Next turn plans

[ZargonX]

Hmmm... ND says they are out of it, "for now" Maybe they're planning to engage in some GoW backstabbery?

[vondrack]

If they are planning to engage in anything, I would think an attack on Stormia later on. Much later on, when everybody will be exhausted by the war.

I am actually quite curious what Darekill is going to tell me this evening... ND is sitting on the sideline safely at the moment - as long as we are strong enough to fight, they only gain. But should we crumble, they'd be the next target in line... and we know they would have no chance at all.

[ZargonX]

Hey, do not give up hope so lightly, young master!

Nah, I haven't given up hope I was mostly pissed because MZ ignored my PMs, then declared war on us. Plus, he said he was posting a manifesto, and I was getting premptively upset at whatever it's going to say

[vondrack]

Following the GoW attack and the loss of our picket chain in the seas around Baby Bob, I feel we have to further adjust the turn plan:

G) switch Port Hammer production to infantry (90S), shortrush (136g), and switch to submarine
we urgently need subs in the waters between us and GoW - we need to know where they have their ships, where they are coming from, where it's safe to hit and where it's better to pull/hold back

H) 4 workers to mine both currently irrigated plains in the Port Hammer radius
brings the city to 10spt, needed to finish that submarine in 1t

I) Castlea to switch production to hospital, shortrush (168g), and switch to carrier
we can do it this turn or we can do it a turn later or very soon... the thing is, GoW has an advantage over us, most probably having 2-3 carriers in the area, loaded with bombers. Whatever we leave in the open, they will bomb out to shreds. They will also start bombing the Jackson area, I believe. We need something to counter this threat - we have two BBs and a DD in Jackson... we should have some subs there soon, to help with targetting... but without a carrier and some bombers, they will not be able to do much. So, I suggest we switch the build in Castlea to a carrier, and shortrush it to 160S at once, getting a new carrier in 2t then.

J) Sandonorico to switch production to infantry, shortrush (120g), and switch to submarine
I do not think we can afford the luxury of having cities building improvements while facing what we are facing. We need more submarines in the Western Ocean, so that we know where to strike, while remaining unseen. This sub will be ready in 1260AD.

K) all bombers to rebase to Castlea
Somehow, after my chat with Darekill, I do not think it would be a good idea to sink ND vessels any time soon, even if they seem to be very daring... besides, we will have to prioritize. We don't have forces enough to fight on 3 fronts. We might be barely able to manage 2, but not three. GS and GoW already declared war on us. ND seems to prefer staying neutral at this point. Let's place our bets. I know I am ready to place mine. Let's hope ND will not attack - even if they do, they won't do much damage. No tanks, no punch. We might lose Crossing to a sneak marine attack, but they would not get far. So... instead of having our bombers idle in Crossing, we move them to Castlea - I am sure we will find some targets for them in that area... or at least use them for surveillance missions around there (they will have at least one turn before being rebased to H.B.S. Tiberius)

L) Port Hammer, Castlea, and Jackson to be defended by 12-9-9 infantries and 10-10-10 cavalries

M) H.B.S. Perseus (SE-SE-SE-SE of Dye Fields) to move N-N-N-N-S-SW
N) H.B.S. Hades (SE-SE-SE-SE of Dye Fields) to move NE-NE-NE-N-W-W
both slipping to Jackson on the next turn; should they spot a GoW transport fleet, Dye Fields defenses to be upped to 12+ infantries and some cavs

[Tiberius]

switch Port Hammer production to infantry (90S), shortrush (136g), and switch to submarine
...
Castlea to switch production to hospital, shortrush (168g), and switch to carrier
...
Sandonorico to switch production to infantry, shortrush (120g), and switch to submarine
I do not think we can afford the luxury of having cities building improvements while facing what we are facing.

Radek, I'm at work and can't really make any calculations, but seeing that we are giving up all civil builds we had, maybe it'd worth after all to switch to mobilization? We need more units and we need them fast. Very fast. GS+GoW are outproducing us big time. (probably close to double)

[vondrack]

I have been running mobilization figures for the most of the last night, but eventually decided to wait for the save - we finish some hydros this turn and are likely to have WLTKDs in some of the cities. I will post a detailed case today.

