Many Leaders Game 2 - Sword Training

.............not

Well, we've just gotten Assembly Line from Liberalism, we're one turn from Statue of Liberty and heading for space. What's up for this turn set?

Well I want to look into the new Corporations, as I don't think I'll have Apollo built by the end (we'll look at that next week).

The corporations I want to found are Sids Sushi (Medicine) and Creative Constructions (Combustion). If we don't have Aluminium, I'll found the Aluminium Company as well (Rocketry).

First strike in the space race is Industrialism, for Aluminium. This remains true from Warlords. However, after a comment from r_rolo1 in another thread, I'm going to get Laboratories up before Rocketry as well.

Actually a tactic you can consider is the Aluminium Co. instead of Industrialism, if you want to get an early start on Apollo. Research to Rocketry first, incorporate Aluminium Co in a (non-Iron Works) city and then get it to build Apollo.

Anyway, enough aimless chatter, let's do stuff.

Gandhi has Drama. I build a spy and divert all my EPs to Gandhi in an attempt to steal it.

Statue of Liberty is built.

I start a bit of an audit of cities to see where we are going, especially as I want to generate a GE. Ironworks in the capital is started. I research Railroad and head straight for Combustion.

I get my first revolt in Mycanae.



I now have the quandry of which of my precious wonders to obsolete first, Great Library or Colossus. Greal Library is probably helping us less, so that is the victim.

I go Biology after Sci Method for the food and National Park. Essentially I'm going to have to research every tech I actually want myself (usually I leave Biology for the AI to research for me). National Park is going in Susa (the copper city with 5 forests). It is good practise in BtS to leave one city with plenty of forests for National Park. I also have National Epic here as they make a good combo.

Another new city.



OK, corporation time. Sid's Sushi here we come. We'll make a few comparisons etc as well. Persepolis has 2 excess food, and 26.85 coin a turn.





Hey presto, we've got 6 excess food and 34.35 coin a turn (running at 90% science). Umm, I'm sure we had a piccie around here somewhere.

I then trade for everyone's spare resources and end up with 10 food from the corporation.



The maintenance is quite large but courthouses reduce it.

Manage to steal Drama from Gandhi.



I spread Sid's Sushi to Alex as I have no seafood trades with him (and he has no seafood). It's a good way to generate cash.

Yet another city.



I build Broadway and trade the musicals for yet more seafood.

IN YOUR FACE ALEXANDER.



I disband the city.

Cristo Redentor is built.



Another great new wonder, no time waiting between civics change as well as no anarchy. I use it to switch to Free Religion and Free Speech.

We have aluminium.

Rocketry is in and we can start building Apollo. Doesn't look like Apollo gets a bonus from Laboratories.



50% from forge and factory, 50% from Coal Plant, 100% from Iron Works and 100% from aluminium. Oh well.

Actually, the one advantage of having come this route to Rocketry is that I have all the health producing buildings available and Genetics is now able to be researched, so my late game health problems are no more.

I steal Divine Right as well from Gandhi.



Haven't seen this quest before.



Got a crab candidate for it as well.



Well Apollo is built in 2 turns and then we'll start building SS parts.

Here is the state of the nation. Only one city has health issues and no unhappiness yet.



Here's the state of Sid's Sushi. I've added seafood resources of my own and have traded like crazy for spare AI resources (I traded for 4 fishies from Washington I think). Haven't spread it too much. I think a couple more cities might benefit (high production cities especially).



Would have liked to have one of the production boosting corporations but no dice with generating a GE, keep getting prophets at low odds.

Main problem I see for next set is that I'll have to obsolete fur soon by researching Plastics, that will give me a few headaches (and 2 less happy faces).

Research: Railroad, Combustion, Sci Method, Drama (spy) Biology, Medicine, Astronomy, Physics, Electricity, Radio, Refrigeration, Superconductors, Industrialism, Rifling, Artillery, Military Tradition (trade), Rocketry, Divine Right (spy), Genetics, Satellites (not completed)

Goals for this turnset:

• Just win

Where we pick up: France almost won a diplomatic victory. The problem is that both Gandhi and Mehmed have spread Confu to a number of their largest cities. We must strive to overcome this. The easiest way, I've decided, is to take or raze Gandhi's cities. To that end I need an army. So we do that.

Alex also invaded England, who knows where that war is heading. I'm at +13 towards Alex and +11 towards Churchy. I can afford to take a "-2 You refused to help us" from either, but coupled with the "-4 You traded with our worst enemy" it's going to cost me one block of votes. In that case I will choose to back Alex rather than Churchill, as ol'Alex has 43 votes to Churchy's 14. Hopefully Alex takes Churchy down to size.

I also need to keep founding and growing those cities. Oh and build lots of shiny wonders.

Turn 0: Civics switch -> Representation + Free Speech. Slight increase in commerce output as a result. Trade Guilds from Churchill for Paper + Optics + 55 gold.

Turn 2: Democracy -> Gunpowder.

Turn 3: Angkor War built in Orleans. Grenoble founded.

Turn 4: Great Scientist born. Academy started in Lyons.

