Open PTW
Ancient Age
This has been my most enjoyable GOTM/COTM to date - due to the AI being able to put up better resistance. We were in a very privileged start, particularly with the advantages of the choke, the accessible important AA resources, and the distance to the nearest AI civs at the start. I didn't fully appreciate the latest one of those advantages until the replay at the very end, but clearly this gave us more time to build up a better core before the inevitable warmongering began!
In 1000BC we entered the MA, still in despotism. In 850BC, I was able to trade for monarchy (plus monotheism and literature), and revolted immediately. As discussed in the pre-game discussion, I went for an early monarchy, and later revolted to republic. I then concentrated on building up a force of MWs, because we had run out of space to expand into.
670BC:
In 670BC we were ready for war. I only had 7 MWs at this time, but more were on the way, and I figured with a GA we would be able to continue to expand our forces. It seemed that France was the intended whipping boy, but they had just built the Great Wall, and besides, Carthage had better, more fertile lands, and a lux just over the borders. Normally I wouldn't attack another civ when their UU is in its heyday, but the only other reasonable option was India, and that would have left me with a very long thin border to both Carthage and France. I had locked off the choke with a walled city with the intention of finishing business on this side first. So Carthage was chosen.
The war was very slow, because this triggered Carthage's GA as well, but I eventually achieved my war objectives by shaving off three bordering Carthaginian cities, and replacing them with four of my own cities. In 390BC we gave peace to Carthage.
390BC:
It actually turned out to be quite convenient to stop this Carthage war at this point, because they built the Great Library and Sun Tzu's in their next two cities. During this war we had traded for engineering, feudalism, chivalry and the republic. The peace deal with Carthage secured Invention for us as well.
India made the next logical target and were declared on in 230BC. I only saw two elephants from them during the course of this war, but they did have muskets. and had occupied the little island way out west, thanks to the great lighthouse. In 110AD, we finally took the last Indian mainland city, and gave peace for amongst other things, gunpowder.
110AD:
The Indian War gave us JS Bach's and the Great Lighthouse, although the latter subsequently flipped to the French!
Just after this, the most powerful nation in the world, the Persians sneak attacked us, but the choke held. I was able to get the Germans, the Romans, the French and the Arabs in on this for gpt deals. I deliberately didn't bother with the Carthaginians or the Indians. In the end, the Persians brought in the Indians on their side, but the Arabs went over and conquered their last city. The French and Arab efforts against the Persians were fairly meaningless, of course, since they couldn't get past my choke city, but the point was to stop them declaring against me, and it worked well to this end. The world war also had the desired effect of slowing down the tech pace. At this point, we had started to fall behind somewhat.
Therefore, in 330AD, we redeclared on the Carthaginians, taking the Great Library first. I was expecting to go all the way into the IA, but it stopped just short. We got get printing press, education, banking, astronomy, chemistry, democracy, economics, navigation, physics, metallurgy, and theory of gravity. In particular, we didn't get magnetism, nor military tradition (even though I saw at least two civs with cavalry at the time!).
In 380AD, we secured military tradition off Rome in exchange for democracy, then in 400AD we picked up metallurgy off Persia for peace and democracy plus some cash. With cavs we were able to finish off Carthage by 420AD.
420AD:
Steam Power is the key to keeping up in the IA, and the fastest way to afford it was to MPP with Persia, so I did this in 400AD, as well. We also revolted to republic at this time - you have to love one turn anarchy!
In 450AD we declared on the Arabs, and finally got our first leader - used to jump the palace to the site of the former Carthaginian capital. The Arabs have rifles so it is slow progress. Then in 500AD, our MPP with Persia bites us, as the Persian's take an Arab city, and the French attack! As we are desperately in need of defenders now, I decide to give peace and 197gpt to the Arabs for nationalism, then we destroy as many French units in our territory as possible, and draft a few units where possible as well, to try and fill in some defensive gaps. I also wanted to mobilise to help build up units to finish off the French, but then I learn that option is unavailable in GOTMs!
