Romp -- an Early Conquest Succession Game

[Bloody Monk]

...and then, build some more."

Monk

[Grigor]

Trajanus - Why don't you put the taxes to maximize gold and start the mobilization. It should be a very good strategy about now. I like to get Chivalry first, but it isn't necessary, and Elephants will do just fine. That's what succession games are about anyway - different ideas. And I'll bet you can't make it any more uncomfortable for the other players than I did!

[Elephant]

My Early Conquest GOTM at CFC never even got to Chivalry: I started with non-vet Elephants and "survival of the fittest" made them vet along the way. I got Marco Polo for maps, Hanging Gardens to keep the cities from disorder, and LightHouse for unsinkable Triremes. Later I grabbed Great Wall before the AI could build it (and thereby missed building SunTzu). Depends on how "Early" you want to conquer...

[-Jrabbit]

With restarts enabled on a gigamap, it seems that a truly early endgame will be pretty difficult to arrange.

[Traianvs]

No I was dead serious, I usually let my cities grow so they can pay the shield upkeep, get a temple, and start spitting out troops. Also I usually rely on great library for science as I don't research myself . Doesn't matter, I have tons of troops to maul their cities anyway

Oh well

[Elephant]

JR, the Restarts things is an annoyance but not a killer. When they restart they will get some freebie techs but will have to build cities all over again, and the best starting spots are already taken by civs. When you take out a civ, make sure you leave a couple cities around the area to force the restarted settlers to begin elsewhere. La fayette showed in a Strat thread that each color AI civ will restart 2 times, then a randomizer will add 1 or 2 more. But each time will get easier, and if you are building your civ as you take them out eventually you will cover most of the land and be able to spot and kill them before they even get the first city started.

[Bloody Monk]

Killing them is counter-productive nonsense, though it will feel goood.

Make one citizen zoo civs and avoid the need for finding them again. And don't forget that each time a civ restarts it may have more techs than the one you just killed. Also, this is a gigamap where we don't have LH.

Trajanus, if you want to build only mil-units, go ahead. With six done, play and post and let's go look for someone to jump!!

Monk

[Bloody Monk]

Originally posted by debeest
Good point, Monk. When you get to the point where you can rushbuy the camel and then the delivery pays for it immediately, the science and the trade route are free, and you've got the goose that lays the golden eggs.

Yes, yes, yes!! But there is a more fundamental piece worth emphasizing here. It is the way Trade lets you convert shields into beakers--thus speeding up research.

Building camels (one turn, then rush) along with enough boats to ship chain the deliveries every 1-3 turns, creates a self sustaining loop (that pays for itself). The trade routes are gravy. But the point is the science bonus that speeds the research.

And that's why, when there is a wonder to be built, I think the payoff threshhold should be 200g/beakers, because that is the camel's value in wonder building.

Monk

[Bloody Monk]

This discussion about camels/trade -v- miitary units reminds me of the High Council 'movies'.

I play the role of the Trade Advisor and Tranjanus, the Military Advisor. His comment about the relative uselessness of anything other than military units recalled to mind the the term "platehead", while, I feel sure, mine probably made him shake his fist and grunt some appropriate expletive. Point of view is everything!!


I never realized before how much we resemble the High Council when we engage in "RCC" and commentary.


The important thing in SXN games is that whosoever is the current "noble ruler" is free to do whatever the heck me wants.

Monk

[duke o' york]

Yeah, Monk. We'll all do what you want.

That's the fun of SXN games. You get the save and scratch your head in bewilderment at what the player before you was thinking of. Then you play a couple of turns to try to put things towards your style, before you realise the wisdom of your predecessor and either regret or carry on regardless. After, you pass the save on to the next player and the cycle of head-scratching begins again. Mind you, all SXN games are different for all, but especially different for me because I never try to win by conquest when I play solo. Having said that, I really ought to be learning the ELG bible by heart to improve my technique.

[Bloody Monk]

Originally posted by duke o' york
Yeah, Monk. We'll all do what you want.

Reading comprehension not one of your strong suits is it, doy?? All I want is for someone to DO something!! Oh, yeah, wink, wink.

Lot's of chatter in this thread and others including rules for new games but very few folk actually playing the already open games anymore. What's up with that??

Monk

[-Jrabbit]

You, me, Grigor and debeest are currentl prohibited (right, BM?).

Duke, Elephant, Trajanus, and myriad others can play.

Where's Stu????

[Bloody Monk]

Playlist

Correct, JR. I believe this to be the current order of battle

Most Recent Player list:
4 Grigor
3 debeest
2 Bloody Monk
1 -Jrabbit

...with Grigor being the longest "on the bench."

Stu has reported RL limitations currently.

In my former business there was the phrase, "Many are called, few are chosen." But I also remarked to that, "We choose to be chosen."

In your name I start the chant, "Free the Romp Four!!"

Someone, please play.

Monk

[Traianvs]

Here goes nothing:

AD1: warrior rushed.
--------------------------
AD20: Copernicus in Slim Buttes, now building library. Feeder2 renamed to Fat Buttes . Triremes and elephants in production now.
AD40: rush diplomat in Snake canyon.
AD60: legion threatening Snake canyon bribed (city also rebelled ). Caravan disbanded in Slim Buttes for shields.
AD80: More of the same, not worth mentioning! Barbs around Snake canyon have been decimated though.
AD100: The age of reasoning begins in the Sioux city of Wood lake! Rejoice \o/. We now have discovered monotheism too, and now heading for Feudalism. Hut yields Republic btw.
AD120: rushing some warriors to keep cities content etc... busy sending boats with some elephants, a couple of legions, a lone horseman and a few diplos towards japanese. Also have a few crusaders boarding. Other cities starting caravans again (Michelangelo's chapel!)
AD140: nothing special
AD160: " "
AD180: library in Slim Buttes, building Mike now. Hostile Greeks declare war on us after my righteous demand for tribute! These vile and unworthy barbarians will have their scalps cut off by our mighty Legion+chariot!
AD200: Thermopylae captured together with 50 Gold. Chief's Crag also founded.

There's a trireme near Three forks with a caravan heading for Slim Buttes. A crusader is waiting to be picked up and sent to the Japanese as reinforcement. Notice the trireme is in open sea .
I think Dead Buffalo is about to go in disorder.

If you want to use my save go ahead, but you don't have to
You have 190 Gold to spend though
One final anomaly: My science advisor tells me I research a new tech every 8 turns, but my sliders tell me I research a new tech every 9 turns!

[-Jrabbit]

Trajanus steps up! True to his word, new militia abound. (Don't think I've ever seen a camel disbanded for non-WoW shields before. Why was this necessary??)

I should be eligible now, but have committed to attacking the horror that is Lazy Summer. That will take awhile. And with Mother's Day and SWMBO's birthday back-to-back this weekend, free time will be largely nonexistent until next Tuesday.