King of the World #12: Sitting Bull

Bulb him. Anything that gets you faster to Optics. You will tech up fast, once contact is established. Ignore your neighbors

Don't bulb , atleast now. Bulbing ancient techs is a waste of beakers and you can't broker the tech anyway.

I agree with r_rolo1 - so bulb it later. Although: Since I don't shadowgame Neal atm, I can't really say whether the academy would provide more beakers for the race. But since Optics isnt too far away, I'd guess bilbing speeds you more than the academy.
I know that's not a good long term strat, but I see that game as a tech-race against the clock.

re: Moosonee -- Its close enough, I'd say just call it "Maple Leaf" or "Senator"

All right, guys. I'm frustrated. Those who have been poking through the save games and all that, by all means, read on. Those who would prefer to maintain "the purity of the narrative" may want to skip this.

@neal

Neal

Neal, in regards to your spoiler...

Neal, find a good science city, build a library, then put two scientists.


Build Research in all established cities except for Military Pump.

re: Charles Li- See Green Wave.

re: Everyone else- *sigh* All right. Let's do this. New round tomorrow.

21 BASE COMMERANCE NEAL! What did you do? 5 Towns? (Or, more likely, 6 x Hamlets? 1 x Deer?)

And the AI is STILL Out teching you... Wow... Immortal is harder than I thought!

All I can say is that be happy that your capital is in a central location, and that a few whips will finish infranstructure and let you atlantic powerhouses grow.

There's always the Internet and a SS victory

Just remember your MM victory! If you can win after a start like that, you can do just about anything lol.

Focus on defense in your most southern city and pretty much focus solely on commerce/research elsewhere. You got lots of good land, you just need to start leveraging it. In due time you can then take Pacals capitol and some other juicy cities before sailing over the ocean.

.. i hope

I say stick with your strategy to get those tech trades. Maybe for the reverse colonization it may be best to hit a weak isolated opponent to get a foothold. England, Japan, South Africa? Anyway we won't know until we get their. I enjoy a well played loss more than an easy victory so dig in and fight.

... Should I build up for war with Pacal? I mean, at this point, hitting him could hardly be considered a rush, and the conflict would provide much-needed plunder and experience...

Or would that just be a waste of time that would delay getting Caravels in the water?

Why not just get FRIENDLY with Pacal, then you can Leech tech's off of him.

Really with your cities, Col's and courthouses going up, your spy points V's Pacal, should enable MANY stealing opportunities.

Let Pacal do your grunt work research. You can just sit back, accumulate spy points, and STEAL what you want.



Oh yes, Mr Mayan, will develop some lovely disease, mosquito, swamp infected, slimly, putrid barbarian infested South America for you.

James Bay, a minor arm of Hudson Bay, was a lawless place. It was the source of constant incursions of armed nomads, and was close enough to the Islander-Hawkeye-Cahokia core that those bands could do real damage before being repulsed by loyal Dog Soldiers. Sitting Bull sent the noble Maple Leaf tribe out to settle the area, bringing its bellicose natives under some semblance of control and harvesting the rich furs to satisfy the needs of the Native American elite:



(Okay, okay- So that's not even really close to where Toronto is in real life. Bear with me here, people- Northern Canada is a pretty sparsely populated place to find analogs for!)

Shortly thereafter, diplomatic tensions with our southern neighbors increased over the star-crossed arranged marriage between a Tenochtitlan subchief and his prospective Maya bride:



This was of no great consequence, though, as Pacal and his people were a backwards folk, limited in their toolmaking and knowledge of the...

Oh.



Pacal gloated in his scientific prowess, riding to Tenochtitlan on a tame alpaca as Archers and Catapults filled the sky with pyrotechnic displays. Sitting Bull grumbled, but took solace in his knowledge that land is power. Sneering, Pacal offered to teach Sitting Bull of Animal Husbandry in exchange for the secrets of Code of Laws. The Native American leader harrumphed in reply and sent the Mayan king back to Mutal.

In 160 A.D., a young student named Tycho Brahe rose to prominence amongst the scholars of the Green Wave library. He had, apparently, cracked the Mayan Mathematical code and offered to spread that knowledge throughout the empire:



Despite the temptation of getting more from the forests that covered North America, Sitting Bull opted instead to have the young scientist found Brahe Academy there in Green Wave, thus ensuring technological progress for centuries to come.

These were dark times, known by the tax collectors for the numerous budget shortfalls and by the people for the harshness of the whip as Granaries, Courthouses, and Libraries popped up across the continent. Even Sitting Bull's attempt at the construction of another great totem ended in failure:



The gold gained by smelting the idol was a small consolation.

In 340 A.D., the mysteries of The Compass were solved. Native American scribes began researching the secrets of Machinery, and Mayan officials were contacted to see what they would offer for these new secrets of magnetism. Sitting Bull's envoys were met with a patronizing sneer:



This insult would not be allowed to stand. Plans for Machinery were scrapped, and all research was instead diverted to Alphabet. If Pacal was willing to sully our good relations with the use of Spies, then so was Sitting Bull. And Machinery, one of the Maya's many valued toys, made a perfect target.

The works of Herodotus soothed the bruised ego of the angry Sitting Bull. The Native Americans' technological backwardness had a more than satisfactory explanation:



His empire was the largest in the world, and the puny Maya did not even qualify for the top 8. It would take time, but the vast tracts of land under Sitting Bull's control would soon bear fruit and turn the tables.

With the Native Americans' writing moving from pictographs to an honest Alphabet, Spies were trained across the empire in Maya letters and customs. The scholars of Green Wave studied the income of the shrine at Tenochtitlan, and trade across the known world. Both could be improved immeasurably with Currency. Meanwhile, at said shrine, an old Priest named Zoroaster rose to power, and asked Sitting Bull what must be done:



"Be still and wait," said the taciturn leader. He would need to consult with his advisors before such a question could be answered.

In 625, Sitting Bull monetized trade with a standardized Currency. In addition, it was time to activate the sleeper agents in the Maya capitol:



Success! The Spy returned to Cahokia with a small spinning-toy snatched from a noble child's playroom. It was a mere bauble, but from its intricate inner workings the scholars of Green Wave were able to extrapolate the secrets of Machinery. With both Compass and Machinery in hand, it was time to revolutionize Native American naval technology with Optics (15 turns).

So there we have it. We're behind, but not as badly as I had thought, and we have the land (and, now, the infrastructure) to catch up. Here's a look at North America:



Islander and Green Wave are both suffering from Whip-angst, which should fade on its own.

Here's a peek at the Tech screen:



And what Pacal is willing to give up for Currency:



I'm tempted to do it, since Pacal having more Trade Routes means that more of my Routes will be allowed to connect to Maya cities. And I can always use Zoroaster for a Golden Age to switch off to Hereditary Rule and Caste System.

Finally, a look at the Domestic Advisor:



So, how do we look? Do you think we'll reach Europe before Europe reaches us? Am I doing anything remarkably stupid? Should I use Zoroaster for a Golden Age, or settle him? What trades should I make with Pacal? I look forward to the discussion.

The save:

The way you're beelining optics (no animal husbandry ) I doubt you'll be found before you can find them.

As for Zoroaster, I don't think a golden age is fitting this early in the game. However, with you're massive land holdings it could be worth it to think otherwise. Regardless, settling will not have quite a massive effect at this point..

imho taking the trade, and swapping to CS (if you think you need it now) plus HR seems worth it.
Optics will probably be researched in the same time your GA ends.