The Immortal Challenge Lineup - Game #9 - India

All games in this series will be set to IMMORTAL difficulty. User civilizations, maps, and opponents will change each game, but the pace will always be set at standard and the starting era will always be ancient. We will try for a variety of starts, and not just having a crazy warmonger as your next door neighbor (although there will be that too). This isn't a competition so there will be no predefined victory conditions. New challenges in the series will be posted every other Wednesday.

Who can play?
Anybody can play. The more the merrier. Even if you normally don't play immortal games you are still welcome to try. The games can become great learning resources for the player trying to improve. Even if you don't finish the game, we are still interested to hear about your experience.

Do's and Don'ts
We are going to be using the honor system. Feel free to restart, reload, play the same game multiple times, but don't use the science overflow exploit. Also please don't edit the game in IGE. If you do chose to cheat, please don't share your results in the comments. Also, please use the spoiler tag if you post a picture, comment about neighboring civs, close by wonders, or locations of ancient ruins.

Also, please tell us about your Build Order, Social Policies, Tech Order, and what type of wonders you went after. I know a lot of this stuff seems pretty mundane to the experienced player, but the details are incredibly useful to people trying to learn.

Future Games in the Series
I want users to submit saves from turn 0. Preferably the person submitting the game has played enough turns to know the map is either difficult, fun, or unique in some enjoyable way. Write a short description as to why it is special and email the save to immortalchallengelineup@gmail.com

Important
If you submit a game for the challenge, you must have the DLC map packs disabled. Not everybody has them and they are honestly kind of useless. Having them disabled will allow more participants.

I see two places to settle. I can move 1 tile south to hill and get some river tiles and plenty of land, or I can move to coastal hill next to silver and then be able to send food cargo ship(s) to my cap, but that will depend on getting other acceptable coastal sites for expo(s). I guess it depends on whether my warrior can see fish if I move him to the coastal silver hill. A coastal city with no fish isn't good.

settled the hill, gaining chocolate, second city river/mountain to the south picking up some nice resources. third city was a forward settled on morocco, gaining a river, mountain town. Played the hard diplo game with a handful of bribes. I was a calm t280ish science victory. Would have been earlier but I was feeling lazy and didn't pickup astrology until after schools...such fail

I don't think I've played India for 2 years, so I'm rusty. I restarted this one on t50 because USA got my 2nd city spot, and I had decided to go Piety and took Oral Traditions. I get the most enjoyment out of Civ by playing with synergies, and so to lose on a ton of plantations down S was just going to piss me off the rest of the game. I currently have 10 plantations being worked and will have up to 4 more later. This seems one of the only ways to make Piety worthwhile vs Tradition or Liberty. Took Tithe, Monasteries (only bldg left, so kicking butt in W city), Feed the World, Itin Preach, and Sacred Sities. Mor got an early religion with Mosques - I would like to get some, but it's too bad my W city is the one with all the incense - want to keep my religion. USA got 5th religion, I was hoping to spread like crazy to him and Poc. I should get 2 GP before Industrial, so spread will be good. [edit - notice the Mor GP trapped out W? Had him there for 30 turns now. I stupidly did a DOF with him after stealing one worker, I actually would like to spread for Mosques, and he is tying up a lot of units, but with Itin Preachers I am spreading rapidly.]

I was slow to get extra cities up as I was so cautious about happy. So I missed getting a 5th up N on the coast, Poc just grabbed it. Development has been slow because of buying tiles and chopping for ToA and focusing on Shrines and Temples. Few Granaries and WMills, everything is late except down S where I have stables and 4 tiles for it. I should have built ToA there in hindsight, as my cap is way behind schedule. I blew my W city placement - I was so obsessed with buying an incense tile from under Mor nose that I missed the river/mtn that actually had production tiles and marble in range - doh! It has 5 production, LOL.

So, I didn't particularly like the starting territory ... and lately I've been a sucker for deserts, so I took a LONG walk. All the way to the mountain next to Marrakech, lol.

Pros: Good Desert Folklore site. Likely to be able to get a Petra site up and rolling. Right up in Morocco's face as a strategic block to impending settlement. Ready access to a marble and incense. Easy access to Morocco's first Caravan, SCORE.

Cons: 3 turn walk is kind of long. Exposed me to the Liberty madness of the Shoshone - had to play block the Settler a LOT. And still lost my original Silver, lol. Not as many hills as one would like for a Petra site.

One thing I'll say is that the AIs have been a bit on the weak side this game.

I thought something along the line of Liberty and no DoWs and the global peace lasted way over 100 turned, including the CSs but an odd map - there're luxes everywhere and the gaps between luxes are filled with resources; this doesn't make any sense even on Immortal. Multiple spots with triple luxes and even with copies should a big no-no anything beyond Settler.

