Vox Controli - correspondence & foreign affairs

[vondrack]

This is the official, signed trade agreement between us and Vox Controli (just found that in my PMbox):

vondrack and Lego - Vox agrees to these terms and thanks Legoland for its support and friendship.
......Beta.

Lego-Vox trade treaty of 630BC

1. Vox agrees to gift Engineering to Lego on the turn it becomes available for Vox. Lego agrees on a 20 turns "no-whoring" clause.

2. Lego agrees to gift Theology to Vox upon request, urging Vox not to request it until they need it for Education, in order to make it difficult for any other team trying to research it on their own. Vox agrees not to build the Sistine Chapel, and to not trade Theology to any team unless that team also agrees not to build the Sistine Chapel as part of the trade.

3. Lego agrees to pay 120 gold to Vox on turn 98 (Vox receives it on turn 99). Vox gifts Lego their WM on turn 99, their WM again when the war with GS is over and war reports and screenshots at least every 3 turns.

4. Lego grants Vox a loan of 120 gold on turn 102 (Vox receives on turn 103). Vox starts repaying it within 20 turns after turn 103, in an amount of 6 gpt, for 20 turns.

5. Both parties agree to keep this trade agreement top secret, never revealing any details to a third party.

Signed:
vondrack, the President of Legoland

Signed:
BetaHound, Voice of Foreign Affairs for Vox Controli

[lmtoops]

There is so much mis-information, concerning the war, that it's very hard to determine what is really happening. Does any one have any inside information? Is the Vox plan going smoothly or has there been some miscalculations? Any major setbacks?

I must know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[vondrack]

Judging from the posts in the public forum, I think things are looking pretty grim for Voxes - GS apparently had a lot of luck, generating one great leader. And I am pretty sure they used it to build Sun Tzu's...

No info directly from Vox though...

[Kloreep]

Hopefully they'll send their first batch of screenshots and a report soon?

[lmtoops]

I read the public forum and Vox definitely did not have the start we had hoped for. The war has just begun; hopefully things will change.

[ZargonX]

In regards to the recent gift of Feu. from Vox, Kloreep and I were discussing what sort of "relief" we could offer them on part of their loan as a thanks. The figure we were tossing around was somewhere in the 75-100 GP range, out of the total loan of 250.

Also, Tiberius, IIRC you are still Vox ambassador; could you send them a nice thank you note

[Sharpe]

I wonder if it is time to remind Vox that the 200 gold for Monotheism was part payment and part loan during the Bob crisis.

For Feudalism, I would waive the loan portion of the Monotheism deal (it was supposed to be 150 loan, 50 payment but we have never really expected it to be paid back, but we shouldn't tell Vox that) plus 50 to 75 gold of the GS war loan preferably the lower amount explaining that we did have 2 other possible deals for Feudalism ready. But also thanking them for it...

[Kloreep]

I don't think we should waive anything from the war loan. The highest return gift I'd agree to give is a complete waive of the Mono-deal loan (150 gold). I think that's about 40% of the beaker cost of Feudalism, right?

[vondrack]

Agreed on waiving the 150g from the Mono deal. Feu cost is, IIRC, 768 beakers, so that sounds both as a good bargain and a fair balance for what they gave us (let's keep in mind that they must have gotten it fairly cheap from GoW as part of the anti-GS alliance). We SHOULD, however, thank them nicely and explain that we had two buying options lined up and accepting their "gift" was merely a matter of improving our bargaining position than getting the tech "cheap".

And hey... do I read it correct? Is Steve the most generous one out of us?

[Sharpe]

And hey... do I read it correct? Is Steve the most generous one out of us?

Just to keep my reputation intact here , I should explain that waiving the 150 loan from the Monotheism deal was my initial thinking as well.

But I wondered whether Vox would even remember that loan or not, so I thought I would suggest a token reduction in the other loan in case they grew upset at us for bringing up a long-forgotten loan...

Either that or I am growing soft in my old age ...

[vondrack]

Growing soft, Steve, growing soft...

Loans shall never be "long-forgotten"... I never feel uneasy to remind someone of his debt - that's not bad manners... him forgetting of the loan would be.

Perhaps our disputes over the extent of loans before were caused by the fact that you expected them to be never paid back?

See, I may be a bit more open-handed, but I do expect those loans be paid back... even if not with cash and even if after quite some time.

[Sharpe]

Perhaps our disputes over the extent of loans before were caused by the fact that you expected them to be never paid back?

Actually, that was a significant part of my thinking - looks as though I should have brought it up then as that might have resulted in less dispute during that unfortunately venom-filled discussion as I likely would have been reassured by you regarding that.

As for long-forgotten, I wasn't thinking about us - but Vox instead - seems like many of the other civs have short memories when it comes to agreements (especially RP and defensive pacts ) so I would be pleasantly surprised if Vox differs on this.

[Tiberius]

I also agree on waiving the 150g from the Mono deal in exchange for Feudalism.

Now, could somebody please help in writing a nice "thank you" note that would also contain the loan waiving?

Please?! I'm not very good in writing stuff like this (I'm generally not good in writing ). I could eventually assemble a senseless mumbling, only I was hoping that someone with talent would release from this painful operation

Thank you

[vondrack]

I have - responding to our Misfits PBEM game save - unofficially thanked BetaHound for Feudalism and "just between friends" asked him if 150g loan waiver would be fine with them.

Just got a very short email from a friend of him, informing me BetaHound was cut from internet until about Saturday. We'll see what Beta responds with. If they are fine with that (and I believe the WILL be fine with that), we shall send an official note.

[Nimitz]

Looks like our relations with Vox are getting better all the time, we've done well.