The State of the World, 730 AD
First off, as usual in these posts, a look at the map.
My two land masses:
Yeah, those two northern islands turned out to me non-starters, didn't they? The one to the northeast is particularly annoying since there's no way to grab both the crabs
and the fish tiles with the same city. I've built a fort on one of the tundra tiles at the choke point, but now I'm wondering if a city on the mainland there rather than on the island (to claim the crabs) would make more sense.
And holy crud, Trv016, you're right, it
does resemble the British Isles! (Though I have to say, speaking as both a descendant and as a two-time visitor, that Scotland is far more pleasant than the terrain in its position on this map!) Well, the Vikings did invade the Isles and have had an often-unacknowledged but significant effect on their culture, so perhaps that's appropriate.
A priority in the next round will be more expansion, now that I can afford it again. I'm already building the Settler for fur city in Uppsala. I have a Galleon up near the city site and there's no barb city there, but I don't much care anymore; I want those furs for trading.
I also want to keep an eye open as I expand for any isolated land masses with appealing resources that I can grab centuries before anyone else. In fact, I should probably load one of those Galleons I'm building with a Settler, Worker, and City Garrison Crossbowman, ready to pounce on an attractive location. You know, just like the AI at its most annoying does.
Here's what I know of the other land masses, which ain't much:
But of course I was focused on winning the circumnavigation race. Now that it's complete I'll focus on exploration. I'm building some Galleons, but I think a few more Caravels are in order so I can slip in if anyone cancels their OB on me.
Now for the tale of the tape. Domestic advisor:
Financial advisor, highlighting city maintenance:
It's not crippling me, but a few courthouses will help. The espionage points will be welcome as well.
Civics:
I think a change to Caste System is in order. I just went through a slave rebellion in the capital a couple of turns back, and I'm not really whipping anything, so it's time. Should I wait for Civil Service? I think at this point the civics are costing one turn each, so I'm not sure if waiting is really necessary.
Foreign advisor - relations:
And Glance:
So far Bizzy is my buddy and Hannibal isn't too far behind. So I could throw in with the Confucian block. Mehmed and Hammurabi aren't too pleased with me, but that could change if I go Muslim. Neither religion is an option yet, however, as you'll see.
Active trade deals:
Obviously I'll be adjusting these as things go along. But I gotta say that having Astronomy for the trade routes and resource trades was HUGE. A big tip o' the ALC hat to Validator for his advice!
Resources:
Furs would allow me to get more GPT from Bizzy and Mehmed. I really want those furs!
(I'm tempted to say that I really want that beaver, but some of you might misinterpret that. Ahem.)
(And yes, they're
beavers, not squirrels! Some people on this board keep calling them squirrels! WTH? Squirrels were
never a commodity in the fur trade--it was
beaver, gang! They're
beavers! Trust me: I'm Canadian. I know my beaver.)
(Okay, I'll stop now.)
Info - civics and trade route income:
I don't usually keep track, but I think 109 commerce from trade routes this early in the game is pretty darned good. I built a few Harbors this round, another thing some of you recommended, even prioritizing them over Granaries, so that helps the trade route income as well. The only way it could be better is if I'd built the Temple of Artemis. Some other time.
Techs:
The prevalence of Feudalism for Longbowmen will likely impede the mad Galleon/Berserker rush I was envisioning earlier.
Military Advisor:
Religion advisor:
Wouldn't you know it, the first religion to spread to me isn't either of the big blocks, but 90-pound-weakling Roosevelt's lonely little faith that will only make me as much of a pariah as he's going to become. No thanks. I think I'll wait for the other two big faiths to spread to me.
Speaking of which, we should talk about religious strategy. I'm assuming that both Confucianism and Islam will spread to me, at which point I'll probably want to choose a side.
Bizzy and Hannibal are already the friendliest leaders. Both have useful techs and resources to trade, and both are, in my experience, largely trustworthy. However, they are also (AFAIK) my closest targets... er, neighbours. (Same diff to a Viking, really.)
Hammurabi and Mehmed don't have too many resources to offer me, though Hammy does have a few choice techs I'd love to get at. They're further away, and therefore possibly more troublesome targets. Both of them, however--Mehmed especially--are slippery, back-stabbing scum.
At least none of them are protective.
Lastly, espionage, which I adjusted as the round ended.
Courthouses will help with this as well.
So diplomatic decisions will likely be required in the coming round. With Galleons and Berserkers only a few turns away, some hit-and-run raids to hurt and potentially cripple someone would be fun. I also think I need to found the remaining cities on CivSeta's dotmap.
Overall, I feel very good about the game thus far. It's quite a contrast with the Mehmed game, isn't it? Losing that game, I think, was good in the long term. It seemed to inspire several people to develop expertise at isolated starts, and your advice is certainly helping here.