I agree it makes sense to mobilize when all civil builds are abandoned anyway. Besides... wonders are quite far into the future and we can get out of mobilization using a fake war with Vox (yes, it's a cheese, but as a last resort, even a cheese would do).

[vondrack]

Unlike in peaceful times, I am not going to post my annaly detailed plans now. Military operation will usually be posted in the respective war threads in great detail, but other than that, I will only post "important" things. No MM stuff, since that would likely be a waste of time.

Tibi's Table:

GS
GoW
ND
Lego
Compared to us
strong
average
weak
-
Settlers
9
5
 0
2
Workers
24
27
63 (+1)
15 (+2)
Explorers
6 (+3)
3 (-2)
0
0
Horsemen/Knights
0
4(R)
11(A)
7(H) (-1)
Cavalries
0
16 (-2)
14
41 (-10)
Riflemen
20
0
0
0
Marines
40 (+4)
34 (+10)
9
0
Infantries
57
58
64
89 (+3)
Tanks
70
44
0
0
Artilleries
14
27
0
62 (+1)
Galleys
2
0
0
0
Transports
26 (+1)
19 (+1)
9
15
Carriers
2
3
0
0
Submarines
2 (-1)
0
0
10 (+2)
Frigates
0
0
1
0
Ironclads
0
0
0
7 (-9)
Destroyers
21 (-3)
19 (+1)
1
5 (-4)
Battleships
0
0
1
9
Fighters
2 (+1)
1 (+1)
0
0
Bombers
0
10
10
2

Security threats
NDT Schlepper (ND) NE of Crossing - can carry up to 8 units capable of amphibious attack on Crossing, Zargonia, and Logville. Zargonia made safe by stuffing two ships, Crossing stuffed with 11 infantries. Logville left underdefended (ouch, I somehow forgot to move extra defenders there...)
ND/Arabian city of Louisixveau E-E-E-NE of Crossing - possible launching point of a seaborne attack at Crossing. Crossing stuffed with 11 infantries.


Plans for 1255AD (Turn 241):

Unit Movement/Actions

All unit movement plans noted below are tentative and subject to change according to the battlefield situation, of course.

1) Operation Busy Bee
As outlined here, Operation Busy Bee should help us get almost complete information about where the attacks are coming from. Let's do that first.

2) Operation Wasp Hive
As outlined here, Operation Wasp Hive is aimed at destroying or at least crippling a secondary GS fleet heading for the Abilene-Tipperary area.

3) two groups of 3 cavalries each to destroy the fortresses W-NW & SE-SE of Forkmouth
for both fortresses: move 3 cavalries in, then use each of them to pillage, then move away to wherever they will be needed. For the tile W-NW of Forkmouth: bring two workers in before pillaging, so that they are able to rebuild the mine after the fortress is destroyed.

4) all infantries, newly built tanks and cavalries to be deployed according to the guidelines outlined in the Operation Helm's Deeps plan. Precise numbers to be determined only after carrying out Operations Busy Bee and Wasp Hive.


Worker Movement/Actions

5) 2 workers to rebuild a mine W-NW of Forkmouth

Idling workers to idle at strategic locations.


City Management

F1 trick to be our friend this turn, changing all bomber builds to tanks. Yes, all, including the one in Legopolis - a bomber will do us no good in 1260AD, while a regular tank will be likely to kill two marines in Jackson, e.g.

6) all suitable cities to start tanks
using whatever disbands and shortrushes they might need.

7) Legopolis to start bomber

8) Farmerville to keep cranking out 1t workers

9) Sandonorico to start explorer
2t explorers will be fine as a disband "basis" for tank builds in 80S cities, once we run out of horses/cavs to disband.

10) Camp David to start explorer
same as above

11) Invoice to start another worker

12) Tipperary to start explorer
same as for Sandonorico and Camp David

13) Port Hammer to start a worker
to bring the pop down a bit (we do not have the cathedral here), upping the number of our workers (we shall soon need a lot of them for radar towers


14) start researching Radio at 70%
Radio now two teams (GoW now in modern times), so the costs is 4800-20%=3840. 3840b/4t is 960bpt - which is exactly halfway between 70% and 60%. So, two turns at 70%, two turns at 60% (~-350g total).


