I Fought The Demigod And The Demigod Won

[floydmcw]

I whined in the Conquests forum that I was having trouble with Demigod. I asked if it would be okay to post a game for comments and was told to go for it. So without further ado, here is my attempt to beat Demigod with the Egyptians.

Egyptians (Rel/Ind), 4 billion, normal climate, 60% continents. All victory conditions and cultural conversion.

I preview three start locations like I've seen people do on SG threads. One is clearly inferior; the other two are attached.

Start #1:



Start #2:



Now which should I choose? #1 has three bonus wheats, two of which accrue to the start city (+4 food). It also has a nearby lux, and a goody hut. I would send the worker over to the hut, which would slow the improvement
of Homestar but would also get me something for free.

#2 has a cow, two bonus grasslands, a game, and a flood plain -- effectively +4 food AND +3 shields. And the surrounding terrain is good in that I can put another city on the flood plain. Okay, I choose start #2.

4000 BC: I found Homestar (can you believe it!) and start a warrior.
Pottery in 23 at +1 gold per turn, to ensure building a granary.

3950: Irrigate the cow.

3900: zzz

3850: zzz

3800: Road the cow.

3750: Homestar warrior -> warrior. He heads west (I am in the SE corner).

3700: Homestar grows. Lux to 10. Pottery in 13, which is more or less when
I will want it.

Warrior discovers lots more flood plain.

3650: Warrior moves.

3600: Homestar warrior -> warrior; this one heads north.

3550: Exploration.

3500: Homestar expands. Goody hut to the south. Also a goody hut next to
the western warrior.

3450: I meet American scout. That's annoying; he'll grab those goody huts.
Americans have Bronze and Pottery and three cities (when I give # of
cities I will count the capital).

I have Cerem Burial and 23. I could get Pottery now for Cerem and his
10, or I could try for Bronze -- which would take my entire economy,
it looks like. I get Pottery now. Homestar -> granary in 10; min
sci for Wheel.

Tempting to whack the scout, but I assume that would be a bad idea.
I ignore the goody hut that my warrior is near. The Americans can
have the cheap techs; I can't afford a storm of barbs when trying to
crank out settlers.

3300: Spot Americans about 8 north of me.

3250: Lots of marsh near Americans.

3200: Spot a barb. Homestar grows to 4, lux to 20.

3150: Run away from the barb.

3100: Worker mines the second BG, starts roading.

3050: Nothing really.

3000: Homestar gets its granary. Settler in 4.

That was a pretty good 20 turns. Here's the map:

 

[floydmcw]

How do I get images to display in the body of my post? I spent quite a lot of time looking at documentation but could not figure it out.

 

[bed_head7]

You don't need to attach if you upload as you obviously did. Once uploaded, use the image tages [ IMG ] and [ /IMG ] without the spaces instead of the link tags.

I would have gone up to chop the game forest to speed granary, then irrigated for 5fpt.

 

[floydmcw]

I used IMG, but obviously not correctly. How do I refer to the uploaded JPG's? I was copying the URL of the image as given in the "manage attachments" popup, and putting that between the IMG tags.

 

[bed_head7]

On second thought, I know what your problem is. You need to upload it via a link at the bottom of the page. You can go into the SG forum and there is a sticky on how to do it. But you need to upload it that way, not attach it.

 

[Doc Tsiolkovski]

Why are you researching Pottery?
On DG, you should get at least one Settler before the Granary (unless you're alone on a landmass), otherwise the AI will settle your first ring resources before. With America in the game, there is at least one Civ that starts with Pottery (check F10); alos, whenever I read about one American Civ, I always suspect "Cutural linked" is on... giving you 5 Civs starting with Pottery.
But for you, The Wheel is a crucial tech, can be done in about 30 turns, and good to trade.
That's a general theme for players who feel like always falling way back in the AA tech race on DG/Deity: You are researching the wrong techs. Or, you aren't researching at all. The only viable choices for minimum runs are Writing, IW (if you start with BW, as very first research), and the Govs. If you buay Techs from the AI for cash, they will really run away. Tech brokering is fine, but that requires you to have something to offer - like The Wheel, Mathematics, or Currency; techs the AI often ignores.

