Monarch Student^ III - Sitting Bull

[Ignorant Teacher]

IT:

Spoiler :

Well, it's turn 251/500 and he has over 100 turns to go to cultural so I wouldn't be too scared. If you want you can take your sweet time and whack Toku and/or Mao before him. They might be safer targets diplo-wise. Afterwards if you are lazy you can just hunker down and go for space, while amassing a culling party to raze Bombay if G gets dangerously close to cultural. Hard to say more without a tech shot.

Spoiler :

So I shouldn't panic? I added the tech and the glance screen to the previous post.

 

[Meatbuster]

@Teelman:
You are an evil evil man, you left one of your vassals with a 1-population city. And after that, you made them vote for you in the UN.

@v8:

Spoiler :

Congrats on the win, I hope the Tokugawa game will be more of a challenge than this one. HEH HEH HEH.

@IT:

Spoiler :

Normal speed... normal speed... you may have time to build up your empire/economy by eliminating Mao and Mansa. Once you're done, since you have open borders with Toku and Nappy, you can just use them as a staging point to go for Mansa. You will just need a few galleons instead of a ton to ferry troops across the Japanese-French channel. Then you just march to India and declare. You can still easily head straight to Bombay.

 

[Ignorant Teacher]

@IT:

Spoiler :

Normal speed... normal speed...

Spoiler :

I miss my sweet Marathon.

Spoiler :

you may have time to build up your empire/economy by eliminating Mao and Mansa. Once you're done, since you have open borders with Toku and Nappy, you can just use them as a staging point to go for Mansa. You will just need a few galleons instead of a ton to ferry troops across the Japanese-French channel. Then you just march to India and declare. You can still easily head straight to Bombay.

Spoiler :

That's a good idea, but don't you think it would be better to capture Japan instead of China first? China's pretty much a big tundra...

 

[Meatbuster]

@IT:

Spoiler :

Er... well you did say it was safer diplomatically to attack Mao.

You can take Japan too since Toku is backwards techwise, but fighting Japan will slow you down because of their hordes of units. Maybe you can save him for later if you really want to end India's cultural bid right away.

 

[Silu]

IT:

Spoiler :

A win is definitely in the cards, not sure which one; domination or space. Definitely don't go for Gandhi right away since he has Artillery (though can't see the power demographic). He seems to be weehorn too, you actually may need to watch that he doesn't become too big to handle.

Might still advocate the Japan->Space route using Mansa as a tech leg-up (+ Internet preferably), though a Domi/Diplomation through Japan->China->USA->someone->someone is quite possible. Depends on the AIs tech rates - if you can't jump in the lead then domi is the best bet probably.

 

[Ignorant Teacher]

IT:

Spoiler :

A win is definitely in the cards, not sure which one; domination or space. Definitely don't go for Gandhi right away since he has Artillery (though can't see the power demographic). He seems to be weehorn too, you actually may need to watch that he doesn't become too big to handle.

Might still advocate the Japan->Space route using Mansa as a tech leg-up (+ Internet preferably), though a Domi/Diplomation through Japan->China->USA->someone->someone is quite possible. Depends on the AIs tech rates - if you can't jump in the lead then domi is the best bet probably.

Spoiler :

I'd rather try to do space, but I'll take any kind of win. Second game on Immortal, I can't be too picky. But the thing is that I'll have to do something about Gandhi. Perhaps I should finish Assembly Line then go Artillery for a suicide mission to raze Bombay. He's in Free Speech so I will first pay him to go to Bureaucracy, which will give me some time. He will charge a high price, though. He wouldn't take it for 700

 

[Silu]

Spoiler :

I'd rather try to do space, but I'll take any kind of win. Second game on Immortal, I can't be too picky. But the thing is that I'll have to do something about Gandhi. Perhaps I should finish Assembly Line then go Artillery for a suicide mission to raze Bombay. He's in Free Speech so I will first pay him to go to Bureaucracy, which will give me some time. He will charge a high price, though. He wouldn't take it for 700

Spoiler :

Well the thing about repelling cultural victories is, the later you do it, the better. Right now he's dedicating resources towards culture, despite being very far from actually winning (sometimes the AI really sucks at bringing the third city along, most of the wonders are in Delhi/Bombay I'd guess, this really slows them down). He's also the biggest tech threat, so the less he techs, the better.

