This game was awesome! I manually look for good map starts, cow(s) and a nearby goodie hut are essential. I use my worker to pop the gh and if I don't get a second settler I move on to another map. I research Mysticism at 100% and make four warriors to explore. I usually get most of 1st tier techs through tech trades. I was rewarded big time with a SGL at the completion of Myst! I used it to build the Temple of Artemis when I finished Poly. Meanwhile my warriors search out other techs or trade. The civs I use were picked for having a different tech to trade early especially alphabet and the wheel so that I don't have to research them as well. In this case I was able to get writing through a gh but slowed down further searches until poly was researched. Popping a GH for philosophy gives a free monarchy and immediate anarchy. I give away monarchy to all the civs so that I can attack without having their towns shrink.