Turn 5: Gunpowder -> MilTrad. Coventy captured by the Greeks. Dijon founded and converted to Confu. The vote comes in...

Turn 6: Churchill wants me to join the war, but...





I guess I won't be demonstrating the late game wonders. It was all a bit silly, the game has barely gotten started and Alex looked to be stirring up trouble. I look forward to reading others' reports.

Great People, Science and wonders!

Machinery > Construction > Education > Feudalism > Guilds > Banking > Divine Right > Nationalism > Constitution > (Drama - Hut) > Liberalism > (Printing Press - Free*) > Economics > Democracy > Rep Parts (not completed).

* = :WEED: - intending to grab democracy, forgot I needed PP. :/

Hagia Sophia. Parthenon. Apostolic Palace. Sistine Chapel. National Epic. Angkor Watt. Spiral Minarete. Taj Mahal (4th Golden Age). Constructing Statue of Liberty.

I vote myself head of the AP.

Got a warrior and Drama from huts.

GP Born (saved-X). GS Born (saved-X). GS Born (saved). GM Born (+GS + GP = GA MK III). GS Born (saved). GP Born (saved). GA Born (saved). GM (economics - Saved). GS (Accademy - Washington).

Revolt to mercantalism in the 3rd GA.

Met the ottomans.

Ram through a Stop voting with Infidels on Ghandi. Just because he's being all whiney.

The AIs have started squabbling. First war of this game - 820AD - Washington declares on KK... KK has been demolishing Washington. Ghandi and Churchill seem to be in a bit of a standoff with Alex. Kinda tempted to gift Alex a bit of Tech and see whether he can stomp them. KK is my friend and the others really don't like me - mostly as I've refused to get involved in their squabbles - have generally given away tech when they've asked/offered trades. Got involved in a fake war with washington to help curry favour with KK.

Have built my military up - most cities are protected by maces. Built a small stack of knights, maces and xbows to stomp any potential invaders. Soon I'll have gunpowder units to superceed those.

Have founded 2 new colonies - Buffalo and Detroit - Buffalo is on the marble island, detroit on an island with gems to the SW of that.

Got a new quest, but seems a bit extreme! On a non variant game, I'd give it a stab. Unfortunately failed my Triememe Quest by forgetting about it.

Notes for next turnset:

I want to get Versailles on my marble island. See if a 2nd palace cancels out the colony fees I'm now paying on it.

Need to connect second Ivory, so I can trade it to KK for dyes. And let his elephant assault troops roam! Mwhuahahah!

Apparantly I am the most cultured! Woo!
The US industrialises

Science:
Rep Parts > Gunpowder > Engineering > Compass > Optics > Chemistry > Corporation > Astronomy > Sci Method > Biology > Steam Power > Steel > Assembly line > Rifling > Military Tradition > Medicine

Had a dither and stuck Astro before Sci Method - to get the labs up and running. As soon as Sci Method came in, switched golden age number 5 on - compensate for the lost wonders and monastries... used a merchant, prophet, scientist and artist - plugs the holes nicely!

People:
Great Engineer, Great Merchant, Great Scientist, Great Prophet, Great Artist

Sure there was another one, but didn't note it down.

Wonders:
University of Sankore (1520), Versailles* (1520), Notre Dame (1530), SOL (1590)
* = this does not kill of colonial expenses, unfortunately.

Also Oxford University (Boston) and Iron Works (Washington).

Stuff what happened in turnset!

1590 sees the circumnavigation in.

As the SoL builds, it's time to modernise this great country! Mercantilism and Pacifism have had their day - time to update to Free Market and Free Religion - freedoms for all (except the caste system, lets just gloss over that for now!)

Got a new event in 1505:



Offered either:
+2 Espionage from barracks
568-852 gold
+1 Happy per city

Can never have too much happy IMO, so go for that option! Really don't need the cash and have an eye towards war later...


Founded Baltimore and Denver in space grabbing ways. Dallas and Cincinati on an island with lots of seafood. Aiming for sids sushi, I think.

Weird Mehmet DoW'd me in 1655AD from a +1 relationship... ah well, hope my lightly defended colonies are up to it!

Switched to an upgrade pattern - grabbing rifling and military tradition - research jumped me straight from Maces/Muskets/Knights to infantry/Cavalry. Computer landed fairly sizable forces, but so outdated they didn't pose a massive threat. Was a bit touch and go for a while, but infantry secured my position.

Upgraded galleys to galleons and caravels to frigates, to win the sea battle, although the distances were short enough that some troops got through.

Current plan is to make some inf/cav stacks - blow Ottomans to bits and turn them into a colony. Just to see what happens.

First Great general appeared in 1695. Moving to washington to make a mega cavalry medic.

Finished GA #5, got the people ready for #6 - after that, time to build some corporations, I think.

Espionage has been crazy - 10% slider and I can see all of everyone. Yay for improvements!

In the way of weedy moves, didn't realise the full impact of unhealthiness wrt city improvements - lots of negative health running around - hospitals will help a bit, but soon some public transport and malls will be needed. Keen to try out the malls and they're 20% cash boost.

