This was a game where the AI seemed to maneuver well to frustrate my plans. At least for a while...
I decided to try for a Cuir rush. Most of the AI were Jewish. MM was Hindu, and disliked by everyone. Isabella was Buddhist and seemed like the most immediate threat to me, so when I started my golden age in 820 I switched to Buddhism to stay on good terms with her.
My plans started reasonably well, although my first GM was followed by a GS that I didn't want. Catherine and QSH went to war with MM in 960. I started sending my GM on a trade mission toward Alexander, when he attacked me in 1060. Why? He was only cautious with me, while he was annoyed with MM. Couldn't he have just joined the dogpile?
So, I pulled back my GM and used it with the GS for another golden age. While I did get cuirs, I didn't have the luxury (or the gold) to have built up a stack of HA's to immediately upgrade. Still, the war went well and Alex capitulated to me in 1260. In the meantime, Isabella had attacked Tokugawa and QSH had built the AP and then passed a motion for all its members to attack MM. (That was everyone but Isabella.) I took one of his cities that intruded into my territory, but then he capitulated to Tokugawa, thus joining the war against Isabella.
I decided this was an opportune time to take down top-scorer Isabella, so in 1320 I converted to Judaism and declared war (along with my vassal Alex) against Izzy. Four against one should be easy work!
But on that same turn, Tokugawa/MM make peace with her.
OK, my attack pushed forward and I captured three Spanish cities, including Barcelona, which had seven wonders. And then in 1430, Toku/MM declared war on me and Alex, with a large Japanese stack heading towards my capital!
I immediately make peace with Izzy, turn my forces around and fight off that stack, although the territory I'd taken from Greece becomes a bloody battlefield, as Thebes changes hands in multiple attacks and counterattacks. Toku worries me when he gets cannons, but I capture his only source of iron. Catherine joins the war in my side.
But at the same time, the Spanish cities I'd captured are revolting and I'm afraid they'll rejoin Spain if they revolt again. I also don't want Izzy attacking before Tokugawa is finished. I agree to her demand for a tech to buy a peace treaty. Mali is conquered in 1600 (two cities went to me, two to Catherine). I capture Kyoto and Tokugawa capitulates to me in 1615.
I sign a Defense Pact with Catherine, as I shift my forces back towards Spain. Now that Catherine owns the Hindu holy city, she converts! That weakens our alliance, but it makes my hopes for a religious victory a little stronger, once Spain is dealt with. I try provoking her into war by demanding all her gold, but she submits to the demand. Oops, 10 more turns of peace.
When that peace treaty expires, I attack in 1750. This offensive goes smoothly. Catherine is at WHEOORN, but she doesn't declare against either side. I'm elected to lead the AP. Isabella capitulates in 1812. I spread Judaism to one of her captured cities and give it back to her. Now a religious victory can be put to a vote, although I'm still a few votes short of victory. I'll need a few more missionaries.
But in the meantime, Catherine has built the UN and I'm easily elected Secretary General. The next UN vote come up one turn before the AP vote, and my three vassals provide the margin for a UN Diplomatic Victory in 1826. My first immortal level victory, if I'm not mistaken.
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