Some people keep a history of SGs and such. Perhaps I will do that someday.

My report for RBC Epic 48

Like the rest, I founded in place, after sending the scout to the hill and the worker to wheat and seeing no impetus to move. Quickly popped out a couple scouts before a settler and then granary. The scouts quickly discovered our neighbors, and I did pop a decent number of huts (8-10, I think). I popped one settler far up in the tundra to the north, a city that was hardly of any use. Somehow, I only managed to pop Ceremonial Burial and Warrior Code, while getting somewhere between 100-150g and popping at least one map. Three trades were made in the ancient ages, which seems to be more than the rest and sort of makes up for the lack of luck with huts. Ceremonial Burial went to France for Bronze Working, then Writing for Masonry, again with the French, and finally Philosophy and 50g for The Wheel from Spain.

Once the bulk of the continent was revealed, I made it my task to get enough territory to have a decent shot at coal, rubber, uranium, and aluminum, as well as the three luxuries within reach, and also get enough cities to do four-turn research. So the capital pumped settlers for just about the entire BC era, with a few settlers coming from other sources. Four-turn settlers only became possible with the discovery of Republic via Philo slingshot in 1425 BC, and I was quite surprised by just how much land needed to be grabbed. I must have done something wrong there. Anyway, I focused on the jungle to the west instead of that to the south. I didn't want war, and I felt the best way to avoid that was give Joan a chance to claim some land of her own. I also figured that with all the jungle to the west there was bound to be some rubber (wrong!).

In the ancient age, the only shot at a wonder occured after realizing that I'd never seen any wonder pop-up for Colossus. I nice little commerce booster was bound to come in handy, and I thought I'd have a shot. Unfortunately, a cascade from the Oracle of all things, forced me to erase the 88s invested in the Colossus. Overall, not too terrible.

At 330 BC, I entered the Middle Ages, with a grand army of workers (and not much else - only a few for fighting barbs).

http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads9/bed_rbc48_250BC_army_ma.jpg

I think the last few settlers were still out to their final destinations, when they met a different final destiny than I had expected. The barb uprising from the others entering the Middle Ages probably 15-20 turns after me caught me and my settlers by surprise, and I think I lost 3-4 settlers. A risk one takes doing a farmer's gambit, but the bad thing is that I never built any other settlers to replace the lost ones. My big settler producer Hattusas had already switched over to infra. I was going to be needing uncorrupted commerce to be able to keep up fast research in the Middle Ages. As a result, I lost out on a few spots that would have been nice to get, but it turned out not to be a real problem.

In the Middle Ages, I beelined for Astronomy and then Economics, for two wonders which would be key to speeding research and would also trigger a timely GA. I hoped to also be able to build JS Bach's and Shakespeare's, but I wasn't sure if the time lost researching the optional techs needed for these would be made up. An eventual trade for Bach's seemed possible as well, so I ended up not only researching two optional techs the whole game, The Republic and Economics.

As this was happening, galleys were out looking for more contacts. The initial meeting and offers from the AI might actually net me Feudalism or Engineering while I researched the top. Around 250 AD, I finally got a galley across, and soon after knew all four of the civs. My wish came true soon after, as the Zulus gave Feudalism for Monotheism. A few turns later, the Iroquois offer up Monarchy for Monotheism. Yeah, whatever. Not exactly what I was hoping for, but I'll take it. A few hundred more years pass, and the Babylonians give Chivalry for Gunpowder.

Through the middle ages, my biggest goal was improving my land as fast as possible, and thus had a huge number of workers for much of the game. Parts of the map required intensive labor. My worker force at its largest, probably around 200 AD:

http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads9/bed_rbc48_army_large.jpg

As the jungle cleared, workers were joined to get places that could produce commerce up in size. As I was still disbanding all units to get key buildings up, my army was still miniscule at 740 AD:

http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads9/bed_rbc48_780AD_army_ia.jpg

As I got my empire all up and running, the capital worked on the those key wonders I mentioned. Copernicus' followed immediately by Smith's triggered the Hittite Golden Age on the very same turn I entered the Industrial Age, in 740 AD. Gee, what a coincidence. Even with the boost, Steam Power takes 5 turns. Oh well, what can I do. The GA production boost allowed Newton's to quickly be constructed in the capital, for my science powerhouse.

