Lazy Days of Summer Sxn Game

[Old n Slow]

Originally posted by duke o' york
...It bends the rules a little (all right, a lot ), but it seems to allow us a decent chance of getting back into the game. Or we could buy enemy cities with spies.....

What "back in the game"? We're a player set from tech parity, two or three player sets from conquering our most formidable enemy and two player sets after that, the world is ours.

It will only take a couple of transport's worth to roll through some of these civs.

[La Fayette]

Here is my opinion about changing the rules:

NO! NO! NO!

but IMO it wouldn't be against the rules to give new rulers to the cities which have lost their original ruler.
This is therefore my proposal.

[duke o' york]

Well what does anyone think about my second proposal?

Is this in line with the ruleset?

[Old n Slow]

Rehoming is not necessary -- one can move any of the units not nailed down.

Buying with spies is fine.

[-Jrabbit]

I finally wrested the Mac from my daughter late last night. Only had time to do a situation survey; hoping to play 10 turns tonight.

Question -- We have about 10 caravans lying about. The only easy deliveries are on the home continent, with minimal payout. The only WoW available is SETI.

Did the previous players have thoughts and intentions for these investments?

My impulse is to hold these until I can deliver them to a large, doomed American city before the howies lay waste to it. But with minimal control we have in build queues and resources in this game, I wanted to be certain there was some clever plan in place for these.

Can anyone shed light on this?

BTW, I'm planning to play, essentially, by the original ruleset.

Looks like the Greeks are massing naval forces to the south and ground troops around isolated Delendapolis to the north. Makes their "peace/receptive" status look, uh, temporary at best...

And there's a lot of pollution about.

We have virtually no navy, and much of it is far from the homeland. We will require some transport support before we can mount a dependable attack force, even for the short trip to American shores.

Basically planning to follow OnS's guidelines -- build stuff, kill stuff, and go Commie...

Leaving a partisan around to act as a threat and thus permit action in captured cities is a nice (cute) interpretation that should aid the process of conquest.

Few cities have a sufficiency or quality of troops to permit heisting them for the war effort, so I'll live with toggling the advisor in non-core cities to aid in the effort. Warrenville and Oldetown will pump out as many as possible, and they'll be sent away from home for general use. (Orig rules stated "anything blinking" falls into this category iirc.)

I see several new, small cities in the empire. I do not plan to plant any more. Engineers will be used for pollution control and as part of the attack force (if I can mount anything respectable in 10 turns).

Thoughts on best use of the many vans/freights (mostly hides, with an oil, a gold, a dye, and a food (?) iirc) we have laying about, are solicited.

[duke o' york]

Unless you can get across onto the American RR and have a good look round with these freights, then just dump them into a decent-sized coastal city.
Otherwise, we can both explore, and find demanding cities to pile them into. With 'vans then just plonk them into the cities - I doubt that the transport will survive for many turns, or that the vans could last more than a turn on the American continent.

Then use the cash to blow the Yanks apart!

[Old n Slow]

I think that the payoffs in America will be worth the wait.

Annd the cities near the Greeks might be threatened enough to make spies...

[-Jrabbit]

Yeah, there are Greek troops tramping unmolested throughout the Greater Delendapolis metroplex. If I ask them to leave, I'll be inviting war.

[-Jrabbit]

1916 Save

Zipped for your listening pleasure.

The attack on American soil is staged but not yet begun in earnest. They continue to amass a new tech on alternatete turns. They have achieved Flight and will have Advanced Flight next.

I was hoping to land troops directly outside the nearest US cities, but the waters SE of our landmass were roiling with bad guys. After losing a cruiser, I decided to clear the peninsula of sentry troops and squeeze onto American land from a safer angle.

The next player has a mass of howies augmented with a couple alpines and some spies, fortressed outside Buffalo. The military goals are self-evident. Once we've established a viable base, the fat Americans should also supply us with some lovely payouts for the camels and freights we have stored up. They are Democracy, so spies should be used for tech theft -- and they've got several juicy ones (Fighters, Armor, soon to have Bombers, and more).

Note: Warrenville has been set it to build a barracks (which I should have done 10 turns ago "idiot: ). After that's complete, please set the autopilot as best beneftits the empire.

We did bribe several new cities over to our side (due to being at war with the Greeks). These were loaded with troops -- quite a bargain.

The 1916 turn is only partially played -- home continent deployment decisions have been left for the next player.

This is looking pretty winnable.

[-Jrabbit]

Rudy Rabbit's Lazy Log

Start survey: 1906 and we're in Democracy, 60-10-30, netting 473 GP/turn, one tech/14 turns. We have 1572 GP in the treasury, 12.88 MM ppl in 20 cities. Hey, that's as many cities as the evil Americans! There's considerable pollution, and the "sun" is shining brightly.