 

[floydmcw]

I researched Pottery because I wanted to be sure of building the granary. (I know about the F10 trick. Is it considered an exploit?) But if I should build a settler before the first granary, there's less of a hurry.

So I should min research only the really expensive techs? I do have some idea of which techs are ignored by the AI -- one can do well with Lit too.

Point taken about chopping the forest, though it was a little out of the way for my worker who was improving the cow and the BG's.

 

[floydmcw]

Okay, let's see if I can get images to work.

3000 cont'd: Plan to put the settler north of the mountain along the river.

2950: Homestar grows to 5, lux to 30.

2900: Northern warrior pushes west.

2850: Homestar settler -> warrior (very low on escort units; after I get a few cities I can pump settlers faster).

IBT see Aztecs, so I dial them up. Sweet, we each have two unique techs! Give them Cerem and Masonry and 65 for Bronze and Warrior Code. Switch Homestar to spear. The Aztecs have three cities.

Then I move my warrior west and meet the Inca! They have four cities and I am up Cerem. Check with America but they are up Alpha and Wheel, and now have four cities. Give Inca Cerem for 9, which makes them cautious.

2800: I move the settler one south of the flood plains, so as not to waste all that wonderful food.

2750: The Aztecs were moving onto America; looks like they popped a city!

Found Strong Bad (warrior in 10). Barb comes onto the mountain near the city.

There's a barb camp two from Strong Bad.

2710: Homestar spear -> settler.

Realized I forgot to lower lux . Do so now.

2670: Lots of wheat and incense NW of Strong Bad. Inca warrior approaches, so I stick a spear on the worker.

2590: Incas are cool. Homestar settler -> spear; settler heads south. Finish irrigating a flood plain for Strong Bad.

2550: Move settler south; he's on a river and the coast, and has a tobacco and a BG. Wandering warrior is now mostly westward; there's not much there.

2510: Found The Cheat and start a spear there.

2470: Homestar spear -> settler.

2430: The Inca homeland is way off to the west.

2390: Strong Bad warrior -> spear.

2350: Inca pop the hut near The Cheat. (They've also cleaned up barbs around the same area.) Homestar pops a settler, who moves west along the river.
Next up is a spear, and I hope that will be the last build from Homestar which is not a settler or worker.

Check trades (should do this more often). Inca and America are up Alpha, Wheel, Myst. Aztecs have only Wheel. I get Myst from America, to help them out, for 4/ and 90. Then Myst to Az for Wheel; costs me only 3 additional gold.

America is hurting; they have only two cities. Hope they last 20 turns.

Oh, did I get any horses? Yes, there are horses in the plains four or so west of Strong Bad!

Min sci on Alpha.

2310: Not much.

2270: Zzz.

2230: Oops, I stepped next to Macchu. Pacha disses me.

Found Strong Sad (in place of Elephantine as he has pachyderm feet) in the desert off the river. After a temple I'll have access to horses.

2190: Snoozin'.

2150: Not a dynamic way to end the 40th turn. Spear and settler coming up though.

I've NEVER seen this on Demigod: I am the Top Pop! Pop/Gnp/Mfg/Area are reported by F11 as 1336, which is very good and a bridge hand distribution.

(Note that my population is all of ... 10, in four cities.)

Oh, and I make sure that no one has built any spaceship parts. I'm sensitive to that.

Here's the image:

 

[MSTK]

yipee

xcl

 

[bed_head7]

As there wasn't any real rush to get the horses (no one is racing you to get it, you are still expanding so you aren't building chariots yet), I would have founded strong sad on the river. The spot it is in now isn't all that great.

 

[floydmcw]

I would have founded strong sad on the river.

That wastes a flood plain though. I figured the extra food would be worth the 100 shields I'd have to spend later on the aqueduct -- was that wrong?

 

[bed_head7]

That is an interesting point, but generally when in flood plains regions, shields are a lot harder to come by then food. I don't know if getting one FP would ever be worth an Aqueduct.

