Brace yourselves -- this is a long one (so long, the board rejected the post and made me split it in two!). I found that keeping a detailed turn log made me play much better than I usually do, because I have to justify every decision in writing.
I'm normally a Regent or Monarch level player, so depite two COTM victories under my belt in Open Class, I decided to play this one as a Conquest Class player. Perhaps it was the five Demigod Byzantine/Achipeligo games I tried while I was waiting for the save to become available (all of which ended in disaster by the late Ancient Age or early Middle Ages) that convinced me I'm not quite ready for Prime Time on Demigod.
In 4000 BC, my first worker took a step due west, discovering the cow and the two shielded grasslands. Clearly, this would be a bountiful land to settle. I moved my first settle northwest -- on my next turn, I would settle on this square, giving myself access to the coast, the river, and one shielded grassland immediately (with a second after expansion). My second worker also headed this way, en route to the cow. With my second settler, I decided to head southwest two squares.
In 3950, I was quite pleased when my second settler revealed a game square, as well as two more shielded grasslands. Meanwhile, I founded Constantinople, started building a curragh, and moved my workers onto the cow. I was quite pleased to see the Ivory, and decided to abandon all pretense of winning a race to Philosophy (remember those five practice games? I didn't win the Philosophy race once) and make a beline to Mathematics. At first, I was going to reasearch Masonry, but since a check of the F10 screen revealed three industrious tribes, I decided to gamble on being able to trade for Masonry and started reasearching Writing.
In 3900, Adrianople was founded and began building a Spearman, while one worker began roading the cow while the other worker moved to Ivory so a road could be built to connect it to Constantinople.
In 3750, the cow was roaded and my worker began irrigating it. This is where I realized my first mistake -- I probably should have irrigated first. I forgot that Constantinople would serve as a conduit to the river, and thought I would need to irrigate the Ivory before I'd be able to irrigate the cow. Oh well -- hopefully it won't be fatal.
3700 -- Constantinople finishes its curragh and begins a Spearman. The curragh heads north along the coast. Meanwhile, the Ivory is roaded, and worker #2 returns to help irrigate the cow.
3600 -- The cow is now irrigated, and both workers move to the shielded grassland, intent on roading and mining it.
3550 -- Adrianople builds its Spearman and begins building its own curragh.
3450 -- Constantinople expands to take in the Ivory, but because of my poor understanding of the order in which things are calculated, I lose a turn to civil disorder. Drat! Meanwhile, our curragh rounds what appears to be the northern tip of our home isle.
3350 -- Constantinople builds its Spearman, and I decide to build a Settler. If my calculations are correct, it should be completed the turn after Constantinople hits population 3.
3300 -- Curragh #2 is complete and heads due south. There's a barb camp at the foot of the volcano, but also what looks like a nice area with access to a fish -- that will make a good spot for a city. Meanwhile, the workers split up. One heads across the river onto the third ivory (discovering a fourth ivroy in the process) while the other moves south into the forest, intent on building a road to Adrianople
3250 -- I decide to road the Ivory with worker #1 -- we're going to build our next city in the forest directly to the north of the Ivory. There's a hint of swamp north of there, but there's at least 4 usable squares (more if I get a cultural expansion) I'll be able to use before I have to worry about the swamp. Curragh #1 continues circumnavigating our island, while curragh #2 heads west. If I can figure out how to attach a screenshot, here's where it will go (the blue dot indicates where our settler is headed):
3200-3150 -- Our curraghs continue their exploration, hugging the coast. This island is quite big; if this were a random map, there would almost certainly be rival civilizations on the island (and, based on my practice games, they would have discovered Chivalry by now and would be bearing down on me with a Stack of Doom full of knights and pikemen). While I haven't explored the whole island yet, it appears Ainwood has given us a little room to grow before we have to deal with rivals.
3100 -- Worker #1 begins irrigating what I've come to think of as Ivory #3 (they are numbered by distance from Constantinople) in preparation for city #3. The curraghs continue their voyages of exploration
3050 -- Our settler and our Spearman arrive! Adrianople begins building a worker; Constantinople begins building a curragh. Both new arrivals head toward their new home.
