Predator, because
noblesse oblige and
...is for the faint-hearted
Settled in place and went for the granary gambit. Worker roads the two moos, then irrigate moo1 and mine moo2, with Pottery being researched just in time for the barracks prebuild to avoid completition and switch to granary. Next tech is Writing at max. When the granary is complete, the four-turner is immediately operational. Athens starts producing settlers at pop 4-5 and so it goes for most of the ancient age, with the sole exception of a pair of workers later on.
I spot a hut in the immediate vicinity and no AS comes around to pop it, that means lots of land for expansion and/or enemies far away. When city 2 is founded i send the
worker to explore it, and get my very first combat units from there, a conscript warrior that is sent exploring around.
A first ring is built at distance 3, then a second one at distance 6, with a pair of stray cities to claim useful land and NOT leave dangerous spots open for barb breeding. We build nothing but workers and regular warriors at first, then core cities specialize: some build barracks and start chunking out veteran units, others continue with workers and the occasional reg warrior for MP duty and exploration.
Barbs were not an annoyance, at first. I managed to win several battles, by defending on mountains on the NW/SE axis, but when barb horsemen showed up i started losing units at an alarming rate, and had to divert some production to hoplites and archers in order to get rid of them.
When Writing is complete, as a monopoly tech, i have knowledge of India and Rome and i can buy contact with China, Masonry, Bronze Working and Iron Working, adding some gpt to the bargaining table. Paying gpt to the AS was enough to keep them happy and deter them to turn nasty on me prematurely (i am very weak at this stage!). But it also meant less money for research. Fortunately, a source of iron shows up, in range but unconnected, leaving me with the option of building veteran warriors and save money for a mass-upgrade later on, keeping research at minimum.
With the right pick there's still a chance to get a useful tech. My choose is Code of Laws and it didn't work, but
nothing would have worked because in the meantime the AS had researched everything, including Literature. However, not everyone had everything, and with the large mass of money i had collected i was able to buy CoL at a discount, Map Making, Philosophy, Wheel and Horse Riding, paving my way to Republic. I had once again to pay gpt to Rome and China, but i still want them happy at this stage.
The QSC mark is hit with 15 cities, 37 population units and an army consisting of 21 workers, 23 warriors (11 veterans), 5 archers, 3 galleys and 4 hoplites.
At the time i'm 9 turns away from Republic and about to connect iron. However, i had to stop research for a few turns and resume it at a slower pace, because lots of money went in the early tech trade and it needs a lot of cash for the mass-upgrade of warriors.
As the warriors are upgraded, Republic is still many turns away and i'm also paying unit support costs (in despotism!) so i decide to go to war anyway, and to hell with the poprushing stuff. Obvious target is India. War is declared in 850bc, honorably, and the first 3 cities fall easily in the next turn, netting also 2 elite promotions. But then, in the battle of Delhi i stumble upon a SOUR (String Of Unlucky Rolls) that slows me down a bit. However there are enough troops to go on anyway.
Republic is finally researched in 690bc. I drew 4 turns of anarchy and did not reroll. The tech is sold to Rome and China for Mysticism, Polytheism, Math, Literature, updated world maps and a good amount of cash. As soon as i get out of Anarchy i trigger the golden age with a veteran hoplite attacking a redlined enemy.
The remaining techs are still unknown, so i go for Currency but China, who has Construction, flatly refuse any sort of trade that doesn't involve an outrageous amount of cash, so i had to half-research it first. Finally, in 410bc, i'm able to buy Currency and make it to the middle ages. I get Engineering as a free tech and go slowly for Feudalism. Meanwhile, China becomes a
Monarchy. Bad news, they won't feel war weariness and will be tough opponents till the very end. Well, i'll have to deal with it.
Middle ages begins with India still alive, but about to be destroyed. The ugly part is that i still do not have contacts with the AS on the other continent. A few galleys were sunk trying, one of them even managed to see foreign borders in the distance, but did not survive to make the final trip. At this point i'm about to send a fleet of 4 galleys all at once, hoping that at least one of them will survive long enough to make contact.
The plan for the middle ages is to hand-build the FP near the capital, jump the palace in the Roman land with a leader and, of course, take over the whole continent as soon as possible. We need two leaders, one for the palace jump and one to build Sun Tzu somewhere, and it shouldn't be too hard to get them. After that, i'll probably have to research my way up to Navigation before venturing oversea.
Alas, this game is very time-consuming and i'm playing it in a very fragmented way, something that does not help careful planning. I hope to get a good final date anyway. So far, i'm doing fairly well.
Here are some logs:
Techs:
4000bc: Alphabet (prerequisite);
3250bc: Pottery (research);
2110bc: Writing (research); Masonry, Bronze, War Code (trade, India); Iron Working (trade, China);
1575bc: Ceremonial Burial (trade, India);
1225bc: Map Making (trade, China); Philosophy, Wheel (trade, India); Code of Laws (trade, Rome);
1200bc: Horse Riding (trade, India);
_690bc: Republic (research); Mysticism (trade, China); Literature, Math, Poly (trade, Rome);
_530bc: Currency (research);
_410bc: Construction (trade, China); Engineering (scientific bonus);
Cities until 1000bc:
4000bc: Athens
2800bc: Sparta
2590bc: Thermopylae
2470bc: Corinth
2230bc: Delphi
2070bc: Pharsalos
1700bc: Knossos
1625bc: Argos
1525bc: Mycenae
1425bc: Plebos Nexia;
1325bc: Herakleia;
1275bc: Qitaiodea;
1225bc: Brempalonica;
1125bc: Ephesus;
1025bc: Thessalonica;
Meetings:
2850bc: India
2150bc: Rome
2110bc: China
And a shot of my landmass at 1000 bc:
There are a number of AI with you on your starting landmass, and they're not too far away. How did initial contacts go? You have a fair chunk of land in your region of the continent; were you able to control most of it or did the AI challenge you for it? What is your situation entering the Middle Ages?
my computer into a second level of death. 
