Diplomatic victory in 1904 AD. 1086 Firaxis, 3295 Jason. Over 24 hours clocked in. Meh.
At last the Industrial Age, where Babylon recovers from the disgrace of a failed invasion, shows the world the power of artillery, and rises to a commanding lead to win!
When last we left off, the Greek cities, now turned new homeland of Babylon, had shaped up somewhat through the Middle Ages and were now contenders with the AIs in production and population. The AIs all had food bonus tiles around several of their cities and had multiple size 12 cities. I had twice as many cities, but most were still at size 6-8. Aqueducts were finishing up in most of my cities that didn't have one yet, so soon I would surpass the other civs.
For the last couple of centuries, I had been massing units to attack France, Babylon's closest rival in culture and technology. Knocking France out of the running and adding the French homeland would propel us far forward, and now that Babylon had a strong cavalry force, it was felt the French musketeers could be overcome successfully. But we had to move fast before the French could field riflemen that would stop this invasion in its tracks.
In 1400 I declare war on France and send in the cavalry! They take Avignon in the same turn. We capture Lyons in 1410 only to have it flip back to France next turn and destroy a rifleman as well as a half-dozen MDIs on garrison. Joan drafted a rifleman in Lyons. Uh-oh. In 1450 I retake Lyons and keep it for good.
Spain reaches the Industrial Age around this point. The window of opportunity for French conquest is starting to close....
American archers are wandering in my territory, sitting on my iron. Bad Lincoln. I issue a boot order in 1440 and he declares. I kill the archers before they pillage and sign a MA with India right away to keep America busy; this does the trick as I only see a single American cavalry for the rest of this "war". Guess they were busy on a wonder, Washington builds JS Bach's in 1470. America baits Korea into the war, and Kon declares against me and Indiathen Lincoln backstabs Korea and takes P'yongyang in 1545. India takes the city from America next turn.I started the French War with ten cannons, and by war's end I had twice that many, but they did me little good. I spent the next hundred years after the recapture of Lyons bombarding Paris and Tours, accomplishing little more than structural damage and frightening the citizenry as my cannon divisions can't hit the broad side of a barn. Both cities had at least 5 defenders and more conscripts were popping up faster than cannons can redline them.
France, America, and India have all got Nationalism now, and Joan's churning out riflemen like mad in her Golden Age. I sue for peace in 1530 and fall back. So much for knocking France out of the game, but at least I set France back with the loss of two French cities and destruction of all the improvements in Paris and Tours.
I turn my attention to assisting India against America. In 1570 India captures Boston after my cavalry kill most of the defenders, and the war between America and India comes to a end next turn. I sign peace too; I need a break from war weariness.
I keep to myself for the next century and carry out another buildup, switch over to Democracy, construct factories in my cities, build a rail network, and soon I'll have a mean modern war machine in Babylon. Next time there's a war, it WON'T come out to a stalemate.
France and India seem to be taking different paths through the tech tree and trading with each other. I'm just barely keeping pace with them, but pulling away from the other AIs.
In 1620 I get Replaceable Parts. Now I'm glad I put Ellipi on that one-tile tundra island south of my starting island. There was rubber there! Riflemen get upgrades, and I cough up one-third of my treasury to transform my disappointing collection of 20 cannons into...
...the ARTILLERY STACK OF DOOM! I then notify my troops that after evaluation of previous performances, any artilleryman who cannot learn to hit the broad side of a barn with the new long range bombardment guns will be used for target practice.
Also in 1620, I finish Smith's Trading Company in Athens. America, Spain, France, and the Iroquois are all fighting over that forsaken island up north. Spain, America, and the Iroquois go to war and cities get razed up there. Eventually the Iroquois take control of most of it, but two French villages get left alone.
In 1665 Spain builds Shakespeare's Theatre in Madrid. Hmm, Hamlet in Spanish...?
The Iroquois reach the Industrial Age about this time.
In 1705, Gandhi's vile treacherous streak emerges! He sneak-attacks Samarra with 4 cavalry, and loses three of them but wins the battle, killing two infantry units and seizing the city.
He will rue the day.

I arrange military alliances with America, Spain, and France. Samarra is immediately retaken in 1710 and the drums of war sound throughout Babylon!
