6otM128 Opening Actions

[Eyswein]

Welcome to the 6otM128th 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.

- What was your plan for achieving the VC? What are the major steps you planned to take? What events, if any, changed the plan in execution and to what new plan? Any interesting decision points?
- How did the leader bonus and civ unique ability impact your plan/play, if at all?
- Where did you settle your capital city? Why? Your second city? Why?
- Early order for technology/civics? What did you prioritize for technology/civics?
- What was your early build order in your capital and other early cities? Military units / Civilian units / Districts & city development / Wonders / Civ Unique Unit & Infrastructure? Most critical or interesting?
- Pantheon chosen and why? Religious beliefs chosen, and why?
- What governments did you select? What policy cards did you use? Why?
- Which Governors did you choose and why did you choose them?
- How long did it take to find your neighbors? What did you do for early diplomacy/trading? Peace or War (and by you or them)?
- What City-States did you meet and which ones did you nurture to your side?
- When did you have Dark/Golden ages?
- How did the game modes affect or impact your play?
- How did the reduced victory conditions impact your game?
- How were the Barbarians?
- Any surprises/frustration/elations?

Please use spoiler tags for any surprise details you'd like

 

[Planktonic]

Well, I can see that there are three AARs already, but I like to read about people's early choices ( I think it's the most interesting and critical part of the game) so I guess I'll post here anyway. I'm at turn 112.

What was your plan for achieving the VC? What are the major steps you planned to take? What events, if any, changed the plan in execution and to what new plan? Any interesting decision points?
Build or capture a lot of cities, monopolize Great Works as much as possible. I'm trying to capture cities from each of the Civs to limit their growth (cultural and otherwise) but not eliminate them, so they can still be a source of tourists. So far I have 8 cities total: 3 founded, 2 taken from Rome (incl the capital), 3 taken from Portugal (incl the capital).

- How did the leader bonus and civ unique ability impact your plan/play, if at all?
Very helpful towards getting a religion and getting early Great Writers. Haven't used hoplites much before but it looks like they can be pretty powerful if used correctly.

- Where did you settle your capital city? Why? Your second city? Why?
Settled cap on the olives. Settled the second city about 9 tiles north on the river, to have a front against Poland and also have access to a +3 holy site.

- Early order for technology/civics? What did you prioritize for technology/civics?
Sailing, then Astrology, then Bronze Working.

- What was your early build order in your capital and other early cities? Military units / Civilian units / Districts & city development / Wonders / Civ Unique Unit & Infrastructure? Most critical or interesting?
Scout then settler then holy site. Was in the middle of building a builder but got one from a TV, so switched. Used Victoria's trick of using the builder as a scout to allow for early water exploration.

- Pantheon chosen and why? Religious beliefs chosen, and why?
Divine Spark. Wanted to get Choral Music but Rome built Stonehenge and took it first, so opted for Feed the World, which for Gorgo might actually be the better choice.

- What governments did you select? What policy cards did you use? Why?
Autocracy to Oligarchy so far.

- Which Governors did you choose and why did you choose them?
Pingala and Amani so far; Amani to take suzerainty of Granada so I could levy their troops and use them to attack Portugal.

- How long did it take to find your neighbors? What did you do for early diplomacy/trading? Peace or War (and by you or them)?
War so far with Rome and Portugal, friends with Poland (o/w I'd be denounced by everyone, which I don't like).

- What City-States did you meet and which ones did you nurture to your side?
Suz of Granada, Valetta and Yerevan so far. Was briefly Suz of Hattusa but lost it.

- When did you have Dark/Golden ages?
Golden Classical, will have Golden Medieval as well soon.

- How did the game modes affect or impact your play?
- How were the Barbarians?
I like this mode, although the barb camp that keeps spitting out biremes is annoying. But I am not eliminating them so that I can keep farming culture from killing the units.

- Any surprises/frustration/elations?
Almost had my builder-scout picked off by barbarians, but managed to get to land just in the nick of time.

Not sure what else I should be doing to goose the CV, but off to a reasonable start I think.