Well, being one of those wanting more challenge, I played this "quick game". It wasn't really quick, though
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We started with a small empire absolutely not prepared for a big war. We need more of everything, so first decision is to shut down research, to allow short rushes of important things. Chivalry wouldn't help currently and we will probably be able to buy it at some time.
First things to rush are two dromons. We need a golden age badly.
Our reputation is already shot so we will continue the nasty course and break treaties whenever useful.
Will make a few alliances when it is cheap, but don't expect much help in our primary goal.
We cannot make peace with India. That means we will probably not be able to trade or transport any resources before we have cut them back. That means the settlers in dromons have no business in the north and will be ordered back home ASAP.
30AD the golden age starts.
For the next few turns we produce barracks, military and dromons and fight at the choke.
130AD we get a MGL and build an AC army. We also capture the indian city in our north.
250AD we trade for chivalry and start to upgrade a few horses.
260AD raze chittagong; takes some of the pressure from the choke.
270AD another leader and a knight army. Now we will start to move forward (slowly - there are lots of jumbos coming).
290AD raze and replace Jaipur; now we prepare the assault on Delhi.
300AD Knight's Templar completed in Adrianopel (was changed from heroic epic)
370AD capture Delhi with Pyramids and Sun Tsu for the first time (it will flip soon, but immediately retaken).
For the rest we just hopped from city to city kept a few and razed a few. There was still some resistance, but not many counterattacks after Delhi.
India is banned from their homeland in 590AD.
I completely ignored the secondary goal and didn't have many elites in the end.