You might even have time to space out before he can reach cultural. Just don't cut it too close so a random artist pop doesn't make him win instantly. Vs Gandhi in the late game you wouldn't even need tech parity to repel a cultural; A few dozen Tanks can force through any defense he has in Bombay. But if you go towards space you will likely have the tech to easily raze it anyway.

Corps (mainly MiningInc) would help you a ton if you manage to nab them. SP isn't bad either, though, to maximize some heavy hammer cities for fast SS parts. Just don't leave any non-vassals on your landmass (and don't conquer just Peking for example) so the AI won't sabotage your parts.

EDIT:

Spoiler :

Depending on how your teching goes (= if it's slow), your biggest threat might actually be someone like Hammu beating you to space. If you manage to grab Internet then you're on safe ground techwise, else you might have to capture a SS post-launch.

 

[Ignorant Teacher]

Immortal / Normal - 1906AD. I'm gonna win!

Spoiler :

I don't have tiime to post a detailed report, but I conquered Mansa, a bunch of Toku cities and stopped to deal with Gandhi. Razed one of the culture cities and managed to save some soldiers. Now it's just get peace with Gandhi, finish Toku and gleefully go to Alpha Centauri.

 

[Silu]

IT:

Spoiler :

Graz!

Funny how Roosevelt of all people was the only one in favor of nuclear weapons

 

[NihilZero]

Okay, here's how it went with the bull.

After the unceasing butchery of the first two games in the series I was suffering from war fatigue, so I decided to soothe my nerves with a peaceful approach in this one. The plan was to go for a wonder-heavy culture approach, use plentiful GP to shore up the shortcomings of my little civilisation that result from plowing huge resources into highfalutin wonders rather than anything more immediately pragmatic, and rely on my innately bovine protective nature and strong archers to repel any aggressors that would intrude upon my utopian idyll.

War was not necessarily ruled out, but grandiose expansionism as a means to victory did not interest me much. Of course, all of this was subject to change, depending on what the map and necessity might dictate.

Monarch, normal speed.

Spoiler Early Days :

Grabbed the hut, got a scout. Starting position looks mediocre, but at least there are choppable trees aplenty. Settle in place, what the heck.
Not much for a worker to do with these starting techs, so I'll make a work boat. And, just to compound my slow start, I think I'll try something radically strange and tech mysticism first (!). Suicide? Very possibly. I'm going to make the sacrifices of a slow start in the hope of getting some culture-friendly techs. Even if I fail to get an early religion (which is very likely) I will have the compensation of having those techs that I always skip and thus lack whenever I decide to build something like the Oracle or the Parthenon.
My search parties reveal a lot of rather infertile plains, but further south things get a bit more verdant.
After Mysticism I continue with radical experimentation and tech Polytheism.
Given this very sub-optimal opening strategy, I was hoping for something cool out of the next hut, but I'll have to settle for 91 gold, which is admittedly a pretty decent haul.
Then Hinduism is founded, so I switch to Meditation instead in the hope of a religion. As many religions as possible are welcomed so I can build cathedrals at some point.
Shortly afterwards I find the inevitable hostile villagers, which has happened to me in both the other MS games too. The bastards cudgel my poor warrior to a pulp without the slightest scruple, yet he weathers the assault and, in the words of Nieztsche "That which does not kill your warrior only gives him experience, and promotions".
I find a map in the next hut, revealing yet more plains.
After work boat, a warrior. A bear shows up and starts prowling around outside Cahokia looking for somebody to maul. I won't give him the safisfaction, the ursine sumbiatch
Having recuperated from his violent encounter with the savages, my warrior find the Malinese to the West.