This first French war is a matter of holding our own for awhile, and getting our second leader in 600BC. I hadn't built an army in PTW for a long time, but this guy becomes a cavalry army. In 720AD, having gained only three French cities, it is time to trade again. We brought electricity off Perisa for 440gpt, and used it to pick up medicine, industrialisation, espionage and some of our gpt back, giving peace to France in the process.
This enables us to pursue Scientific Method and start on a pre-build for ToE. Meanwhile, now at peace with the world, we invest in a huge infrastructure push, building libraries, unis, markets and banks in our twin cores. The Germans still beat us to Scientific Method, but it is only by two turns so we finish it ourselves. Then in 890AD, the Germans send a large SOD toward the choke city. Fearing another sneak attack we MPP with the Persians and the Romans, so when the Germans do attack, that war starts up again. In 900AD, the Germans bring in the Arabs against us, so we align with France. In 930AD we complete ToE going the atomic theory and electronics route. Unfortunately, due to the wars we are limited on trading partners, so we can only trade France atomic theory for replaceable parts and communism.
The Arabs have replaceable parts as well, so I start a holding action while I start building up a decent supply of artillery. Up until now there was no need for it, but the only way forward against infantry defenders pre tanks is with an artillery barrage. We soon have another leader who rushes Hoover. The Hoover build becomes the Intelligence Agency.
It takes a while to build up enough artillery to start making forward progress against the Arabs, since I am still building infrastructure as well. So it is fully 1200AD before we wipe them out. In the process we generated two more leaders and built two more cavalry armies. Techwise we learnt the Corporation in eight turns, traded atomic theory, peace and gold for Steel off Germany, then learnt refining in 7 and mass production in 6. Tanks were due in 5.
In 1210AD, we immediately turned around and attacked France. I wanted to finish off this side so that our major war against Germany could start before they got Panzers! In 1255AD, we gave France peace, because they had taken the island city, so we took this in the peace agreement and rushed an infantry there. Then we redeclared and wiped out the French in 1265AD.
1265AD:
In 1275AD, we were finally able to start on the eastern side of the choke, declaring on Germany. Fortunately, the bulk of Germany's forces were tied up fighting Persia to a standstill on the Persian front. With five or six new tanks coming off the production line every turn, our only problem with Germany was large cultural borders, and a lack of good rail infrastructure.
To help get over this, towards the very end, I aggressively settled two cities just inside German territory. This brought remaining cities within a single move of attack by tanks, and had the advantage of allowing tanks to heal and to utilise the next turns poduction, rather than make a slow adavance through German territory with existing troops. This may have saved a turn or two.
The Romans were down to only one city at this time. We declared on them in 1325AD, and destroyed them same turn. The Germans were eliminated in 1330AD.
Finally it was the Persians turn. We attempted to plant a spy, but failed and triggered war with them. In 1340AD, they were gone! Conquest in 1345AD for Jason 8720.
Flips
Just a quick word on flips. I had a few in this game. I expected that would be the case, and so started with a raze and replace policy. I still had flips, so then I added rush culture in the new cities. At least one of these cities flipped anyway, so finally I took notice of the required number of units calculation in Dianthus' tool. When this number dropped sufficiently (say 15) I poured in enough units to completely stop the flipping. This worked a dream.
In the German war all the high risk cities were simply razed, hence the barren map!
i ended up losing oil springs for a little while but got it back, eventually signing peace with persia (never captured another Persian holding). from then on, i used persia as the anvil to hammer all other civ's with 
, though my win was not nearly as speedy as florian k's. his was very impressive as it does not appear that he used any RoP rapes the whole game 
unfortunately, i succumbed to the temptation of doing so but only on the last foe, Rome, so that i would not have to face rifles. it's been a long time since i did that and i feel a little dirty, kind of like playing chess but setting up two rooks and the queen next to the king while the opponent moves pawns around, oblivious to what my moves imply. not very fulfilling.
The worst part is that I cannot submit my game.
: N/A..................
: None. And I didnt touch them!
