Morgan Opening - Attn Ogie

[CEO Aaron]

Okay, this is for everyone's commentary, but I'd really like to know why it is that I can't seem to get my Morgan game working lately. I use Ogie Oglethorpe's excellent and compelling early game strategy, outlined here: http://www.civgaming.net/smac/acad_buildprimer.shtml

It seems to me that I either can't catch a break, or I'm doing something direly wrong, strategy wise. I'll attach some saves, add some commentary, and we'll see what people think.

Anyway, first save is 2101. No big shocks so far. Suck opening spot, but I try to play the map I'm dealt, as I think rerolling maps until I get a river and 2 monoliths is kind of bankrupt.

[CEO Aaron]

Turn 2104, my second base is founded. Both are building up minerals for my switch to tanks as soon as I finish researching Biogenics.

[CEO Aaron]

Behold turn 2107. Recycling tanks are complete, next I will construct my scout garrisons.

[CEO Aaron]

Oops. Helps if I attach the game...

[CEO Aaron]

Here's turn 2117. I've rushed my colony pod immediately after my capital reaches 2 population, and am poised to do so with my second base in the next turn.

[CEO Aaron]

Here's 2123. I've planted one base, but as you see, I've encountered a pesky mindworm. Sadly, the scout I advanced to kill him has lost, and now I must retreat my pod, losing critical turns while I build another scout to uproot mister worm.

[CEO Aaron]

2126, and I've compounded my woes by opening a pod, hoping for a break, and lo, another worm. This may have been my fatal mistake, but I do have a garrison poised to take up residence in my capital.

[CEO Aaron]

Or not. Looks like mister worm was a mite too clever for me, and zipped over to eat my damend capital. Oh, and my pod-popping scout was devoured messily, and there seems to be a third worm lurking out there, eyeing my colony pod hungrily.

Admittedly, the pod-pop with my capital's garrison was a bad break, but given the sound drubbing my scouts seem to receive every time I cross paths with a worm, this doesn't seem like too grevious a fault. So... do I chalk this up to reckless play and dumb luck? Am I getting special treatement from the worm brigade? Suggestions, please.

[CEO Aaron]

Durnit, forgot the save again:

[Jamski]

You're getting bad luck on a poor start.



-Jam

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Sorry,

My bad Haven't checked here in a bit. I'm now at work and will have to open the saves tonight at home.

I know I've had a number of bad beginnings before where the 8th faction decided to make my life a living hell. WIthout looking at it, I would guess you've hit a particularly bad string of luck.

What fungus settings were you using?

[CEO Aaron]

Oh, I always play abundant natives, so I know I did sign up for some early worm pain, but I've been having a string of games where my early expansion is cramped by either crazy worms and angry neighbors.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

What size world? (for purposes of interfactional issues)

Most of the itme anymore I go either normal settings and large world, sometimes abundant natives.

Morige definitely is susceptible to Natives. It is my feeling (from observing pops in ocean etc.) that running negative planet makes worms swarm towards you. Not that it increases likelihood of warm generation per se but that worms when generated in the game are likely to nonrandomly move towards bases/factions that have negative planet ratings.

This being said abundant natives seem to be a big distraction to me when Morgie playing as the worms come a calling as opposed to going and picking on some other faction.

I could be imagining things tho'.

[CEO Aaron]

I play Large Worlds. Yet on most games I still find myself sharing a close border with at least one aggressive neighbor, as in they find me before I've planted my 5th base.

[Santiago_Claus]

I've downloaded your game, just because Morgan is my favorite faction.

Morgan's biggest disadvantage is right up front: he must expand like mad in order to survive, but with a support penalty hung around his neck, just at the time of fiercest competition for the most important SP's (WP and HGP). If Morgan doesn't have space, and lots of it, he's going to die.

Morgan's advantage is having and eating his cake when it comes to SE: he can both troll fungus and get 2 Econ by using Demo/Green/Wealth.

Without having looked at your game, I'm guessing there either isn't room to expand or you just got handed some unlucky early breaks.