Many Leaders Game 3 - Prince Domination

Charlemagne. Why him? I felt as if he was underused, especially with the whole "HRE SUCKS" factor. He was not played in MLG2, nor was he an option for Epic 13 - Expansion Potluck. It just so happens that he has a useful UB for domination, so thats a plus side. Anyways, enough with the ramblings, lets get going!

Ah. The typical forested start. See that river grassland? How much do you want to bet there's a hidden resource there?



3760BC (T6) - Meet Izzy
3720BC (T7) - Pop Mining
3680BC (T8) - Meet Shaka, he's awfully close. Early rush anyone?
3640BC (T9) - Izzy founds Buddhism
2600BC (T35) - Found Prague

Here is my empire at T50 (2000BC):



I am chopping forests and building my army of axes to rush Shaka. It should be relatively painless.

Tech Path: Mining (HUT), AH, BW, Wheel, IW

No horses, copper or iron on the grassland tile... perhaps I was wrong?

T50 Save

Turn 0: Moving Warrior 1 SW to the coast reveals no seafood there.



Decide to settle in place. Hut pops for a Scout, very very nice.
Research path is AH, Mining, BW. Worker is 1st build, he may run out of stuff to do before BW but there's always roads. Hopefully the sheep earlier makes up for some sub optimal worker turns.
Warrior explores to west of Uruk, scout to the east. Goal is to find copper city and a good vulture rush candidate.

Turn 5: Scout pops a hut and says the villagers have given you a new technology, and this pops up:



Never popped Shaka from a hut before. Anyway, the tech was



Being Creative makes mysticism a little meh. But I guess it gets me closer to my unique building.

Shaka's capital is 9 tiles away from Uruk making him a good rush candidate.

Turn 15: Everyone's favorite religious fanatic makes her entrance



She founded Buddhism and converted, as is her way.
She's quite a ways further than Shaka making Shaka the early rush victim winner. I'll adopt her religion when it gets to me which should keep her happy until it's her turn.

Turn 31: BW is in. Copper is found very close to the capital. Convert to slavery because I always forget.



Next city planned for 1N of the copper. It'll get pigs for growth, copper, and gold for more happiness. It's the strongest copper city I can make, which is my goal for an early rush.

Shaka has a source of copper 1 tile east of his capital's borders.
Scout is sent to the copper spot to see what Shaka is doing with it.

Research path is pottery for granaries, then writing/math/calendar. Will get copper city ASAP and ramp up for vulture rushing Shaka.

Turn 41: Shaka has a settling party to his copper



Turn 44: Shaka starts mining copper. Nothing I can do about it.

Turn 48: Sign OB with Shaka for a quick tour of his 2 cities with scout.

Turn 50: Shaka has another settler in his capital. Will follow with Scout to see where he goes.

End status: Gearing up for Vulture rush. Uruk has a granary and hammers in a barracks. Eridu's about halfway to a granary.
Shaka has 2 cities and a settler, though his capital is down to 2 pop. Neither of his cities are on hills.
Pretty much all of the island is explored thanks to popping a scout from 1st hut.

Amazing luck there, almost enough to be suspicious.

Not to sound jealous, I don't like huts in a competition setting because a lot can rely on luck. Same goes with random events. I guess we should have discussed it earlier and disabled them. Oh well.

Turn 0: Scout moves to spices. So does the settler.

Turn 1: Persepolis founded on the spices. That's a first. The benefit is that the city tile produces 2-1-3, so I get an early research boost. Research to AH. Worker first.

Turn 3: Villagers give maps.

Turn 6: Shaka!

Turn 8: Scout pops Mining. Buddhism FIADL.

Turn 9: AH -> BW. Hello Izzy. Should have guessed we'd fall victim to Ozbenno's perverse choice of AI opponents.

Turn 17: Persepolis -> Warrior. Hinduism FIADL.

Turn 21: BW -> Oracle path. There is copper almost right next to Persepolis. A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse! I guess it's axe rush time instead. Revolt to slavery.

Turn 24: Persepolis -> settler.

Turn 25: Horses! On the tundra! Research altered to The Wheel.

Turn 32: The Wheel -> Pottery

Turn 34: Persepolis -> warrior.

Turn 37: Horsefishing village Pasargadae founded. Starts a worker.

