Imperial Trash A+

Research: Animal husbandry -> Mining -> The Wheel -> Pottery -> Mysticism -> Archery -> Masonry -> Bronze Working
Current research: Fishing
All continent scouted (look like we are isolated)
2 cities with one more settler
4 fogbusters
Plus:
- Maybe I spoiled the second city, but third city could not been spoiled, cause there is no third city. There is settler and is waiting for orders.
- stone is improved
Minus:
- No wonders
- No religions

Assuming I would gladly exchanged my save for any save that has Oracle completed.

This is overall look on our(???) continent ...

Standard opening stuff, built warrior and worker, scouted around and managed to explore the whole island. No sign of Man Friday! However there were five huts that yielded a map, Fishing, 33g, Archery and another scout.

Looked around for site for the second city.'Hmm, plenty of barbs will turn up' I thought 'with no-one to help fogbust, so horses it shall be for Immortals'. Built a settler who arrived on horse site in 2280bc with a warrior escort. A barb archer was one tile away the turn before. A persian warrior can easily defend against a barbarian archer. Wrong . Pasegardae founded 2280bc, Pasegardae captured by the barbarian state and razed in 2280bc. Didn't even last long enough to leave any picturesque city ruins.

'I shall have that city site' I decided and built/whipped another settler, this time with an axe escort. They arrived safely in 1560bc and Susa was founded .

Meanwhile I discovered that you don't need masonry or a stone quarry to build Stonehenge in 1560bc though chopping can help and this despite the fact that an insect plague annihilated my pastured cows in 1600bc.

That's more or less it.
2 cities.
4 Population.
8 hammers.
15 commerce.
12 beakers.
Techs: AH, wheel, fishing, archery,mining, BW, pottery, mysticism, 2 turns from sailing.
1 Wonder (Stonehenge)
Units: 1 worker, 2 scouts, 2 archers, 1 axe. Building axe and workboat.

These were the plans before the turnset:
Plan A:
1. Quickly build 2 settlers, 4 workers.
2. Meanwhile hope for horses and happy resources and build cottages on floodplains.
3. Build 3 cities with barracks/stables and rush immortals on nearest victim!
4. Also build Stonehenge with chops for border pops to avoid AI culture.
5. Rush neighbor / capture pyramids (or chop)

Settled in place, then I started off with two workers to chop the giant forest around us to quickly build a few cities, ready to rush whomever was near.... Nobody wanted the nomination for earliest exit, so plan A is in the bin, ready for plan B.
I wanted to make a fast start, so I decided to begin with two workers, then a warrior, followed by 2 settlers. Bit risky but gave just the head start needed. All three cities have high food and 2 more high food cities are in sight. That combined with representation of the pyramids and the great library should provide a launch pad for fast astronomy.

3 events occurred
1. Had the chance of creating an uber-square. I put it to 90% at risk of 2 unhappiness and population loss. Capital was at size 1, so no risk. Too bad it still didnt happen... Had 2 unhappy for 20 turns lol...
2. Some breakthrough gave +12 beakers to masonry
3. Better axes give all axemen shock when built, too bad there is no enemy, still nice for barbs.

Plan B:
1. Settle 6-9 cities focused on commerce and great people.
2. Chop pyramids, head straight for great library, get that too with great engineer of Mids.
3. Get 3-4 Great scientists and get astronomy to meet the world.

Stats:
Cities: 3
Population: 10
Total commerce: 22
Expenses: 5
Science: 17 beakers per turn
Units: 2 scouts, 4 workers, 2 warriors, 1 axe, .5 spear.
Civics: Slavery
Religion: none
Great people: none

Techs: Mining, BW, Mysticism(hut), Wheel, Pottery, Masonry, AH, Writing.

Gambles: Stone hooked, Pyramids in 17 turns (can be shortened to 10 turns with 2 chops and 3 whipped pop)

I settled in place and built a scout while growing to size two. then it was time for a worker while the scouts went about. The huts contributed over 200 gold to the imperial treasury plus a couple of worthless maps illustrating how wide the ocean really is.

Early research went AH-> the wheel-> pottery, as I aimed for getting those floodplains cottaged ASAP. Meanwhile I built a warrior and started a settler at size 3. Techwise I took a pit stop at archery to get some protection for early settlements, since the horses were ungodly far away. After that the plan was mining-> BW-> ...-> priesthood to chop out the Oracle to get CoL for religion happiness and courthouses to REX the island. I was also considering the Pyramids, what with the stone nearby.

Yeah, that was my plan.

Now I want a "poop happens" T-shirt.



What a funny little fantastic super hyper mega cool awesome event. Four, for all that's holy, FOUR barb archers spawn three tiles west of Persepolis, which is defended by a single warrior. I cannot chop, I cannot whip, and since fire ants ate my cow herders the turn before, I cannot train an archer in less than four turns. All I can do is starve the city to double the city's warrior defences.
Ph34r oor hooge clubs!

The barbarian invaders approach the city. Opposing them is the Thin Half-naked Line With No Real Armour Or Weapons Whatsoever.



The fight was over before it began, though the warriors outdid themselves and defeated the first two attacking archers. The Emperor would surely promote them posthumously, if he wasn't so busy getting used for target practice.



It gives me great comfort to see the fruits of the Persian civilisation live on, as the barbarians store all that gold in clay pots and use carts to drag them out of the city.

What a traumatising first visit on emperor. I could make so many tasteless up-the-tailpipe jokes here that it isn't even funny.