TSG120 Opening Actions

Welcome to the TSG120 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 Actions thread once you have completed your game.

- Given these settings, how did you decide to proceed with strategy?
- Did you settle any cities beyond the starting settlers? If so, provide some relevant details.
- For Domination, did you meet everyone and develop a conquering order in the first 80-100 turns?

- Given these settings, how did you decide to proceed with strategy?

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Thought janissaries would't be enough so I decided to develop cities a bit and wait for artilleries.

- Did you settle any cities beyond the starting settlers? If so, provide some relevant details.

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Used liberty settler after getting some extra happines (15 turns).

- For Domination, did you meet everyone and develop a conquering order in the first 80-100 turns?

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Yes. Sent 2 armies of 3 janissaries, 2 sipahis and 4 artilleries for a conquest after playing for approximately 100 turns (turn 270/280, don't remember what turn exactly did the game start). Now that I see how fast they progress it is obviously an incredible overkill. Could've started the march much, much earlier...

Starting in the Renaissance era has thrown off my timing. I usually start in Ancient or sometimes Classical era. I'll try to be vague so I don't post any spoilers.

- Given these settings, how did you decide to proceed with strategy?
- Did you settle any cities beyond the starting settlers? If so, provide some relevant details.
- For Domination, did you meet everyone and develop a conquering order in the first 80-100 turns?

Click to expand...

- I opened with a mixed bag of Tradition and Honor. The plan is full Tradition, right side of Honor, open Commerce and grab Big Ben, and open Rationalism to unlock Porcelain Tower and take Secularism. That's probably the only point I'll take in Rationlaism. Either Autocracy or Order for my ideology, depending on whether I have coal. Eventually I'll finish either Honor or Commerce. I don't remember what turn I'm on; I finished Tradition and 3 policies in Honor. [no I didn't. I thought that sounded like too many policies] I got beat out of Big Ben by one turn

- I settled 3 cities right away (had to settle the 3rd on top of a luxury for the happiness instead of next to it which was a better tile) then after the national college was up I settled a 4th city to the south on the coast.

- I spammed janissaries, and built 2 cannons, but I didn't start my campaign until I was close to finishing dynamite. Capturing my first capital went really easy, (he wouldn't accept a peace deal after I took the first 2 cities so I annihilated him) upgraded to artillery and riflemen and started marching to the next. I could have started sooner, OTOH he was my best trading partner. Also the next civ is going to be a tough nut to crack because their military is close to mine in strength, they have a lot of production, and my supply lines will be kind of long. If I don't take them out now they will be a culture+military runaway. Once they're gone, the rest should be easy because they are all pitiful. I've met everybody, but haven't uncovered enough of the map to know the exact order I'll take. Hopefully I can make use of battleships and destroyers.

Happiness is going to determine my pace. I noticed that one of the weakest civs is 8 techs behind me and has several unique luxuries. I might send a couple of units to capture them out-of-order.

- Given these settings, how did you decide to proceed with strategy?
Wanted coastal cities to take advantage of cargo, and free lighthouse. Didn't care about mountains. Beeline Muskets, cannons, artillery, possibly frigates. Turns out after exploring that frigates isn't useful for the map due to only 1 coastal capital. Start conquest as soon as cannons built. Liberty/Rationalism mix SP, followed by Patronage opener, Commerce cheaper roads, then Autocracy at the end.

- Did you settle any cities beyond the starting settlers? If so, provide some relevant details.
Capital to connect the inland sea, 1st expo to access faith mountain.
Yes, got 1 free settler from Liberty, for the 3rd coastal city south for crabs, once I have enough excess happiness.

- For Domination, did you meet everyone and develop a conquering order in the first 80-100 turns?
Yes, get the closest ones to the E, then use 2nd army to get the northern ones while the main army splits into E and N.

My strategy was Gunpowder for the Janissary and Metallurgy for the Sipahi. I can't remember another Game of the Month where the unique units and abilities came into play so quickly. I built no other cities.

Conquering order was Russia first because Catherine was leading on points. That army will then conquer the east side of the map.

On the west Sweden and America both offered declarations of friendship which meant research agreements, so betraying them has been left for later in the game.

My practice game convinced me a 2 city Honor with Tradition Opener would serve best for the super quick early border expansion, plus quickly promoting units which can farm barbs for culture while waiting for the first push. I went for scout(garrison)/workshop/cargo/cargo/ironworks for maximum possible early hammers, and scout/worker/workshop in the expo.

After that, I quickly cranked out a gold engine with cargo/caravan/market/India, then went to work on my first army of 2 trebs, 3 xbows, and a janissary, which were done ~t45. Cathy was cranking out the wonders (Notre Dame, Hagia, Buru, Chichen), so I started with Sweden first, on my way to Russia. Took Sweden ~t65 with cannon and sipahi upgrades coming in that time. Cathy only had 3 units, with all that wonder building, and fell about 10 turns later. I then used my GS to finish Dynamite and upgraded the cannon to arties.

At this point, I realized I hadn't sent a forward scout to find the next opponent, so I struck blindly northeast, with the sipahi in the lead fog busting. I quickly ran into Morocco, which luckily triggered the World Congress for him, and allowed me to get embassies with the remaining 2 civs I hadn't met. Morocco had very few units and fell at t95, where I ended my first session.

At this point, I am mostly done building the second army, which will clean up America and Ethiopia, while the first army pushes on to take out the last 2 civs in the east. I don't imagine it should take all that long, maybe finish ~t125-135, depending on how bad the terrain is, and how many units I have to push through.