Turn 39: Pottery -> Oracle path.

Turn 40: Persepolis grows and -> settler.

Turn 42: Mysticism -> Meditation.

Turn 44: Judaism FIADL.

Turn 45: Shaka pops a city right next to Persia.

Turn 49: Meditation -> Priesthood. Pasargadae -> Barracks.

Turn 50: Persepolis -> warrior.



I don't know if Shaka has metals. If he has, I'm screwed. He is not the ideal Immortal rushee. Alternatively I just have to rush Izzy. A settler is ready to head out to claim that copper. With a mixed axe/Immortal stack I should be able to take down Shaka.

First option was to find horses for the ger and then to get BW to start chopping forests.

I settled in place after moving the scout 1SW. discovered isabella within five turns and AH came in in 3560 to reveal a source of horses to the south.

Mining in 3280, BW in 2760 revealing a bronze to the north, archery in 2480 and writing in 2040 were the techs afterwards but this was only coincidental to the discovery of SHAKA, off all the Civs i didn't want to see early it was him, the Impi i think is the complete nemisis of the Keshik and if i let him get established will kill me dead in the water. No option but an axe rush i think

http://forums.civfanatics.com/uploads/82126/gengis.jpg

Turn 50 sees me with three cities another next turn and then preparation for the axe rush.

Ave Caesar!
Your industrious and imperialistic highness.

Show us strength, wonders and shiny armored troops, and we will give awe you forever!

Oz rolled us a very nice start for this one. I decided to move the scout toward the sea to look for seafood, but having found any, I moved the settler on the plain hill, revealing some nice livestock and lovely grasslands.

And on the next turn, Rome is born:



Nice spot, though we missed the deer for happiness. Anyway, here we have a sheep, two spices, and plenty of forests. And we are on a river plain hill! What more to ask for?

First research, BW, while getting up the first worker ( due in 12 ).

Five turns later, my scout met Shaka while popping a lousy map from a hut to the east. Lots of deer below, pretty tundra type terrain.

Buddhism is found on turn 8! I bet we have some crazy Izzy around us. Our scout discovers that Zululand is very close, and that there is a fine Jumbo tile on the river between us. I might be moving this way soon…

T11 – Discover GOLD north to the Jumbos – I have found my second city . The scout defends his roman reputation of bravery by killing a lion. There is even a second GOLD around! Holy ***!



Two more gold!!!! To the west! We will skyrocket our research!

Worker up in Rome, get another one running. Will be chopped by the first one.

As BW is online, I changed my 2nd city placement to this golden spot:



I start Agriculture for AH and sheep.

I met Izzy and her Buddhist buddies in robes:



On the next turn, I lost my scout to a panther… Though luck, will start another one right after a warrior is up. Oops, I forgot that we have no hunting… Will scout with a warrior then.

Hindu has been found IDL on turn 18. I think Monty is near, though not for certain. It might be Hammurabi.

Worker was up in turn 21 and I started a warrior. My nice workers are going to pre-chop some stuff waiting for a settler.

First chop want to a warrior though, and I started the second one asap.

Agriculture -> Animal Husbandry in turn 22.
Of course, IW is already available, but I prefer to go for solid structure before rushing for Praetorians (which will come pretty soon).

Second warrior is up in turn 26, I decide to put some hammers on Barracks. As soon as pop gets to 2, I’ll chop a settler.
Next turn, as the pop is done, I switch to settler and let the chops finish.

In turn 34, our Settler is up in Rome, we switch to Barracks. Shaka adopts Slavery and Judaism is FIDL 5 damn, it’s early! ). I think about rushing Izzy and waiting for Praets to so after Shaka.

Next turn, I learn Animal Husbandry and start The Wheel.

Also, Antium is found near copper:



Start a worker at Antium.

After some uneventful turns ( mined the copper, pasteurized the sheep ), The Wheel was discovered.

I start IW and revolt to Slavery on the same turn.
As soon as slavery is up, I whip barracks at Rome, while the worker chops some axes. The second worker connects the mine to the river. At least I thought so… The mine is not yet connected… The whip went too early. Well, we all learn one day.

Worker is up in Antium and goes to connect the piggies. Every other workers try to connect the copper to this *$%@ river and to Rome.