Many cities are close to fully developed, so can really churn out some units, cash and research.

I'm gonna try to do this a little different from the previous reports. I'll not do it turn-by-turn. I'll do it time-by-time.

Monday night: Game loaded at 23:03. Enter hit at 23:15.
Research finished on Replaceable Parts. Start on Rifling.
London calling falling on the first turn. Enter hit at 23:30.
I start a bunch of Galleys ans Settlers for the islands. I'm gonna try to speed up the process.
Nottingham falls on turn 3, at 23:48.
Rifling is in, start Steam Power at 23:57. Warwick falls and Churchill is history at turn 6. Almost an hour. Good timing!

New day, new goal: build an army capable of getting Kublai Khan. The veterans will be used, of course, but I need some overkill!

Steam Power is in at 00:56, start railroads. It actually took only 6 turns, but I was kinda MMing all those cities to get a real army from them. Declare war on Kublai!
Old Sarai falls at turn 14, 2 turns after the declaration, at 01:13.
At turn 16, 01:36, Kublai took one city! Dover, at the icy south, was sieged by a real bunch of old stuff. But two rifles couldn't stand a chance against that number of suicidal units. Well, at least the counter attack went there!
Next turn started at 01:49. It had the capture of Ning-shia and a counter attack near Dover. This time, I sent more rifles and grenadiers. Kublai threw 7 units at the stack without a single win. Now we're talking.
Railroads in. Start automating workers for trading network. Research set to Combustion. Now a good question: will ships sail on the ocean without Astronomy? Better: without compass???
01:59 is the time of Beshbalik's fall. 02:06 marks the fall of Samarqand. Dover is cleaned up, but not retaken yet. Would have to leave a medic Phalanx there for defense.

And here's the end of the session. I'm waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay over the population limit, but under 55% of the land yet... I think only Kublai's land won't be enough...

Tuesday night: Game loaded at 22:22. Enter hit at 22:30.
First event: Great Engineer born at 20% odds. Nice!
Dover was also recaptured.
Combustion in, start corporation. The icons says I can build Transports and Destroyers, except for the Oil I don't have...
Corinth, my Merchant city, builds the Statue of Liberty at 22:48. MM time. Also, around this time, I capture Turfan. Enter hit at 23:02 (not too much time, uh? ) with the Corporation popup and the start of Sci Method. Bye bye great lighthouse!
The next enter was hit at 23:14 while I browsed for corporations. Well, this game is won. Let's try something new. I will burn the GE on Mining Corp. I don't need culture from Creative Constructors!
At 23:23, Sci Method was in (bye bye Parthenon, byee bye Great Library) and I started Biology. I have a lot of oil sources (none on the starting location, actually). Mining Inc is incorporated at Sparta (Heroic Epic city). Karakorum falls. Kublai was willing to capitulate aeons ago, but I think I have better use for his 100% land than his 50%, don't you think too?

Oh! I have a screenie of Sparta now:


Thebes begins Ironworks. I think I should have mentioned it. Sparta trains some executives for Thebes, Corinth and Athens.
After a toilet break, at turn 29 (00:23), another one bites the dust: Tiflis
Biology is in, start Communism. I'm trying to see where I can get without Compass or Theology. Oh! And remember my question? Yes, you can sail on open seas without knowing Compass. You just see one tile ahead of the ship.
00:39 and Communism is in. Start Military Tradition. With the new Great Spy born, I burn a golden age. Captured Cimmerian and Otrar. Few to go.
After MT I have to go Assembly Line. I was delaying it for drafting rifles, but I didn't draft a single one. My problem was mobility, not numbers...

At 00:56, good news: Mehmed declared war on Washington AND took one city... Nice. I think I'll joing the fun soon. New Sarai falls next. Only one to go. And Tabriz goes with Kublai at 01:06.

It takes me two turns, at 01:18, to declare on Washington after seeing I had 62% of the land area... Should be faster this way than building settlers. Assembly Line in, start Fascism (nothing else).
01:34 and Los Angeles falls. Athens finishes The Kremlin. And here we are:

The last tech you can get without having Compass or Theology is Fascism!
So I researched Compass, Optics and could start on Astronomy or Medicine. Started the latter. Pharsalos finished National Park. With a bunch of forest preserves, it could hire more specialists than I could assign. Of course, stacking with Mercantilism and SoL.

At 01:50 the troops were at the gates of new York. No bombarding. Let's mop-up. No losses. New York falls. Civ4lerts gives the preview. Hit enter and at 1:55:



And the score:



It was a very nice game, with a very nice score to beat on my HoF right off the bat. Noble is too easy for me now. And Pericles has a very nice combo. Creative is always good and Philosophical is always better. As I tend to focus on production, I usually forget the cottages.

Thanks for the opportunity, Ozzy. And count me in the next one. Now I have 10 days to finish RB Epic 13. Wish me luck!

Oh! And the saves: the 1650 one is from an auto-save. The idiot forgot to save before hitting enter. To replay, you'd have to take NYC. Not a biggie. The 1655 is after the victory. Well, I wished to give some screenshots of my cities in the end but, as you could see, it was a little late.