First demigod and no iron

[Crakie]

Getting too comfortable at emperor, I'm giving demigod a shot. I stacked the odds in my favor by selecting a reasonable starting position on an archipelago map, playing the Byzantines.

Currently, I'm researching Republic at minimum after a quite succesful tech brokering giving me all the techs except currency, construction, literature and monarchy. In fact, everything went so fast the expansion phase is still far from done: the settler factory is still running at max capacity and I'm also building enough workers.

Problem is: I don't have iron, I can't even find an available source on the whole map. I have no idea how to survive the coming era (demands are already pouring in). The dromons will be succesful in keeping far off opponents out, but I'm also connected by a chokepoint to two powerful opponents.

Advice would be appreciated. Gamble on trade agreements to keep my neighbours happy, keeping the rest out with dromons? Buying iron? If so, will it ruin my income (I'll need to be start buying techs soon I suppose)?

 

[citizen001]

OMG that was the same when i first demi game. although i used archer assault to take iron.

 

[SJ Frank]

Problem is: I don't have iron, I can't even find an available source on the whole map.

That means your neighbors don't have Iron either. So you're not at an disadvantage in any way. In fact, humans can handle iron-less wars much better than AIs can.

but I'm also connected by a chokepoint to two powerful opponents.

The odds are stacked in your favor even more than you know . Since you have two neighbors, whenever you fight one of them, just buy the other one in. Let them fight amongst themselves, while your one concentrated SoD take their cities one by one.

(I'll need to be start buying techs soon I suppose)?

Remember, it's "brokering for technology", not "buying technology".

 

[budweiser]

I feel your pain. I started a DG game as China last night and as far as I can tell there absolutely no horses anywhere on my continent which I share with 4 other tribes.

 

[bonscott]

As said above, with a chokepoint you are all set. Put a bunch of spears and cats in the chokepoint city with some offensive horses and longbows and you'll be fine holding off them if needed. And if you get into war, as stated get those two to fight each other.

Explore like mad to find a small island somewhere that might have iron.

But you are fine without iron until railroads really. Assuming you get saltpeter you can build muskets for defense and cavs (assuming horses). Even with no saltpeter if you can stay out of war until Nationalism you can then upgrade all your spears to rifles. Not bad. You will need iron however for rails so by then you should know where it is and you'll just need to trade for it with your techs or go get it.

 

[Beorn-eL-Feared]

If you have horses and no one has iron, warfare should not be a problem, it should even be a delight. Plus, chances are you'll have a big broking advantage in that they won't trade themselves techs. Play on that and focus on outnumbering with pop and workers, the rest should come along.

On my first emperor game, I had just horses and fought my way up into musket middle-ages with just horsemen. Since then I don't treat swords the same I used to: either are alternatives, and as they said, iron is only crucial for rails.

 

[MangeTonChapeau]

Did you check with control-shift-m to make sure there is no iron hidden under a city ?

 

[Crakie]

I can find several sources of iron on the map, the trouble is: they are already taken! This means many of my opponents do have iron, among which my neighbours. Thanks to my curraghs I know pretty much the whole map, except for the bits of land not visible from a coastal tile. Chances of finding iron on the unpopulated islands are slim (as I can already see most tiles), and finding out is a rather large, time consuming investment: building a dromon, a warrior and sending them over there to explore.

I've pretty much decided on a longbow/trebuchets SoD and try to take the iron, using the money I'm saving now by researching republic at minimum to upgrade archers and catapults. I will have to start building those soon, because right now all new cities are building granaries and workers. I figured growth and infrastructure would be key in any scenario.

 

[Herrs]

I once played a emperor game without Iron all the way to the discovery of railroad. Its doable if you have salpeter and horses. Build horsemen and spearmen in ancient time, then musketmen, trebuchets and longbowmen and cavalry when discovered. But pick your fights well, and if you get the chance, conquer a source from a opponent.

Theres worse resources to be without, like oil or rubber in industrial age for instance. Anyone managed that?