Corinth was so blessed as to have both iron and coal in the city radius, and in this year finished the Iron Works. Infantry and cavalry start rolling off the assembly lines, and the ARTILLERY STACK OF DOOM is set in firing position two tiles west of Madras, with three infantry for cover.
KABOOM.
Madras is shelled down to size 4 from size 12, all the improvements are destroyed, all the defenders are redlined, and cavalry steamroll the town, capturing it. This scene repeats itself at Karachi in 1720, in Bombay in 1730, and in Calcutta in 1745.
In 1750, Babylon finishes Universal Suffrage. Kish is settled in between the ruins of Karachi and Jaipur. This city won't grow much, but I need to put something there to fill in culture before another AI grabs the iron.
The time scale changes to 2 years per turn. I split off a few artillery from the growing ASOD, now 25 artillery deep, and move them towards Indian-occupied Boston. In 1752, the larger half of the ASOD is in range of Calcutta. KABOOM. Gandhi drafts away Calcutta's population as fast as I can kill it off through shelling and the city ends up size 1 before I take it in 1758. Meanwhile, shelling of Boston continues, and in 1760 Boston is captured by Babylonian forces as well. Gandhi sues for peace, I give his emissary the finger and march on to Lahore. France backs out of the war.
In 1762 the ASOD is reunited on the incense hill southeast of Boston. With India's saltpeter cut off now, there'll be no more annoying cavalry making hit-and-run attacks to pick off my weakened cavalry units. India got Replaceable Parts in the last couple turns and is drafting infantry. I disconnect the rubber near Delhi to put a stop to that.
1764. KABOOM. Two turns of shelling and Lahore is turned into wreckage and captured in 1766.
War weariness is starting to kick in. I send cavalry at Delhi to clash with the conscript rifle garrison; my forces take moderate losses but pick off most of the defenders. Most of the ASOD goes to work on Delhi. A few artillery units shell Kolhapur, on the 1-tile island offshore, and kill some of the population so the capital doesn't jump there when Delhi falls.
In 1768 Delhi is captured, and Gandhi flees with the Indian government to Hyderabad, on the island in the middle of the ocean way off to the east. That and Kolhapur are all that's left of India after 58 years.
America and Spain make peace with India after the military alliances run out.
The recent conquests have left a big gaping culture hole in the middle of what was eastern India. I found Nippur 4 tiles southwest of Boston to plug it and rush temples and cathedrals in the surrounding cities. In the meanwhile I shell Kolhapur to size 1 and blow up all the improvements; with no harbor it can't grow and it stays at size 1 the rest of the game. It has quite a bit of culture so I can't flip it anytime soon, and I can't take it over without marines. India launches a caravel of boat people from Hyderabad, but I sink it with an ironclad.
Unable to do any more damage to India without an overseas invasion force, and war weariness mounting, I demand peace. He forks over his map and all of 3 gold, and Babylon turns again to rebuild the territory gained. Unlike the past age after the Greek conquest, Babylon now has sizeable coffers and a strong worker force. The captured Indian cities soon come into their own as valuable production centers.
In 1784 Babylon builds the Intelligence Agency.
Peace is fleeting in the Industrial Age. A mutual protection pact signed with the French in 1792 in exchange for their dyes and 118 GPT from France was to be peace's undoing when Lincoln and Joan began squabbling again next turn.
Babylon was at war again, this time with America. Once again the ASOD is set in motion. Now 35-deep, it rumbles up to the hills south of Washington with three infantry escorting as Babylonian cavalry exchange fire with their American counterparts. Most of my cities are set to build cavalry to keep up with the casualties. Losses are moderate on both sides as my cavalry encamp on the hills and mountains around Washington.
The KABOOM-ing begins in 1798. Over the next 5 turns I shell Washington to the ground as American cavalry try to unroot my own. They get a leader in 1804. :shakehead: Washington is reduced to size 1 and everything in it is destroyed but the Palace and the city's Wonders. But Washington now has at least 6 infantry defending, two of them elites, a one-unit cavalry army, and the city is on a hill!
Even with a 35-deep artillery stack I can't do more than leave all the units with 2 HP before I run out of shots. Without a barracks, in a city all the units still recover 2 HP back. The damage is just getting spread out too much.