Of course, still no Bach's. When were they going to get around to that? In 980 AD, I get Printing Press from France for Metallurgy. No, MUSIC THEORY! I have been seeing the wonder pop ups for the last 10 or so turns, and Music THeory would be needed soon to get Bach's. The Zulus come through again the very next turn, giving up Music Theory for Metallurgy. My most productive city has its shields erased and then starts right up on Bach's. With railroads and a factory, shouldn't be a problem, even though the AI have a good headstart. Only three turns later, I get another stroke of luck. The Babylonians finally come calling, and offer up Spices for Incense and 16gpt. Yes! Once Bach's finishes, lux was going to 0% for the first time all game. And Bach's did finish 10 turns later, and there was a great celebration in the Hittite empire.

Of course, events in other parts of the world were not so happy, I guess. Or they knew that my military was tiny. Anyway, the Romans felt the need to drop off military units on my doorstep in 1190 AD. How dare they! I don't have a military to speak of at this point, and in a conditioned reaction I break the variant for the first time (I broke it a second time later on when I forgot to erase shields when switching a city from a musket to a temple), telling Rome to leave or declare. Immediately afterward, I remembered, and I didn't actually attack their units, I just acted as I would have if I hadn't goaded them into a declaration. Hopefully my lapse in attention didn't actually pull me too far off the intention of the variant. Luckily, my four units managed to hold off the four units Rome dropped off (the only four units I had), and there was no real crisis. In fact, war happiness came into effect. How wonderful! And what timing, considering that I would likely lose the lux from Babylon in three turns (I don't actually recall losing it there - I am not sure what happened). This war was maintained for the rest of the game, as its happiness meant never raising lux to 10% again for the rest of the game.

The not low lux wasn't all that important, though. The added money mostly made it easier for me. Between building units for disband in corrupt cities and cash rushing, I got infrastructure up fairly quickly. This mainly consisted of Courthouse, then Library, and then University if inland or Harbor if coastal. As soon as Mass Production was researched, Commercial Docks went up all over the place. Being able to cash rush key ones was nice, and I was able to do that with the extra cash. But for the most part, I was able to get all Industrial techs in 4 turns at 80-90% research, except for Atomic Theory which required max research..

In 1320 AD, I enter the Modern Ages and finish ToE, taking Computers and Miniaturization, and I immediately began The Internet. Unfortunately, I hadn't finished Hoover's yet, and had nothing beyond factories, so The Internet was a ways off, and maintaining a four-turn rate was going to be tough. Through a switch in highly corrupt places to scientist farms, I did manage, just barely, to get Fission and Nuclear Power in 4 turns. Then the Internet finished, and it was 4 turn rate for the rest of the Modern Age without a problem.

The only thing remaining was building the ship, which required rubber. In 1460 AD, the discovery of Satellites reveals the map, and I see rubber in Rome, with whom I have been at war for a long time. A phony war up until now, as the discovery of rubber means I don't have to take it from the French. The Romans were perfect, as they had been beaten up by the other civs on their continent. A landing party was quickly organized, and in 1495 AD the rubber became mine, and the exterior casing began production.

Rubber:

http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads9/bed_rbc48_1520AD_captured_rubber.jpg

Final parts:

http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads9/bed_rbc48_1520AD_last_parts.jpg

And final minimap. No territory on the home continent ever changed hands.

http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads9/bed_rbc48_mini.jpg

In 1540 AD, the Professor finally makes it to space.

By the way, from Middle Ages on, most techs were researched in 4 turns. The exceptions:
Monotheism - 8 turns
Theology - 10 turns
Education - 9 turns
Astronomy - 7 turns
Banking - 6 turns
Economics - 6 turns
Feudalism - 0 turns
Printing Press - 0 turns
Music Theory - 0 turns
Steam Power - 5 turns
Computers - 0 turns
Miniaturization - 0 turns

I mentioned somewhere above that the only optional techs I researched were Economics and The Republic. As the minimap shows, I used a tighter build to keep hospitals from being necessary, and save the four turns that would have been wasted on Sanitation.