Emperor Zara Yacob

[vranasm]

I wanted some quick evening fun for some hour, so I rolled Emperor Zara Yacob fractal start.
Got interesting position I am not sure how to settle.

SIP doesn't seem great, settling on fur loses too many hills. So I consider settling 1W.

ah the scout is already moved, he started SE of settler, so I thought it's best to move him to the forest NW of settler

 

[oranje willem]

Why move? You lose cows and a turn, besides SIP seems pretty good here, cows+corn allow good early worker/settler production and fur provides good early income, also plenty of forests to chop: good start

 

[Dr.Null]

SIP.

Whale is not worth +4 plain ocean squares in your capital (ugh). You're creative, so the stone is close enough that it'll be in your culture in time to chop out pyramids if you want. (Probably not in time for Stonehenge, which is a bit of a pity for Ethiopia, but oh well.)

If you must move, consider 1 NE (away from the dry corn) to get fewer coastal tiles.

 

[Gwynnja]

I'm not a fan of moving unless it's clearly better, and in this case it's not. I think I'll play along. Please tell me events are off...

 

[vranasm]

I'm not a fan of moving unless it's clearly better, and in this case it's not. I think I'll play along. Please tell me events are off...

I think it is in custom games I have disabled events and huts and I think this game I generated with custom...

 

[lymond]

Yep...SIP is best. One might consider the furs for a nice Maoi city/move cap later, but it would be a slower start.

why you play Emperor, my Czech friend?

 

[vranasm]

Yep...SIP is best. One might consider the furs for a nice Maoi city/move cap later, but it would be a slower start.

why you play Emperor, my Czech friend?

well why not? I like to have easier games here and there then to try to break my limits. i sometimes just go and own some innocent at noble level :-D

immortal games are "too serious"...but I know that playing under intended level takes you off a bit...the timing is a bit different etc.

 

[vicawoo]

Food is king.

 

[vranasm]

I played a bit (in fact i played a lot ) to T107

Spoiler :

With stone nearby...the plan was clear -> Mids. So I started to play with SIP. Techs agri->ah->bw. I met ragnar very soon, so I knew I really need strategic.

Then I think i went for wheel->masonry, then writing. Then I don't remember, but I sneak in pottery a bit later.
I self teched Alpha.

I found nice spot with cow+gold to west, but am not so sure I choosed the best position.
After BW I saw copper in the north, so the plan was clear -> settle copper, that I managed. I choosed location on hill because of Ragnar.

at 975BC I got Mids (probably a little too late... was risky), but managed to get 3 cities overall.

Spoiler :

As expected somewhere down the line Ragnar went WHEEORN, but since I knew it I build minimum infra and concentrated on troops. I wasnt sure which city he chooses but the copper one looked like obvious target, so had there spear+2xaxe+warrior, the other near target was lightly defended.

He dowed me at T105 with stack of 4 axes, sword and archer. I whipped rax in copper city since I had it in the works. Next turn he went on copper, to my luck he didn't pillage first, but instead throw everything at city (I upgraded the warrior to another axe for 80 gold which I spared for techs :-(). Well it was wise, since I lost only 1 axe and his initial stack rested with 1.5str axe. He "reinforced" with sword+axe as second wave.
at t107 he decided he will move home... I think he has not many troops
I have 3 new axes from behind land on the way to copper city, with capital+stone city producing more axes in reasonable time.
I think i can use the advantage and after I have around 8 axes I will send 5 axes to Roskilde which is now guarded with 2 archers, it's fruity city with cow and corn and will look if I can take more in the west.

Eventually I will settle the wine+fish spot south east, but now the army is more tempting.

I didn't build much infra, since we are creative i whip library first in cities.
I decided that I will not build many cottages...actually the only city that will get some is the eastern city with FPs as food and grass riverside.
Will see eventually other cities I get.

I started to slowtech Aesthetics and will see what AI's have. i am not sure if I should give away alpha since i can get only IW+archery as techs... doesn't seem worth it.

Oh I connected the marble that is north from copper city.. i could probably tech Literature and get Great Library.

Well that's it. Anyone has input how to follow?

screens

Spoiler :

edit:
ah another thing I stopped playing now is I don't know what to do with the Great Engineer . With such early GE I am always confused what is best to do...

 

[vicawoo]

Spoiler :

Or you could just butcher them all.

Ragnar's close. AH didn't hit, but there was bronze. Ragnar's capital was on a hill and constantly had 5 archers, so I got a 3rd city, and waited... and waited.

Eventually I had 20 axes, and his capital had 3 archers. What the heck.



Razed two flatland cities, captured the capital, captured a 4th hill city since it had food and a granary, for catapult wars. He was down to yet another hill city with 5 archers, and a city tucked in the east. Peace, not worth the casualties for now. Tech to catapults, libraries, build research. My copper city is producing 18 beakers per turn and has a military instructor.





Now once we have 5 catapults we can just kill ragnar, then we mass more catapults, kill Saladin, then probably code of laws - grow lots - run lots of specialists - leverage land into liberalism.

 

[vranasm]

@vic

I give it to you... it's better to wipe Ragnar in "rush time"... I tried today at least 3x from mine 200BC save and have to say I get stuck in wars till 1K AD that lead nowhere

the mids even if tempting was not worth the effort.

edit:

maybe I can try 4th where i would not take city from rag and try to outtech AIs but since sal+rag are hindu, catherine budh and I am totally in the middle there will be long streak of DoWs on me...

ah lymond next time when I write something about "easier games" on emperor i should probably roll noble map.

 

[vicawoo]

Do you have a unit in his territory keeping tabs of his archer count?

 

[vranasm]

Do you have a unit in his territory keeping tabs of his archer count?

well that is one of things I certainly lack. Not enough scouting future enemy. So the obvious answer is no.

 

[Gumbolt]

Played out to 250bc.

Spoiler :

Stole worker off Ragnar. Tech AG/AH and worked way to BW.

Did war in 2 phases. Used some distraction for his stack of archers and took capital and his second city. Got him down to 1 city and took peace. by this stage I had 4 cities.

I too took mids in capital. Building up 3-4 more cities. Shared religion with Arabs who have a large stack!

Science is creeping up past 37 a turn with 5-6 scientists now being used. Slow teching game really.

Up to 750ad.

Spoiler :

Settled with about 8 cities. Currently running 100% science with 8-9 merchants at a gold surplus. Have monopoly on paper. See where i go with this. Just popped a GE for nationalism wonder. Sweet!

 

[Gumbolt]

Played up to 1650ad

Spoiler :

Overall I spammed the UU warrior. Took a few Arabian cities and switched to the Russians. Strength 9 unit with

Arabia DOW'd on Russia twice firstly taking 2-3 cities off Russians. Second time round with a stack of 20-30 units with Camel archers/phants. I raced their stack to Russia's 2 biggest cities taking them and capping Russia.

I soon decided this SOD was more a pain and DOW'd Arabians. Took out the entire SOD and Arabians capital and another city. With 7 cities still they won't bow yet.

Overall I have a replacement parts/ rifle buffer and should be able to vassel most of the AI. Case of do I want to finish off the game. Let eye off ball in terms of city builds. Not sure I have even built the NE/Oxford yet.

Would be hard to lose this game from here on in with such a tech lead.