Pax Languish (Pamir)

[Habbaku]

Mir Murad Beg takes rulership of Persia for my coalition, dropping a spy amongst the Slave Markets in Solmyr's court and triggering military strife (costs in the market now doubled).

That same spy cleans house in the markets and ensures that any action there will have to grease some palms first.

Over to Celedhring.

[Barrister]

I'm almost relieved - I'm used to you guys always waiting on me, but I log in to Airtable and I find it's not even my turn.

[celedhring]

Yep it's my turn. I'm travelling today, but I'll be able to make the turn in my evening.

[Barrister]

Yep it's my turn. I'm travelling today, but I'll be able to make the turn in my evening.

No prob Celed.  Just happy I'm not the one holding things up.

*sigh*  another fucking busy day of boys hockey all over mid-northern Alberta...

[celedhring]

What does the black strip above the market entail? Just double costs? No other shenanigans?

EDIT: Found it on the rules. Turn incoming.

[celedhring]

I set up a market in Kandahar and ordered a few cannons from Europe.

[bogh]

I bought the exiled Durani nobles and installed them in Herat. Turn over to Barrister.

Turn 3 status:

[Barrister]

I'm sorry Habs (or anyone else).

I could use any suggestions on what to do next.  I now have a somewhat better idea of the basic mechanics, but no idea what kind of move I should be making that would actually help me win (or at least not lose badly).

I should be able to submit my moves tomorrow at lunch then.

[bogh]

I am no expert (this is my second game ever - and I lost my first one badly), but my two cents:

There is a scoring card in the middle of the market, so scoring could happen at any time. Currently, no coalition dominates, so the number of cylinders (tribes and spies) will give Habs and myself points and give everyone else zero.

Ideally, you should try and get in on the points for this scoring. That can happen in three ways:

1. Get at least three more cylinders on the board to match Habs and me (both at 4 cylinders) and get in on the failed dominance scoring (for 1st and 2nd place in cylinder count).
2. Push Afghans to dominance - you'd need to get four more green blocks on the map (without anyone else adding more from other coaltions). You, me and Habs would then share the points, since none of us have more influence with the Afghans.
3. Shift your allegiance (by playing a patriot of another coalition) and push that coalition to dominance by adding 4 (for the Brits) or 5 blocks (for the Russians) to the map.

To be honest, none of these seem feasible given the board position and imminence of the scoring card. So I would probably focus longer term, working on ruling of an area, getting some spies out or adding some useful actions to your court. Just grabbing some money is always useful as well.

Post scoring, you may well end up sitting in the same coalition as the two leaders (Habs and myself). I'd probably consider throwing my lot in with another coalition to balance it out, but Habs and I will need to go for each others throats as well at some point. There really isn't a lot of cost for you to switch allegiance if you have or buy a patriot from another coalition.

Hope that's useful - remember that I have very little actual insight and am mostly talking out of my rear end. 

[Habbaku]

What bogh said. I believe he's covered all the major points.

[Barrister]

Okay all done.  I was about to purchase a bunch of stuff only to realize it'd be wiped away with the dominance check.

[Habbaku]

Okay all done.  I was about to purchase a bunch of stuff only to realize it'd be wiped away with the dominance check.

But would get you a good chunk of VPs. Not the worst exchange in the world when you're sitting on a pile of cash.

[Solmyr]

Beeb, you played Joseph Wolff who lets you play a spy. Spies don't go on the map (that's tribes), they go on court cards. Initially, you can place them on any card in anyone's court that has the same region, in this case Persia. So you can put your spy either on Joseph Wolff himself, or on my Alexander Griboyedov (dangerous because I have two spies there and can kill yours). Let me know which one you want to do.

Also, you don't need to move the market cards manually at the end of your turn, you can just click the "Refresh market" button at the top.

[Barrister]

Beeb, you played Joseph Wolff who lets you play a spy. Spies don't go on the map (that's tribes), they go on court cards. Initially, you can place them on any card in anyone's court that has the same region, in this case Persia. So you can put your spy either on Joseph Wolff himself, or on my Alexander Griboyedov (dangerous because I have two spies there and can kill yours). Let me know which one you want to do.

Also, you don't need to move the market cards manually at the end of your turn, you can just click the "Refresh market" button at the top.

Okay thanks.

Please put the spy on Wolff.

[Solmyr]

Encouraged by Russian agents, the Persian Army deploys to the field, marching into Bukhara and overthrowing Mir Murad Beg. Meanwhile, Afghan spies are hunted down in Transcaspian slave markets.

Over to Habs.