Round 2: 3150 BC to 1725 BC (57 turns):
To start off the round, I decided to research Hunting.
I did this for two reasons, despite the lack of camp resources in the nearby vicinity. First off, it would make Animal Husbandry, my next tech goal, a little cheaper. Second, it's a prerequisite for Archery, which is a definite early tech goal if you're playing as a protective leader. As you'll see, this research choice turned out to be fortuitous.
I was also the beneficiary of a very nice random event:
Cover is a promotion I rarely choose for my units, so getting it
gratis is very nice. I should say, though, that I am starting to use it more often, given the predilection of the AI for Archery units, and how they still tend to be around, defending cities, even during the gunpowder era. And by the way, I played an off-line game as Huayna a few weeks back and Cover is a rockin' promotion for Quechuas.
I also switch builds in the capital, opting for a second Worker as several of you recommended. Once the Worker was finished, I began on a Settler. As you can see, I was aiding these builds with some timely chops:
Usually I build a Warrior to escort the first Settler and become my second city's first defender. However, I popped a Scout from a hut in the first round, and I was done exploring the southern portion of my continent. So I pulled my exploratory Warrior back to fulfill the protective role. I was trying to block Ragnar, so speed was important.
Speaking of that Scout and my seredipitous research choices...
As always, getting a tech from a hut was a pleasant surprise. I managed to beat the AI to several huts, in fact; notice the increase in my treasury from the beginning of the round as well. Despite the size of the continent, it turns out there are only three civilizations located there. And having a Woodsman II Scout made it easy to hit huts before the AI.
Shortly after this, I finished researching the next strategic/worker tech.
Did you notice where the horses appeared? Let's have a clearer look:
Only right inside the fat cross of Validator's cyan city. Dude, you're a genius! Or precognitive. Or just incredibly lucky. The only downside is potential competition from Nidaros for the tile. As a Creative leader, normally I wouldn't worry, but this is the capital we're talking about.
At any rate, without further delay, it was time to found that second city.
Meanwhile, I had started building a barracks in the capital. I assigned a Worker to each city--one to farm the rice near Uruk, the other to build a road to Eridu.
While I was doing all that, someone finally founded the game's first religion:
It was kind of weird seeing Islam founded first instead of last. That's the latest I think I've ever seen a religion founded--
67 turns into the game! I could have founded a religion if I'd wanted to. I'm beginning to think there are no civilizations in this game that start with Mysticism.
Anyway, seeing Islam founded in 2325 BC induced a brief panic attack, since my first reaction was to wonder what tech fiend was in the game that managed to make it to Divine Right so darn fast. Then I remembered the game settings and relaxed a little. Taoism and Hinduism have also been founded, so I would gather that other civs (none on my continent, as near as I can determine) have discovered Meditation, Polytheism, and Monotheism.
After AH, as you can see, I researched the Great Wall-enabling tech.
This would also allow me to build the Great Wall and to quarry the stone.
Then I was off in pursuit of Ziggurats, or at least the first tech needed for them:
I then began researching Iron Working. It was a toss-up between that and going for Priesthood for the UB, but I want my Vultures. Oh, Washington built Stonehenge, by the way.
Thanks to all those forest tiles, I managed to finish the Great Wall before the Quarry was finished.
So now we're on track to have a Great Spy available for early infiltration and tech stealing. Since there's just me, Ragnar, and Washington on the continent, this move wasn't just beneficial, I'd say it was essential. If I kill Ragnar, Washington won't be willing to trade techs until we make contact with the other continent--which may not be for a very long time. Even if Ragnar is left alive, he usually doesn't trade techs until he's Friendly. This way, I can steal several techs from him. Heck, with an early Ziggurat in place, I will probably generate at least two Great Spies and use them both for infiltration and tech theft.
Ragnar is not looking that strong at the moment:
His capital is protected by one Archer and it's on flat terrain. If this doesn't change much, a Chariot rush is looking like a very viable option. One definite advantage of a C-rush is that the AI will have less time to whip/build units once the war starts; a Chariot stack could sweep down from my territory onto that plains hill on the first turn and attack on the second.
Here's a look at the map of the continent. North:
And south:
So there are two more sources of horses to my west if Nidaros' culture steals that pasture from me. Copper is also available, but quite far to the west and to the north. I find the lack of
any precious metals to be surprising. The only early-game happiness resource is furs, and they're far, far, far to the north. And no one on this continent has founded a religion yet! Hereditary Rule and Calendar are going to be high-priority techs for me in this game. I'll probably be building a lot of protective Archers, but mostly to protect me from unhappiness!
In some ways it's a nice big map with a lot of space to expand into--especially if I eliminate Ragnar--and in some ways it's a tough roll. Should be interesting.
So what next? Do I Chariot-rush Ragnar? Should I continue pursuing Iron Working, or go after Priesthood for Ziggurats and maybe the Oracle? And how long should I keep Washington alive? I'm thinking it would be good to take him out when he stops being a useful source of pilfered techs, and/or around the time I have Optics and can rely on the other continent for tech trading.