We rush a row here, a white good there (Coastal Fort in navally threatened La Fayette) , and a spy in Delendapolis (which is being used as a training ground by peaceful/hostile Greek forces. Much checking of Auto settings in non-mayoral cities, several of which are adjusted for the greater good. We gather engineers for pollution control, toggle to 50-0-50 and start a REVOLUTION! This requires a troop of Elvi to be hired. Moving to war footing, we dismiss Dr. Einstein and hire a fleet of accountants.

"Press NEXT to die."

1907
--Greek fleet moves threateningly all around our southern coastal areas, from Ant's Nest to West Chalco.
--American cruiser kills our lone DD in the SE seas.
--La Fayette starts Howie. (Good Auto Advisor!)
Delendapolist complete a spy. With several Greek incursions and massing on the borders, we authorize starting another.
--doldrums completes Engineer, start Explorer (domestic advisor wanted SETI)
--Oldetown completes Mass Transit, starts Factory.
--Delendapolis spy uncovers 2 Greek cities. No wonder so many troops are about!
--With great trepidation, we ask the Greeks to leave our lands. Shockingly, the do!!
--Communism established, Comrade Rudy Rabbit at the helm. Toggle to 80-0-20.
--Note American DD outside Slowville, authorize change to Cruiser. American DD outside La Fayette; change build there to Transport.
--Transport lands spy NE of American lands.

1908
--Americans develop Refrigeration.
--Greeks are everywhere -- on land north near Delendapolis, asea to the south.
--Greeks and Russians now at war.
--Spy gains rail access, maps most of the american mainland. Capital of Washington holds 4 WoWs, 2 alpines, 6 rifles, and has walls. building offshore Platform. spy steals
Amphibious Warfare. and escapes to Oldetown.

1909
--Antlegrad now threatened, switches to Howitzer.
--Greeks learn Machine Tools, expel our spy (who previously mapped most of the Greek-German continent SE of Delendapolis).
--Delenda builds another spy.
Tatooine completes Hides freight, MIL advisor says Alpine (dom wanted SETI)
--Oldetown rushed Factory, starts howie.
--LaFayette completes Transport, starts Explorer (it was that or SETI)
--Slowville completes cruiser, which kills American DD and starts "around the horn" toward Oldetown for proposed shipchain to America.
--Slowville miltary advisor suggests a Battleship. We rejoice!!!
--Greek town of Sicyon is loaded with troops, so we Subvert for 283x2 (plunder of 26 and Atomic Theory. We get a couple fanatics, a rifle, 3 transports, a camel (oil) and a dragoon. (Also got 3 engineers, but had to disband cuz at size 2, Sicyon was -7 shields. So now it's size 5.)
--Toggle to 70-10-20.
--Ask Greeks to leave. They take umbrage, declare WAR. (Guess I should have asked before subverting...)

1910
--Americans learn the art of Flight. Spies alerted to be on the lookout for technical documents.
--Toofaraway revolts for 293 (79 plunder, Theology. We also add 2 rifles, explorer, and a Cruiser. .
--Phocaea follows suit for 283 iirc (29 back, plus Fundamentalism, a rifle, 2 engineers, and a cannon.
--American cruiser kills our cruiser.
--S Pole dye (d) to Oldetown, 122 GP.
--Our DD kills Greek galleon near Antlergrad. Amazingly, Greek ironclads steam AWAY from unprotected Chalco Island area...
--La Fayette builds Explorer, starts Howie.

1911
--Busy Greeks switch from Republic to Fundy, capture Krasnoyarsk (Russian), and declare war on Japanese.
--Ant's Nest comopletes Sewerage, starts Coastal Fortress (dom adv)
--Totooine completes Alpine, starts another (mil)
--Chalco completes cavalry, starts CF (dom)
--Our cannon kills Greek marine near Toofaraway.
--Delendapolis out of danger, starts aqueduct (dom)

1912
--Amicans nearly done with SETI. (Too bad, many domestic advisors wanted SETI, meaning that we are building troops in many locations.)
--Pergamon cavalry attacks our fortressed Rifle (now vet).
--Greeks get Automobile, peace with Russians.
--Middleboro Offshore Platform.
--Pollution nearly under control.

1913
--Americans learn Radio, complete SETI.
--Germans learn Metallurgy.
--Hobbitown completes CF, starts Alpine (mil)
--Slowville complete Battleship, starts Alpine (mil)
--With seas to the south still infested with american and Greek naval units, we send a full transport to the mostly-empty peninsula btween us and the American population centers. Advance spy IDs safe route, many howies come ashore, clearing 2 armors in our path (one American, one Japanese)...