The first sign of France taking action in the war is in 1810 when they take P'yongyang, which the Americans had took from the Indians in 1550, which the Indians had just took from Korea in 1545.
In 1810 a great triumph in production occurs with the completion of the Hoover Dam in Corinth. Now we can crank out units like never before! Perhaps now the siege of Washington would make headway. A bold plan was launched....
In 1816, Babylonian forces make a daring raid! After the round's bombardment that leave the defenders all with 2 HP, nine Babylonian cavalry battalions make suicide charges at the city. It's a bloody battle, but seven of the nine retreat on their last HP and live to fight another day. They succeeded in picking off three defenders, though, and that makes all the difference.
1818 sees all the surviving garrison redlined for the first time. I pick off another defending infantry, but lose four cavalry in the process. Much of my cavalry force is back in friendly territory recovering from last turn's heroics. Refining reveals we have lots of oil, including one source on our start island, and one source near Washington that will soon be ours as well. Research starts on Motorized Transportation, done in 4 turns.
In 1820, with half the garrison gone, the ASOD succeeds in redlining all the defenders of Washington again. The cavalry that survived the Raid of 1816 descend on the city to finish the job.
The final battle costs me four more cavalry, but Washington falls, and the rest of America will soon feel the wrath of the ASOD. Soon tanks will follow!
In 1826 Motorized Transportation finishes and the first tanks roll off the assembly lines. Atlanta is bombarded to a husk, captured, and disbanded after it hits size 3 again. I don't like where it's situated and will refound Zariqum one tile northeast of the ruins in 1838 after the war ends.
In 1830, the French send out forces from Chartres, an isolated French city on the far tip of the eastern peninsula, and capture Chicago out from under my nose.
The last American city, Philidelphia, takes a while to reach since jungles get in the way of our troops and slow us down. The ASOD slowly moves into position to finish off the final American stronghold, but the fearsome power of the ASOD is shown up by a greater power: the power of tanks! Two of the new technological terrors rumble up to Philidelphia, blitz the riflemen before bombardment can commence, and capture the city mostly intact. Lincoln is forced into early retirement. After the fall of Philidelphia in 1836, I get right to work rebuilding the captured cities, and start a Palace prebuild for the U.N. in Corinth. Should take 13 turns with Corinth producing 82 shields/turn. I build Wall Street in Babylon in 1842, +50 GPT is always nice.
I finish researching Flight in 1848 and reach the Modern Age first, getting Rocketry as my free tech. I've definitely come a long way this age, knocking one rival civ out of the running and another out of the game entirely. I still don't have much of a tech lead, but I've pulled ahead a little and the AIs are 3-4 techs back now. The Iroquois have come from second-to-last to tied at second with France in the tech race. Behold the power of booze.
My Palace prebuild has 6 turns left on it in Corinth. Set science to research Fission, 5 turns at 80% science. With only about 150 turns left in the game I'm starting to feel like I'm racing the clock.
I get Fusion in 1858 and start on Ecology; 5 turns at 80% science. Turns out there's uranium on our little starting island. Guess that's another good reason for not abandoning it. I timed my prebuild in Corinth almost perfectly; U.N. will finish next turn. I bribe both Isabella and Kon to Gracious with luxury and tech gifts and a ROP to win their votes. No amount of gifts or agreements will make France or India stop being furious, though.
The United Nations is unveiled to the world in 1860 and the first election for Secretary General is called!
Inconclusive vote. Something has to be done to tip the balance. There are six civs left in the game, and I can secure three votes as long as I don't make any heinous diplomacy blunders.
As I found out a few turns into the Modern Age, the island where Hyderabad sits has oil, aluminum, AND uranium on it. With these, Gandhi might eventually be able to make a nuisance of himself againor at least trade these to someone else so THEY can be a nuisanceso that settles it. Gandhi, you gotta go bye-bye now.
I spend the next 15 turns being VERY nice to everyone who doesn't already hate me while quietly building up a very large attack force. If this U.N. thing doesn't work out, I'm going to sweep the continent and go for Domination. At this point I had doubts if my rate of research, 5-6 turns a tech at 80%, was enough to finish the tech tree and build a spaceship before 2050. I have to slow down a bit to build up cash for upgrades; I had negative GPT at 80% science.