Turn 19 - start work on a settler. My scout finds some experience in a hut. I wonder what kind of hut that might have been, that it contained such a profound developmental insight. He never did speak about what happened in there, but it changed him forever and may or may not have involved hallucinogenic cacti.
Finish teching Meditation, delighted with myself for getting a religion. Then I am disappointed to find out that in fact there is no religion, and I somehow failed to notice that it had already been founded. I sob a little.
Tech masonry.
That damn bear is still out there and I want to settle near the gems, fish and wheat. I make my peace with the cosmos, take my club in my hand and head out to confront him, man to bear. I triumph somehow, and salute his noble bear spirit. I make him into a nice fur coat. Mao Zedong appears, and I tell him all about the bear. He is only interested in talking about his little red book. I explain to him that my people are as yet illiterate, which leads to an uncomfortable silence.
After Masonry, animal husbandry. Encounter Tokugawa. Settler finishes, start a worker.
2760BC My experienced scout gets savaged and killed by a lion, proving that experience isn't everything.
The evocatively named Povery Point is founded near those gems and comestibles. Poverty point starts work on a worker.
After AH, the wheel. Still no mining for me! After the worker Cahokia brews up another settler.
My warrior guard at Poverty Point goes wandering, finds a hut which contains a scout, and finds also some marble (yay!) and Chinese territory.
AH reveals that I have horses near Poverty Point. Research mining next.
My settler is done so I get to work on Stonehenge. The settler makes straight for the marble.
Poverty Point finishes worker, warrior next.
After mining, priesthood.
My plan to build stonehenge is thwarted. I wail uncontrollably. All of my crazy schemes have failed thus far. I make a warrior instead. Maybe I can pull that one off. I do. Then I go for Great Wall. I'm still sad about Stonehenge.
Priesthood is followed by BW, at long last.
Great Wall fails too, adding to my list of things that have gone wrong.
Pottery next, then sailing. I have a half-hearted go at the Oracle, knowing that it's hopeless.
I lose a warrior in battle with a barb warrior out in the jungle, fortified on a hill. this seems to happen me a lot these days.

Spoiler Some Mixed Fortunes :

1000BC, and somehow I got the Oracle. How did this happen? If I could, I'd go for code of laws and get a damn religion at last, but my tech tree forbids it. Metal casting it shall be. Incidentally, there appear to be no religions on my continent at all.
I think you can guess what I'm building next. Oh yes, the Pyramids. I have stone and trees to chop.
I could really use some luxury resources around now. My gems are under jungle, impervious to my bronze tools.
After writing I tech IW. My tech rate is terrible since I have ignored cottaging in my pursuit of wonders.
650BC sees the triumphant completion of the Pyramids.
550BC I settle Mesa Verde far to the West, blocking off Tokugawa and buggering my economy.
525BC I get a Great Prophet from the Oracle. Think I'll save him for a good bulbing opportunity.
IW finishes, I next tech CoL hoping for a religion. Switch to representation and run a scientist with my new library. My beaker rate jumps and my pissed-off citizens suddenly stop whining and get down to being useful.
Screen shot of my little backwater circa 375:



350BC, something worrying happens:



Noooooo!



300BC, Mesa Verde is razed by barbarians. At least I managed to finish my totem pole. And I miss out on yet another religion.
Next turn I miss out on the Colossus which I had been working on at Poverty Point. I frown grimly but stoicly, having grown immune to the cruel jokes that fate is wont to play on me.
I get a great scientist, bulb mathematics.
The barbarians that torched Mesa Verde are heading for my other cities. I whip a Dog Soldier and a chariot, and pray to gods as yet undiscovered.
I'm forced to take an annoying detour to tech hunting and archery. I manage to fend off the latest barb attacks, but now Tokugawa is blustering at me for trading with Mansa Musa. I tell him to get lost, so I can presumably expect a visit from him soon. I start work on a new settler whose job will be to resurrect Mesa Verde.
Turns out it was Mao who founded Judaism, meaning that at least there is a religion nearby. On the other hand, Mao is annoyed at me for refusing to stop trading with MM.
25BC Mao asks for Mathematics, and I consent to appease him. Cahokia starts to build the Chichen Itza while Poverty Point undertakes the Hanging Gardens. I convert to Judaism.
Somebody completes the SoZ. Somebody out there likes wonders.

