TSG 125 Opening Action thread

Welcome to the TSG125 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.

- What did you think about before starting the game, what was your approach to this game?
- Did you spend much time doing reconnaissance before settling?
- 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?
- What Wonders did you try to get and did you get them?
- Did you go for early Faith? How did you use faith?
- How did you do your scouting?
- How did you manage your happiness?
- Any surprises?

T102

Double scout, settle in place because of dense terrain. I found a Natural Wonder so I bought a settler. I didnt build any ships until around t100 and now I am sad that I didnt build some sooner because I just found what is out there.

DoW Persia to take a settler. Cheesed 2 more workers, eventually made peace.

I've got full tradition (4 cities), 2 or 3 in Piety and am trying to set Sacred Sites.

Well, I settled in place, built a couple scouts and then built a shrine to try to grab a religion. Diety AIs seem to have even more bonuses than in Civ IV, as by the time Madrid was size 3, all the AIs had 3 cities that were at least size 3 as well.

Anyway, I managed to build 2 settlers and settle next to Mt Fuji and to the west of Madrid, then explored out to sea with my starting warrior. I had decided my only real chance was to reach the new world before any of the other empires, so I prioritized sailing and compass early. After finding the goody island, I founded my 4th city there, and I suspect that will be my last city for quite some time.

I lost out on every religion, despite getting Mt Fuji, so I'm just kind of floundering around not sure how to even begin focusing on a culture victory, when I've been 7 techs behind everyone else ever since about 20 turns in, have no religion, no wonders, and no aim with my policies. I've opened Tradition, Piety and Aesthetics, but only really have one policy in each. I'm not quite sure where to go from here, but my only real goal all along was to hope not to lose by conquest, so hopefully that happens.

I opened Colossus on capital which I settled on the spot, had to sacrifice my first scout because of a mistake i made on my 2nd settler which I bought from Fuji, wasn't able to steal workers in time because of this and lost my first cargo ship to sea barbs as well. 3rd city was settled east around the salt. NC around 115-120, Sistine Chapel @ 152.

For faith, I got the natural wonder FPT pantheon, Pilgrimage, Cathedrals, Divine Inspiration and Religious Texts.

Full tradition opening, opened Aesthetics and Piety (brain farted lol)

A little late for this thread (currently sitting at turn 121). Very slow game as 1) I ended up settling more cities than normal (6 so far) and 2) I've been declared war on 6 times (everyone except Indonesia). Was able to fend off all of the wars without losing any cities and now (finally) peaceful for a while.

- What did you think about before starting the game, what was your approach to this game?

My goal was to scout heavily early and hopefully find a NW. I found Mt. Fuji first and sent my second scout there at about turn 10. Then, I wanted to stay small and peaceful, teching to astronomy and setting up new cities in the New World (which didn't happen on either account). Just getting to Education now and will hopefully making a beeline to the new continent.

- Did you spend much time doing reconnaissance before settling?

Settled in place. Didn't think there would be much advantage moving away from the coast, 3 luxuries, or mountains.

- Where did you settle and what did you build first?

Did two scouts and then monument. Bought a settler with Mt. Fiji money.

- How did the terrain and map settings affect your early decisions?

The terrain slowed my exploration and luxuries a bit but, once I got rolling (with two workers from India and two from Persia), everything started going quickly. However, as there was such a juge number of luxuries around, I just kept settling cities. Final city is down by GBR, which I wish I found earlier.

- What were your initial priorities?

Initial priorities was to get a religion and go to sacred sites. Working there now but may be too late to make too much of an impact. Got two religious buildings and One with Nature, so quickly adding them to my cities.

- What tech path did you follow and why?

Teched to civil service, and now onto astrology. Need the caravels and observatories ASAP.

- What Social Policies did you choose?

Went full tradition and now working piety for sacred sites. May have been better to go piety from the start but we will see.

- What Wonders did you try to get and did you get them?

Haven't built a single one (unfortunately). The early wars meant much of my production was for units. Good news is I now have a fairly stable, safe country with a bunch of cities.

- Did you go for early Faith? How did you use faith?

Yes, iummediately started working Mt. Fiji and was able to get first religion and first enhanced religion. Starting to spread buildings to help with happiness.

- How did you do your scouting?

Built two scouts but lost one early for a worker steal. Still scouting the main continent with the other.

- How did you manage your happiness?

Very poorly. With six cities I'm barely keeping up but hoping to use the buildings to keep my population happy. Everyone hates me now as they've declared war on me so I'm hoping to use some cash to buy off city states in the near future.

- Any surprises?

Besides everyone declaring war on me? Nah...

Gave up when second scout found fuji so nearby but didnt get 500 gold and getting that is totally game deciding. Gamble game.

Turn 115, so far so good.

Started with 2 scouts, found Fuji fairly quickly and bought a settler with the cash and settled next to Fuji. I forced that city to work Fuji for 2 turns then took One with Nature (+4fpt/nat wonder). After pottery I chose to hit sailing before writing, it was a risk but it paid off in finding 2 GBR hexes and netting 1000g, which led to another settler on the island to work the reef. After that I turtled a bit and built up some troops and several triremes.

