I'll chime in here, with my much-too-much detail of notes taken while playing.
Renaissance start... Not my preferred since I like the challenges of the stone age period. But I'm not one to pass up on a challenge.
Prince difficulty, so I'm hoping that I can pick my VC from the beginning and make the game work for me. For a change I'm going to target the COW!
Early game will be a rush all round to take control of the starting continent. This is well doable with trebs and maces I think - assuming I have at least copper. If I have iron I'll throw knights into the mix.
Everything going well GP wise the first will be a GE... probably rush build a wonder like Notre Dame or the AP. For the second I would like a GS to part bulb Education, then either Nationalism or Chemistry from Liberalism if I have gunpowder. From tests it seems the AI get to Liberalism by about turn 70 (starting turn = 0) so Chemistry should be possible even with a fairly dedicated war route.
I'll settle cities very close together to pack in as many as possible, and end the game with a Sushi fueled population boom.
Enough talk - onto the game!
*** Session 1: 1285 AD -> 1385 AD ***
Start with a civics change: Bureau, Slavery, Merc, Pacifism. Whipping in the beginning is great since the capital starting with two pop is basically a free worker.
Explorer starts heading east - lots of ice. Eww. Worker moves 2W also for some scouting. The land generally looks pretty poor. Both settlers also move, since there's no point settling until at least turn 2 because of civics change. I'm curious about whether the corn can be irrigated through a farm NE of it, so on turn 1 I save the game and create a test in WB - answer is yes.
I've decided that in place is good for the capital. The next best city I can see now is 3N1W to claim the pigs and wheat. Actually, 1 further N of that also gets another horse tile.
At this point I'm thinking I'll claim the copper to the west with a 3rd city, then prepare for war. Although have to find my target first - maybe we're isolated? First tech is Education at 0%.
OOo, there is iron, Oasis, corn and wine further NW... and I meet Izzy's explorer near there. A plan is forming...
Judaism is founded in New York, and I switch immediately for the Pacifism bonus.
Early builds are: Washington: Worker (whipped) -> WB -> Barracks -> Worker (chopped) -> caravel -> Settler.
New York: Worker (whipped) -> Library.
I can see Izzy building a road on some pigs by her border. Since I can see there is no pasture yet, and still turns left on the road build I wait for a few turns to see if another worker will turn up and I can steal them both
Ok, AP has been built elsewhere the turn before my GE pops. I end up choosing Uni of Sankore in 1385 AD more for the GS GPP than anything else.
I completely bungle the worker steal... forgetting I had OB when I moved my LB onto the worker.
*** Session 2: 1385 AD -> 1620 AD ***
That's a laugh, my caravel is completely landlocked. Stupid build that was. I delete it to save on unit maintenance.
This continent is pretty small and crappy. So Astro is now an important part of my plans. I get a GS from New York as planned. I keep the scientists on hoping for a 3rd GS, but a GE wouldn't be all bad as I'll then bulb gunpowder on my way to Chem.
Boston is founded in 1450 AD right next to corn and iron. Cities are building trebuchets and a couple of warriors for garrisons, and will switch to maces once the iron is connected. A few whips later and I'm advancing on Izzy with a stack way bigger than it needs to be. I declare in 1575 AD, and she is removed in 1620 AD, and I keep all 3 of her cities.
*** Session 3: 1620 AD -> 1650 AD ***
Next goal is Liberalism, which I claim in 1640 AD, taking Astro for the free tech, since I'll be needing that pretty soon. I'm also planning to bulb my way to Economics (free GM) and Printing Press, with a revolution to Caste System + Hered Rule.
I'd like a great GP Farm, but no city sites really stand out for me. I settle for Izzy's capital of Madrid, which also has some forests around it so can also build National Park a little later on. The free GM will be settled here.
I may have expanded too slow 
