Machiavelli Institute: Who should be our First Ally?

[Papa Chubby]

There are a couple of issues I would like to address. First one is that everybody has been proclaiming that our starting location is a bit on the weak side. Therefore making it a bit harder for us to keep up with the infamous Settler Diarhea. We are also playing Emperor level, meaning production and food bonuses for the AI. Yet we are going to take both the American and the French. With only spearmen and Archers, while the French will in all probabliity be able to build swordsmen, and this seems to be viewed as a relativelly easy task. Now most of the time I play, the AI tends to have a couple of offensive units in the beginning, just to make life a little bt more challenging. Certainly not as many as later on, but a couple.

Now we aren't suggesting that we should only enter the war with the French if the Greeks are willing to march with us. Nor are we suggesting that our glorious Supreme Military Commander should get on his knees and kiss some fungi infested Hoplite foot. All we are stating is that we should be open to the idea of opening another front against the French. In order for this to be even remotelly possible, we will have to remain on somewhat good terms with the Greeks. This is all we are suggesting. Covering all bases before you try to steal home.

[Captain]

COUNTRY (threat rating in number of "!" marks)

Size of threat, declining/increasing/stable, timeframe, distance, likely potential future threat
Specific reasons for threat
Plan to negate the threat

how's that?

again, just off the top of my head, so it's not really well thought out.