I'm thinking something like this might win but w/o vassal states I wonder if you can move quickly enough...once they get engineering it gets mighty slow.
There are three reasons why this should work better than in G-Major-96:
- G-Major-96 started offensively with Crossbowmen while Challenge VI-2 starts with Cho-Ko-Nu
- G-Major-96 was Quick speed while Challenge VI-2 is Normal speed
- G-Major-96 was Deity while challenge VI-2 is Emperor
Note that Cho-Ko-Nu units allow one to be a bit short of barrage siege units (Trebuchets), since only 1-2 Trebuchets used for barrage attacks can cause enough damage to make subsequent attacks by Cho-Ko-Nu units to be at good odds (at least 80%).
Of course you are right that lack of vassals will take away the capitulation option, but lack of vassals helps in other ways, such as the AI can't have vassals either.
In my opinion, the weakest part of this strategy is the Galleon Invasion of the other continent.
Note for bulbing of Astronomy ASAP, one must avoid Meditation to prevent the Philosophy bulb and avoid Civil Service and Theology to avoid the Paper bulb. For Astronomy, one needs only Optics which a GS can also bulb and Calendar.
For stronger military for the galleon invasion, one can follow several different paths, but this one seems best to me:
Guilds (Knights) -> Gunpowder (Musketmen) -> Chemistry (Frigates) -> Steel (Cannons) -> Military Science (Grenadiers)
Note that Musketman will need support of Knights to be effective; when you can build Cannons, stop building Musketman; Upgrade all Trebuchets to Cannons. Overwhelm one of the largest Civs in the other continent with Cannons, plant a couple Great Artists and Domination Victory should be yours.
I believe that a non-Philosophical leader may be able to generate another 2 Great Scientists to bulb Optics and part of Astronomy, and may be able to generate two Great Artists as well, but it will take some coordination of the cities generating them optimally and may require a switch to Caste System after the Engineering bulb (trade for Code of Laws). Trading for Drama (Theatre) may be possible, and running just 2 Artists per city may get two Great Artists out in time, but I'm not sure. Note that the real reason for using Great Artists to create a Great Work in a captured is the city will avoid disorder and pop to Cultural Boundary 4 immediately; this is much better than waiting for about 10t of disorder and then whipping a Theatre and running Artists, or running Caste System and Artists or just building Culture; its the captured city disorder that slows down later era domination victories.
Sun Tzu Wu
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