Spoiler 1AD - 1000AD :

100AD, Snaketown is founded as a poignont mounument, a cenotaph, to the many brave souls who fell defending Mesa Verde during the bararian raid of '75. I place the new town not on top of the ruins of Mesa Verde, but next to it. I consider the ruins to be an ancient Indian burial ground and as such it would be a bad move to settle there. We've all seen that movie.



175AD - Finished the Hanging Gardens.
After filling in some techs I bulb Theology with that Prophet I've been saving. Still haven't tech traded, unless you count giving away mathematics for free. Aesthetics next. Theology gives me a religion, I choose Taosim cos it has a nice picture. I send my free missionary to Timbuktu in the hope that MM will spread Taosim for me, since the people of our religion-less continent are crying out for spiritual guidance.
Chichen Itza finishes. Tokugawa is settling on some iron in what is clearly MY land. We'll have to see about that.
After Aesthetics I research Calendar in the hope of building the Mauseleum. This is a risky decision and I'm not hugely optimistic, but I've got a Great Engineer on the way in Poverty Point and I could really use the +10 culture in Snaketown to push Toku a bit. I also start work on the Pathenon in Poverty Point. We'll see how that goes, Somebody on the other continent finished Statue of Zeus a few turns back so it's unlikely.
I am bummed to observe Mansa settling some wheat I had my eye on by the inland sea. My capital is making CGIII archers since I'm not exactly Mr popularity.
Map circa 500AD:


Note the presence of the annoying interlopers in my territory. As far as I am concerned anything East of the inland sea is my motherland, my sphere of influence, my manifest destiny. The sacking of Mesa Verde cost me dear in that a) it prevented me from erecting an impenetrable cultural barrier to keep Toku out and b) it prevented me from sending my next settler to where MM put Awdaghost. Apart from these problems, my diplo situation is pretty bad and, having sunk every available hammer into wonders, I naturally have no military.
560AD - The MoM is finished by some annoying civilisation, so I switch research to literature.
600AD - MM provokes me by settling right in the middle of my territory. This can only end badly.
620AD - Parthenon completed. Yay. I spot a nasty looking Japanese warband, and sure enough Toku has got the raging WHEOOHRN for somebody, presumably me. I send all my archers to snaketown, hoping I'm not too late.



640AD - Well what do you know, Tokugawa DoWs Mali instead of me. Mao jumps in for good measure. I seriously consider a dogpile too, although my dog soldiers don't match up too well against skirmishers. I request and receive the last bit of Calendar from my pal Mao.
660 - Tokugawa requests military aid, I say okay and now I'm at war with Mali. I start teching music. I'm sure the artist is gone but the Sistine Chapel would be sweet if I can possibly swing it.
680AD - I make a rather cool looking Aligator-headed swordsman in Cahokia. The Malinese city Djenne is captured by Japan. At Poverty point I finish a library, which means I can build the GL with my great engineer who has conveniently spawned there this turn in a rather unanticipated turn of good fortune.
760AD - I storm the highly offensive city of Tadmekka, which stands brazenly in the midst of my lands as an insult to my people, and lose most of my troops. I'll almost certainly capture and raze it (it only has population of one) next turn, however.
800AD - Tadmekka is no more. I switch to theocracy and caste system ( my population and food resources are too poor for slavery).
840AD - Trade metal cating for monarchy and 70 gold with Mao. A great engineer appears at Cahokia. Splendid! Mao is storming ahead in tech, but he's friendly with me.
920AD - Tech music just as my GE arrives at Snaketown, where the Sistine chapel will be built.



