predator ptw - goal: space is the place.
Middle ages spoiler
At the dawn of the Medievals, research is carried over at bare minimum toward Engineering. Meanwhile Egypt amass troops, build a road north and prepare for the takeover of China. For a long time, the army sits idle doing nothing while the scarce worker force roads the mountains north. It's a precise strategy: once connected, the Chinese cities will be easier to maintain and the core will benefit of the hooked luxuries.
The government remains a despotism. No one bothers to research Monarchy and when finally someone has it, it's too costly to be bought. In 210 BC, the road is finally complete and the war versus the chinese begins. Nanking and Xinjan fall easily. Beijing offers a fierce resistance but is captured anyway with some losses; two more luxuries are hooked at this point. Troops are enough to prosecute the war and the next target is the northern town of Shangai to negate the Chinese source of iron. A leader is generated and is kept spare for a future FP rush in the forming 2nd core. With the large cash amassed we're able to buy Feudalism from the Celts and trade it for Republic with America.
In 50 AD Cairo is founded and the FP is rushed immediately. At this point it's no more convenient to stay in despo and a revolution is held. In 70 AD the Republic of Egypt is finally established. In the very same turn Engineering is complete and despite the Celts knows it too we're able to trade it for Monotheism. At this point research is resumed toward Invention at max speed.
The chinese war goes on. Next targets are the southern town of Canton (spices) and Tsingtao. In 110 AD Canton falls, after a failed attack the turn before. In 150 AD Tsingtao is owned and peace is finally signed. China toss in a city and Monarchy. The intention was to use it to rush the Hanging Gardens later, but not any leader has emerged after the first (despite at least 20 elite victories!) for the whole medievals
The next victim is America. We're able to take over Philadelphia and New York and seize the 5th luxury (incense) but heavy losses prevents us to advance further toward Washington. Meanwhile Invention and Gunpowder are researched. We sign peace with America extorting Theology, then trade Gunpowder it to the Arabs (Education) and Celts (Chivalry). We insist on the lower branch by researching Chemistry.
After a few peaceful turns, it's time to take over the rest of China and to trigger the golden age. War is declared in 380AD and the Chinese are completely assimilated in 500AD. In those few turns we research Chemistry and Metallurgy and trade the first with the Arabs in return for Astronomy. From this point, we're able to sustain 4 turns research until the end. We go for Physics and gift it to everyone. Given the fondness of the AS for the upper optional branch, we go for Magnetism and Gravity, leaving Banking in the hope that someone research it.
In 610AD, war with America is declared again. Next turn we take over Seattle, complete Gravity and complete Copernicus in Alexandria thanks to a clever prebuild. Elephantine switches its palace to Newton. Too bad no one has researched Banking and we have to go it the hard way.
In 630AD Washington is finally captured and the 6th luxury (ivory) is seized. More importantly, the Celts have finally researched Banking and we're able to buy the tech with interests. At this point we're in the Industrials. Banking is sold away for all the money we can get, then Germany is gifted into the Industrials. They draw Steam Power, so we go for Medicine. We should be able to buy Steam for Medicine + some quids once the tech is researched, since the AS is quite likely to go for Nationalism or Democracy.
Tech log:
3900BC: Masonry, Ceremonial Burial (prerequisites);
2670BC: Alphabet (self); Pottery, Warrior Code (trade, America); Bronze (trade, China);
2350BC: Iron, Wheel (trade, Germany);
1950BC: Mysticism (trade, Germany);
1790BC: Writing (research + trade, America)
1150BC: Literature (self); Maps, Math (trade, Celts); Horse Riding (trade, China);
-975BC: Code of Laws (trade, Germany), Philosophy (trade, Arabia);
-730BC: Polytheism (self); Construction (trade, Arabia); Currency (trade, Celts);
*********************************************
--10AD: Feudalism (trade, Celts); Republic (trade, America);
--70AD: Engineering (self); Monotheism (trade, Germany);
-150AD: Monarchy (pointystick, China);
-260AD: Invention (self);
-350AD: Gunpowder (self); Theology (pointystick, America);
-380AD: Education (trade, Arabia); Chivalry (trade, Celts);
-440AD: Chemistry (self);
-470AD: Astronomy (trade, Arabia);
-500AD: Metallurgy (self);
-540AD: Physics (self);
-560AD: Navigation (trade, Arabia);
-580AD: Magnetism (self);
-620AD: Gravity (self);
-630AD: Banking (research + trade, Celts);
A shoot of the terrific 2nd core. It took a while to build it up but it was worth it.
So I didn't have to chase it.
. Abu had just joined the MA crew, getting Feudalism 
as his free tech, so Mecca had a pike defending it. I leisurly tidied up the remaining towns while bringing most of my forces into Celt lands. Baghdad flipped once, getting a pike as a defender, which was the third and last pike I would see in this game. I got the remote Arab towns past the northern jungle in a peace deal in 230 AD. By then Arabia was down to only Kufah on the south-western tip of the land.
. Only previous 10k+ was in GOTM41 Persia, the game where a good quarter of the field had 10k+ scores, so this feels like a first.
you got me by 1 turn 
If no one else does better, it would be the 2nd time i win an award for a mere 1 turn of difference 
