Playing it safe for an early tech lead is my strategy in this - my first - GOTM. Having played emperor for the last eight months, I’d learned that continents games often have their own dynamic:
As I wrote in the pregame-thread, “you may well dominate your continent early, but to win the game, you need be stronger than the guys on the other one as well. And if they are harmoniously researching and trading while you are bashing each other's heads in, you will be locked out of the tech-trading game by the time caravels show up.” With this in mind, I stayed well away of founding religions, building wonders and trying anything that might make potential early trading partners into enemies and focused on riding out a conventional tech-lead to be first to caravels, contact the other civs, trade more tech and find out what kind of game was shaping up for the second half as early as possible.
The starting loco with its rich supplies of food and hammers, plus gold was ideal for a conservative builder start. I explored NE, found the gold and settled 1N – kind of an odd location and probably not ideal, but I wanted to have both gold mines, ample food supplies to work the mines and minimise low-yield tiles further out.
My first build was a worker, to irrigate and mine; my tech-path BW – wheel –pottery for early gold hookup and maximum growth. Meanwhile, my quechua swung round my city in a semicircle to the north , then went south along the hills and coast to the east. It soon dawned on me that this was not your typical emperor start, with so much empty land and no other civ in range. I met Ghandi in 3070BC, but didn’t make contact with Caesar until 955 BC, because my early exploration stopped along the jungle belt, where I withdrew my quechua along the eastern coast for fogbusting.
Around 2500 BC, my capital was at pop 3, my worker had set up two floodplain farms, and a goldmine while my city had churned out three Quechuas in succession. I got my first settler underway, aided by chops. Research was focused on writing, for open borders and a library. Meanwhile, my four quechuas were out fogbusting and exploring the north where, much to my relief, I found copper and thus a site for my second city. Barbarians were never any issue; I stuck to the hills and picked my battles; didn’t lose a single unit until 400BC.
The settler came out in 2080BC (next builds: granary, library, both with poprushing), Tuwanaku was settled - on what later turned out to be the iron lot -in 1990BC (build: obelisk). It’s cultural expansion in 1270BC allowed me to connect the copper by 1060BC. Meanwhile; I built one more workers and a barracks in Cuzco, to get an axeman and answer the barb question once and for all. After writing and open borders, I threw in fishing to be able to work the coastal ressources for Tiwanaku, then went on to research Alphabet.
In 955, I traded Caesar mysticism for hunting, the wheel and writing for animal husbandry; then Ghandi pottery and bronze working for archery one turn later. I think this is probably my personal best for early tech-trading on emperor. Cuzco was at size four, working two FP-farms and two goldmines for a whooping 31 beakers/turn. My peaceful atheistic tech strategy was working out: I continued down the religious path and got to monachy in 565BC, which I traded Caesar for iron working; making him pleased due to fair & forthright trades.
Also, I founded Macchu Picchu on the corn to the NE and builT an obelisk to capture a maximum number of ressources, which are noticeably scarce on this continent. Also, I want port-towns on both coasts, to get my caravals off in both directions and hopefully nab me the circumnavigation bonus.
Rather embarrassingly, I then losT my fourth city down the river to an axeman, one turn after settling. I felt so secure with barbs that I decided to chance founding with the garrison trailing two steps behind the settler – stupid and unnecessary, but fortunately I am so strong and far ahead in tech that I can take the hit. For revenge, I took over Cehalis, a barbarian settlement down SW with access to both floodplains, hills and some bonus ressources in 5 AD and razed Khoisan to the north.
Tech-wise, I researched up to COL, then metal casting and finally, to compass (40AD). Conveniently, Caesar converts to judaism in 235BC, while Ghandi stays buddhist. This is what I have been hoping for: Let’s you two fight …. hehehe. In 140AD I offer Julius COL and metal casting for a war on Ghandi, and he accepts. This is perfect, as Ghandi has been spreading quickly across the south and Julius is danger of falling behind. What I want is for both of them to burn units so they emerge equally weak and quarrelling for a long time, while I pull further ahead.
In 320AD I traded compass for mathematics from Ghandi, then discovered CS in 410 and revolt to bureaucracy. With the founding of a further settlement down the river, my empire is now up to five cities. Thanks to the whip, they are all equipped with granaries, some with libraries, forges and all are pushing for courthouses. I am trailing in score, but my neighbours are far behind in tech and at each others throats while I am gunning for machinery and, finally, optics. I expect to set out to the far shores in the late 500s and look forward to more trade, and finding out who I am really up against soon.
EDIT: Some typos
despite having open borders for ages. If I can get Buddhism, we can all be happy and peaceful and share techs without fear...