Do I give you action-packed screenshots of my soldiers routing the Malinese from my lands and reclaiming what is mine? No, I show you my great engineer, erecting the Sistine Chapel, which is much more instrumental to the gameplan. Meanwhile I start work on machinery. There is a war going on, after all, and crossbows will be most useful with all those promotions. Imagine my amazement when I get the free artist for music! He settles in Snaketown. I also burn a great prophet I've had for a while to shrine my Taoist holy city. Thing is, I had the option when I got him of bulbing 90% of civil service with him. now that i want to do it, I no longer have a choice - my bulb option now id Divine Right. Should have gone for CS when I had the chance, stupid me.
940AD - Unearth some gems in the mines at cahokia. Nice for the economy, not so great for production.
960AD - Mansa makes peace with Toku. I keep fighting, not finished with this war yet.

Spoiler 1000AD to Mid C19 :

1030AD - I get my first GS from the Great Library. I bulb philosphy, just missing the religion which also happened this turn. I'm sending all my soldiers to attack Awdaghost
1040 - Mao and Mansa agree peace terms.
1060 - Finish Machinery, start Civil Service. My tech rate is dire, but so is everybody else's.
1100 - Tokugawa converts to Hinduism...odd.
1130 - A GS appears at Cahokia (National Epic plus numerous wonders) and promptly bulbs paper.
1140 - Poverty point starts University of Sankore.
1160 - Snaketown finishes the Hagia Sophia! And begins the Ankgor Wat.
1170 - CS is done. I'm not sure when I should adopt Bureaucracy. I might want to shift to pacifism soon, so I may put it off. I start work on currency.
1180 - The prolonged stalemate with Mansa suddenly changes as a calvacade of horse archers and chariots charge out, run over a couple of crossbow units that had been heading for the front, and surge towards Chaco Canyon. This audacious stike causes me some concern, although Chaco fortunately finishes its walls in the same turn, and I have an archer there and a spear and sword nearby. Awdaghost is now very lightly defended so, i make the most of it and advance.


1190 - Mansa's cavalry raiding force takes a crack at Chaco canyon and suffers defeat. I lose the Angor Wat to some unknown civilisation. Damn. The good news is that Awdaghost is now lightly defended, and I have dog soldiers, swords and crossbowmen to break through. I sound the horns for an attack.



Mansa's daring but risky tactical error has cost him the city. I have now achieved my war aims to claim my patrimony and and build defensable borders, so I give MM peace in return for his map. Mao then rather generously gives me his map for free, Very interesting! That other landmass to the East is so close we can probably cross with galleys! I must investigate this. (sudden realisation - to sail through Japanese waters I would need and open borders agreement. Which is not going to happen).
All the killing has given me a great general. I settle him.

The tech rate really is amazingly slow. Tokugawa doesn't trade, Mao is reluctant at best, and Mansa is everybody's worst enemy, so I can't afford to anger my neighbours by trading with him. Add to this the poor quality of the land and you get 1200 AD with no construction or HBR teched yet.

Finishing currency, I begin education.
Then I trade for Optics and as a result Roosevelt shows up. Now I know who's been building all those wonders. He's ahead of me in tech, Christian, and willing to trade maps. Turns out he's close than I would have imagined. We trade gems for dye and generally get on like a house on fire, religious differences aside. I'm sure Mao and Toku will be enraged at me trading with him, but you can't please all of the people all of the time. The map reveals that there are also French, Indians, and even Babylonians out there. I need to get caravels and explore , I suddenly feel like I'm missing all the action.
1230 - Imagine my amusement when my map-whoring suddenly reveals in shocking clarity the spherical aspect of the planet. My ships (we Native American landlubbers have never built a ship in our lives, apart from work boats) have been endowed with +1 movement.
1260 - Ghandi (for it is he) beats me to University of Sankore. Gah! I had only three turns left. This also means he has had paper for quite some time and may be a threat to win the Lib race. Damn his eyes. I switch to bureaucracy and pacifism.
1340 - Backfilling some cities to try to squeeze as much as I can out of this crappy land.
1410 - I discover that somebody out there is more cultured than me. This is an outrage.


