plastiqe
Grinch
Including the tech screen would help eh?Spoiler :Thanks for pointing out the GGen change. I must have read through the K-Mod changelog 100 times and never noticed it.
Re the game ...
Didn't post it last round, but your granary whippage/choppage was excellent.
This is no tech brokering, so Zara can't trade Curr to Shaka (good call on accepting that trade, methinks, though it also means you can't trade CoL out).
I think you're about to get dogpiled (a stack near you from both Zara and Shaka), so I would recommend a military tech next. However, the only one you have open is Mach which your economy won't get you to during a war. Rep scientists are powerful, but Machinery is so expensive.
If you accept the Shaka trade, Sail will open Cal and Priest will open Mon. You don't need extra happy (and have the Pyramids), and have no Cal resources (did I see that right?) so I don't like that trade.
CS is always good but oh so expensive. You're really in a bind here (assuming dogpile, K-Mod=likely). I think you have to either focus on your economy (Sail, even though both your neighbors already have it) or your military (Mach, but the cost!).
In no tech brokering, I'm always looking for a tech I can trade out. You probably don't want to trade CS or Mach to these neighbors (Zara's usually peaceful, I know). Drama is great trading fodder, at least amongst the ones you can research. Can you get to it in a reasonable time? Assuming a dogpile? No way you can get to Phil, I suppose.
That's my call, I guess. Mach (military) or Drama (trading). Probably Drama, but if you're fighting them both you're not trading. This is tough ...
I say Drama. It's not definite that you'll be warring because shared religion, but it is definite that you have no tech brokering on so techs you can trade away are more valuable.
Spoiler :
Sound advice except for the part where they already know Drama. : P
I could steal Sailing from Zara with a small investment into . The only thing I don't like about not trading with Shaka is that he might demand Currency anyways and then I'd get nothing for it. I wonder, how much more it would take to bribe him against Zara?
AFAIK there is only 1 Marble on the continent, unclaimed at the moment, between Shaka and Zara.
Spoiler :
I haven't even started the Settler but if I got that spot Literature becomes worthwhile.
I had this other wacky idea that if I get Shwedagon Paya I could use OR to spread Hinduism to Shaka then use Espionage to convert him which would be semi-profitable anyways since I'll get a Great Prophet for the shrine at some point. I'm 23 turns away from a 70/30 Great Priest/Great Merchant in Thessalonica (which could be sped up if I run an Eng). Another GS for Philo/Paper/Education won't be around for a while. If I have Sailing a GM bulbs CS. O.o