6otM 36 Opening Actions Report

[Knowtalent]

Welcome to the 6otM 36 Opening Actions thread.
STOP - Please do not continue reading this thread until you have completed at least 80 to 100 turns in your game.
This thread is used to discuss the game once you've started playing through your first 100 turns. Apart from normal decency, the only posting restrictions are to please not post videos until the deadline is finished and to use the spoiler tags for screenshots. Here you can post questions related to the game and share your achievements/anger/frustration/victories while you play. Please remember that we are running a family friendly site, so express anger or frustration with this in mind.
Please use this thread to discuss your goals for the game and your opening moves through the first 100 turns. Anything after that should be posted in the After Actions thread once you have completed your game.
- Where did you settle your city?
- What did you research and which policies did you choose and why?
- What was your build order?
- How soon did you build a District? Which ones did you prioritize?
- How did you place your districts?
- Did you emphasize expansion? How many cities have you built/captured in the first 100 turns?
- How did you play your governance cards, priorities?
- What City-States did you meet and which ones did you cultivate to your side?
- Were your neighbors peaceful?
- How were the Barbarians?
- Any surprises?
Please use spoiler tags for any surprise details you'd like kept hidden. Thanks.

 

[Half Nelson]

Didn't expect to be the first postee!

Netherlands turn 110. I have 8 cities (5 settled, including 1 from captured Georgian settler; 2 from Georgia, who did not stand the test of time; 1 from India). I have just captured an Indian settler for city 9.

I settled 1W on the coast (keeping all the wheat and closer to cross-channel horses). I built warrior, settler, slinger, worker, slinger x2. City 2 was E of capital on river next to horses (lots of hills). I met Scotland very early, then Georgia but further exploration was curtailed by hordes of barb horsemen and HA which plagued me for most of the first 100 turns:- I ended up building a couple of spearmen to take care of them (these were later useful against Indian varu). I focussed on early campuses then the colosseum, which might be particularly handy on this map where Europe has little variety of luxuries and few resources which could provide culture.

Georgia conquered Hattusa early in the game but I have now liberated it as part of my Georgian campaign:- conquering Tbilisi triggered an emergency against me which Georgia and India joined. I needed to upgrade my warriors to swords to protect my archers from varu before my spears reached the front and pushed them back. I have taken the nearest Indian city but have been offered a good peace deal which will allow me to expand, develop infrastructure and deal with Scotland, who have been friendly so far but whose cities both fall within colosseum range and have campuses.

I have gained 2GS, a GG is due next turn and I seem certain to grab the last GP due to lack of interest by other AI.

Spoiler :

I have also met Mongolia and am aware of Korea (Mongolia just captured their capital) but not met them or other AI. Surprisingly, Africa (at least viewed from the coast by my exploring trireme) seems to be an AI-free zone.

 

[Kodimus]

This has been a relaxing game so far with very little conflict involving me. I was the aggressor in my only war, though part of my goal was liberation! The rest of my combat has been fighting back pesky barbarians.

- Where did you settle your city?

I moved one tile to the west to maximize my harbor adjacency bonus.

Spoiler :

In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have done this because it limited my expansion options in France.

- What did you research and which policies did you choose and why?

I researched Pottery and Writing to get a campus out as fast as possible. I then switched to sailing for fishing boats and a galley to begin exploring. After that I went for Bronze Working to reveal iron and Celestial Navigation for the harbor. From there I got Shipbuilding for embarkation.

- What was your build order?

Scout -> Monument -> Settler (for fast expansion) -> Campus -> Builder -> Granary -> Galley

- How soon did you build a District? Which ones did you prioritize?

My first district was a campus that finished on turn 40. I prioritized a campus as the first district in my other cities as well, with an encampment in my capitol to lock down the English Channel.

- How did you place your districts?

I haven't gotten to district optimization much in the first 100 turns because of the barbarians and a war with Tamar slowing me down, but I plan to utilize the river bonus for the campus districts where it makes sense.

- Did you emphasize expansion? How many cities have you built/captured in the first 100 turns?

I tried to get an expansion city out as soon as possible to cut off some of the better land to the east (The Hague). I also declared a surprise war on Tamar to steal a settler from her, which I used to secure lands near her borders (Haarlem). During the war, I also conquered a city she settled near me (Kutaisi). Going into turn 100 I have five total cities, and I have plans to secure the Iberian peninsula before moving into Africa.

Spoiler Screenshot of cities :

- How did you play your governance cards, priorities?

I'm not sure what governance cards are. If this is referring to governors, I went for Liang first due to a lack of trees to chop. I then went for Victor to fortify my border with Tamar, and Magnus for expansion.

- What City-States did you meet and which ones did you cultivate to your side?

I met Hattusa and Carthage early on, but both were conquered by Tamar. I liberated Carthage as part of an emergency and became their suzerain--opening up the mediterranean to my ships. I met Zanzibar very close to turn 100, so I haven't had much opportunity to gain their favor yet.

- Were your neighbors peaceful?

Toward me, yes. Tamar however conquered both city states near me.

- How were the Barbarians?

The barbarians were a complete nuisance early on which severely hampered my district and expansion progress. I had horseman/archer raids constantly from the Iberian peninsula and the east.

- Any surprises?

I didn't expect Scotland to be in the game. Their start position on this map really hampered their ability to compete.