6otM39 Opening Action

[leif erikson]

Welcome to the 6otM39 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 capital city? Your second city?
- What did you research and which policies did you choose and why?
- What was your build order?
- How long did it take to find your neighbors? Were they hostile or friendly?
- How soon did you build a District? Which ones did you prioritize?
- Did you try to build any Wonders?
- Did you emphasize expansion? How many cities have you built/captured in the first 100 turns?
- How quickly did you get Trade Routes working, who did you trade with?
- How did you play your governance cards, priorities?
- Which Governors did you choose and why did you choose them?
- Was your first age a Dark Age? Did you take any Dark Age cards?
- What City-States did you meet and which ones did you cultivate to your side?
- How were the Barbarians?
- Any surprises?

Please use spoiler tags for any surprise details you'd like kept hidden. Thanks.

 

[BarbarianHunter]

WARNING: I’ve never done this but think I am allowed to reveal the things I am revealing. I am using the spoilers for screenshots, but there is allot of info here regarding terrain and what-not.









What a nice starting position! Population grew quickly with the sugar, so I send settlers south to take advantage of the x2 great general / great merchant point per turn wonder. I also chose God King policy card (+1 Faith & Gold in the capital) in hopes of getting the Goddess of the harvest or Earth Goddess for a potential golden age monumentality dedication. Rushed a bit to Bronze Working so as to chop the campus site. Built more campuses.

Built a couple of slingers, repulsed some barbs. Got some boosts.

Realized that there wasn’t any iron around so I decided to rush a bit to machinery to unlock crossbowmen.

Saw Brazil. Traded him some goods for gold. Declared war on him, got the goods back, traded same goods to another civ. My archers got some experience, destroyed a few of his units and what-not. Made peace (but he had to pay). Sold him more of the same goods back after the peace agreement. Hung around waiting for the 10 turns and waited for machinery to hit so I could go back at him with crossbows.

While I was waiting his perma-war with Yerevan flared up just as he moved an escorted settler closer to my area in hopes of settling.

Spoiler Settler1 :

Yerevan’s archers proceeded to knocked off the settler’s escort just as the 10 turn limit for another DOW expired. I immediately declared war and appropriated the settler for the Mapuche!

Spoiler Settler2 :

Settled 1 tile Northeast of my encampment in hopes of creating some friendly loyalty for the conquest (err...liberation of Brazil). Upgraded an archer to a crossbowman, waited for funds. Traded. Upgraded another. Took one city. Started plinking away with crossbowmen at a 2nd city's garrison. Plinked away at his units as well, killing 3 or 4. Upgraded the 3rd archer to a crossbowman. GOLD TIGHT.

Took the second city.

Tripped a golden age, chose monumentality. My God King policy card paid off as I was able to nab Goddess of the Harvest for magnus-ified chops that yield production as well as faith.

Then a 3rd city fell (Brazil's capital).

Spoiler Capital :

Have I mentioned this game is over? Oh yeah, I have to win a cultural victory. Hmm….I’m not exactly a CV aficionado, but I figure if I get enough units and cities I’ll be able to figure something or other out. Perhaps acquire some wonders or what-not. Solved my gold problem with a 3 promotion Reyna.

For now my motto is: Have xbow, will travel!

I’m sort of curious why Spain is in my area. I think he tried to steal Rio De Janiero out from under me, not sure as his units didn’t really do much of anything. Maybe I can reconnoiter his area to try and determine the rationale for his behavior?

UPDATE: GHAAD!!! Spain's spearman has stolen Belem after I knocked the garrison strength down. Perhaps I factor too much incompetence in my assessment of the AI, but in my experience this NEVER happens!?! I immediately declared on him, but not before he stole my +5 era score. Arrgh!!!

Conclusion: Finishing the Colosseum on turn 100 took the sting off the Spain Belem debacle (sort of).

Spoiler Colosseum :

I popped up x2 settlers with faith using the golden age Monumentality dedication in conjunction with Goddess of the Harvest faith points (have I mentioned that's OP). Will pop up a 3rd settler in the very near term. Could build the Ancestral Hall but I'm thinking with the Spanish war and what-not, Warlord’s Throne might be a better choice. Shrug. Here are a few screen shots of the my progress as of turn 100.

Spoiler East :

Spoiler West :

PS, I think this is a really good start with nothing but open land and growth so far as my limited vision can see. I’m thinking something CATASTROPHIC should befall me relatively soon. By relatively soon, I mean turn 101. I'm expecting a complete meltdown.

PPS, Due to my settlement near the Zhangye Danxia I was able to recruit 2 Classical Great Generals as well as Colaeus who I sent off to get me some Cocoa.

PPS, has anyone seen any iron?

PPPS, Have a Classical Republic. I like the +1 amenitiy for cities with a district and especially the legacy card.

 

[Eliminator_Sr]

Fairly open starting location without much pressure, but I'm lagging more than I thought in culture so it looks like I may need to start going on the warpath. I'll probably beeline to gunpowder after printing press and then start cranking out some malon raiders for a fun pillage game. I don't think I'm going to get a very early finish in this one. I still have 0 faith and no pantheon - hopefully I can pillage some stuff from England to get some.

Where did you settle your capital city? Your second city?
Settled 2 SW to pick up the horses - may not have been the best move. 2nd city to the north in between horses and stone.

What did you research and which policies did you choose and why?
Went for archery first for TOA since there was ivory in the 2nd city and a very nice spot for +6 amenities and I got the drama boost. Then beelined political philosophy and drama but maybe I should have picked drama first. Currently working towards printing press but my science is low. I was hoping to Suz babylon to help but Teddy has 6 envoys there.

