Bribing a barb leader

[ramses II.]

As already posted, I send ships around the world ealry in the games, with diplos in it. When I meet barbs discovering the world, I usually bribe them. And If I manage to bribe the barb ship, I try to bribe the barb leader, too. He (now a diplo) and some NONE-Horsemen/Crusaders/Dragoon will form a second team to discover the world, sailing away with the bribed ship (a NONE ship!).
Do you somtetimes bribe the barb leader, too?

[Scouse Gits]

Nope - I play raging hordes and the 150g ransom is too good to miss - but a barb city near a barb spawn point can on occasion be stacked to the gills with 'Kings' - I think my best haul was a city with four Dips

SG[1]

[ramses II.]

The bribed barb leader will bring you more than 150 gold - perhaps a tech you urgently need for wonderbuilding! The bribed ship and it's passenger will continue tipping huts, bribing barbs, discovering the world.
My experiences are: A ship with a diplo and a four-legged unit will bring you about 500-2000 gold, 3-4 cities, 2-3 nomads, 2-3 friendly units. That depends on the year you start your ship.
And diplos will turn to spies when you get Leo's ...

[rah]

There are only a couple of circumstances where I'll bribe the King.
And none of these happen that often.

1. If another player has a unit poised to cash the king and I don't have a unit close enough to cash it. Sometimes it's worth spending a little to keep them from the 150.

2. If the king has failed to keep up with it's 2x movement protection and I want to bribe the 2x movement protection but my diplo is not close enough to reach it but can reach the king and the king is close enough to the protection. (I hope that's not too confusing)

3. I have an unprotected diplo out exploring and I figure I could use another explorer if there is a lot of land still to explore.
(but on the small rocks that we play MP on. this usually doesn't happen)

4. When you're exploring by yourself and you get that perfect timing of the barb ship unloading right next to you, and you can snag the ship and one of the other units. (even though it is rarely the king unless they're 2x movement troops with it)

5. or if it's close to an enemy city (mp only) and I can bribe it and use both, (one to establish an embasy and one to steal a tech)
Very rare.


RAH

[Messer Niccolò]

Originally posted by rah

2. If the king has failed to keep up with it's 2x movement protection and I want to bribe the 2x movement protection but my diplo is not close enough to reach it but can reach the king and the king is close enough to the protection. (I hope that's not too confusing)

RAH

Confused? Yes, but I've got the point !

[TCO]

I didn't follow the 2x point.

[rah]

2 Movement point units. Horses, chariots, crusaders, etc.

I guess I'm so used to argueing settings 2x1x vs 1x1x in the MP threads that I just started using 2x to refer to 2 space movement units.

Was that the answer to your question or were you referring to something else.

RAH

[Marquis de Sodaq]

I always take the cash. Rah has some points about exceptions, but they almost never happen in my experience. Tho once in a while I get one with a bribed barbarian city.

[rah]

Yes, I prefaced my exception with just that point. RARELY happens. But it's just another example that no matter how rock solid a strategy rule is, there are always exceptions.

RAH

[TCO]

I finally understand what you are talking about. At first I thought you were referring to terrain that allows 2x movement. Not to horse barbarians.

[ramses II.]

Another point: Maybe your Diplo has one move left, but there are still 3-4 barbs threatening your bribed unit and your diplo: Bribe the barb leader - he will bribe 2 of the remaining barbs, they will defeat the others

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Originally posted by ramses II.
Another point: Maybe your Diplo has one move left, but there are still 3-4 barbs threatening your bribed unit and your diplo: Bribe the barb leader - he will bribe 2 of the remaining barbs, they will defeat the others

I, too, prefer to kill -- er, ransom -- him for the cash. Admittedly, though, I might bribe him in the situation you describe -- except that the bugger is almost always stacked with another unit. The only time I ever see a Barb king out on his own is when he's fleeing the aftermath of another disasterous Barbarian suicide assault.

[TCO]

Sometimes I will bribe the leader if there are a lot of units threatening one of my cities (or a stack) and I think that, that is the only way to deal with the threat. (i.e. I need another diplomat).

[atawa]

Bribing barb leaders is about 50 gold? then its 200 total gold you loose, early in the game thats just not worth it.

[ramses II.]

@atawa
Look what I wrote on June, 5th. The Barb leader will bring me more than 200 Gold.

[War4ever]

i remember the day i bribed abarb leader..most disappointed to only get another dip.....though i don't really know what i was expecting

[Caesar the Great]

if i don't have any other units around otherwise the gold is usually better

[ramses II.]

@Caesar the Great
You're rigth: The gold is better.
But I take 2000 gold instead of 150 ...and the NONE units he finds ... and the cities he finds ... and the nomads ... and the techs he steals (maybe the diplo becomes a vet spy).

[War4ever]

actually , i have always called barb diplomats , barb kings....never once believing it was a diplo...until i was teach a girl how to play the game and sure enough, barb kings are barb diplomats

this was yesterday btw

[-Jrabbit]

Teaching The Game to a girl???
...sounds serious

On topic, this is good Food 4 Thought.

I usually don't play archipelagos, so early ship exploration hasn't been a huge priority for me, but I find ramses' assertion intriguing. I'm a bg fan of the early 150 but if the longer-term payoff differential is that big...

Maybe I'll branch two games off a common start and compare. (In my copious spare time. )

[TCO]

I love bribing the ships...

[Jawn Henry]

The ships are what interest me the most. I tried a few times to get the leaders, not worth much to me. Never got much out of it... Kill him and take his boat - if it's worth it..

Sometimes it's fun just to sink the boat in the ocean - there's something gratifying about seeing "5 units killed." after combat.

JH

[ColdWizard]

i prefer to kill/ransom the king, and use the money to buy barb ships and other units

[Alexander's Horse]

Originally posted by rah
There are only a couple of circumstances where I'll bribe the King.

You listed 5

[War4ever]

your point?

[rah]

Originally posted by Alexander's Horse


You listed 5

Shucks,
When I started typing there were really only a couple but as I started listing them I started thinking of a few more really obscure ones. But they don't really count since they really never happen.

Rich
It's like when my daughter askes me for a couple of bucks and it always ends up being considerably more.

[War4ever]

Originally posted by rah



Shucks,
When I started typing there were really only a couple but as I started listing them I started thinking of a few more really obscure ones. But they don't really count since they really never happen.

Rich
It's like when my daughter askes me for a couple of bucks and it always ends up being considerably more.

fall for it every time do you.....

bribing the early barb boat is the best....that early boat nicknamed "lost at sea" or "fantastic voyage" is great fun and allows for alot of early huts you wouldn't normally get till later

[rah]

What can I say, she's my little princess.
The worst thing is when she's done with me, she hits up Mrs. RAH. I wonder where she learned to be sneaky like that from.

[War4ever]

well the ferrets are sneaky LOL

[rah]

Yep, A chip off the ole block.

RAH