I must have words with Thucydides about this, surely there is some mistake. We native Indians are paragons of culture and refinement!
1430 - Yet another great engineer (my fourth?) to add to the one I currently have stockpiled. I should have little trouble getting the wonders I want, assuming I can reach the techs in time.
1440 - I lose out on Liberalism with one turn to go. Grrrr.



1450 - Finish liberalism, start Nationalism, hoping for the Taj, but losing Lib was a cruel blow, particluary as if I had juggled things around and run a couple more scientists I might have got it. Since My free tech was not to be, I now whore out some techs on generous terms to whoever I can to try to fill some gaps in my tree.
Another development this turn - I notice quite a build up of Japanese soldiers including the fearsome samurai, and sure enough Tokugawa Iyeasu is feeling the WHEOOHRN once again. Time to reinforce my perimeters and get more longbows.
1460 - Once again, Mansa is the target of Toku's beligerence, not me. A great relief.
1505 - I'm just quietly building when Tokugawa requests war against Mali. I say fine, but I have no siege engines so I won't be attacking anybody. I trade Education plus 90 gold for Guilds and optics with Mao.
1515 - I'm really starting to fall behind in earnest tech wise. And it can only get worse.
1520 - I am amused when Tokugawa loses Niani to Mansa. My first caravel finally sets sail.
1525 - I get another great engineer. Kind of funny, but I need some scientists already. I start a golden age since I have two in reserve already.
1535 - Nationalism is discovered, I start banking. A great engineer builds the Taj in Snaketown, so it looks like I'll be having back-to-back golden ages. I'm relieved because Roosevelt has had Nationalism for ages and we know what a wonder whore he is.
1540 - I meet Gandhi. He's on top of the scoreboard and a few techs ahead. He's also been at war forever to judge by the amount of great generals he's been getting. Gandhi is also beating me in the culture stakes, all three of his cities are beating mine on the leaderboard. Roosevelt offers me the rest of Banking and 150 gold for optics, which is acceptable. Banks should help me a lot and lift me out of the 30% research doldrums. Astronomy is next. Better make some longbows before my totem poles become obsolete.
1545 - Japan captures Kumbi Saleh. I switch to free speech. It's difficult leaving bureaucracy as I now officially have no strong cities without my Bureaucracy powered capital.
1555 - Meet Napoleon. he is doing rather poorly in tech and score and is at war with Roosevelt and Gandhi.
1560 - Make peace with MM.
1665 - I make Hammurabi's acquaintance and now the diplomacy picture is complete. Everybody hates Napleon. And the tech picture - Roosevelt is top dog.
1570 - Mansa Musa capitulates to Tokugawa. Crap. I wasn't expecting that, thought Mansa was holding his own. I could be in trouble now. as Tokugawa has successfully beat the crap out of one neighour and that just leaves me.
1585 - Poverty Point produces a scientist, who settles at the Oxford university endowed Cahokia.
1595 - Astronomy is done. The trading situation is not as hopeful as I thought it would be as I can't get economics...I get what I can (printng press from Roosevelt and gunpowder from Hammurabi) and start on Military tradition, which nobody has yet.
1605 - Snaketown is putting Tokugawa's cities under some nice cultural pressure. The Hermitage should add even more. I expect to see some unrest there soon. No doubt this will annoy him further. I need to find the time and production capacity to make some soldiers, I'm second last in the power rankings and very vulnerable.


