The (Second) MGE Sailing Succession game

[Bloody Monk]

Seems like "senior moments" are going around. They can turn around and go back, so nothing major, right.

Monk

[Six Thousand Year Old Man]

Originally posted by Bloody Monk
Seems like "senior moments" are going around. They can turn around and go back, so nothing major, right.

Monk

Looking at the save now. Looks like they're going the wrong way, all right. That will be fixed.

[Six Thousand Year Old Man]

Status update: 9 turns into my reign, we have a new government, 2 new techs (researched, not stolen!!), and I am trying to wean us off white good construction.

Updates tomorrow.

[duke o' york]

Sounds promising.
His Gitness is the next High Priest of the Most Worshipful Company aboard the Good Ship Civ!

I'm looking forward to reading the turn log, and maybe I'll take away a save if we get one just to have a look around the world.
(Fear not Monk, I've got the OCC 3 - not 4 - to play so I shouldn't play any unofficial turns in this game)

[Bloody Monk]

They only thing we have to fear...is fear itself.

Monk

[Six Thousand Year Old Man]

Perhaps I should have played this one while sober...

1776: Everyone hates us, we're "Weak" and to top it all off, we're researching Philosophy. Great.

First thing to do is turn those Galleons around.

Second thing to do is adjust the tax rate. Yeah, I know, in Fundy, why have Science? But we are set at 80% tax, 20% lux, and the luxuries are useless at 20%, since none of our cities can celebrate at that level. 20% sci would be mostly but not completely useless; thus, better. Once we finish some more Marketplaces (because our cities with Markets WILL celebrate at 60% lux, and that could be reduced to 40% or so once the celebrations start) and once the 'Vans are close to being delivered, I will bump luxuries and ditch the science rate.

Thinking about Communism. Unrest shouldn't be an issue. And we could use the extra science. Inducing celebrations would be just as easy as in Fundy. No vet spies yet, though. The negatives are unit support and cash.

So once we have some Markets in place, we'll switch to Commie. That will clear up the cash problem, largely (once we start to celebrate) and will allow time to rehome units where needed.

We have 8 Galleons, 8 Caravans, and 1 Musketeer. We need more Musketeers and 'vans. We need Diplomats!

Changed a few build instructions... no need for a Market in size 1 Plato... a Musketeer is better. Rush Market in Cimmeria, which is undefended; hopefully we will have the time to complete a Musketeer there.

/me is unhappy with a lot of our eastern cities build queues... Harbour in Athens? Markets in Cyclops and Archimedes?? And why is Cyclops working 2 river tiles, meaning the Marketplace will be finished in 73 turns... or 1886!

Who let the perfectionists in!? Workers rearranged, at least... don't want to sacrifice the shields.

This has a nice feel to it. We are on the cusp of turning this around. We're also on the cusp of having the Zulus roll up Polyphemus, Plato et al like a red carpet after J-Lo has left the building.

(This will all seem much less funny when I'm sober, and my girlfriend is done providing Robust, Constructive, but ultimately Clueless, Criticism - RCCC )

Press ENTER!

1778: Market in Cimmeria>Horsemen.
Settlers SE of Ulundi retreat to Galleon. I suppose they were intended for the 182,152 sweet spot... but there are Zulus who are Hostile and only in ceasefire with us. Any city that close to Zuludom would be toast.
Prepare to ICS... we can fit another city between Sparta and Galen, and it would be defensible... assuming we can hold Polyphemus.

Bump tax rate to 5.5.0. Let's see if we can't squeeze out some celebrations for next turn, since I want to deliver a van next turn.

Rush Market in Charybdis.

1780: Some celebrations. Hides Circe>Siren Call, 102 g. Tweak some workers and increment a little.

We now have 7 marketplaces and some cash, now we might as well revolt.
REVOLUTION.

Carthagines are almost finished Shakespeare.
Carthagines learn Conscription, Zulus get it from GL. Great.

1782: Communism formed. Taxes to 2.8.0 to jumpstart celebrations.

Carthagines declare war without giving other options

Chinese change from Shakespeare to CfC, WTF??? CfC already?
Carths build Shakespeare's Theatre, form Republic.

1784: Tax rate reduced to 2.4.4. This keeps most of our large cities celebrating, gives us net income of 19g and 6 turns per tech.

Bank rushed in Troy.

Zulus learn Chemistry.

1786: Not much, units being moved.
Carthagines reaffirm their desire to crush us like a small bug.

1788: Polly Famous founded.

Bede rates us Hopeless. Gosh, thanks for the great insight, Mr. Bede.

1790: More moving units. Rush Harbour in Circe.
Carthagines learn Chemistry.

1792: We discover Philosophy; with our free tech we pick pick Polytheism. What, we don't get a free tech? Someone else knew it first?
We start researching Polytheism.

Beads Troy>Sparta, 192 g. Cloth Troy>Sparta, 96 g. Cloth Cimmeria>Troy, 50 g.
Increment some things, finish some Marketplaces.

Zulus start UN

1794: Polytheism discovered; researching Monotheism.
Uh oh... Chinese Transport spotted S of Argo. Looks to be carrying something(s) - clicking on it shows an Engineer. Block the landing site on the peninsula with a Chariot.