2950 -- The Road to Adrianople (wasn't that a Hope and Crosby movie?) is complete. I decide to cut down the forest to the northwest of Adrianople -- I'll throw the ten shields into a spearman, I think. Meanwhile, our settler founds Caesarea and our curraghs continue their exploration. The big news, though, is that curragh #2 meets an Indian settler. The Indians will sell us either Ceremonial Burial or Pottery for 190 gold (which would leave us with a single gold!). We buy Ceremonial Burial -- not having any culture is starting to make me nervous. Caesarea starts building a temple.
2900 -- Worker #3 heads west from Adrianople to the forested game. Next turn, he's going to build a road. Worker #1 begins building a road northwest from Caesarea, through the swamp, to what will be our fifth city -- it's going to be founded on the coast, where it will be able to take advantage of 3 shielded grasslands and, eventually, a fish. What about city #4? That's going to go south of Adrianople. Meanwhile, our garrison arrives in Caesarea and our curraghs continue their exploration -- curragh #1 has found Indian territory!
2850 -- We begin building the road to the game, and the curraghs continue exploring. There are furs on the western end of our (quite large) island.
2800 -- Constantinople produces Curragh #3, which heads south, and starts work on a Spearman. Curraghs #1 and 2 continue their voyages.
2750 -- Adrianople finishes its spearman and begins building a settler. A call to Gandhi reveals that he now has Masonry and Warrior Code as well as Pottery, but they are all out of my price range for the time being. Still, it bodes well for a Statue of Zeus prebuild. Our new spearman heads toward the site of city #4. Worker #2 begins irrigating Ivory #1, and our curraghs continue their wandering.
2710 -- Curragh #2 meets the Russians. They are willing to sell us Masonry, but they want 59 gold (our entire reserves) plus 8 GPT. I don't try to haggle with them now; I'll wait a few turns. Curragh #2 continues west along the cost of what appears to be a separate island, while the other curraghs continue to explore.
2670 -- More exploration. Curragh #3 may have found a passage east; curragh #2 has learned that the Russians have spices, and may be a valuable trading partner once we have Map Making.
2630 -- Contantinople builds its spearman and starts working on a Settler. The Spearman heads toward the site of City #5. Curragh #1 confirms that the Russians are on a separate island and begins exploring the northern passage around that island. Curragh #3 prepares to make the eastern crossing, which it should be able to do without ending its turn outside the coastal tiles. Catherine yells at me to get my curraghs out of her yard, but won't yet sell me Masonry at a decent price.
2590 -- Things just got interesting. We encounter an Ottoman spearman. The Ottomans have Mysticism, but not Alphabet. Can I pry Mysticism out of them and use it to buy the other 3 techs from India and Russia? I decide to go for it. Mysticism costs me 93 gold, ALphabet, and 5 GPT. I then turn around and sell Mysticism to India for Warrior Code, Masonry, and 37 gold, and to Russia for Pottery and 28 gold. Net result -- I have purchased Mysticism, Warrior Code, Masonry, and Pottery for 28 gold plus 5 GPT, plus I gave the Ottomans a tech they would have gotten from Russia anyway. Not bad, if I do say so myself.
2550-2470 -- More exploring with the curraghs. Our spearman arrives at the future site of City #5 in 2470.
2430 -- Adrianople finishes its settler and begins a granary. The settler heads south. Our curraghs continue exploring (curragh #1 has found Ottoman territory). One of the workers begins mining a shielded grassland that Adrianople and Constantinople share.
2390 -- More exploring.
2350 -- Constantinople finishes its settler and begins building a granary. The settler heads north. Nicea is founded south of Adrianople, in the process dispersing a Gaul encampment. It begins building a temple. Curragh #3 meets the Dutch, who have one unique tech -- the Wheel -- and need one of my techs -- Masonry. The Dutch only have 35 gold, though, so I think selling them Masonry would be selling it cheap. India and Russia already have the Wheel (and Iron Working!), so I'm not sure the wheel is worth it given that I could trade it to the Ottomans and nobody else. I decide to hold off. For now.
2310 -- The exploration continues.
2270 -- More exploring. The road to my fifth city is complete, so I start mining the shielded grassland. The road to Nicea is also complete, so I start mining that shielded grassland.
