OK, here we go. I'm going to try and point out in this round and subsequent ones, what I consider to be the important factors in a cultural game and also what may be false ideas you may have about cultural games.
Firstly, a blurb about why I picked Huayna Capac. When azaris sent me his leader picks he said he would have picked Huayna but it felt like cheating
. I know what he means. The traits are both great. I pretty much exclusively play a Cottage Economy game (understand Specialist Economy just can never get it to work for me), so financial gives me a good boost for that. Industrious gives me double speed wonders and forges, again this is something I can use.
His UB is a granary that gives culture, again great I can use this, the UB is a warrior with 100% v/ archers. Very useful.
Starts with Mysticism, so I can hopefully grab an early religion.
Next, lets look at the starting position again.
If I settle in place I get 3 clams (and maybe something else hidden in the fog). I can see two possible spots to move to. Firstly, the blue circle. Must be a decent spot as that's where the game says to settle (although I take this with a grain of salt). Will lose 2 clams, pick up swine and hopefully more. The more tempting move is 1 east to the plains hill. Settling on a plains hill gives you 1 extra hammer. That's one extra hammer the entire game (200-300 turns). I don't lose any of the clams either.
In the end I decide to settle in place. Why? I never pay any attention to the AI blue circles and (strainig my eyesight to see what the squares in the fog are), I would lose two hills by moving 1E and only gain a grassland and plain, with the excess food the 3 clams provide settling in place gives me a plains hill, a grass hill and the two hills in the fog (one definately looks plains can't tell on the other). Possible cultural fallacy #1 - production isn't as important. Rubbish. Production is always important. This is a capital that can churn out the wonders and temples etc needed to win as well as military for protection.
So after all that I settle in place. Actually I move the quecha one SE to check I wouldn't gain any resources by moving 1E and then settle in place.
Initial build is another quecha as a worker would be useless.
Initial research is Meditation, as I want a religion early. I also want missionaries/monasteries and won't chase Monotheism (get it in trade later) so Meditation over Polytheism
OK then, what's the strategy.
Possible cultural fallacy #2 - the start game is different in a cultural game. Again, rubbish. As I've got Mysticism, I'm chasing an early religion. If I was playing for fun I'd do the same. In this game if I didn't have Mysticism, I wouldn't chase an early religion, again if I was just playing the game I wouldn't there either. Basically, a strong opening is a strong opening. Concetrate on playing a good game, get a decent base up and then worry about culture.
So, the strategy is a normal (for me) one. Meditation, Fishing, Bronze Working, The Wheel, Pottery --> Code of Laws --> Alphabet. Same as any other game. From there I will prioritise Music and not chase Great Library (as I would in another game) but that is a later down the track, for the first round, it will be no different to the last game.
Once Pottery hits, I'm going to start cottaging everything (again as normal).
There is one early game decision I have to make. Pyramids or no Pyramids? Usually in a cultural game I only build wonders that give Great Artist points (as I will for ever pop non-Great Artists if i dilute the pool even slightly as the RNGod hates me after I depicted him as a monkey but that's another story) but being Industrious opens up the Pyramids option. Why would I want to do that? For Universal Sufferage. It means I will never have to research to Democracy, I can turn of research after Liberalism (taking Printing Press or Nationalism) and researching what I didn't take. I'm not sure on this one. have to play it by ear. If I get a chance (and Pyramids go late in BtS) I will. If I find stone I will.
Well, I feel I've typed 10,000 words and have yet to actually play a turn yet so enough jibber-jabber and let's play.
Ha ha, look who I meet 6 turns in.
After Shaka last game I get this. I won't be as timid about this guy though. He appears from the east so lets head over that direction.
I found Buddhism.
Meet Roosevelt. A much friendlier neighbour.
Possible cultral fallacy #3 - when playing for cultural, you should be peaceful.
Rubbish. Actually, this was the main reason I picked Huayna and why on Monarch and above it is a bit like cheating. One (sometimes two) quechas = enemy capital. Let's see how close Roosevelt is and I might have my big 3 already done.
Meet Joao, he's supposed to be friendly but I always find him a bit narky. Anyway, this means we're on the main island.
Sadly, the other two seems a bit too far away to justify another quecha rush.
Hey we have copper.
Don't really need it as (unless the other two are pretty close which doesn't seem the case), I'm going to be a bit more peaceful now. Increases the production of the capital
Possible third legendary city candidate found. My financialness is drooling.
And that's the end of the first round. My main goal was to take the nearest enemy capital and that was achieved. I'll start the settler production soon in both my cities.
Here's the state of the world.
My scouting is not very advanced as I was otherwise occupied. I also only got the hut in our BFC. No idea where Roosy and Joao are.
I need more workers to get cottages up and running. There seems to be plenty of decent sites for cities there. I might even be able to put the axes away.
I want to get Confuscianism founded and maybe Parthenon built next set, with progress made towards Music.
Research: Meditation, Fishing, Mining, Bronze Working, The Wheel, Pottery, Priesthood, Writing (not finished)