Sorry, I went to my niece's first birthday yesterday.
Pre-turn - Change some buildings and tiles, we need a couple more markets. I also favor growth before builds.
Find a slave irrigating, where 2 native workers already try to mine
Otherwise, we're looking alright.
Byzantines looks very Industrial.
I don't think it will be that easy to take London. At size 10 we need a few knights over there and then we need galleys too. We are way behind in techs and we have to do something now.
I skip the idea of taking out more english cities and sit down at the table with Lizzy. Peace and ROP for Education, PP and 6g.
This opens up trade-routes to the 4 civs we couldn't trade with before. Buy silks from America for Currency and Construction and we can lower luxtax a notch.
Reneg peace with Spain, give Education and 78g for Invention.
Reneg peace with Carthage, get Banking, Astronomy, WM and 16 for our only iron.
Astronomy to Spain for Gunpowder and 90g.
We have 4 sources of saltpeter!
Reneg peace with Hittites, trading salt, WM and 131g for Chemistry.
Chem goes to Sumeria for Navigation, WM and 22g.
Byz, Carthage, China and Hittites all knows Metallurgy and Physics, so no chance for a two-fer.
Again Carthage is our trade-partner and get salt for Physics, we can't get Mag. or Metal from anyone for all our gold. Start max possible research on ToG, due in 14 turns.
Buy WM from Theodora for our WM, 4gpt and 8g.
Sell it to China for 4gpt and 43g
Get another 64g for maps.
Now what? I have no idea.
460AD - Move the N settler 2 steps back and we have iron again.
ToG got cheaper, China and Hittites just left the middle ages, they won't sell it for all our gold and gpt. Hannibal still miss the tech.
480AD - Theodora moves in some troops into our territory, that can only mean one thing. As we have a peace-deal and they are breaking their end of the bargain, I exploit the fact.
Get Tog and most of their gold for huge gpt and tell them to leave. War of course.
Steal Metal from Hittites for 900g, give that and ToG plus 15gpt to Hannibal for Magnetism and we're industrial. One scientist on Steam for now, we need gold for rushing.
Byz is stronger than us and have rifles, we need to confuse them a bit while we try to survive. Embassy with Abe and I send them and England against Theodora. Lizzy give us 14gpt for the alliance and Chem.
Rush some stuff and organize our troops for the assault.
490AD - We kill a couple of units and get a leader -> knight-army. I wish we had cavs.
Sell Magnetism to Sumer for 16gpt. Isabella gets our WM for 6gpt and change.
500AD - Kill 3 Byz on defense.
Kill a couple more with elites, no luck this time.
I left some units with movement, so next player can sort out the defense.
Lizzy have a few gpt if we want to sell Physics or something, I didn't trade maps this turn either.
This will be interesting