get magnetism 1 turn earlier, get to the new age and start again.

IBT:
2nd Cavalry - Cavalry
5th Cavalry - Cavalry

1420AD:
Running troops around and upgrading.

IBT:
Learn Magnetism Research Steam ?
1st cavalry - cavalry
Add west wing to Palace.

1425AD:
Gift Germany all the way to the Industrial age. His free tech is medicine. I demand it as tribute. He refuses. I declare war.

Elite horse vs warrior wins
Elite Gallic vs spear wins capturing settler
Elite horse vs reg spear retreats
No more elites

IBT:
Nowt happened

1430AD:
vet gallic vs reg spear wins and promotes
Elite horse vs reg archer wins razing Salzberg
vet cav vs reg spear wins and promotes

IBT:
4th cav - cav

1435AD
Elite cav vs reg spear wins razing Bremen

IBT:
2nd Cav - Cav
5th Cav - Cav

1440AD:
Germany won't talk to us yet.
Russia is Gracious towards us and will give wines for silks staight up.
Joan has medicine but won't trade it.
There are a number of lux trades that could be done, but as is the convention I leave that to the next player.

We can take out any of the foreign towns on our continent as we please. There are a few boats at the shortest crossing to Carthage (Dijon) and a few more on the way.

No luck generating a leader I'm afraid. My touch has deserted me of late.

Not much to show in the way of pictures.

Here is the
>>save<<

 

[TedJackson]

Originally posted by mad-bax
1390AD: Pre-turn.

From the thread it sounds like Ted is advocating breaking a gpt deal. I'm not sure I want to do that. I think we can afford to wait 10 turns. Sorry if this is wrong.

I can see why you thought that though I meant to just open the subject up for discussion.

Good steady progress MB

I turn over the card. It's the Queen of Hearts, must be Space's turn. You're up!


Ted