In 1868 Ecology is done, I start Amphibious Warfare since I need marines for my Master Plan. 4 turns at 40%. Most cities start Mass Transit for pollution control.
1876 and Amphibious Warfare is done. Synthetic Fibers in 6 turns at 60%. I start a few Marines and assemble the main invasion force in Boston as transports are dispatched to pick them up. While I'm preparing the invasion of Gandhi's frozen island refuge, the second U.N. vote is proposed. I call off the election for now.
The invasion force is ready in 1886, and two transports carrying six tanks and six artillery launch from Boston with a battleship escort. Another transport stays behind in port in Delhi, which holds a few newly-built marines. ASOD goes to Lahore to prepare to bombard Kolhapur and...huh? It's undefended! Funny, I could have sworn there was a rifleman or two there a couple turns ago.
Synthetic Fibers finishes in 1888. Recycling in 6 turns @ 60%. Too late to call the invasion force tanks back for upgrades. Oh well, Gandhi only has riflemen; he's got no rubber for infantry. In 1890 I declare war on India with the invasion fleet just outside his maritime borders, sign up everyone else in the world with a military alliance against Gandhi so he can't get them to turn against me first, and land the troops.
In 1892 Hyderabad goes KABOOM and falls in one swift decisive stroke. Next turn in 1894 the marines set out from Delhi. I'd...kinda forgotten to launch the previous turn. The transport moves a few tiles over, reaches a strangely undefended Kolhapur, unloads the marines into the city, and our favorite warmongering pacifist is out of the game.
Recycling done in 1900. Computers in 9 turns at 40%, need some money for future upgrades, and hopefully research won't matter now. The French and Iroquois exchange Flight and Radio and trade each other into the Modern Age themselves.
I continue playing nice to Spain and Korea to keep them gracious and wait for the third vote, all the while continuing to build up troops to blitz France off the map. By now I have 50 Modern Armors, 92 Infantry, a quaint little air force of 10 bombers and 4 jet fighters, and I'm making a beeline to Robotics for Radar Artillery. The mighty ASOD is 50-strong now, and when turned into Radar Artillery it will END THE WORLD.
The third U.N. vote is called in 1904.
And with that:
At this point I submitted my save. Quite a learning experience with this game.

For fun, I reloaded my last save in 1902 from before the U.N. vote, called the election off, and immediately proceeded to carry out plan Bsweep the continent for a Domination victory, just to see how it might have went.
Diplomacy went haywire suddenly. I declare war on France right away in 1904, activate a MPP and the Iroquois declare on me. Spain declared war on Korea in 1906, called France into it, and overran Korea by 1914. Good thing I got their vote while I could.
OK, since I'm going into overtime I'll make it short; here's the timetable:
1906: Chicago, Chartres, and Marseilles captured.
1910: Rheims and Tours captured. Great Leader Agum appears (my first leader all game!).
1912: Paris captured.
1914: P'yongyang captured. Spanish destroy Korea.
1916: Orleans captured.
1920: Heroic Epic built in Athens (finally). Spain enters Modern Age.
With France reduced to three overseas fishing villages I let Joan simmer a few turns while sinking Hiawatha's warships with my artillery and bombers. France makes peace in 1922. The Iroquois won't talk until I make a landing on that disputed colony island and raze Seattle in 1936. I delay the attack on Spain until Robotics, researching the next few techs at 50% to save up gold for upgrades.
1959: Robotics finished. 60 Artillery upgraded to Radar Artillery. World ends...soon.
1961: Seoul, Wonsan, and Pusan captured.
1962: Seville captured.
1963: Toledo captured. Great Leaders Sargon and Sumuabum appear. (I immediately used Sargon to rush The Internet.)
1964: Zaragoza and Madrid captured.
1965: Barcelona and Murcia captured.
1966: Ciudad de la Luna, Valencia, and Santiago captured. Great Leader Ashurbanipal appears. Spain destroyed.
I rushed temples/cathedrals in the captured Spanish cities as they stopped resisting. Domination victory triggered in 1968 after all the culture boundaries re-expanded. Looking at my final domination save I think Space Race was quite doable after all with only two techs to go for all the spaceship components to be available, and I could have even achieved a 100k culture win sometime around 2010 even without the Spanish conquests.