=== ROUND 2 ===
1000 BC: When I loaded last night's save, I rushed a Settler from Bokhara and set Samarkand to building Pyramids (50 turns) to save me having to build Granaries.
975 BC: Settler built, switched Bokhara to Temple and sent the Settler off to join Karakorum. Zulus undertake Pyramids, curses! I am probably going to lose this Wonder race, but hopefully I can switch the production to another Wonder when it happens.
950 BC: My roving Horseman discovers what I choose to call North Cape at 27,3. There's no connection with the Arctic, so it's time to turn him south and see what the east side of the peninsula looks like. Does it have an eastern connection to the mainland?
900 BC: Karakorum switches to Temple. Because I might need to rush a Wonder, I looked into adjusting tax rate (currently 3/0/7 and science takes 15 turns). At 4/0/7 I'd get one extra gold and science would take 16 turns. At 7/0/3, I would get 16 gold and science would take 47 turns. Decided to leave it at 3/0/7. Just realised why I am so poor: all my huts this game have been advances, units or cities, never gold. But I do count my blessings: no Barbarians, either.
875 BC: Literacy > Construction. Population 400k.
850 BC: Ormuz founded at 46,46 to guard Karakorum on the north. Did some clicking on the black - there appears to be a continuous strip of Ocean #1 all the way up to my Horseman. If the peninsula does connect to the mainland on the east, it can only be by way of a narrows. There's also a lot of continent #5 beyond Ormuz - I really need to explore up that way to make sure there's nobody there. Bokhara appears to be on a stubby peninsula. The only known danger is from the west - the Celts.
825 BC: Kashgar builds Settler. Normally I'd build a throwaway Warrior next, but as it's the front line, switched to Horseman instead.
800 BC: Tabriz builds Settler. Headed south building a road.
750 BC: Road to Kashgar complete. Settlers from Kashgar and Karakorum shake hands and share a bottle of bubbly before the Karakorum Settler heads north to build a road to Samarkand while the Kashgar guy irrigates some desert to get water to the local Bison.
700 BC: A Barb Horseman appears outside Bokhara from the east. He is easily disposed of, but did he arise spontaneously or did someone bump a hut? I need to know. The trick is freeing up a resource to send that way when I am already fully occupied building Wonders and keeping my cities in order. This is where my sprawling empire shows its weakness. In other news, Kabul builds a Settler. Sending him south building a road to reduce the 16-square gulf between Kabula and Samarkand. Aleppo also builds a Settler. He will build a road to Tabriz and then found a city somewhere south of Tabriz.
650 BC: Americans undertake Pyramids. I need to develop either Pottery (for HG) or Mysticism (for Oracle) so I have something to switch to. People here seem to like Marco Polo and I could build that. In other news, a second Barb Horseman has appeared in the east, this time with another unit under it - probably a Leader. So that question is answered. Bokhara's Horseman has left town and is trying to sneak around behind them to capture the Leader when the Barb Horseman dies against Bokhara's Phalanx. Kashgar has built a Horseman - sending him west to look for a place for Kashgar's Settler to build a city.
625 BC: "Your troops have violated the territory of our city of Armagh..." - oops. The Celts are at 32,64, closer than I thought! So I reach a decision point: war or withdraw? It's a tiny city but it is defended by something. If it's a Warrior, I might (with the loss of some reputation) destroy or even capture the town and then try to negotiate peace, but if it's a Phalanx or Legion I will probably lose my Horseman and face an enraged AI. In that case I will have to forget development and go full military, which I am really uncomfortable with. I wimp out and move my Horseman away. In other news, the Zulus have nearly completed the Pyramids
. Cost to rush Pyramids: 516 gold. Treasury: 258 gold after killing the Barb Leader. Biting the bullet and switching Samarkand to building Marco Polo instead. My roving NON Horseman finds Basra hidden in a hut at 39,19 on the east shore of the peninsula. Just what I needed - another city that is miles off the beaten track. Still, it is only 7 squares from Nishapur so once Kabul's Settler roosts, all three (four) cities can be linked to Samarkand by a single long road.