1914
--Japanese learn Machine Tools
--Greek cruiser attacks Sicyon, kills rifle.
--distant empty transport ambushed by American cruiser near (IIRC) Richmond.
--3 American ships die against LaFayette walls. We lose a troop there as well.
--2nd landing party alights on american continent.
--Tatooine Alpine, starts Hydro Plant (dom -- mil wanted Explorer)

1915
--americans learn to Recycle.
--Greeks go from Fundy back to Republic.
--Our BB blows away a Greek ironclad, now VET
--americans chat, request CF (OK), then Peace (OK).
--Our spies continue exploring, and we slip troops into a fortress outside Buffalo, our first target city. It has 3 rifles, 2 alpines, a nearby marine, and city walls. Dallas has 3 rifles and walls.
--West Chalco complete Alpine, starts CF (dom)
--Sicyon oil (d) to Oldetown 126 GP (Why so little???)
--Our cruiser kills a Greek Cruiser and Destroyer outside Toofaraway.
--spy notes Pergamon defended by 2 fanatics and a rifle. Bribe cost is 928.
--Nearby Artemisium is more reasonable. Revolts for 464-44, netting one-each Cavalry, Fanatic, Rifleman, and Engineer. City generates 1st Partisan resistance (1) in aftermath.
--Greeks parley, demand 300. We decline, the re-declare WAR!
--Rush Coastal Fortresses in Toofaraway, Sicyon.

1916
--Greeks see Republic = bribed cities, return to Fundy.
--Americans move more defenders (marine, armor) ito Buffalo. (But we're at peace! Don't you trust us???)
--Disorder in Middleboro. Oops.
--ant's Nest completes Coastal Fort, switches to Offshore Plat (dom)
--Pollution outside Tatooine, Warrenville, Slowville -- makes it hard to add Eng to invasion force.
--With BB nearby, we attempt to shift our nascent american shipchain, only to find a Japanese sub blocking the way. Transport retreats to Oldetown. BB moves toward sub. (Yes, we're at war with the Japs too, just haven't seen them much...)
--Cruiser near Chalco kills Greek DD, becomes vet.
--Transport westbound is planning to drop Explorer on large virgin island NW of Chalco, then pick up Chalco engineer and drop him off where he can do some good.
--Troops now fortified outside Buffalo. Expecting American demand that we leave next turn.

Th-th-th-th-that's all, f-f-f-folks.

I think I stayed within the sprit of the rules. I did employ the tactic of not fortifying most fo the new troop builds. IIRC the rules state that if they're blinking, they can be used as the Comrade in charge sees fit for the good of the empire. I also invoked the "city being threatened" rule to change build orders a few times. but mostly, I rushed howies and sent them to Oldetown for the American invasion.

The American cities are HUGE -- very few under (12) and several over (20). The WoWs are concentrated in Washington (4!) and New Orleans (2). They have air support, so beware. Once they declare war again, spies should go grab Mobile Warfare and whateve other techs suit your fancy. With a pure-howie attack force, we can ignore the walls.

The Greeks are fighting on 2-3 fronts at any given moment, so they are not as troublesome as I feared they might be. We now have a solid, defendable core of cities up north.

My only regret is not building barracks in Oldetown and Warrenville. Somehow, it just didn't occur to me.

[-Jrabbit]

BTW, if you're unhappy with build choices by the Autopilot, take time to check Mil vs Dom. Sometimes they change!

I noticed that when a ship is nearby, domestic will generally want a Coastal Fort, no matter what it wanted before. Military really likes Alpines, but they're a great occupation force in an invasion, so it could be worse.

sometimes it's a choice of stupid moves (like Explorer vs Offshore Plat for a size 5 city with only 4 ocean tiles), but overall, the Auto advisor is actually more tactically correct at this stage of the game than early on. Just remember to check your options on occasion (but not if you're happy! I lost a chance to build a BB -- it changed to a DD when I toggled back to Military.)

[Old n Slow]

Re: Rudy Rabbit's Lazy Log

Originally posted by -Jrabbit
--Note American DD outside Slowville, authorize change to Cruiser. ...
--Slowville completes cruiser, which kills American DD and starts "around the horn" toward Oldetown for proposed shipchain to America.
--Slowville miltary advisor suggests a Battleship. We rejoice!!! ...
--Slowville complete Battleship, starts Alpine (mil)...

I think that I have the best advisor.

[-Jrabbit]

I believe the duke o' york is next in the succession.

[duke o' york]

Oh crikey.

I haven't got a city at the moment have I? Could I possibly have a bribed or captured city to call my own?
That would be nice - especially if I decide to splat Buffalo at some point. Do I have to choose a city straightaway from those we have now, or can I take my time and make a more careful choice?

[-Jrabbit]

I would suggest we cede you one of the cities abandoned by our erstwhile compatriots.
A couple of them are pretty nice...

Then again, it might be good to have a mayor-controlled city away from the homeland...