I tried for the Oracle, but lost it to the Dutch, but I did get Hagia Sophia and founded the first religion. I took Tithes and Pagodas first, then Mosques and Defender of the Faith. I opened Tradition and bounced between Trad and Piety, opening up a reformation belief of Religious Fervor (Sacred Sites was gone), but the faith units post-industry might be important if I make it that far.

So far I have had no fights and have several trades going with cocoa, wine and crabs. Rome and Japan are at it, and William just declared on Japan too, so I might be caught in the crossfire soon. I'm prioritizing sailing techs balanced with general military advancement with Astronomy up soon. I just founded a fourth city by the wheat se of Fuji (the Polynesians settled the salt). Thanks to the pagodas and mosques, happiness hasn't been an issue yet, and I'm pulling in 81 fpt and 25 gpt, culture is only 35 per turn and science is 50, but I delayed on building the new college for too long, that will probably bite me. I also opened honor along the way to deal with the barbarians more quickly and to gain some culture at the same time.

I went south in time to get full gold for finding Mt Fuji but I bought a shrine instead of a settler. I still don't have enough sense of urgency to win at Deity. Now I'm surrounded by AI cities and it doesn't look promising.

Okay, so now I'm on turn 112, so now I can answer all this

- What did you think about before starting the game, what was your approach to this game?

I didn't think much, I just pressed play and threw myself into the game!

- Did you spend much time doing reconnaissance before settling?

Nope, settled in place because of mountain and three luxury resources so it was just as good.

- Where did you settle and what did you build first?

First city was settled in place and I started out with a monument, shrine, worker, archer, settler.

- How did the terrain and map settings affect your early decisions?

I decided to settle in place because I'd loose to many turn to even get out of the initial line of sight. Since there weren't any ruins, I skipped the scout, figuring I'd settle close by either way to be able to defend myself better. I scouted around with my starter warrior and found the first natural wonder: Mt Fuji and decided to rush out a settler there.

- What were your initial priorities?

Getting workers out because then I can build everything faster.

- What tech path did you follow and why?

Started with the classic: shrine, and then because I wanted to get workers to start as fast as possible, I went for iron work and calender so that I could improve the terrain around my capital.

- What Social Policies did you choose?

Went for tradition and then aesthetics because of culture.

- What Wonders did you try to get and did you get them?


I tried for the Pantheon, but lost it after just a turn or two (I didn't think I would get it, but eh, I tried anyway). Since only one other AI had gone for tradition (Rome, and they were busy in two wars), I then went for the Hanging Gardens and got it!

- Did you go for early Faith? How did you use faith?

I tried, since I got Mt Fuji, but I lost the faith race with just two or three turns left for a great prophet! Gaah!

- How did you do your scouting?

I started with just a warrior and it wasn't until I had my third city placed that I got a scout (turn 90).

- How did you manage your happiness?

I traded one chocolate for another luxury and then I traded all my horses and irons for two other luxuries. In my own cities range I do have chocolate, wine, incense, crabs and salt, so I'm very good on happiness right now.

- Any surprises?

- What did you think about before starting the game, what was your approach to this game?
Want to try a full peaceful liberty game unless AI forces me into war with no solutions out. Also try to settle NW asap.

- Did you spend much time doing reconnaissance before settling?
No, start has enough lux and would take too long to move settler due to terrain.

- Where did you settle and what did you build first?
SIP. BO: scout, monument, scout, settler, caravan, settler,... Bought one settler and planted city next to Mt. Fuji. Cargo ships later when I can actually defend the coast and clear the GBR island of barbs. Also bought a worker before I was able to steal 2 from Persia.

- How did the terrain and map settings affect your early decisions?
Deity jungle start, so expect slow start until clearing jungle lux, also went BW early. First 2 TR both to AI to leech science for catch up. Have to skip early wonders except 1 which can be GE rushed.

- What were your initial priorities?
Scout surrounding for NW, find all civs, clear nearby barb camps, 5 city NC, secure GBR island for 6th city.

- What tech path did you follow and why?
Early BW after pottery for clearing jungles, then calendar for lux, beelining currency for Petra for expo while timing writing so that philosophy/NC can be built immediately after. Beeline Education before workshops since already delayed. Enter Renaissance via Astronomy to find the new world's CS.

- What Social Policies did you choose?
Liberty left side, right side, Patronage opener, 2 into Aesthetics, 2 into rationalism.

- What Wonders did you try to get and did you get them?
Only bothered with Petra which was easy with GE. Pyramids wasn't feasible due to many civs going liberty.

- Did you go for early Faith? How did you use faith?
Mt Fuji was settled as soon as I bought settler with the 500g, worked non-stop once city was size 2. Got early pantheon with One with Nature, and first religion with Pagoda + Monastery due to minor synergy with hotels, instead of mosque or cathedrals. Religion should be fairly strong due to the early enhance and passive spread. Pagoda alone should be enough for happiness until ideology.

- How did you do your scouting?
3 total scouts, but seems too many due to no huts. Found Mt Fuji with warrior. Found GBR with trireme except island was full of barbs that can only be cleared much later with CB. May delete them and use Conquistador for new world due to scout being too weak for new world.

- How did you manage your happiness?
No problem with happiness despite 6 cities due to pagoda religion and many lux from AI/CS.

- Any surprises?
Lost 1 settler to barb and also 2 triremes to barbs.