Pax Pamir, Languish PBEM

[celedhring]

Consider this a post-truth bribing. You're now 3 rupees richer than otherwise, and your main opponent for supremacy is 3 rupees poorer.

The Orange Coconut tribe taps into its tax base in order to please the British Raj, while secretly infiltrating the Army of the Indus

1) Tax Kabul using Dost Mohammad. Take 3 rupees from black.
Free) Gift action using Nuristani Terrace Farms. Pay 4 rupees to the market
2) Move action using Charles Masson. Both spies on the card travel to Army of the Indus. One is placed on the red band as spy, the other in the green band.

Orange loyalty: 4, still #2. Over to Berkut.

[Tamas]

Failing Orange sides with petty local warlord to hinder the Mujahedin. Sad!

[Berkut]

Tamas can I play into Transcaspian for free?


edit: Let me re-phrase.


I want to play Bahadur to Transcapian. This will give the Afghans an army there. How much are you charging me for that play?

[Tamas]

I will not charge you for creating an army of God. You can play it for free.

[Berkut]

OK then...

1. Play Bahadur to Transcapian, and place an Afghan Army there (Garrison) and a Spy on the card (Informant).
2. Buy Nomadic Warlord from the market.

[Tamas]

I won't have access to the files until late night tomorrow, probably there won't be a play until Thursday

[Tamas]

1. Free Commerce action  (Lapis Lazuli Mine) to take 1 rupee each from Barakzai Brothers and Opium Fields
2. Pay 4 rupees to market to grab Persian Army
3. Play Persian Army to my right. 2 Afghan armies are placed in Persia. Regime changes to Intelligence War
4. Free Travel action with Bandits: one spy from Bukharan Jews to Mysorean Rockets, one spy from William Moorcroft to Persian Army

Discard Bukharan Jews to maintain tableau size.

File is now up.

[Tamas]

Habbaku is now up

[Tamas]

....

[Habbaku]

Tamas, there is no downside to spying for a faction, so I assumed your spy on my rockets is spying for Britain.

Free Action (Count Ivan): Travel.  Move 1 Russian spy to Solmyr's Bolan Pass.  Spy for Britain.
First Action: Purchase Barakazai Brothers from market for 0.  Take 1 rupee.
Second Action: Play Barakazai Brothers to left of tableau.  Government shifts to Economic Boom.  1 Russian/White tribe to Kandahar.
Free Action (Russo-Persian Trade): Commerce.  Take 1 rupee each from Opium Fields and Money Lenders.

Over to Sol.

[Solmyr]

The newly appointed Afghan vizier Yar Mohammad decides to throw in with the British. The British East India Company expands aggressively, seeking every last bit of profit. The Army of the Indus is used to advance British commercial interests, cutting off Russian trade routes and hemming the Russian armies into Punjab.

1. (free from Bolan Pass) Commerce, take 2 rupees from Topple card.
2. Purchase Yar Mohammad.
3. Play Yar Mohammad. 1 Yellow tribe in Herat. Regime changes to Military Struggle.
4. (free from Army of the Indus) Campaign. Move 1 British army from Kabul to Kandahar and kill the White tribe. Barakzai Brothers are overthrown.
5. (free from Cannon) Campaign. 2 British armies in Herat attack Russian roads adjacent to it, eliminating them.

With the Topple close, here are my calculations on who is winning what:

Military Struggle: none
Armies: 4 British, 2 Russian, 3 Afghan.

Intelligence War: none
Spies: 6 British, 2 Russian, 4 Afghan.

Political Fragmentation: British
Tribes: 3 British, 0 Russian, 2 Afghan.

Economic Boom: British
Roads: 5 British, 0 Russian, 3 Afghan.

Influence
Solmyr: British 5
Cel: British 4
Habbaku: Russian 2, British 1
Berkut: Afghan 1
Tamas: Afghan 2, British 1

So I don't see any way for Cel to win on his next move (he'd need to change the regime to Political or Economic, take the lead, *and* buy the Topple). He can certainly simply take the lead though, which means subsequent people will need to get rid of the Topple.

[celedhring]

Away from my computer. Will post my turn tomorrow evening. 

[celedhring]

Question: if I understand the rules correctly, I'm *forced* to place the required number of cubes (spies or tribes) mandated by the card I'm playing, am I right? I can't voluntarily place less if I don't have enough in the reserve (and thus I have to take them from elsewhere).

[Solmyr]

Yes, correct.

[celedhring]

1) Buy Henry Pottinger, 2 rupees are paid to the market
Free) Campaign (Ghazni Citadel) One army from Herat moves to Kabul. Activate army in Kabul. Kabul-Punjab road is removed
Free) Campaign (William Hay MacNaghten). Activate army in Kandahar. Kabul-Kandahar road is removed
2) Play Fath-Ali-Shah. Three orange tribes to Persia (one from the reserve, one from Charles Masson, one from Kabul). Regime is now Intelligence War
Free) 2 Travel actions from Charles Stoddart. One spy from Army of the Indus to Bolan Pass - it's placed on the British band. One spy from Charles Masson to William Hay.
Free) 2 Counterespionage actions from Charles Masson. White  and yellow spies removed from Bolan Pass.

British loyalty: 5-5 - Yellow retains favor due to highest military cards
Intelligence war: 4 - British - 1 Russian - 5 Afghan

If Berkut doesn't change the regime or buys the topple, Tamas will win the game. According to my calculations he can't put Afghan on top, gain favor AND buy the topple in the same turn.

EDIT: I created an additional logfile since I forgot to refresh the market.

EDIT 2: Shit, I forgot to change the regime. I hate logfiles.