New "Ancient Empires" PBEM created

[Straybow]

Pay no attention to the rumors and scandals, Kings. My political opponents are claiming that the peacekeeping operations in Mesopotamia have gone awry.

Yes, we still suffer the occasional suicide bomber. They cast themselves off the city walls and similar high structures, hoping to hit a passing patrol. Sometimes we catch them before they can jump.

It has been a mere 170 yrs, and memories die hard. We we find that many are rabid anti-Hittites from the hills of Canaan, rather than Assyrian dissidents. The continued presence of Chariot divisions is no indication of instability or serious threat.

The Mesopotamian Tourism Board wishes to assure our foreign travelers that our cities and caravanserais are safe and pleasant places to stop overnight or to stay for an extended period.

[Straybow]

Attached wrong file... here goes.

[SlowThinker]

Bab 2500

Uncomprehensible things about Al-Kabir
In 2530 Persians let Babylonian scouts visit upper Al Kabir. Since that date Sinbad repeatedly assures us there is nothing at springs of Al Kabir. Simultaneously Persian troops continuously block our Z-horseman to verify it.
Babylonian traders refuse to trade with Persia under such a situation. Indeed it looks Sinbad decided to deprive Babylon of money...
(Only Bab people that like the situation are moguls of modern Iron industry.)

Peace-loving Babylonians secretly welcome general Mekret found his target to train his vigour at. The problem is pitiable Mitannis have only 0 units left ...

[Peaster]

The incomprehensible will be clear as soon as Babylon realizes that the upper Al-Kabir belongs to Persia. Persia may allow inspections as a favor to a peaceful neighbor, or to pacify an agressive neighbor, but this will be a Persian decision, not a Babylonian one.

Persia remains open to trade with all peaceful nations.

[SlowThinker]

Persia may allow inspections as a favor to a peaceful neighbor, or to pacify an agressive neighbor, but this will be a Persian decision, not a Babylonian one.

This is exactly what we can't understand: why Persia doesn't do that decision? Why doesn't she let us inspect 'as a favor to a peaceful neighbor'?
Especially if she says that there is nothing to hide and that she wants to trade ...

[SlowThinker]

There is a thread about the article of The Great Intriguer:

http://apolyton.net/forums//showthread.php?s=&threadid=158116

[Kull]

Another lazy day under the hot Egyptian sun. We were expecting gifts from our brother across the water.....alas, his messenger must have tarried along the way.

[Peaster]

Sentries aside! The last Persian gnomes have gone underground again for another Babylonian inspection of the Al Kabir valley. As usual, the inspectors must return south of the Tushpa line in 2490BC.

[Straybow]

Wouldn't that depend on having a unit with enough movement on the river and in position?

[SlowThinker]

Normally it wouldn't. Babylonian Z-horse (at western base of Al-Kabir's Gold) is on a position from which it could move north, check ZOCs of Persian units on Al-Kabir and return. This way Persian units may stay on their positions on Al-Kabir.
In past I proposed this procedure to Sinbad and I don't know why he didn't follow it now. It looks in place of it Persia freed access from lower Al Kabir. Coincidentally I have a horse that might be able to inspect and return.

Unfortunately Persia formed a stack from her units, and whole army of furious gnomes might be hidden in the stack. Therefore the inspection will have rather a symbolic meaning.
But we considered this as an act of Persian goodwill and so we offered a contract to Persian traders this turn.

[Peaster]

Babylon has a visible skirmisher on the river which can move north 4 steps, test ZOC against a Persian early chariot to check the river tip, and then return. I had intended to explain this in a private message. IIRC the skirmisher will see empty land.

I think I told Babylon in advance that she would have a chance to inspect this turn (or approx this turn), so she could have other inspectors available, but the visible Bab skirmisher is enough for the job.

I formed the temporary stack [which is west of the river, on rough terrain, and blocked by a Bab sentry], while replacing a C2 sentry with a less-threatening skirmisher. Of course, we may stack sentries as needed to defend against bribery.

[SlowThinker]

So far Persia offered inspections approx. each 4th turn, but such inspections have only symbolic meaning. Only restriction for armies of furious gnomes is they cannot attack Babylon in turns 1,5,9... but they must do it in between.
With every-turn inspections (easily manageable with the Z-horse) even stacks of gnomes on hills/mountains around Al Kabir aren't such a big threat (like Al-Kabir if not visible for Babylon) because they cannot hit Babylon directly.

[Kull]

Persia should launch an all-out gnome assault lasting from turns 2 through 4 and see if Babylon notices. I'll bet he doesn't!

Egypt will help out by sending a devastating wave of two C-1s on a secret spy mission down the Nile to the Horn of Africa, across the Indian Ocean and then up the Persian Gulf to catch Babylon totally off-guard. The unstoppable juggernaut should crest at the walls of Ur in about 2000 years.

[SlowThinker]

I don't want to be impatient... but I just recollected...

Originally posted by Kull on 22-07-2006 07:02
I on the other hand can come up with pictures EVERY TURN of Babylonian units closing in on Egyptian cities.

... in what stage of work are Egyptian documentarists?

[kengel]

No news