TSG99 Opening Actions

Welcome to the TSG99 Opening Actions thread.

STOP - Please do not continue reading this thread until you have completed at least 80 to 100 turns in your game.

This thread is used to discuss the game once you've started playing through your first 100 turns. Apart from normal decency, the only posting restrictions are to please not post videos until the deadline is finished and to use the spoiler tags for screenshots. Here you can post questions related to the game and share your achievements/anger/frustration/victories while you play. Please remember that we are running a family friendly site, so express anger or frustration with this in mind.

Please use this thread to discuss your goals for the game and your opening moves through the first 100 turns. Anything after that should be posted in the After Action thread once you have completed your game.

- Where did you settle and what did you build first?
- How did the terrain and map settings affect your early decisions?
- What were your initial priorities?
- What tech path did you follow and why?
- What Social Policies did you choose and why?
- Did you use build your UB?
- Did you use Faith to gain an advantage? If so, how?

I settled in place, building Scout, Monument, Shrine and then an Archer. Priorities were to get the Great Library and Oracle which amazingly worked out.

I don't usually play Emperor so probably I'll be conquered early. I took one Honor for culture from hunting barbarians; next full Freedom and then Patronage because I was rescuing City State workers. The extra policy per era helped.

The Ducal Stable was built as soon as possible because I expect another civ, probably Rome, to attack me after turn 130 and on a land-based map horsemen will be important. Maybe the Winged Hussar will be important later to keep aggressive civs from attacking.

This time I've been slow with faith but the total is still close to a Great Prophet with two religions available.

TIL you should always take the purple policy before the orange (free) policy, when you can do both. Taking the free policy increases the cost of all future policies!!

Dredging up old threads for my own enjoyment....

Started this last night as another practice game. I think I got to about turn 120. Settled in place. Build start was double scout, shrine, monument, (i kinda forget after that). Double scout paid off a little as I got free Wheel and Bronze Working from ruins (also got like three maps/barb maps so it wasn't all wine and roses).

Wanted a strong faith start to get the +1 faith for salt/iron/copper pantheon, which I did get. Was the third religion and picked mosques and the beakers for missionary spread. I've never actually used that one, maybe it stinks, I'll find out.

Not very focused on the tech start, ended up getting all the first first four before getting a second level. Though the above free techs made up for this a bit. Finally got it together a bit and beelined for Oracle (which I built) then Great Wall (which I rushed with GE).

I got 4 cities up by turn 90 or so. Settled up at confluence toward Kiev first but also noticed the good spot down toward Lizzie on the coast and built another settler and founded city 3 there a few turns later. Fourth city about 20 turns later straight south of capital along river.

I got a bit paranoid settling forward on Lizzie and having Russia doing well behind me, so I had to stop and build a little army. Also the impetus to rush Great Wall for a little Linus security blanket.

The biggest problem was that the 4 city start delayed my NC a bit. Couldn't buy the fourth library and had to wait like 14 turns for it to build. Not terribly efficient. Time to start pumping up the capital now that NC is finally done. I think I'm fine but a bit slow.