Rome has gotten another warrior in the meantime. I already sent two of them exploring. Put some shields on the Iron settler in the meanwhile.
At last, we have this message:



Time to chop/whip 5 axes in the capital.
Next objective : Izzy to the north.
We will see it in the next episode

Here is the small, but already pretty mighty, Rome:



And it will get only bigger and mightier!

Settle in place.



A bit food poor so won't get too many of my lovely cottages up but has decent production potential.

Start with a warrior and Animal Husbandry.

Meet our first neighbour.



Here's a hell of a city spot.



I pop a map from a hut and can see Shaka. Leave him alone.

Izzy founds Buddhism, saving me the trouble.

Nearly went the whole turnset without letting him know I'm here.



Definately want to get this one before Izzy



Explored most of the island.



Things stacking up well.



Research: Animal Husbandry, Bronze Working, Agriculture, The Wheel, Pottery, Writing (incomplete)

A plan: Well it seems to be just the three of us over here. So no great (axe) rush. Both my neighbours are a worry. I think I'll axe Shaka but wait for maces to off Izzy.

I'm going to attempt a CS slingshot as well! The gold city should help with this.

http://forums.civfanatics.com/uploads/82126/gengis.jpg

Your Antium is not coastal I think. It could be a crucial city for continents with good naval prod. Just a thought.

For Vanilla Izzey gone , that leaves Toku, Monty or Alex . I'll bet on Monty.
Warlords ; Shaka gone, next Ragnar , Brennus . I'll bet Raggs
BTS ; Boudy , so no Brennus. I'll go for Sitting Bull for the protective trait aspect.

Why did i get my Holkans so early? well i set my first build in my capital to a warrior, and when i popped BW from a hut, i switched it to Holkan and whipped it. So taking Shaka was "TO" easy I had two holkans by the 20th turn.

You made me hesitate and I checked. It can do work boats, so I think it is
Anyway, you're right that coastal is essential for commerce on this type of map.

First of all the start:

Can you say wood? ... After I move the scout, I discover the sea ( a thing that will spare Ozbenno and all of you of reading page and a half of ) and settled 1 SW of starting position ( on spices... I must be crazy :crazyeyes: )

At turn 4, what do I see?

2 gold and a Oasis... too bad that no food resource on sight....
Got 143 gold from 2 huts turn 5

Turn 8 I find my first foe....

And the vacancy for religious nut is fulfilled

Turn 13....

Annoying backstabber vacancy fulfilled....

Chopped my first settler and made Nidaros in turn 37...

Not much to say.... World in 2000 BC :

Maybe settling where I did was a move.... But no Masonry wonder is done yet, so GLighthouse may be still in hand

It can't be Ragnar because of the above post

It seems that nearly everybody founded the same copper city. Of course, mine is different as always. Did nobody notice that founding where I did allows copper to be hooked up without roads?

A nice point... but the spot that I and some other choosed is coastal... I prefer that ( for obvious reasons ) to a earlier cooper hooking. Others can speak of their reasons

Wang( protective + financial, double pain in the @ss ) + Toku ( our favorive isolacionist).... not sure about the BtS ones

An advantage of being Creative is that I don't have to worry about roading that copper if I pick the same site (my settler is 1 turn away). With a border pop the copper is on the river to the capital (at least I think it is ).

Haha duh! For some reason, my brain farted and came under the impression that my second city had to be connected to the first in order to have the copper online. Oh well, having my second city connected right away is always a plus side. I can found my coastal cities later

I was very lucky in the early game and got one scout, AH and Hunting from lucky huts! No money though.

When I found that Shaka and Isabella were far away I decided to forgo the early rush and build some core cities first. I would never be able to afford keeping any enemy cities anyway. I researched mining/BW to find bronze, and let the capital grow to size 3 before building the first settler. At turn 50 another settler is just ready to whip, and then I need to build some troops. The settler will go north to claim gold.

I also researched Pottery and Writing, and am now working on Mathematics for better chops and to enable catapults and currency to prepare for future war campains.

This is the state of the world after 50 turns (2000BC)

I do like your copper city placement, although it does miss out the corn(wheat? - never can remember which is which) resource to the south. Grabbing a gold with it is a nice touch!

I wanted the plains hill central tile for myself. Plotting a semi-rush.

Tokugawa on a nearby island. Mansa separated by astronomy. Not sure about the BTS leaders...