Many Leaders Game 9 - Civilization 5

My plan was to go for an early-middle conquest push with Immortals during my first golden age. That theoretically could still happen, except that my closest neighbor is too far away for convenience. So I'm planning for a more economic focused game now, using golden ages on plains and river hills for massive bonuses. In that vein, I'm saving my civics for the Piety path - 25% off golden age costs looks critical from my perspective. My tech path beelined for Bronze Working, then Calendar, and now Trapping. I went for Bronze Working first in the hopes of making a rush work, but I'm nowhere near any opponent that I can bumrush with Immortals. Maybe if Suliman expands south... but he'd have to get past the barbarian encampments that I've left intact explicitly to mess with his expansion (since he doesn't seem to be building much military, it should hold him back significantly).

The problem is that this start is chronically food-short. I seriously considered moving the Settler, but went with settle in place. Hard choice, though I'm not sure that moving would have been any better. I probably should have just bought the fish tile after settling in place instead of spending all this time saving for a maritime alliance (though I'll have that soon).

I'm inclined towards a midgame dominance push, but it's taking forever just to get off the ground. If I can exploit the surrounding empty vastness, then I should be able to rev up and steamroll Suliman later. But damn, it's taking forever to grow...

No real details because there are no details to report. Well, I did get a worker from a Barb encampment, which will be nice as my expansion plan kicks off, but that's about it. Oh, and my first constructed Settler is due in a few turns.

• Ally with a City State -- because of +30pts for returning their captured worker. I've also killed 1 or 2 barbarians for them in their current quest to kill 3 barbarians (I hate that quest).
• Found 3 cities (probably too close to eachother ...time will tell)
• Not find Catherine (I'm still not convinced about Civ 5 scouts but I have no excuse for this...lazy scouting on my part)
• Have an incompetent Ottoman neighbor that didn't build a 2nd city. Actually I think there was one other where they didn't build. It's really terrible...whether it's prince or Diety. The AI needs to be fixed so their Warrior-Settler pair will go out regardless of neighboring barbarians. I hope that they don't also wait around due to human and/or AI players.
  
  No idea if any of the above will be that critical especially since my cities are size 3, 2, & 1 but it's interesting to see 50 turns be this different.

I chose the Egyptian, because of the happiness from the burial tombs and war chariots are also powerful early on.

Not sure which victory to pursue, but I do plan to clean the starting continent from whomever is there...
I plan to save money and buy a settler.
Focus on war chariots to rush someone...
Build stonehenge.

0-Move warrior onto the hill to reveal sheep and elephant. Triple resource start, looks like we can do some expanding.
Settler is moved across the river as I reckon I can fit in a coastal town to the west.
Thebes starts scout.
Research is set to beeline warchariots.
2-Barb camps all around and marble up north. Jummie!
6-Beat the barb camp and decide to use promo for healing (bad choice...)
8-Scout completed, worker next.
Mt Fiji discovered.
9-Wine is also spotted in close vicinity
10-AH > the wheel
13-Suleiman is on my island (but not for long)
22-the wheel is in (war chariots)
worker ready>war chariot next
next beeline for Stonehenge > pottery next
25-Istanbul is spotted up north
26-CS Brussels met (cultured)
I adopt honor tree to manage barbarians
28-CS Copenhagen met (maritime)
35-War chariot ready, new one started
42-Calendar in > Philosophy next (for burial tombs)
48-Settler purchased
Stonehenge started

So there I am at turn 50, one city, pop 5 in 1 turn. Settler about to settle next city.
Outside Istanbul, I got 2 war chariots and 1 warrior about to take 1-2 cities and workers. Stonehenge ready in 12 turns with forest chop. Potentially 4-5 luxuries developed and ready to build burial tombs.

Not a bad start...