Chinese land; peace, units withdrawn at my demand, no tech gift or swap
Losses! Spanish Frigate kills new Musket in Ptolemy; Zulu Frigate sinks Galleon with 2 Diplos on board

1796: Chinese Ironclad spotted S of Aristotle.

We're still pitifully weak. I'm not sure if I should have switched to Communism, either. Going to Commie got us an extra tech, but cost us cash which could have been used to do some rushbuying. Staying in Fundy and rushing some Diplos and Muskets and more 'vans for the science seems to have been the better way to go, despite the slower science rate. We did finish a lot of Markets to keep celebrations going, and there are a few demanded Caravans going to various places which should be relatively obvious.

Note: Ptolemy and Polly Famous are currently undefended.

Next...

[Six Thousand Year Old Man]

Stu, you're up. Please save us!

[Bloody Monk]

RCCC



Still, God bless girlfriends who let us play our games.

Monk

[Scouse Gits]

This does not look good

Bad girlfriend! Must imrove quality of RCCC!
Remedial courses available at ... The Institute!

Let's see what can be rescued from this shambles ...

Sir, Git to bat, Sir!

[duke o' york]

The way things are going, -Jrabbit is padded up and Git hasn't even left the pavilion yet!
Things proceed as usual at the Marylebone Constructive Criticism Club.

CfC, UN!!!!! OMFG! RCCC!

Is Mike's still not built anywhere?

[Six Thousand Year Old Man]

I seem to recall that Mikes was built somewhere. On the plus side, Hoover is still unbuilt, and we only need about 40 techs to make it available...

... or 1 tech (if stolen)

[Scouse Gits]

Oh My ...

1796 - Yuk! Troy only size 7! Where were the perfectionists when we needed them? Communism needs cities to work, not bloody villages! This is truly dire. The Git surveys the debris of 660 years of misrule and chaos and weeps ... OK - who lost us our Spotless reputation? We are only 20 techs behind the Zulus and 18 behind the Carts - a mere bagatelle - I seem to recall someone spurning my suggestion that a stealing spree was in order - obviously it is optimal to consider research to be a cottage industry in this game ...

Proposed 'solution':
1) Grow we have a current population of 1.61m - minimum viable pop is 5m - make it so
2) We require an enormous 'diplomatic' presence - make it so
3) A few more trade routes would not hurt - make it so

Action: Revolution, sliders to 4.6.0, employ Elvi; Adjust production in light of above; Enter with great trepidation ...

1798 - Harbour in Archimedes, Cyclops, Charybdis; 3 caravans & a Diplo completed; Democracy established; What s*dding use are sleeping boats & dips? Sliders to 6.4.0; lots of Courthouses started
1800 - 6 cities celebrate; Cimerian Silk - Troy, 79g; Argo Gems(d) - Circe, 213g; Spanish gift Writing for Peace swap Currency & Trade for Industrialisation & Steam Engine; Mongols alliance and they gift us ... Warrior Code; Zulus declare war;
1802 - 1 Temple, 3 Courthouses, Population 2m;
1804 - Aqueduct in Troy; Siren Call Silver(d) - Charybdis, 132g;
1806 - 1 Temple & 2 Courthouses
1808 - 1 Courthouse, Population 3m;
1810 - 1 Temple;
1812 - Zulus bombard Ptolemy; 2 Courthouses; buy bombarding (vet) frigate (forces of a Democracy - yada yada - send Embassy - Zulus revolt tell me to s*d off - buy frigate); Spartan Wool - Troy, 101g; Siren Call Silk(d) - Troy, 240g; (Silk demand appeared after first transaction);
1814 - 2 Courthouses; Monotheism->Communism; Circean Hides(d) - Cimmeria, 102g; Trojan Beads(d) - Ptolemy, 152g; Nice new ellie kills Zulu cannon outside Polyphemus and becomes vet ; Use cash to buy non (ex Zulu) cannon to fortify on the front; Aquire Mathematics & Astronomy from the French (a restart?);
1816 - Population 4m; Diplomatic Corps now 8 strong; Internal trade flourishing;

We are as my good lady would say "in vast acres of trouble" - I suggest that several of my predecessors need refresher courses on "The Effective Use of Government" - all I could manage was a slight improvement - this looks dire ...........

Stu

[duke o' york]

Well you kept a straight bat and nothing more could be asked of you. We just need to keep things going forward at a steadyish pace (well, the quicker the better, but not doing anything rash) and we should be able to play ourselves back into contention. It's a four-day match, not a Super Seven!

[Bloody Monk]

Everyone has a change of gov't, now. Is there a "Double Secret Silly Rule" in effect???


Does anyone think that a minimal level of agreement on direction and strategy would be useful???

Monk

[Six Thousand Year Old Man]

Re: Oh My ...

We are as my good lady would say "in vast acres of trouble" - I suggest that several of my predecessors need refresher courses on "The Effective Use of Government" - all I could manage was a slight improvement - this looks dire ...........

Stu

My bad - I didn't feel that celebrations would have been possible in Demo, and didn't bother testing to see if that supposition was correct.

Nice diplomatic work, too.