600 BC: Zimbabwe builds the Pyramids. Another Zulu city switches to Colossus (GRR), and the Americans abandon their Pyramids project. Despite having a Phalanx, 2-population Kabul is suddenly unhappy, probably because of Basra. I have only 10
cities and I thought that at Deity level, Monarchy could have up to 12 cities (6
for Depotism) before getting extra unhappy people? This ramps up the difficulty! Also, I am now 2nd in Population although still 1st in most other demographics. Well, woe unto the Celts. I start my Horsemen on their way, rush a Diplomat in Kashgar and change tax rate to 7/0/3, although with my pathetic economy it's not much help.
575 BC: The Zulus have nearly completed the Colossus. So that's another one I won't get. I switch Karakorum to MP for now. Bokhara starts a Caravan. The Americans have started the Hanging Gardens. Ormuz (2 people) riots despite its Phalanx. My population reaches 500k and I am #1 in Population again. I guess it's the Germans - in the Top 5 Cities list, Berlin has 8 people, 2 happy, 4 red faces. I guess they are a Republic. I move Kashgar's Horseman back to Armagh: the Celts ask me if I want Pottery. I decline, since I hope to steal it from them next turn!
550 BC: Bapedi builds Colossus. My Diplomat bribes Armagh (which was suddenly just population 1 - if it built a Settler last turn I didn't get it) for 113 gold. I gain Pottery. IT'S WAR! Or is it? They demand Iron Working, I laugh at their threat, they offer a ceasefire. I plan to destroy them, but do I gain more by staying at war now or by using the ceasefire to move more troops up? I have no idea how far it is to their next city. I decide to stay at war and preserve what's left of my reputation.
525 BC: my advance guard bumps a Chariot but fortunately has movement left and kills it easily. There's a Warrior and some other unit standing on a neighbouring forest - I will need to knock them over to get past. I just have to hope the second unit is a Settler, otherwise my Horseman's goose is cooked.
500 BC: Suddeny Samarkand is unhappy - I guess due to Armagh adding city #11 to my roster. The second enemy unit is a Warrior, and the two Warriors move off the forest together, but a second Chariot appears from the black and kills Kashgar's Horseman anyway. Karakorum's Horseman can't hit the Chariot because of the two Warriors ZOC so it kills the two stacked Warriors instead, then retreats into Armagh. More of my Horsemen arrive in Armagh. I am swinging into full military mode but I am hindered by Samarkand and Karakorum's Wonders and Bokhara's Cavaran, since unlike the AI I can't change a city to build something else then change it back without losing all that work! I need to build either Oracle or HG or my Civ won't be able to sustain so many cities for long. I blow most of my remaining cash rushing the Caravan in Bokhara.
475 BC: I hoped the Chariot would advance on Armagh and be slaughtered, but it moves back into the black. That makes things tricky, because even though it is weakened (yellow bar) it can easily pop back and kill a Horseman. Unless it is reduced to one move, in which case I might risk advancing two squares. But what else do they have hidden in the black? I play cautiously, moving three Horsemen out one square each, to three different squares. Nishapur builds a Horseman for war. Aleppo builds a Chariot, although it will take quite a while for that to reach the front line.
450 BC: A Warrior moves out to face my Horsemen. Bokhara's Caravan arrives in Karakorum (44 more shields required, 9 turns, or 176 gold (my treasury has only 100 gold). Khanbalyk founded at 38,38 with a red face! I Make him into an entertainer and pray for HG. Kashgar builds a Horseman. Bokhara's Horseman kills the Warrior and becomes a Veteran but is in yellow health - he needs to go back to Armagh to heal up. My advance is stalled, because I am using vulnerable Horsemen, and I don't know what is on the other side of that forest - except that there's definitely a Horseman-killing Chariot there. I need a Phalanx to stand on that forest, and although Armagh is building one it will be a while before it is ready. I compromise, moving up one square but avoiding the tempting forest. In other news, even putting tax to 7/3/0, Karakorum no longer has a happy guy to balance its red face. If I move lux to 40% rather than budge a worker, I lose 4 gold in taxes. After a bit of testing I make an entertainer and leave tax at 7/1/2.