2230 -- Curragh #1 (I think) may have found a passage to the northern hemisphere. Curraghs #2 and 3 continue exploring.
2190 -- Varna is founded and begins building a temple. The worker near Adrianople crosses the river by stepping northeast. We're going to road and shield this tile, then start building a road to the west, where we'll build cities #6 and 7. My curraghs continue exploring, and curragh #3 sees the edge of another civ's territory. Who can it be?
2150 -- The mystery civ was Scandanavia, who sell me Iron Working and their entire treasury (45 gold) for Mysticism. I then trade Iron Working to the Dutch for 60 gold (their entire treasury) plus the Wheel. The Ottomans buy the Wheel for 135 gold. As I suspected, there is iron in the hills north of Constantinople. Our next priority will be claiming that iron.
2110 -- We meet Carthage, who sell us Horseback Riding for 170 gold. There are horses on my northern peninsula, which I will have to claim soon. The Ottomans now have Polytheism, while the Scandanavians have Writing. Neither is willing to sell at a palatable price.
2070 -- I explore some more.
2030 -- I finish the mine near Varna. I head south and start mining that shielded grassland. I also finish the road south of Caesarea and start mining that. Finally, I finish the mine near Nicea and head toward the iron. Plus, my curraghs explore.
1990 -- More exploring with the curraghs. I still haven't found civilization #8
1950 -- The Indians are getting uncomfortably close to the land I had been thinking of as "my territory." Oh well. They'll be sorry when I get the Statue of Zeus.
1910 -- More exploring.
1870 -- Ditto. Go, curraghs, go!
1830 -- Constantinople finishes its granary while Caesarea finishes its temple. Both start on spearmen. The curraghs explore.
1790 -- In addition to the exploration, one worker starts developing another shielded grassland near Varna while the other starts building a road to the southwest -- we're going to settle on the hilltop/chokepoint that will mark the boundary between Byzantium and India. Or it will be a trade road with India if they get there first.
1750 -- Adiranople finishes its granary and starts a palace, which will become a Statue of Zeus prebuild in 19 turns.
1725 -- We get writing. I take inventory. Russia and India already have Mathematics, and the Ottomans still have Polytheism. Nobody has Philosophy, with the possibility of mystery Civ #8. Neither Russia nor India is building my Statue of Zeus, so I decide to go for philosophy. I can research it in 7 turns at a net cost of 3 GPT. When it's done, I'll snag Map Making (unless someone else sells me Code of Laws between now and then). Then I'll trade for Mathematics and switch my palace over to the Statue of Zeus. Then my Ancient Cavalry will ride roughshod over India. I hope. Meanwhile, Constnatinople finishes a spearman, which I send to the hill northeast of the iron to stake out a spot for the iron city (Constnatinople is, of course, working on the settler who will found that city). I also start building a road to the iron.
1700 -- More exploring
1675 -- Caesarea finishes the spearman and starts on a settler. I sned the spearman toward the hill on the Indian border. Barbarians start storming out of the north. Caesarea switches to a spearman.
1650 -- I call the Spearman back toward Caesarea. I continue exploring and hope the raging barbarians won't vanquish my meager empire.
1625 -- The barbarians continue to rage, the curraghs continue to roam. I move my spearman by the iron onto the worker who is building the road to the iron. My poor spearman fends off two barbarian horsemen, but falls to the third. My worker is captured.
1600 -- Constantinople finishes its settler and starts building an archer. For now, the settler cools his heels. My curragh encounters the Persians, who pay 110 gold for Alphabet. At this point, only Carthage, Scandanavia, and the Netherlands have writing, so I'm still in the running for Philosophy. Scandanavia has Map Making, but won't sell it. I sell Horseback Riding to the Russians for 43 gold and Mathematics. I could have gotten more from the Indians, but since they share my continent and have horses, I'd rather hold the secrets of Horseback Riding from them. Hopefully, the Russians won't sell it to them. I switch my prebuild in Adrianople to Statue of Zeus -- currently, it's going to take 35 turns to build.
To be continued ...
....
, strange that it didn't attack other ships except mine.
I wonder if it was my warrior I had running in the territory between their culture borders pillaging their roads 
![[c3c]](/images/smilies/c3c.gif "Civ3 Conquests [c3c]")
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