15) send Motorized Transport as accepted to Vox

[vondrack]

After going through our intel over and over, after chatting with Tibi a lot, this is what I would like to play after waking up (like 6-7am GMT). It's based upon ideas discussed in detail in The War: 1255AD thread, so look for "why's" over there. Be so kind and post your comments here or in that war thread.

Tibi's Table:

GS
GoW
ND
Lego
Compared to us
strong
average
weak
-
Settlers
10 (+1)
5
0
2
Workers
24
24 (-3)
64 (+1)
17 (+2)
Explorers
3 (-3)
1 (-2)
0
0
Horsemen/Knights
0
4(R)
11(A)
7(H)
Cavalries
0
15 (-1)
14
41
Riflemen
20
0
0
0
Marines
50 (+10)
34
9
0
Infantries
42 (-15)
58
64
89
Mech. Infantries
16 (+16)
?
?
0
Tanks
70
52 (+8)
0
16 (+16)
Artilleries
14
27
0
62
Galleys
2
0
0
0
Transports
26
20 (+1)
10 (+1)
15
Carriers
2
3
0
1 (+1)
Submarines
1 (-1)
0
0
11 (+1)
Frigates
0
0
1
0
Ironclads
0
0
0
7
Destroyers
21
19
1
7 (+2)
Battleships
0
0
1
9
Fighters
2
1
0
0
Bombers
0
11 (+1)
10
2

Security threats
NDT Schlepper (ND) NE of Crossing - can carry up to 8 units capable of amphibious attack on Crossing and Zargonia. Zargonia made safe by stuffing two ships, Crossing stuffed with 11 infantries.
ND/Arabian city of Louisixveau E-E-E-NE of Crossing - possible launching point of a seaborne attack at Crossing. Crossing stuffed with 11 infantries.


Plans for 1255AD (Turn 241):

Unit Movement/Actions

This is in addition to what has already been moved as logged in the incomplete 1255AD chronicle entry.

NAVY

56) H.B.S. Hades (4xE of Jackson) to move NE-W-W
This is to check for bogies capable of landing at the bombed coal mountain N-NW of Jackson. As Tibi pointed out, letting 52 tanks land on a hill and directly threaten Jackson does not sound like the brightest idea... if we spot transports capable of reaching that coal hill, we should probably move a handsome of infantries to it - even if it means having them bombed some...

57) H.B.S. Perseus to move NW-W into Jackson
I see no need to expose the ship to bombardment (if GoW bombed the coal, it's probably able to bomb the DD, too). U-Z2 and U-J1 will be able to help with intel next turn, so we better keep the DD safe.

58) Iron Lady to move N-S-S
further biting from the FoW around Arnablanca. It will not be fortified next turn, but as U-Z2 will be able to check the whole area, it's no big deal

59) LNT-BD to move W-W-W-W-W-NW
60) H.B.S. Myrmidon to move W-W-W-NW-NW-NW
61) LNT-NC to move NW-NW-NW-NW-NW-N
62) LNT-FE to move N-N-N-N-NE-NE
63) new destroyer in Tipperary to be named H.B.S. Pollux and moved NW-NW-N-NE-NE into Abilene
as per the plan posted in the 1255AD war thread

64) H.B.S. Tisiphone to attack the 2/4 GS DD N-N-N-N, then (if victorius) SE-SE
Chances to win: 93.8%, makes GS unable to see our submarines. Closing moves meant to keep the ship away of the assumed SGSF route.

65) U-H3 to move E-E
staying outside of SGSF's range, while being able to attack it on the following turn

66) new destroyer in Abilene to be named H.B.S. Castor and kept in Abilene

67) U-Q1 to move NE
hopefully avoiding detection, while still being able to attack SGSF on the following turn

68) U-Sa1 to move SE-S
avoiding detection almost for sure, being able to attack SGSF on the following turn

69) U-H2 to move SE-SE-SE
just keeping out of NGSF's way, ready to re-establish our picket perimeter

70) H.B.S. Legopolis to attack the 1/4 GS DD via W-W-S, then (if winning) E-SE-SE
we seem to be having vessels enough to block Q.M. West against NGSF, so sinking this half-dead GS DD sounds like no big risk (odds to win: 98.9%); then follow Task Force North, being able to attack NGSF next turn

71) Task Force North to move S-S-SE-SE-SE-SE
heading for Q.M. West (see the war thread for details)

72) new carrier in Kloreepville to be named H.B.S. Tiberius Kerekes and moved NW-NW-NW-W-SW
heading to join Task Force North

73) all four transports from Kloreepville to move NW-NW-NW-W-SW
just in case we need to block the entrance to the Bay of S'haven or to Invoice next turn (there are still three GS transports we know nothing about...)