1630 - Upon getting MT I trade with Gandhi for Divine Right and build Versailles at Snaketown with my last GE. I was hoping to get Constitution too but nobody is willing to deal it to me. I get me a great prophet at Cahokia who I think I'll save for later. I start the dreaded Scientific Method. I'm not looking forward to losing The Parthenon, Great Library, and my monastries, but needs must. Izumo and Nagoya are each now almost 60% Native American and will probably start rebelling before too long. I notice that somehow Gandhi doesn't have astronomy yet, so I get constitution from him for it, but it costs me 640 gold.
Tech path is now heading for all the late culture techs, electricty, radio, mass media.
1670 - first revolt in Izumo. Meanwhile Mansa Musa is bombarding me with spies every turn, wrecking my hamlets and villages.
1675 - My latest great engineer arrives.
1705 - Managing to keep up with the crowd technologically through trades. I have to be generous, of course, but that's how it goes. I hit physics first and claim my great scientist. I get a defensive pact with Roosevelt who is quite fond of me because I keep giving him favourable trades. I hope this will dissuade potential aggressors, as I'm extremely weak militarily. Next turn Roosevelt also signs a defensive pact with Gandhi.
1715 - The three Japanses cities you see here are all 68% Native American.


1755 - I finish researching electricity, after which I take a detour to rifling. Nobody else has physics yet so I feel safe that I have a decent lead on radio and I need to work on defence before I begin the last phase of my culture push.
1765 - My vigilant monitoring of my Japanese neighbours reveals WHEOOHRN status once again, and a reasonable looking stack nearby. Is it finally my turn to be attacked? Since Toku adopted free religion our relations have improved to cautious and there are people he hates more than me, but I'm his only land neighbour since he vassalised Mali. Another cause for concern is Mao - he has just switched to Theocracy which is usually a warning sign, and indeed upon probing him I detect the presence of WHEOOHRNiness. I am a very easy target, and I get anxious.



1780 - Mao decalres war on Gandhi, dragging Roosevelt in on account of his defensive pact, and the ever fiesty Napoleon also joins the fun on Mao's side. I breathe easier, although now I have no defensive pact with America anymore. Tokugawa gets rifling before me, but I will have it next turn.
After rifling, back to radio. Nagasaki, now 75% Native American, has its first revolt. A random event makes Mao friendly with me, opening up some trade possibilities. Gandhi and Roosevelt will be irked, but I get Corporation and some gold for military tradition.
Both sides invite me to join their war, but I decline. Then Tokugawa and MM attack Hammurabi, so everybody is at war but me, and somehow I'm on good terms with most of them. I even get open borders with Tokugawa.



Rather interesting diplo picture of me managing to skate the thin ice of being a peaceonger surrounded by violent lunatics.
1812 - Suddenly Napoleon has the top score., The warmongers are starting to look quite powerful in this game. Hammurabi's offshore posessions have been forcibly acquired by Japan.
1818 - Nagasaki merges with my empire.
1820 - Radio is discovered. Eiffel tower first, in Snaketown. This will get GE'd. Cahokia undertakes Rock n' Roll, which will take forever (29 turns). Start Mass Media. All production centres are training as many rifles as possible. Roosevelt gives me Biology for physics and the exhorbitant sum of 780 gold, which breaks the bank but it's necessary.
1822 - Hammurabi capitulates, expanding Tokugawa's evil empire yet further. One more down. When Will it be my turn?
1830 - I have almost caught Gandhi in the culture stakes.



1834 - Eiffel tower is complete, Snaketown will do the Christo next. Another Japanese city defects, won over by the aweome fun-lovingness of my culture and its contrast to Tokugawa's brutal, militaristic regime where no dancing is allowed.



Mansa Musa's espionage continues to piss me off, he destroys something nearly every turn, but there is nothing I can really do about it. Napoleon, who made peace with Gandhi last turn, now turns his hostility towards Roosevelt.
1835 - Complete Broadway at Poverty Point, finish researching Mass Media. PP starts work on the UN. I generously trade Gandhi electricity for steam power and start work on Steel, turning the science slider down a bit and turning culture up.
1840 - Tokugawa is on the warpath again, I have no idea who against but the stack he keeps on my borders is all rifles now and looking sinister.



