I thought this up this morning but won't be able to try it out until March 3rd. The strategy is to play as the Japanese. I'll beeline for optics and astronomy so I can build frigates and caravels and transports. While i'm doing this i'll send a galley loaded with Samurais to take Pyongang just to get a connection to the mainland. Load the transports with a settler and 2 samurias. Move the boats to North America and found your first city on the coast of where is now California. Leave 1 Samurai to protect the city and the other one to scout for barbarian cities and look for Montezuma. Have as many transports as you need continue to come to North America and South America until you feel you don't need anymore. You then can start founding cities on the Pacific islands if their are any. Don't forget the Hawian islands.

Also for those of you that can play this before March 3rd try my strategy out and tell me if it works.

Montezuma would destroy you if you attempt this in the late-game

Montezuma would destroy you if you attempt this in the late-game


What do you mean? Samurais would own a Jaguar if he tried to attack me and If I had enough cities I could fend him off and maybe destroy him. Also even if he took all my cities in North and South America I'd still have the islands of Japan.

bumperz!!!

The game might be too far along for you to win if you beeline for astronomy. Since Japanese is aggressive, your best bet is to get sailing early, and then wipe out a neighbor or two with your axemen/swordsmen combination. I used this to good effect by chopping rushing and then wiped out the chinese and mongolians in one of my monarch games. Oracle might be useful in allowing you to get code of law early, so that your economy doesn't tank from lack of court houses.

The game might be too far along for you to win if you beeline for astronomy. Since Japanese is aggressive, your best bet is to get sailing early, and then wipe out a neighbor or two with your axemen/swordsmen combination. I used this to good effect by chopping rushing and then wiped out the chinese and mongolians in one of my monarch games. Oracle might be useful in allowing you to get code of law early, so that your economy doesn't tank from lack of court houses.

Have you tried the strategy? I haven't tried it yet but I will next time I get a chance which probobly won't be until March 3rd.

The strategy is okay, but it seems to complicated when you can just conquer about 15 cities in your own backyard without breaking a sweat. Just beat Genghis to Pyongang, go to war with china, take most of their cities (Dongjing and another city are on a hill, so go back for them later.) Watch as Genghis fails to take the capital, then go to war with Genghis for Karakorum and his section of the Chinese cities.
Then move south with your samurai, taking the elephant guarded barb cities. Mass your forces (about 10 samurai) and go after India, taking as much as you can.
Wait for gunpowder, go back for the chinese cities (Hopefully backwards by now) and take them.
Use your empire to do whatever you want, its a game winner.

The strategy is okay, but it seems to complicated when you can just conquer about 15 cities in your own backyard without breaking a sweat. Just beat Genghis to Pyongang, go to war with china, take most of their cities (Dongjing and another city are on a hill, so go back for them later.) Watch as Genghis fails to take the capital, then go to war with Genghis for Karakorum and his section of the Chinese cities.
Then move south with your samurai, taking the elephant guarded barb cities. Mass your forces (about 10 samurai) and go after India, taking as much as you can.
Wait for gunpowder, go back for the chinese cities (Hopefully backwards by now) and take them.
Use your empire to do whatever you want, its a game winner.

Good strategy. I haven't thought about taking out China and Ghenghis.

I didn't know you could play Japan, or did you mod that. Man! Was I ever disappointed when I found out you couldn't play the Byzantines!

here's a challange.


win with the incans, on any difficulty, with any victory.

not a race really, just win.

I didn't know you could play Japan, or did you mod that. Man! Was I ever disappointed when I found out you couldn't play the Byzantines!

You can without modding.

here's a challange.


win with the incans, on any difficulty, with any victory.

not a race really, just win.

I played as them once but was stuck behind mountains and could not get away. It sucked. It also sucked as the Aztecs because their were too many barbs. I enjoyed Spain and the Mongols. I'm going to try the Japan strategy on Friday.

I played as them once but was stuck behind mountains and could not get away. It sucked. It also sucked as the Aztecs because their were too many barbs. I enjoyed Spain and the Mongols. I'm going to try the Japan strategy on Friday.

you have to research sailing to move anywhere, and build a 4th city.

The strategy is okay, but it seems to complicated when you can just conquer about 15 cities in your own backyard without breaking a sweat. Just beat Genghis to Pyongang, go to war with china, take most of their cities (Dongjing and another city are on a hill, so go back for them later.) Watch as Genghis fails to take the capital, then go to war with Genghis for Karakorum and his section of the Chinese cities.
Then move south with your samurai, taking the elephant guarded barb cities. Mass your forces (about 10 samurai) and go after India, taking as much as you can.
Wait for gunpowder, go back for the chinese cities (Hopefully backwards by now) and take them.
Use your empire to do whatever you want, its a game winner.
I used the same strategy with very minor differences but equal success.
after the take of seoul, I joined Gengis' war against China... he weakened the old empire and I got the spoils of war in my hands (towns) with relatively limited casualties on my side.
Funny enough the barbarians from indocina region got active and sent their elphants against some Chinese town... my troups joined the struggle and conquered the remaining Chinese towns (except the ones on hills) and some parts of the indocina region.
Then instead of waging warm against the Mongolians (now friendly ally) I started a program of pacific expansion in America (I knew it made more sense to bring war to India but I was trilled to bring Japanese colonization to the new continent).
I finished the Chinese empire and completed the conquer of south-east Asia with calm.

I sent a large army to the indian subcontinent only when Arabs and Indians were both weakened by a centuries long war.
Both the empires falled in my hands (apart a couple of towns).
The same victorious army got rid of a useless and backwater Bizantine empire.
Both the last two wars were aided by the active cooperation of Peter (Russia).

Long story made short:
If you play the Japaneses, look first at Korea then China.
Then decide if you have enough troups to go against the Mongols or start a program of colonization.

If you take war against the Indians, remember to make sure your northern side is safe (Mongolians can be a bad customer in this scenario).

Going west will also bring you in the middle of the European-Arab conflict... a tricky position on the diplomatic and religius side of the game.

You said this was an earth strategy? Is there a map/game that has every civ on it in its place? Where can I get one?

@Fetch

Just play the Earth 1000 AD scenario. It has it preety well set up. The Nations are formed the way they were in the Middle Ages so Russia won't be as big and other things will be different. It will still be pretty good though.