T24 DoF with Morocco, T32 DoF with the US & Desert Folklore though due to lack of culture ruin didn't manage to settle the 2nd city until T47, T48 DoF with the Maya, 2 more cities. T85 3rd religion, T98 Pyramids, T100 4C NC, T101 Liberty finished -> GS planted & 5th city near Palenque, T103 CS, T114 Pacal backstabbed due to having too many cities and others were having the same feelings so I didn't settle the 6th to cover more desert, T117 Education and Pocatello starts camping my border and the DoW came T123 - quite a lot useless units but nothing to worry about even without an army - mainly few archers dodging Moroccoan settlers and a single Dumbo somewhere.

T125 enhanced my crappy religion, T127 Washy backstabbed, too but at least didn't DoW, T138 Ahmed converted my desert city so my fpt suffered a drastic collapse so I thought screw peace - I'll kill'em all. Easy decision as everyone apart from Ahmed hated me already. T139 DoWed Morrocco, T141 bribed Washy to attack Pocatello with 2 luxes & few gpt but I didn't want a three-front war without decent army, T145 the Dutch were first to hit Renaissance by Astronomy, T148 I founded WC, T155 took Marrakech which was cheered by the world with multiple denouncements so I paid Gustavus to DoW Pachacuti with double lux + gpt but probably well worth the price.
T160 the miserable existence of Morocco was terminated and I could focus on Pocatello but the binary aspect of war kicked hard and I'm mainy hoping to get 3-range Xbows in near future otherwise it'll be a long stalemate as he's hiding behind GW and has more cash & gpt than I can kill his units. T166 LToP and I took a GE for PT - I only need to open Rati & get Architecture first.

Due to map I haven't much been in happiness difficulties but the initial expansion was slow, lack of cash as usual kept the army very small as money was mostly spent on CSs & tiles. The tech pace in general has been pathetic and I'm sharing the lead with the Dutch, killed 4 spies so far and few got away. No one is paying even near full price and Washy probably DoWs soon - his units aren't much of a problem apart from swarming the lands and hence hampering the already low production but his CS allies surrounding me will be annoying besides I'm somewhat limited with my TRs already.
The original plan included dominating religion but that prophet stunt by Ahmed and Washington having the religious CSs may change the plan.

T179 Rationalism opened & PT after that. T183 Washy finally attacked with few XBows & lots of Minutemen - not a single cata, trebu or cannon - and Delhi got heavy beating as I didn't have walls there but other than that not much of a problem.
T188 William vs Pacal with std price of 2 luxes & few gpt so everyone have finally participated in at least one war. T193 first to hit Industrial, William & co followed within few turns, after making white peace with Poca he was willing to backstab Washington for 2 luxes & several gpt but it seemed reasonable - at least it hampered the travels of US missionaries to the East, T204 Scientific Theory & T213 first to adopt ideology so I went Order.

Serious lack of money prevents upgrading units and taking cities with XBows beyond T200 is just bizarre - everything is running 50 turns behind normal pace. Managed to vote down earlier WF but will gladly support the fortcoming vote; with factories which apparently others don't have I have fair shot of winning it.
Everyone hates me and keeping TRs up is hard but as long as Gustavus doesn't DoW I'm fine. Getting rid of Washy is the plan for immediate future but after that I'll surely need something up in the air as Poca is unlikely to research Dynamite. Turtling & focusing on sci would be much faster but I'll stick with my afterthought of kill everything plan.

I eliminated Mr. Brown and had a war to take Mr. Blue's cap, then I eliminated Mr Red. Now I will have another war to finish Mr. Blue. I needed to get a few ships first. I'm using 3 city attack/logistic/air repair bombers. They work great! If time allows and I dont get bored, I will take all the cities on the map.

Iron Curtain, free Courthouse, extra food to Delhi. I think its like +164 food. While an annexed city in revolt does not produce and gold or hammers, it still does collect food/grow pop and you can focus the tiles you are working.

The most fun was when Pocatello attacked Delhi in the early 190's just a couple turns before I could get the Freedom tenant for 6 free Foreign Legions! Fortunately, I'd Oxforded Radio on T186. Pocatatello was heard to mutter,"Ghandi invoke power of Great Spirit. Six super units appear on battlefield out of no where!" These guys pushed Pocatello back and pillaged him silly, while Washington, who was itching to attack him, required only a small bribe and took one Shoshone city while I took a nice peace settlement.

Easy game and thx to Megabearsfan for explaining the mechanics of Indian happiness.