Bribing a barb leader

[ramses II.]

As already posted, I send ships around the world ealry in the games, with diplos in it. When I meet barbs discovering the world, I usually bribe them. And If I manage to bribe the barb ship, I try to bribe the barb leader, too. He (now a diplo) and some NONE-Horsemen/Crusaders/Dragoon will form a second team to discover the world, sailing away with the bribed ship (a NONE ship!).
Do you somtetimes bribe the barb leader, too?

[Scouse Gits]

Nope - I play raging hordes and the 150g ransom is too good to miss - but a barb city near a barb spawn point can on occasion be stacked to the gills with 'Kings' - I think my best haul was a city with four Dips

SG[1]

[ramses II.]

The bribed barb leader will bring you more than 150 gold - perhaps a tech you urgently need for wonderbuilding! The bribed ship and it's passenger will continue tipping huts, bribing barbs, discovering the world.
My experiences are: A ship with a diplo and a four-legged unit will bring you about 500-2000 gold, 3-4 cities, 2-3 nomads, 2-3 friendly units. That depends on the year you start your ship.
And diplos will turn to spies when you get Leo's ...

[rah]

There are only a couple of circumstances where I'll bribe the King.
And none of these happen that often.

1. If another player has a unit poised to cash the king and I don't have a unit close enough to cash it. Sometimes it's worth spending a little to keep them from the 150.

2. If the king has failed to keep up with it's 2x movement protection and I want to bribe the 2x movement protection but my diplo is not close enough to reach it but can reach the king and the king is close enough to the protection. (I hope that's not too confusing)

3. I have an unprotected diplo out exploring and I figure I could use another explorer if there is a lot of land still to explore.
(but on the small rocks that we play MP on. this usually doesn't happen)

4. When you're exploring by yourself and you get that perfect timing of the barb ship unloading right next to you, and you can snag the ship and one of the other units. (even though it is rarely the king unless they're 2x movement troops with it)

5. or if it's close to an enemy city (mp only) and I can bribe it and use both, (one to establish an embasy and one to steal a tech)
Very rare.


RAH

[Messer Niccolò]

Originally posted by rah

2. If the king has failed to keep up with it's 2x movement protection and I want to bribe the 2x movement protection but my diplo is not close enough to reach it but can reach the king and the king is close enough to the protection. (I hope that's not too confusing)

RAH

Confused? Yes, but I've got the point !

[TCO]

I didn't follow the 2x point.

[rah]

2 Movement point units. Horses, chariots, crusaders, etc.

I guess I'm so used to argueing settings 2x1x vs 1x1x in the MP threads that I just started using 2x to refer to 2 space movement units.

Was that the answer to your question or were you referring to something else.

RAH

[Marquis de Sodaq]

I always take the cash. Rah has some points about exceptions, but they almost never happen in my experience. Tho once in a while I get one with a bribed barbarian city.

[rah]

Yes, I prefaced my exception with just that point. RARELY happens. But it's just another example that no matter how rock solid a strategy rule is, there are always exceptions.

RAH

[TCO]

I finally understand what you are talking about. At first I thought you were referring to terrain that allows 2x movement. Not to horse barbarians.

[ramses II.]

Another point: Maybe your Diplo has one move left, but there are still 3-4 barbs threatening your bribed unit and your diplo: Bribe the barb leader - he will bribe 2 of the remaining barbs, they will defeat the others

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Originally posted by ramses II.
Another point: Maybe your Diplo has one move left, but there are still 3-4 barbs threatening your bribed unit and your diplo: Bribe the barb leader - he will bribe 2 of the remaining barbs, they will defeat the others

I, too, prefer to kill -- er, ransom -- him for the cash. Admittedly, though, I might bribe him in the situation you describe -- except that the bugger is almost always stacked with another unit. The only time I ever see a Barb king out on his own is when he's fleeing the aftermath of another disasterous Barbarian suicide assault.

[TCO]

Sometimes I will bribe the leader if there are a lot of units threatening one of my cities (or a stack) and I think that, that is the only way to deal with the threat. (i.e. I need another diplomat).

[atawa]

Bribing barb leaders is about 50 gold? then its 200 total gold you loose, early in the game thats just not worth it.

[ramses II.]

@atawa
Look what I wrote on June, 5th. The Barb leader will bring me more than 200 Gold.