The "Barren 'Burbs" Succession Game

[-Jrabbit]

Nice turns, and a fine log, sirsnuggles. Particularly sweet in the area of trade -->> techs + gold. Spending over 700 in cash to complete a WoW (expect a critique from The Institute) is unusual in these parts, but with over $2K left, there is hardly room for complaint...

Do I undersstand correctly, that your successor will get to choose our 2 free Darwinian Techs?

Anyway, IMHO, a fine debut performance, sir.

[Old n Slow]

I agree, nice work.

[Six Thousand Year Old Man]

Very good turns, sirsnuggles

Play list updated. I seem to recall SCG being away, so La Fayette is up. If either of SCG or atomant are now 'good to go' - please say so and you can play after La Fayette...



1. atomant
2. Jrabbit
3. OldnSlow
4. SG(2)
5. STYOM
6. Bob_Smurf42
7. sirsnuggles
8. SCG
9. La Fayette

[La Fayette]

I play tomorrow

[sirsnuggles]

Thanks guys.

Yeah, my successor will get to choose the next two techs (compliments of Darwin). Espionage is the current study, and will, of course, go first and update our dips to Spies. Yeah, I got up to 3500 gold before I started spending it. I think we need to catch up in science to the Indians, so on a whim I felt like rushing Darwin's.

I was hoping to acquire Gunpowder from the Zulu's but they wouldn't part with it, so my successor may want to pick that one as we are involved in several wars now (or go steal it from the Zulu's by purchasing one of their cities).

I think a militarily tense time might be coming up.

[Scouse Gits]

Hi Sirsnuggles! Welcome to the Sticky Mouse Academy.

Some good advances and carefully considered turns … but your play would be enhanced by a course in Strategic Empire Management run by those nice chaps at the Institute!

During your term of office the scientific advances mainly came from some good trading and not from "ground" science. The next target of Espionage will cost 1312 beakers so even if the seven libraries currently under construction were rushed now, the addition to the beaker count would only increase by about 35 or under 3% of the required science for the advance. Their upkeep will cost an additional seven gold a turn. If instead the cities produced caravans the total returns could equal 500 beakers + 500 gold.

Only build white goods when there is a compelling case for the city improvement. If you must have a laundrette in Grottsville build it in two turns so the benefits come quickly and the city can revert to building something useful.

The treasury of 3000+ is wonderful except that it gains no interest. The only way to make the gold work is by incrementally rush buying freights to speed progress through the tech tree or by rushing a key project. With that sort of cash you could have bought Darwin's Voyage directly after Railroad.

After the discovery of Trade wonders are best constructed using caravans or rushed with gold. This is particularly true about Darwin's Voyage. The reason is that the early industrial period of the game reduces trade returns once trains start running around. At present this game is in the Railroad Gap which can only be rectified with the discovery of the Corporation when Leo's converts camels into freights… crucial in this roadless environment as they move two! Incidentally Darwin's is one of the wonders that should be constructed in a recently built city well down the list in F1 so the larger cities contribute their science after the construction of the project. There is no carry over of beakers after Darwin returns from the Galapagos Islands so on a bad day the wonder may only contribute one advance if it is triggered when F6 is nearly complete.


SG(2)

[La Fayette]

I haven't started playing yet, but I must say thank you to SG(2) for the brilliant summary he just made.
My advice to all players: read SG(2)'s lesson very carefully. It is full of good advice for playing midgame (between Navigation and The Corporation).

[La Fayette]

LF, new leader of the Roadlessans, looks at the Empire and feels sad: we are very close to 1800AD and we only have ONE embassy. How can we decide wisely without information ?
But LF keeps smiling because he notices that our coneheads are researching ESPIONAGE
Vet spies within a few turns: there is nothing better for LF's morale and fighting spirit

It appears that the previous leader has NOT bought Darwin. This is good news, since it will allow us to establish some embassies, steal what those people have to offer and plan Darwin's building accordingly

It also appears that Explosives and The Corporation are 2 high priorities.
Due to some odd and very ancient taboo, we are unable to build settlers. Turning the few we have to engineers will be like x2 the number of settlers
...and building freights instead of caravans will be highly rewarding (2 moves + bonus x1.5)

LF finally decides that the window of opportunity for ironclads is almost closed, since the Zulus already have Gunpowder. Therefore the conquest will start with the well known 'killer combo': vet spies + cavalry.
This means that we shall research at full speed until we get Tactics and build a nice shipchain to our allies, the Indians (about 10 'seven moves' transports required, but highly rewarding deliveries to be expected).

[sirsnuggles]

I currently lack sufficient time to address SG's theories, yet never fear, I intend to finish formulating my response.

I enjoy observing the techniques that the rest of you employ. After I completed my turn I continued to play the game (I hope that's okay, BTW) according to my particular stratagem. As this constitutes my initial foray into the civ2 community, the differences in our .sav games remain quite fascinating to me. I pray that you will indulge my curiosity.

Well done Lafayette.

[La Fayette]

There were problems with access to Apolyton last night (at least for me). I wrote 2 logs and both disappeared on their way to this thread
I write a third one now and hope for the best

[La Fayette]

1794: Taxes down from 40 to 20 (we are rich and need research); rushbuild all the libraries currently under building.

1796: City walls in Bristol (we want that Barb king!); hut = NOMAD ; Xinning in all cities with libraries = rate of research improved to 3turns/tech

1798: Hut = 100g

1800: ESPIONAGE (research Gunpowder); our spy steals Gunpowder .

1802: Our spies steal University and Chemistry; huts = 50g + 50g + Dragoons; swapping techs with the Indians gives us Leadership and Economics.
The Indians will also have Espionage; what do you think LF replies if you ask him to give away Espionage?
LF says 'no' and the Indians break the alliance (they will pay for that later ).

1804:The Corporation discovered (Metallurgy started); Deliveries to Zimbabwe: 218g + 218g + 188g + 825g (silver demanded) + 330g; hut = 50g;

1806: Barb king = 150g; Deliveries to Zimbabwe: 116g + 208g + 182g; Barb king = 150g; hut = Barb knights ; hut = Musketeers; coal to Bombay (first delivery to the Indians, though the shipchain is not complete yet) = 880g

1808: Hut = 100g; Conscription discovered (Explosives started).

1810: Explosives discovered (Electricity started, Tactics not offered, should be next ).

Conclusion:
We acquired 10 techs in 8 turns (Tactics next, I suppose)
The 'military' shipchain to Zululand is complete (a lot of 'dragoons soon to be cavalry' under building)
The 'trading' shipchain to India (eastwards from NoWhales) is almost complete.
My successor should be able to crush the Zulus, I suppose.

[La Fayette]

Originally posted by sirsnuggles
After I completed my turn I continued to play the game (I hope that's okay, BTW

Of course it is OK!
It is often very interesting to compare games (and there have been many comparison games organized on this forum, the last ones being the Early Landing Games created and directed by solo before he got buried in RoN )

[Scouse Gits]

Originally posted by La Fayette
I wrote 2 logs and both disappeared on their way to this thread

Try writing the Log in Notepad or Word so it can be saved and then paste here. If Poly is having a bad day it won't be lost

---------------------

SG(2)

[-Jrabbit]

Darwin's is one of the wonders that should be constructed in a recently built city well down the list in F1 so the larger cities contribute their science after the construction of the project.

Now why didn't I think of that?

** -Jrabbit learns something new from The Institue. **

[sirsnuggles]

Apolyton's been having bad days for several in a row now. I haven't been able to log on during the day all week long.