Emperor level on huge continent

[Penitent]

I've enjoyed reading some of the threads in this forum so I'm starting my own, my first time on emperor level. I've played monarch a few times recently but I'm only getting back inot the game, hopefully with your advice i won't fail too miserably.

The world I chose to play on was a huge map, one landmass, all rules are standard, time get started

Score! River, trees and grassland

Score! Two luxuries.

Excellent, first of all, I'm going to build a few warriors and go explore, my first settler is going to go and get those luxuries while my worker builds a road to get them hooked up...

 

[Penitent]

Having settled their petty internecine squabbling, the greek fledgling greek civilisation set its expeditionary warriors east and west to explore the world and make history.

Pirates! The pirates haven't invented pirate ships yet, but pirates are pirates. The greek warriors make good their escape whiles they still can for a few turns, until the the pirates catch up with them. The greeks bravely charge into the middle of the pirate battle line and smash them to pieces (they haven't invented pirate swords yet either), unfortunately this leaves them surrounded by angry pirates on both flanks as you can see. The pirates on the left flank pile in but get treated to some head therapy from the greek clubs, finally the greeks attack the remaining pirates and suffer horrendous losses, routing the pirates but left redlined themselves. The warriors lick their wounds while hoplites with their newfangled weapons escort the worker.

The unfortunate western western expeditionary force converges on a settlement, to find even more pirates looking for blood... The pirates ate well that day.

 

[shady milkman]

Good start, I'll be looking for more!

 

[Penitent]

What the hell? The greeks make contact with abraham Lincoln of the americans, their technology is generations ahead of backwards greece

I'm not sure how I will catch up, perhaps keep on researching writing and trade it with different civs for different techs...

Meanwhile, the greek city of Sparta is settled...

I've just realised that the Americans don't live too far from me perhaps if I invaded them I could get all of their techs, but then I have warriors as an invasion force currently...

 

[Azash]

Three things:

1. Great story!

2. Two luxuries? Does tobacco count as a luxury?

3. America probably knows a whole lot of civs, that's usually the situation whenever I meet someone on Emperor.

 

[shady milkman]

Tobacco's a bonus resource, last time I checked. Unless he modded the game.

 

[Penitent]

Isn't the game in the woods a luxury?

 

[shady milkman]

Bonus resource.

 

[Azash]

I would like to ask more experienced readers here, more out of curiosity than anything else (I'm not flaming you here, penitent ):

Should the first settler go before or after the first hoplite?

Also, should you have it in memory, what water coverage/climate/age/stuff?

EDIT: Haha, that "It cannot be done" is pretty entertaining, considering you're currently offering a gift of 73 gold..

 

[Penitent]

Alexander is dissapointed to learn his prize game animals are too lame and ******** to be even worth hunting.

The eastern expeditionary force encounters a friendly bunch of axe… weilding… pirates!! goddamit! The EEF dispatch the horde with some more shock therapy, they are now considered to be the most elite soldiers in Greece, pirates now fear and tell tales of the "brain bashers".

Indian and aztec civilizations discovered, nothing interesting of note except they were ahead of me by a fair few techs.
The indian troops are slacking around a settlement. Quick to sieze the initiative the EEF runs into the settlement...

Guess whos back, back again… The pirates hordes flee in terror at the mere sight of the "brain bashers" this time howevere, their reputation preceeds them.. The warriors on the top right are actually indian.

 

[Azash]

Alexander is dissapointed to learn his prize game animals are too lame and ******** to be even worth hunting.

That cracked me up, as well.. Keep it up!

 

[Penitent]

Roman, russians and then filthy savages calling themselves the Scandinavians are contacted. Sure, they may have scientific, cultural and militaristic technology and secrets that Greece can only dream of obtaining, but they are savages. No one takes an interest in poor little greece

Thermopylea and Corinth settled, Corinth gets to works building a contraption made of wood that lets crazy people traverse water. Greece isn’t completely backwards, “we arm the man, not man the arm”… or something to that effect. Anyway, years fighting the savage land pirates of phygria have led Greek military minds to mastermind the perfection of our hoplite regiments, finer spearmen in the world we doubt you can find.

The romans pay me another visit and give me 30 pieces of gold and the secrets of masonry in return for writing, which apparently everyone else already has, no longer shall the imperial palace fall low to a brisk wind!

The aztecs then declare war against greece after we righteously refuse to give them 25 gold, hopefully they will learn the errors of their ways bleeding their armies dry against the shield walls of the mighty greek hoplites.

The ruler of the ottoman empire turns up from whatever dark crevice his civilisation resides in, and teaches greek intellectuals all about the warrior code and ceremonial burial in exchange for writing. We were going to mug him too but he gave us 30 gold pieces into the bargain so off he went. It has come to our attention that hoplites, while immovable on the defence, are unsuited for raids and attacks. We will train a core of archers and add the american town of boston to the empire one day, and much rejoicing will ensue.

 

[ForbiddenPalace]

Very solid starting location.

 

[Penitent]

America plays into greece's hands and demands tribute from our rising nation, they declare war.

American troops head for the newly established township of Delphi, a regiment of hoplites moves into the mountains near Boston to draw american troops away in a clever feint.

The eatern expeditionary force attacks Atlanta further south and bashes some American spearmen, before falliing to an archer counter-attack. Meanwhile Aztec forces move into greek territory, two warriors so far, probably more coming. American warriors get the war underway with a doomed attack on sparta, the greek hoplites massacre the attacking american warriors and nationalistic fervour grabs the greek civlisation, entering us into a golden age. Archer regiments straight from the barracks in athens move to Delphi, as I have a feeling the aztecs are coming to play too.

Enemy forces close in all around the greek empire, hopefully the hoplites can hold out. In Delphi one of the two archer regiments attacks a stack contaning warriors and archers, destroying the archers but being redlined. The Aztecs attack with 3 units and have more coming, the archers redline the defending hoplites before they died, jaguar warriors also led a failed attack and promoted my other archers to elite.
American wrriors attack Sparta and predictably get slaughtered, an american swordsmen unit then attacks the redlined hopelites, and in a feat of arms that will be sung about for centuries, the few remaining hoplites in sparta defeat the veteran swordsmen and get promoted to elite. Over the following turns of warfare dumb aztec warriors and archers get butchered at every turn by well placed greek units.

Russia and the Scandinavian ally against Greece with america, they fail to make an appearance though.

A dozen more Aztec units are butchered as they attempt to move into greek territory over the next few years, attacked by archers whenever they move into open terrain. Montezuma settles for 40 gold and gives up. Boston is attacked and destroyed at the cost of one archer. American ancient cavalry attacks my stack heading for san Francisco (to the right of where boston used to be), and dies horribly attacking hoplites in a wood, san franciso is then sacked and destroyed by my stack of archers and hoplites and the americans agree to peace for 20 gold. My elite archers won about 5 battles and I was hoping for a leader, but alas.

 

[Penitent]

Delphi build a barracks and city walls in response to the heavy fighting that tends to happen around the town. The empire is now connected by roads and I am working on getting lots of irrigation done.

I'm going settle where boston used to be since there are diamonds there, with a road alreayd set up for me .

The state of greece:

Ok I need some advice before I continue. I have literature and am a few turnd away from iron working. I can trade literature with every civ and probably get loads of techs and gold. Should I wait a few more turns before trading it to get a head start and build the great library? If the great library was up id set my research slider to zero and leech techs for a while, raking in cash in a republic or monarchy.