What was your build order?
Scout, builder, slinger, monument (purchased), settler, warrior, settler

How long did it take to find your neighbors? Were they hostile or friendly?
Quite awhile - found the Dutch first then English and Aztecs shortly after. Made friends with the Aztecs, Cree, and Brazil but England is not so friendly.

How soon did you build a District? Which ones did you prioritize?
Not super early - Government district in the capital was my first and then waited until drama and placed 3 theaters. Mainly prioritized theaters and Commercial hubs with one or two campuses.

Did you try to build any Wonders?
Yes - Temple of Artemis. Just moved Magnus to the city working on ED for collosseum so should have that shortly.

Did you emphasize expansion? How many cities have you built/captured in the first 100 turns?
Moderate expansion, but waited until I had ancestral hall down. I settled 8 cities and just captured one from England. I joined an emergency to liberate a CS because Cree and Aztec appeared at the bottom so I thought they were in it but looks like I'm the only participant as usual.

How quickly did you get Trade Routes working, who did you trade with?
Not that early - I only have 1 trade route right now, but just finished a commercial hub and the newly conquered city has a market so will get out a few more soon. Traded horses and truffles to Cree and Brazil.

How did you play your governance cards, priorities?
I kept urban planning in for most of the opening and then Colonization and great writer card once I got Pol Philosophy. For military I used maneuver to get some horsemen out.

Which Governors did you choose and why did you choose them?
Magnus first to help chop TOA and promoted for no pop loss settlers followed by Liang and then Pingala who I promoted twice to get extra GPP.

Was your first age a Dark Age? Did you take any Dark Age cards?
Got an early golden age and took the +culture boost. Fell 3 points short of the 2nd golden.

What City-States did you meet and which ones did you cultivate to your side?
Met 5 or 6 but didn't cultivate any - the AI has a bunch more envoys than I do and are pretty far ahead in tech.

How were the Barbarians?
Tame but I scouted well

Any surprises?
AI is doing quite well on culture. I'm still only in 7th place despite grabbing several Great Writers.

 

[kcd_swede]

Perhaps Immortal level was a bad choice for my first R&F game. No wonders, no conquests, lots of dead barbs, a dark age and a golden age... but I still have no clue WTH I am doing.

 

[Tsaghen]

- Where did you settle your capital city? Your second city?
Capital on rice. Second city N next to 2 horses and sheep.

- What did you research and which policies did you choose and why?
Horseback riding to conquer early
Early empire to build a few settlers before horsemen

- What was your build order?
Capital : Scout, slinger, settler, scout, trader, monument, settler, settler, government plaza, horsemen
Second city : settler, horsemen

- How long did it take to find your neighbors? Were they hostile or friendly?
Long at first, only ran into CS with warrior. After with scout I found everyone in a few turns except Spain which I discovered pretty late after conquering most of Brazil. Since they had the lowest score I wasn't in a hurry to find them.
Everyone started quite friendly.

- How soon did you build a District? Which ones did you prioritize?
I prioritized campuses. I build my 13 horsemen army first so the districts came quite late.

- Did you try to build any Wonders?
Built only Temple of Artemis so far. I had a great spot and chops available.

- Did you emphasize expansion? How many cities have you built/captured in the first 100 turns?
Yes. Settled 5 cities and captured 7 and liberated 2 CS.

- How quickly did you get Trade Routes working, who did you trade with?
Only 3 internal trade routes so far.

- How did you play your governance cards, priorities?
Discipline until I started building the horsemen with Maneuvre, the Conscription
Uban planning with dips in Land surveyors. Natural Philosophy as soon as campuses started to pop

- Which Governors did you choose and why did you choose them?
Magnus for chops with Godess of the Harvest
Liang for +1 builder charges (since I bought most of them)
Amani because I needed suzerain of Kabul early
Pingala for science + culture un capital
Reyna since at that time it was better than a promotion on any other
Victor because I expect the conquest of America to be tough

- Was your first age a Dark Age? Did you take any Dark Age cards?
Both golden so far, easy to get.

- What City-States did you meet and which ones did you cultivate to your side?
Kabul first, I knew I had to rush horsemen then
The very last part I explored was behind Teddy and got delayed by barbarians. I only discovered the 3 great CS around turn 80 !

- How were the Barbarians?
Nothing special until around turn 80 where I got a massive rush on my second city.

- Any surprises?
The 3 well hidden CS behind Teddy. No wonder he was developping so fast.

So far...
First army went E and conquered Brazil and Spain. Teddy was just 1 point ahead over Brazil in culture at that point and I was settling near Brazil.
Second army went W to liberate Kumasi from Aztecs first and then stop Teddy who was gettign well ahead in culture then.
Since Aztec territory was on the way and I was still at war I figured I should conquer it on the way. Big mistake, he poped out tons of eagle warriors and spearmen. After 10 turns I had to settle for peace before starting to loose units and I didn't take a single city off them. I should have gone straight for Teddy. Now he is at 34 culture which will prolong the end game at least a few turns. He already has 3 wonders !

Now...
Teddy has swordsmans, it's gonna be tough with my horsemen. On my way to him I crossed his army going to attack someone I guess. Only a few units left in his empire. I jumped at the opportunity and attacked the first city I encoutered.
Minor city captured.

Next...
I need another city or I will loose the first to loyalty ; and fast before his army turns around.
The game is already won. Now I have to optimse the finishing date.
Plan is :
Build universities everywhere then commercial hubs and/or theatres.
Get Flight, build Chemamull where I can, wait for victory.