Best start evah

[Terrapin]

Describe your best game opening!

Mine is easy to remember because I only get to play occasionally. I took the Americans at Deity. My starting GP was a Great Explorer.

1st Turn: Settle Washington, put everyone in the Water to start HBR, sent the GP to explore.

5th Turn: Finish HBR, GP returns to Washington having discovered to Barb villages, a friendly (25g), named a grassland (10gp). Cash in GP for 50g. Put workers in the woods, commence horse-rushing.

8th Turn: First Barb Village reveals Rome, Caravan. By now I have 2 horses and a third on the way.

Approximately 10 turns later: Having conquered three more Barbs plus another friendly, my Horse Armies (note plural) conquer Rome and I get Code of Laws and enter Republic. I also have my 100g Settler.

By this time, the Barbs have revealed that my next to closest neighbors are the English and Greeks. This is my first slight hint of misfortune because my horsies, even with upgrades, are not going to be able to conquer London (+1 Bowmen plus Great Leader plus Cap bonus) or Athens (Pikemen plus Cap Bonus and walls, somehow). Thus my Horse-rush was stymied. However, I had the remaining AI civs stuck in very passive postures. My horses subsequently captured a caravan, two settlers and a new English city. There are no Ai units running loose anywhere on the continent so my spies, caravans (Barbs kept giving me 'vans for some reason) and settlers were free to roam. Since I had CoL and was in Republic, I simply followed up my Horse-rush with a Settler-rush. By the time I discovered Irrigation (first) I had a dozen cities and never really looked back. I ended up winning a tech victory. It is kind of a shame that I am not a better overall player. Because my middle game is kind of slack and unfocused, I did not win as fast as I should have, but it was breathtaking start. The key was getting Rome and CoL before I had researched anything except HBR.

 

[elthrasher]

As bad as the AI can be, the capacity for human error is far greater. I started a FFA game as the Arabs, plopped my cap down where Sid put it and made a warrior. I moved once and found the English settlers running around. He settled on a dye/fish spot with no gold so couldn't rush a warrior. I walked in a turn later and got Monarchy with a city already on dye. Needless to say, I won the game.

 

[ericball]

I just played the following game:

I started as the Aztecs on Deity. I bought a warrior with my gold and set my capital to two sea and started researching Horseback Riding.

My warrior immediately found a barbarian village and smote it in one turn, earning 50 gold. Then I found a friendly hut and was awarded Horseback Riding. I then rushed a horseman, and set my capital to two forests.

My warrior then destroyed another barbarian village, earning another 50 gold and meeting the Zulus. I then rushed two more horsemen who raced to meet up with the first horseman to form an army. I put my capital on food to start pumping out settlers.

My horse army promptly took the Zulu capital, then wheeled around to attack the Mongol capital. Unfortunately, the Mongols had two defenders so my army couldn't take the city as the Mongols would rush a new defender every turn. However, by the time my warrior (now elite-march) was able to rendezvous with my horse army, my horse army had earned blitz and had taken the Mongol capital.

But Khan wasn't defeated yet. He had an outpost which defeated my warrior, but the fell to my horse army. I then turned my sights on the nearby Egyptians - first taking their second city, then occupying Thebes in 1000 BC.

This has left me with a single AI civ - the Romans, who are on a medium sized island. Rather than trying to attack them with a single horse army, I've instead expanded my empire to fill the continent with 20+ cities all focusing on science. It's now 850 AD and I've just discovered steam power, while Caesar is still in the ancient era. My victory is assured, but what victory will I choose?

 

[ploppythesloper]

I just played the following game:

I started as the Aztecs on Deity. I bought a warrior with my gold and set my capital to two sea and started researching Horseback Riding.

My warrior immediately found a barbarian village and smote it in one turn, earning 50 gold. Then I found a friendly hut and was awarded Horseback Riding. I then rushed a horseman, and set my capital to two forests.

My warrior then destroyed another barbarian village, earning another 50 gold and meeting the Zulus. I then rushed two more horsemen who raced to meet up with the first horseman to form an army. I put my capital on food to start pumping out settlers.

My horse army promptly took the Zulu capital, then wheeled around to attack the Mongol capital. Unfortunately, the Mongols had two defenders so my army couldn't take the city as the Mongols would rush a new defender every turn. However, by the time my warrior (now elite-march) was able to rendezvous with my horse army, my horse army had earned blitz and had taken the Mongol capital.

But Khan wasn't defeated yet. He had an outpost which defeated my warrior, but the fell to my horse army. I then turned my sights on the nearby Egyptians - first taking their second city, then occupying Thebes in 1000 BC.

This has left me with a single AI civ - the Romans, who are on a medium sized island. Rather than trying to attack them with a single horse army, I've instead expanded my empire to fill the continent with 20+ cities all focusing on science. It's now 850 AD and I've just discovered steam power, while Caesar is still in the ancient era. My victory is assured, but what victory shall i choose




that sounds like a greatt victory

 

[Mowhar]

Once playing deity with the romans, I found the artifact that gives you a wonder, and got the Colossus of Rhodes in 3100 BC.
Together with cattle, a library and soon a scientist, my science and expansion just rushed on like crazy, and when I entered a friendly village in 300 BC I got myself a Tank-unit that then trashed the Spanish.

 

[vypernight]

This was a Warlord game, but still a fun one.

Playing as Indians, I started my city a little from where I started, within reach of 3 resources (don't remember which ones, but I was on a coast with a hill and forest nearby). I set it to food and expanded until I had all 3 in my borders. I then rushed a horseman (got HBR about that time as well from the sea squares) and got some settlers from barbarians. Saw the Russians and Chinese exploring, so I just kept plopping cities down within reach of resources.

Once I got Navigation, I settled a couple of cities on small islands (which LEAPED in pop in only a few turns!) and got all the way to Combustion. At this point, the other civs decided I was a threat and declared war on me. I took several of their cities, and they all begged for peace.

At this point, I could build a ship, the WB, or the UN. However, I was a little ticked about the arrogance of the other civs so I rushed A LOT of units and promptly took over the world.

Fun game, but an awesome start was a huge help.

 

[ScottieX]

Once playing deity with the romans, I found the artifact that gives you a wonder, and got the Colossus of Rhodes in 3100 BC. .

this sounds unlikely unless one means the So and they used the builder from it. AW would give you the pyramids or Great wall