COTM51 - Spoiler #2

[civ_steve]

COTM 51 Spoiler2: End of the Middle Ages

Reading Requirements:

1. Must be able to research an Industrial Age Technology.
2. Must have contact with all remaining civs and full knowledge of the map.

Posting restrictions

1. No maps showing Industrial or Modern resources.
2. No discussion of Industrial Age (or later).
3. Absolutely NO discussion of any other active 'X'OTM Contest

I was really intrigued by this map when I first saw it. You can reach all the other civs by Galley (if my memory serves), but I did place a few barbs in the way, and it's a long curving path. On the other hand, you can use ship chaining to cross directly West. For you war mongers, did you go the long route, use ship chaining, or wait until Nav/Mag to start on the non-"local" civs? Any other things of interest happen during the Middle Ages? Cossacks, anyone?

 

[Mazurbul]

Not having horses in the general vicinity was a bit frustrating as I knew I'd need them for Cossacks. I managed to get a settler down in between the Chinese and the Mongols though and built a city there.

I didn't discover the other civs for awhile. I finally got a Galley around to the Iroquois by going past the Mongols and through the barbarian gauntlet.

The Inca, Germany and the Vikings were all ahead of me in Tech. There was some bitter fighting going on between the Inca and the Vikings though, so I was able to exploit that in order to trade techs for cash and maps and I was able to catch up and pass them. I was also able to exploit the holes in their borders to get cities in there to get another supply of horses, saltpeter, and Iron.

Because of the fighting the Inca were forced to go Monarchy (everyone else in the world was Republic.

This made it possible for me to have my planned war on the Mongols. They took my horse city in the midst of their country, but I was still able to crush them by buying an alliance from the Chinese. Even though they had alot of Keshiks, they were no match for my Cossacks. The Chinese got 3 of the mongol cities and I got 10.

After the war, because of a culture border shift I lost my stolen saltpeter to the Incas.

I'm not sure how I plan to win as I don't know if I'll have oil or rubber to continue conquering.

I found this map to be very challenging because of the dire lack of resources. The fact that my iron and saltpeter are very insecure means I can't have wars with my neighbors on the larger continent unless I can somehow show up with overwhelming force.

 

[Spoonwood]

My notes read:

"In 130 The Vikings completed The Great Wall. In 150 America, The Inca, and Scandinavia had Feudalism.

In 170 I met The Germans. I gifted them Currency and they got Engineering as their free tech. In 260 the many of the Ais had Engineering. In 290 my GA ended. In 310 The Inca had Monotheism. In 340 I finished Sun Tzu’s Art of War and revolted. 7 turn anarchy. Anyang flipped in 890."

By the end of the Middle Age Moscow had a temple, a library, a colosseeum, a university, The Oracel, The Great Lighthous, Sun Tzu's Art of War, Copernicus's Observatory, Shakespeare's Theater, The Museum of Mausollos, and Knights Templar. I think I could have traded for iron sometime shortly after I got Astronomy or Navigation, but I didn't and I basically had to eat that mistake later on. I decided to build the science wonders ASAP instead of risking that I get both a religious wonder (like Bach's or The Sistine Chapel) and a science wonder like Cope's. I did build Newton's and got a cathedral in the industrial ages.

 

[TheOverseer714]

No Iron or Horses forced me into using Longbows and Crusaders as primary offense until I grabbed the horse island to the south and traded with someone on the other continent for Saltpeter. I built Cossacks everywhere, many even being regulars. With blitz, regulars become elite in no time Once I got plenty of Cossacks, the Mongols went down fast. I can see why a map with no nearby resources was chosen, otherwise my warring would have made for a quick victory. I'm sure it will be no obstacle for the elite players.

 

[axehaxe]

My game went very well and am still playing. I built no Great Library so I can maximize my expansion and sealed off the Mongols at 9 cities, the Chinese at 6.

First war = Mongols when they put a warrior next to one of my cities I told them to get out. I took out 2 of their cities using a stack of 15 veteran archers with 11 catapults and 20 spearmen. Signed peace and asked them for a city far away. This was a VERY important investment because that faraway city was coastal on the continent where the vikings, the germans, the incans, and americans were located. I immediately built a galley and found all the AI and traded up to catch up in tech.

2nd war @ the Mongols: I declared war to weaken the Mongols because they were the tech leader at the time. Managed to destroy their 9 stack of Keshiks and signed a MA with China against them. Signed peace when they were down to 5 cities. China and Mongols kept fighting for 40 turns after I signed peace with the Mongols which is perfect! Gased both of them once I traded a tech to Vikings for some saltpeter for cossacks.

Next I took out the Iroquois using infantry, riflemen, and longbowmen. Germany demands industrialization, gave them the middle finger, and they declared. Got a world war going signing MA's.

 

[TxCraig]

There is no iron or saltpeter!

(The only ancient age wonder I built was the mausoleum.)

I see the Chinese have a source of iron sitting on a hilltop.
So maybe I can get the Mongols to wear themselves down in a war with China. I took control of the iron with my archers & spearmen. But now it looks like I need peaceful relations with the Mongols to be able to get the iron across the coast squares back to the rest of my civilization. What a mess.

It also looks like no one, including me, has any gold.

AD 350 Entered MA. Got Monotheism.
570 Researched Engineering.
630 Traded Feudalism for Alliance vs. China & 3 gp from Mongols.
Traded Spices + Wines + 128 gp for Alliance vs. China from Vikings.
730 Building longbowmen & pikemen.
The Vikings have a couple of towns in the desert to the SW. I am hoping to culture flip them. I managed to snag all the oases on the coast.
810 Researched Gunpowder. There is no saltpeter!
940 Researched Education. Contact with America.
970 Contact with Iroquois.
1000 Contact with Inca.
1010 Contact with Germany.
1180 Captured Beijing to be near horses.
1260 Thought I would send some pikemen & longbowmen over to plunder the Iroquois. That was a mistake.
Germany is building Newton's. I started a couple of turns later -- I hope I can catch them. Moscow is cranking out 20 spt.
1270
Traded Physics + Wines + Spices for Banking from America.
Traded Metallurgy for Navigation + 1 gp from America.
1300 Entered IA. Got Steam Power. Newton's is 11 turns away.

It looks like Germany and the Vikings are going to be the civs to beat. I hope I can either win the tech race outright or derail their research efforts. It looks like that by building libraries & universities like crazy I have just about caught up. If I can get Newton's, that will put Moscow at 90 beakers per turn.

The barbs have taken control of the islands, so maybe they will be good practice for marines when/if I get them.

It is tempting to try for conquest, but I am going to try and stay focused on the space race. The Mongols have a little over half the continent, 17 cities, and it is tempting to wipe the floor with them.