425 BC: Philadeplphia discovers Philosophy. The Greeks undertake HG. Two Archers climb onto the forest I avoided. Boy am I glad I didn't put a Horseman there! Problem is, with only two Horsemen available (attach 2 each) I may not have enough firepower to dislodge two Archers (defense 2, times 50%, plus maybe Veteran). If the first Horseman gets lucky, fine, but if he dies (more likely) then the other, full health Archer will defend against the second Horseman. I decide to withdraw one square in hopes of tempting the Archers to advance.
400 BC: They advance, losing their forest advantage. I kill them both, but my Horsemen are both badly damaged. I have only one healthy Horseman left at the front. To advance wthout support would be foolhardy. That Chariot is still back there somewhere.
375 BC: The Warrior advances and is killed. My wounded Horsemen retreat into Armagh. The road to Samarkand is completed and the Settler passes through to begin building road north from Samarkand to meet the road that Kabul's new-built Settler is building south from Kabul. In other news, I have 152 gold in the Treasury and only need 128 to rush HG in Karakorum, whereas it will take 7 turns to finish building it, with the risk of being gazumped. I pay.
350 BC: HANGING GARDENS IN KARAKORUM. WLTK day in K! I quickly stop that by putting the entertainer back on the land - if I was a Republic I'd celebrate for population growth, but now I need the shields more. Population 700k. A Chariot advances on Armagh, and a valiant Horseman rides out and shows it the quickest route to the city cemetery. Armagh's new Phalanx runs out and joins the victorious Horseman on the field to prepare for next turn's advance.
325 BC: A Celtish horseman roars up and dies on my Phalanx's shield. The Phalanx is now a Vet but his health bar suggests a bit of R&R in Armagh would be in order. Instead I order the advance, and my clustered Horsemen dislodge some Warriors from the forest. One Horseman climbs a tree and discovers the city of Kells (population 2) on the other side.
300 BC: My Phalanx enters the forest and my Horsemen commence the assault on Kells, killing a defending Phalanx and a newly arrived Legion, although my surviving units are left with deep red health. The city is down to one population but still has a defender.
275 BC: Aleppo builds a Chariot. A healthy Horseman arrives and kills another Legion. Kells is destroyed! I wanted that city. Petulantly, I wipe out a Warrior that is left standing in the ruins. Five badly injured Horsemen and an injured Phalanx survey the battlefield but have been robbed of the prize that could have healed them up and provided a staging post for going deeper into the Celts empire. I need to withdraw the worst-injured Horsemen to Armagh and maybe bring up a Settler. Kashgar's Settler is busy mining a Special. I advance the Phalanx and one Horseman onto Kells' site. A mistake: I should have moved them south onto a nice little road. Oh well. I have more Horsemen coming from Armagh but it will be a couple of turns before they get there.
250 BC: Phalanx and Horseman arrive outside 5-population Cardiff. The city has no walls!
225 BC: Curses, Cardiff builds walls. This raises the stakes. I was going to try my luck with what I had, but now I must wait another turn for more units to arrive. Bokhara's second Caravan arrives in Samarkand. Resources 209/200. It will build Marco Polo next turn. I briefly consider changing to Great Library, but that would be another 19 turns. A shame I don't have Mysticism so I can't go for Oracle. Still, this will free up my second biggest city to build military. My major cities are now building Chariots and considering stepping up to Catapults. I'm not building Cats yet because I don't know if I'll need them before I expand overseas.
200 BC: A Chariot and a Warrior try to take out my Phalanx and the Horsemen it is sheltering, but fail.
175 BC: I commence the dreaded Mongol Storm. I suffer heavy losses but the city's defenders, a Phalanx and a Warrior, are finally worn down and fall. My last available Horseman canters up with 2/3 of a move left. The city is mine and the sack begins! The Phalanx follows him in and decides to make Cardiff his new home.
