COTM81 - First Spoiler

[civ_steve]

COTM 81 First Spoiler - Arabia, the Ancient Age!

Reading Requirements

1. You must be able to research a Middle Age technology.

Posting Restrictions

• Please be discreet about AI locations; however, feel free to discuss contacts and trades.
• No discussions of the middle ages (or later)
• No screenshots of any middle-age (or later) resources.
• Absolutely NO discussion of any other currently active 'X'OTM!

Looking at the map, I can see I set a bit of a challenge for you. Putting this map together in a hurry, and in a Nyquil haze, it looks like strategic resources, like Horses and Iron, could be a bit hard to come by! So, was this a problem? Or did you manage anyway?

 

[Megalou]

Alright, I'll break the ice, although spoiling hasn't helped me much lately.

I went for a predator 20K game. I'm not used to 20K in Conquests, but it is a good handicap, turning the difficulty level up for those parts of the game that are not about amassing culture.

Took a walk, saw both cows before settling Mecca, but settled for 20K in the second town, on the tobacco. No granary. Traded Wonder-techs for Alphapet.

I found it hard to avoid cascades in the ancient age and so lost Hanging Gardens to Egypt. After getting the Great Library I let myself get pushed into the ancient age, but then researched towards Education straight away. (Oh, and also did chivalry, since I can't stop my megalomanic warmongering.)

The lack of horses was likely to delay the appearance of leaders.

Medina built the following early buildings (I am not sure exactly when I entered the Medieval age, since I can't get Civasisst to work):

Temple 2630 BC
Oracle 1450 BC
Pyramids 690 BC
Library 650 BC
Great Library 210 BC
Colosseum 150 BC

 

[Più Freddo]

Predator, 20k

Founded in place. Capital as culture city. Builds:

3500 BC Temple using two forest cuts
2900 BC Granary after getting Pottery from a Goody Hut
2670 BC Settler for the rest of the empire
2590 BC Warrior
2510 BC Warrior. These were for MP and protection while building wonders.
1525 BC The Oracle using The Pyramids as prebuild, but could trade for Mysticism
1150 BC The Mausoleum of Mausollos
1025 BC Library on the turn of discovering Literature

In 825 BC we entered the Middle Ages. Mecca grew organically with its Cattle tile and its Granary to size 12, but received no extra Settlers or Workers at this time. Size 12 was reached between 1275 BC and 1250 BC.

 

[Megalou]

Good job. There's the difference between careless impulse and sharp calculation. I play for fun, but I could care less, so this will be a whetstone for future games.

 

[Più Freddo]

Good job. There's the difference between careless impulse and sharp calculation. I play for fun, but I could care less, so this will be a whetstone for future games.

Thanks! There was a lot of luck involved. The starting position turned out to be very good for 20k, whereas the land around was pretty miserable. Someone gave the advise to make 20k in the capital, which I blindly followed, this being the third 20k game I ever played.

I'd be glad to partake in a series of predator 20k challenges in the near future!

 

[PaperBeetle]

The Two-Town Empire
Settle in place, this location is spectacular. Temple up first, followed by a second scout, an axe, and then the settler who grabs the high food spot by the moo in the east, and quickly starts on a granary. Pots is my first research, followed by the usual Republic slingshot path. Wonder techs are traded from the AI: I meet the Egyptians in 3600bc, the Ottomans in 3400bc, and the Mongols in 2900bc. The scouts also find plenty of huts out there as well, but apart from Mysticism, the pops are weak; 4 conscripts and 2 workers - the workers would be welcome, but start off in the north-west peninsula, so must trek for hundreds of years just to get home to Arabia.

Now the One-City-One-Town Empire...
Back in Mecca, I grow naturally to size 7, but rather stall there, as Medina is taking a long time to get its granary running, and so not pumping out many workers to improve Mecca's land and population. The raging barbs aren't too damaging, but the raging civs are a different matter. In 1375bc, Temu demands my whole treasury (while I'm running defecit, of course) and dows when I refuse. The sum of money at the root of this war? 3g! Cleo also makes demands, but doesn't back them up with military action.

QSC Stats
1 city, 2 towns, with 19 citizens and 66 tiles.
17 food in the bin, 294 shields in the box, 62g in the treasury.
1 granary, 1 temple, Oracle.
1 settler, 2 workers, 2 slaves, 4 axes (2 regs, 2 vets), 2 archers (1 reg, 1 vet).
All first tier AA techs, Ironwork, Maths, Writing, Laws, Mysticism, Polytheism, 135 beakers of Philosophy.
3 contacts, no embassies.

An Easy Target
I hit Philosophy in 1000bc, and despite the late date, pick up Republic free. To help me out with my happiness issues, Osman dows me over Laws. I'm pleased with the Ottoman war, but soon after that, the Mongolians finally start trickling through to Arabia. Their archers are unstoppable when on the attack, trampling my desperate skirmishers as they beeline for my capital. Purely attritional tactics keep the first handful of archers from storming Mecca, but I have to sue for peace in 490bc, when the second squad shows up. I give up Republic for the deal, but at least I can take Riding and Mapping in return at the same time.

Yep, Still an Easy Target
And on the very next turn, with his archers still hanging around Mecca, Temu demands Literature! With the Glib still unbuilt, I'm hardly about to agree to that. He dows again. But the extra turn was enough for me to get reserves into place, and the Mongolian force is narrowly dispatched. I also have to give Osman peace, but for a different reason: in 390bc, I get to trade Construction from Cleo, going into the medieval, and I want to know what Osman's free tech will be... Feudalism for him, so I set my sights on the Artistry beeline.

Culture builds...
4000bc: palace
3550bc: temple
1525bc: Oracle
0775bc: Pyramids
0670bc: library
0430bc: Mausoleum

 

[Lanzelot]

Wow, three grandmasters slugging it out in a 20K challenge!!
I'll follow this closely.

 

[Megalou]

Two sluggers and one struggler, more like it. But thanks for the pep.

 

[Memento]

This looks very good.

I start for an 100k Victory. Good start, but no time to play now.
I hope i can play it to an end but it does not look.