I sign a defensive pact with him, knowing that it won't save me if I'm his intended victim but it might dissuade other potential aggressors as his power rating is immense.

Spoiler Approaching the Finish Line :

1850 - All the warring has slowed the tech pace and now I'm looking comfortable. Currently teching railroad, after which I will mass produce machineguns and turn the science slider to zilch.
1864 - My dear friend Mao makes peace with America, so I sign him up for a defensive pact. I now have two big bully-boy protectors.
1870 - Railroad is teched, Science slider to zero, culture to 70%.
1872 - I use a great scientist to start a golden age along with a prophet I've had sitting around for centuries.
1874 - Some bright spark discovers Rock n Roll in my capital, and all across the empire the young people start dancing around in a jerky manner, alarming the older generation. A look at the vcictory screen reveals a large Tokugawa and me leading in culture.



1880 Sees the Christo Redentor appear in all its spreadeagled glory above Snaketown.
1888 UN finishes. I vote for me rather than Napoleon. I do pretty well in the votes, guess I'm pretty popular.
1908 Great Artist in PP. Detonate him in Snaketown.
1914 - Cahokia achieves legendary culture.
1915 - Poverty Point does likewise.
1916 - Snaketown goes legendary, and that's it, I win. A mere 22 thousand points is my reward.

Spoiler :

That was probably a lot more fun to play than to read about...cultural games may not be everybody's cup of tea. It was a most intersting game diplomatically. Managing to survive as a militarily pathetic nation while the world tore itself apart in ceaseless wars was quite entertaining. The feeling that at any moment Tokugawa or Mao might effortlessly crush me beneath their mighty jackboots kept the suspense level high, and then there was my cultural rival, Ghandi, to contend with. In the end, the fact that they all ended up fighting let me get ahead of the Indians (who I was in no position to challenge militarily) and seal the win.

 

[v8_mark]

@NihilZero:

Spoiler :

Great game, and congrats on the win - I wondered how you would get out of your position with Toku. Guess he's not that hot on the trigger finger!

 

[NihilZero]

@NihilZero:

Spoiler :

Great game, and congrats on the win - I wondered how you would get out of your position with Toku. Guess he's not that hot on the trigger finger!

Spoiler :

Thanks! I'm amazed he never decided to attack, especially when his cities started to flip to me. There must have always been somebody else he was more eager to destroy, for whatever reason. Certainly kept the game interesting all the way through.

 

[Meatbuster]

@NihilZero:
Nice win. Too bad for your blocker city though, a Dog Soldier may have saved it...

 

[NihilZero]

@NihilZero:
Nice win. Too bad for your blocker city though, a Dog Soldier may have saved it...

I know. Why didn't I just whip one? I had a scout fogbusting to the West, but the fiends came from the south...Ah well, the tragic ruins of Mesa Verde stood untouched until the end of the game, inspiring my populace and reminding us never to be taken unawares again.

 

[Ignorant Teacher]

Immortal / Normal - 1979. Space win.

Spoiler :

Man, Immortal is harder than Emperor.

I had to get back to India because Gandhi was getting close to winning culture again.






Something tells me I've hit his core...



And it was a really weird war. Right before I declared, Gandhi was preparing for war and, the turn after I declared, this happened:


He took Kyoto too. It's a bizarre map! Gandhi vassalized Napoleon, Mao became a techer. I mean, look at Gandhi's GNP:


Wait,what? Mao, a techer?!? Oh yeah, the very same turn I launched, this happened:


But, of course,


I was in control of the UN ever since it was built and it allowed me to do some tricks, like this one:


A while later




Not bad for my second game on Immortal.

 

[CivIVMonger]

Tmit and Silu both played 2:37 mins...