150 BC: Population 850k. Kashgar's Settler has made a Silk forest and now he is free to build a road into the former Celtic lands and eventually rebuild Kells. The Celts want peace and Mathematics, but I deny them both. A Horseman finds Carmarthen but it has only 2 population and now that the Celts have (hopefully) lost their capital I should probably look for a more, um, Diplomatic solution. I rush one in Cardiff.
125 BC: My Diplomat spreads 136 gold around and Carmarthen is mine.
75 BC: Population 1,110,000. A Chariot finds 2-population Caenarfon. He has 1 move left and might win, but even if the city is left defenceless he wouldn't be able to occupy it, so he returns to Carmarthen. MOAR DIPLOMACY REQUIRED. Karakorum and Kashgar have made some and one is on the way from Bokhara, but they will take a few turns to reach the front. I switch most of my cities to building Catapults and military police (aka Warriors). Tax to 2/1/7 - time to get science moving again.
50 BC: Marco polo comes into play and I get Mysticism and Polytheism (yay, Elephants) from the Zulus in return for The Wheel and Warrior Code. I will probably have cause to regret this when the Zulus attack me, but I need that extra content citizen! The Germans buy me off with 200 gold. The Spanish ignore me. I get Philosophy and Seafaring from the Americans, and we share maps. The Greeks ignore me. They all make peace with me, although the Zulus warn that they know what I did to the Celts and they will be watching me closely. Looking at my new map, the Americans are on my continent just the other side of the Celts (drat, so much for killing off the Celts then going for peaceful development) while the Germans are also on my continent and on the other side of the Americans. The cities that were building Catapults are now building Elephants instead. The Americans may soon have cause to regret sharing their map!
25 BC: Defensive measures and moving stuff to the front.
1 AD: Monarchy, 14 cities, 1.2m population, 21 techs, 480 gold. Units: 51, including 8 Settlers, 14 Horsemen, 5 Chariots and 3 Diplomats. 8 Elephants in production. At war with the Celts, who are down to 4 cities (was 3, so Cork is new and weak), Peace with everyone else. Zulus: Despotism, 10 cities; Germans: Republic, 3 cities (but Berlin is huge); Spanish: Despotism, 5 cities; Americans: Despotism, 7 cities. Their nearest, Philadelphia, is building the Great Library and I am inclined to let them build it, then take it from them! Greeks: Despotism, 10 cities, and they have the Lighthouse, so I expect to hear from them. My power is Supreme and my reputation is Honorable.
I now face a dilemma. Normally from this point I'd just keep the war machine rolling and take the whole continent
(this would take perhaps 30-40 moves), but this game limits me to 20 cities. I have 14 cities now. If I capture all 4 remaining Celt cities I will have 18 cities, which gives me a bag limit of only 2 American cities. Philadelphia is one obvious target, with New York sitting astride a river behind it being another. Both are excellent sites with specials and growth potential. That makes 20 cities, but control of Washington and Boston is needed to make possession of New York and Philadephia secure. My conclusion is, once the Celts are gone I will need to disband several small cities before I continue my conquests. My low income (I usually have a bunch of trade routes by now) means I can't rush Settlers. So I will have to mark time for a while, disband some Horsemen (they're nearly at their use-by date) and build up a reserve of Settlers from the dead cities. That will also give the Zulus and Greeks time to find me, which will make for fun times. Sooner or later someone will discover Railroad, which will cancel HG. I need to have my cities set up to cope with that - building MC is the obvious solution, with Samarkand, Kashgar, and Bokhara pumping Caravans into Karakorum. Nobody has Montheism yet, but the Americans are working on it so I will try to trade them for it.
TL;DR? I think I will need Caravans instead of Elephants and use them to beat the Americans to Michaelangelo's Chapel!
it could have been worse.
