DIPLO: Neu Demogyptica - comments

[DeepO]

I hope Lego won't have the break of receiving steam or Med from Vox, but get Nationalism instead. If GoW more or less cooperates, we then can get ToE, even if Lego talks ND into trading techs freely.

ND: we need a response to these guys. We need to trade them techs so they won't trade them with Lego. And we need to have the 3-way tech deal approved. Vulture, if you are available again after the break-in, could you check this?

DeepO

[Arrian]

Originally posted by notyoueither
... and I'll be damned if Lego shouldn't get the gold star for diplomacy award in this game. It seems as if they've caught every break, but I'd bet a limb this history is more to do with their actions rather than blind luck.

No doubt.

Somehow they've managed to convince their biggest rival and potential enemy to instead be their friend and ally. That in and of itself is worthy of winning an award for diplomacy.

Anyway, if the current situation holds, it comes to this: do we go down swinging and if so, who do we swing at? ND is the obvious choice, since if we can convince GoW to go for it, we can both hit them with a land invasion.

There is definitely part of me that would love to hit Lego with a surprise amphibious assault, but they have clearly invested in their navy already and will do so in the future, and with Magellan's, I don't expect we would have much success.

And then there is the possibility of hitting GoW. Just fer fun, like. The sheer unmitigated illogic of it would, in a sense, be beautiful. We've been so logical all game long, and where did it get us?*

-Arrian

* - actually, all things considered, it got us far. But nevermind that, I'm on a roll.

[vulture]

Originally posted by DeepO
Vulture, if you are available again after the break-in, could you check this?

DeepO

I'm around some of the time, but losing the laptops has cut down the time I can access here. Plus, I'm getting married in 11 days, and then going on honeymoon, so you might be able to guess that a lot of my time is taken up with non-GS related things right now. So having been ambassador for all of 2 or 3 messages, someone else should probably take over the job at the moment.

[asleepathewheel]

congrats vulture. exciting times. yeah, somehow I doubt you will have much time for this for a bit...


now we just need Arrian and Theseus married....

[vulture]

Are we going to start up a same-sex marriage debate here too? :innocent:

[asleepathewheel]

I did see Theseus post his phone number to Arrian, so....

[Arrian]

Methinks Amy and Michelle (our gf's) might be a bit put out.

Ahem. Anyway,

We need a new ND ambassador. I was ambassador for 1 message before Vulture took over, and I volunteer to take up the post again.

Does anyone else want the job, or feel they can do it better (like maybe somebody who can type in German)?

-Arrian

p.s. Congrats, Vulture!

[Theseus]

Congrats, vulture!!

Arrian and I can't seem to even get together for a beer, so anything more serious is out of the question! And, being two warbuilders...

Arrian: "I think we should build a Deck (i.e., happiness)."

Me: "NO!! A new Kitchen first (i.e., food)!!"

Arrian: B*stard!! I'm going to Kitchen Knife Rush you!"

[Cort Haus]

So, ND have offered to help us get ToE by sponsoring GoW research on Medicine. In return, they want Steam Power, Atomic Theory, and Electronics.

Bit lopsided, to say the least, but this is the kind of thing we were going to have to stomach to compete with the Giant Green Goo for the Bobians' affections.

If we try to negotiate, we risk being cut out again, and the stakes are high. If we don't, we've been done up like a kipper.

[Cort Haus]

Wow! 3000 posts

[Cort Haus]

So Arrian, as our ambassador to ND whaddya think?

[vmxa1]

What they don't want any gold to go with it? Nasty buggers.

[Theseus]

I'm surprise they didn't ask for North Stormia and our first born too.

So, lemme get this straight:

* GS invests in the shields.

* ND and GoW share the costs of one tech.

We all end up at the same level of research?

Sheesh.

[DeepO]

From my side, it is a definate no. ND and GoW split the 2600 beaker cost for one tech, in return they get the 3000 beakers we invested, and all the benefits of 600 shields on top of that? They have to be crazy to even consider it.

The thing is the following: We do most of the trouble, we get most of the gain. If they don't want to help us, fine, they hand the game to Lego, who doesn't need anybody's help. They gain nothing.

I say we split the difference in the middle: ND and GoW together make sure we get Medicine in time so that Lego can't beat us to it, they receive Steam and Electricity in return. They have more then a 4 to 1 return on their beaker investment, and that's all they are going to receive. If they don't do it, they receive nothing.

If they don't accept, f*** them, and we go at it alone. ND nor GoW can't beat us, Lego will probably beat us (unless they are unlucky in receiving Nat from Vox), and we race ahead of the pack by 4 techs.

DeepO

[Arrian]

I am generally in favor of try to trade with ND, and cutting them favorable deals, because even a deal that is a tad lopsided can be better than none at all.

HOWEVER, their current offer is total garbage. **** them.

I say we offer to assist GoW monetarily ourselves. Have we ever gotten a sense from them what they would need to finish medicine when we want them to finish it? I know we're not swimming in cash, but we do have some. Worst comes to worst, we can pull up for 1 turn (no more than 1, I'd say, or the risk becomes too great).

The deal I would offer GoW is this: steam power, plus 300 gold to assist their research, in exchange for medicine on TurnX (as fast as they can get there, damnit!). In addition, we offer them atomic theory FOR FREE at a later date, if they agree to 20-turn no-trade agreements on steam and AT.

I think that's a pretty sweet deal for GoW, but yet it still helps us get what we want.

-Arrian