Euro PBEM Part 2

[DeepO]

Onwards!

DeepO

[alexman]

Sent

[nbarclay]

Originally posted by DeepO
So... guys... when are we going to enter the middle age?

What, you expect Alva and me to do all your research for you? Oh yeah, I guess you probably do. Turn to Alva.

[alva]

Don't forget about Alex ..

To DeepO

[DeepO]

Of course I expect you to do my research, why else would I have gambled for the GL? Those are a lot of riders I wasted there

BTW, Nathan, that's also my coast you're exploring... already did I need to block Alex, don't make me need to block you too.

DeepO

[alexman]

Next...

[nbarclay]

To Alva. DeepO, so far, I'm just exploring areas where I'd presumably have cities of my own if your spearmen didn't interfere.

[alva]

To Deeps..

[DeepO]

Nathan, don't bet on that

Thanks for getting me to the middle age, though, those Chinese citizens look a lot more decent now

DeepO

[alexman]

Apparently, you don't need Mass Production for submarines...


To Nathan.

[nbarclay]

It would seem that our mighty caliph has decided that war with Egypt is something other than an act of suicide. DeepO, you might want to consider - and quickly - the consequences if your units are caught in the middle. I fear that under the current circumstances, I could not hold my commanders back from entering the southern part of the continent even if I wanted to. If both of your spearmen remain in their current positions, the consequences could be less than pleasant.

I would also appreciate hearing quickly your stance on the current war - whether you intend to take one side or the other or promise to keep out of it.

Turn to Alva.

[DeepO]

Wow... something is happening. It will be interesting to get my next save

Nathan, let me point out my standing on this. First of all, I did not declare war to you, nor do I wish to do so (at least not the following few turns ). I am not involved in whatever is going on between you and Alex.

However, this does not mean that you can simply threaten me, and I will move my units. For the moment, you have given me no reason to move my spears, and I will not comply with that demand (don't take it personally, but I'm Chinese, damnit ). If you decide to attack those spears, we will be at war, and the logical conclusion for me would be to further settle my differences with Alex, and to join him.

There are two concerns of mine you seem to forget here.
1. I have no interest in having a war in my territory, or on 2 sides of my territory, me cramped in the middle. So allowing your units to simply pass would be a very strange things to do. I don't intend to do this for Alex either, but I have to admit that your path is a lot easier to defend as Alex's one, I simply can't keep him from advancing, a maginot line is not an option.

2. I'm perfectly certain that I'm in an underdog position here. Building the GL has helped to keep me in the race, but still, I'm behind at nearly all aspects. Further, I'm pretty sure Alex is in second last position. If I want to keep this game going, I do not intend to simply join a war against #3, because #1 is offended. Of course, it wouldn't be in my interests to attack you either, I can imagine the power you have.
Lastly, I'm still playing the role of the warmonging mercenary, my loyalcy can be bought. If either side attacks me, I will have personal reasons to declare war on my own, otherwise the highest bidder wins. Given your position in this world, though, I seriously wonder if you would be able to meet my price, I have no interest in getting you bigger at all.

So, if you find a way to move your troops without attacking mine, or even harrassing my units, I won't get involved. But if you drag me into this, the consequences will be yours to deal with. If this statement would mean I will lose more then I would win, or even would get exterminated in-game, fine... at least I tried to play the GoW against GS role

DeepO

BTW, no hard feelings no matter what decision you make, I'm having fun, and I hope the two of you, even at war, would stay as friendly, or even grow closer out-of-game too

[nbarclay]

DeepO, the logistics of trying to ferry my forces around yours would be completely ludicrous, and I have no intention of paying extortion just to travel on land that no civ has a cultural claim to. In the real world, a blockade is considered an act of war. Likewise, if your spearmen remain in a position protecting Arabia from my righteous anger, I will view it as a hostile act. It is not a question of whether you will "allow" me to pass through - my passage is not in the slightest question - but merely a question of whether your forces will survive my passage.

I certainly have no intention of taking honorable opposition in a PBEM game personally, and I hope others don't either. We all knew going into the game that warfare is a significant part of Civ, and that more likely than not, some of us would be fighting others before it was over.

Nathan

[DeepO]

Well, maybe you're right in that blockades are considered hostile in the real world, and of course I'm aware that similar things apply to our game, however I will not move. Call me stubborn, as I can imagine that you will consider it reason enough to attack me, but I simply can't do it uncompensated, and without any further guarantees. I don't call that extortion, on the contrary, demanding me to move would be extortion in my eyes.

BTW, you don't know the situation on my side of that blockade (at least I hope you don't), who says you won't need to pass my cultural borders before reaching Nathan? Who says that by the time you could travel to a certain point, I wouldn't have put a city there? If a lot of forces are wondering that area, certainly I'm not inclined to settle new cities that would be caught in the middle of the action.

Because you are strongest, it may be logical for you that you simply assume that any other nation might follow whatever your wish of the moment is, but in this case, I will certainly _not_ do it, because I do not need the extra risk. If this means a certain declaration of war from your side, so be it. Given our geographical position, I was assuming that in the coming centuries, some border war would break out between us, I have been assuming this from the moment your city pushed my defenders back from where we first met. If now, at least your WCs can't cross, I'm not totally in the disadvantage.

DeepO

[nbarclay]

As you wish. I could point out an enormous oversight in your calculations of my capabilities, but I think I'll leave that as an exercise for the reader rather than tip my hand in advance. In any case, one way or the other, your spearmen will not be where they are now at the end of my next turn. If they really want to die to protect the Arabs, I'm willing to accommodate them.

Nathan