AIRFORCE

74) both bombers to rebase to Abilene
will be ready to bomb SGSF wherever it is in 1260AD


ARMY

75) 30 infantries & 20 artillery to fortify in the hill fortress N-N of Quanto Mechanico
to prevent NGSF from landing its cargo there

76) 30 infantries & 20 artillery to fortify in Abilene
to prevent SGSF from taking the city

77) if GoW transports able to reach the coal hill N-NW of Jackson, move 30 infantries, 20 artillery, and 2 workers there + keep a worker S of the hill, so that the company cannot get cut

78) 9 infantries to be left in Crossing

79) 3 groups of 3 cavalries each to destroy fortresses S, S-SW, and S-S of Abilene
80) 3 groups of 5 workers each to rebuild roads, RRs, and mines S, S-SW, and S-S of ABilene
better do that while we have time; if our plans succeed and we force GS to land in the open, they better get no defense boni...

81) all tanks to gather in Oasis
nobody can investigate this city (well, yeah, I know... it would be easier to leave them somewhere in the open... but it would be more difficult to refer to that location)

82) some horses and cavalries to idle at the dyes NW-NW, N-NW, and NW of Dye Fields
just in case GoW tries to blast our luxuries away...


Worker Movement/Actions

Mostly engaged in destroying fortresses between Abilene and Tipperary. If available, two workers should mine one currently irrigated tile around Kloreepville (to make losing a tile to pollution not delay a 100S build).


City Management

83) Legopolis to start 1t bomber
84) Jackson to start 1t tank (disband 1 horse)
85) Farmerville to start 1t worker
86) Panama to start 1t tank (disband 1 cavalry)
87) Red Bricks to start 1t tank
88) Red Bricks to start 1t tank
89) Forkmouth to start 1t infantry (disband 1 cavalry + 40g)
90) Karina to start 1t tank
91) Zargonia to start 1t tank
92) Dye Fields to start 1t tank (work all land tiles, disband 2 cavalries)
93) Sandonorico to start 1t destroyer (disband 1 cavalry + 320g + 1 horse)
94) Logville to start 1t tank (disband 1 cavalry)
95) Sharpehaven to start 1t tank (disband 1 cavalry)
96) Tarzania to start 1t infantry (disband 1 cavalry + 40g)
97) Camp David to start 1t explorer
98) Kloreepville to start 1t tank
99) Invoice to start 1t worker (work fish, iRRigated grass and coasts)
100) Ahhmyfoot to start 1t tank (disband 2 cavalries)
101) Tiberium to start 1t tank (disband 2 cavalries)
102) Q.M. to start 1t destroyer (disband 1 cavalry + 1 horse)
...to make sure we do not miss the build even if struck by pollution
103) Abilene to start 1t destroyer (disband 1 cavalry + 160g)
104) Horsefish to start 3t destroyer
105) Tipperary to start 1t destroyer (disband 1 cavalry + 320g)
106) Port Hammer to start 1t worker


107) start researching Radio at 70%
Radio with 2 teams (GoW in modern times), the costs is 4800-20%=3840. 3840b/4t is 960bpt - which is exactly halfway between 70% and 60%. So, two turns at 70%, two turns at 60% (~-350g total).

108) send Motorized Transportation to Vox as accepted

[ZargonX]

Looks solid, V

[vondrack]

Already played.

BTW... we spotted the whole GoW Armada. It's at Arnablanca W-NW-NW. I spent five hours playing the bloody turn and doing all reports, maps and such - no time/energy to post about it afterwards.

I have to take care of my business now, so I suggest everybody plays through the turn following the chronicle entry. I will not be able to post much until Sunday probably...