 

[floydmcw]

2110: Homestar settler -> worker. Cheat spear -> warrior. I send the spear south.

Settler goes west to hit the wheat and incense.

Diplo check: Inca is up three techs and has six cities. Aztecs are up two techs and have five cities. America is up three techs (all the same, Aztecs lacking HBR) and have a worker! Screw the techs, I want a worker, and get him for 61 and 3/. Abe's still hanging onto two cities. The worker heads west.

Not much south of The Cheat. Hills and plains.

2030: Homestar worker -> settler. Worker heads south to hook up The Cheat.

1990: Barb comes to three of Homestar.

1950: Strong Bad spear -> archer. Spear goes to cover Homestar (and also MP duty).

Lots of spices in the far southwest.

Turn up the research. I can't usefully broker as there are only three techs I can get and they are all taken. Alpha in 15.

1910: Cheat warrior -> spear. Warrior heads north. The Cheat is on the road network.

1870: Homestar settler -> spear. He'll go north of the river.

1830: Vikings finish Colossus.

Build Marzipan on hill; have two FP wheats now and will get two incense later.

Alpha in 8 at -1.

1790: Just move the settler.

1750: Found Coach Z in the desert north of flood plains, next to cow -- and another horse two away. Also a barb camp outside my borders, so I start an orcher to pop it.

That's 50 turns. F11 reports 5466. I am first in pollution.

1725: Strong Bad grows to 5 and acquires a scientist. Homestar spear -> settler.
Cheat needs a sci too.

1700: A horse attacks Coach Z. I'm just a crazy old man! I don't want to die!

But the spear survives unharmed. There's another horse in the camp. I send Strong Bad's new archer and one of Homestar's warriors. Also a warrior is parked on the game north of Homestar. Will deal with him when I pop the camp. (Homestar has only two citizens so this isn't hurting me yet.)

And I find a third horse resource SW of The Cheat!

1675: Another barb horse impales itself on the Coach's spear.

1650: Another barb horse dies. Switch Coach Z to warrior.

Get Alpha. Lots of marketing opportunities; they all have IW and HR, America and Inca have Writing, Inca also have Math.

Re-MM for wealth. Inca still won't trade Math, so screw them. 28 and 14/ to America for writing, which then goes to Aztecs for ... only 74 gold.

Oh well, at least I can start on Lit. Re-MM for science.

1625: Inca blackmails 23. Barb horse dies, and this time there is no replacement horse on the camp.

Coach Z warrior -> spear; the warrior moves with the archer next to the camp.

Homestar settler -> spear. The settler will go north of Strong Sad.

1600: Cheat spear -> spear.

Pop the camp with no injuries.

1575: Switch Strong Bad and Homestar to settler.

Where to put the settler? I was going to go north of Strong Sad but I change
my mind and go west. I want to forestall any Incan move to the incense.
1550: Marzipan worker -> spear.

1525: Found Poopsmith in the desert and grab all three incense.

1500: Incans build Pyramids.

Homestar settler -> spear. The settler will go north of Coach Z.

F11 says 4357. Here is a screen shot:

 

[floydmcw]

1475: Not much. Moving the settler north.

1450: Strong Bad settler -> worker. Settler heads south.

1425: The Cheat spear -> curragh.

Lose a warrior on barb north of Coach Z. Pop the barb with the settler's escort spear.

1400: Coach Z and homestar get spears. Homestar -> settler, Coach Z -> archer.

Americans founded Atlanta west of my settler, but I can still found Bubs and get a bonus BG. Bubs -> temple.

Start to road an incense.

1375: Found Strong Mad three south of Strong Bad. Archer in 10.

America has 3 cities and is up three techs. Aztecs have 8 cities and are up two of those techs. Inca have 12 cities and are up seven (!) techs.

1350: Inca spear, sword, and warrior west of Poopsmith. I shift units west.

Incense hooked up. Strong Bad worker -> archer.

1325: Okay, now I'm gonna lose. Seven Inca units west of Poopsmith. Two are swords, four are warriors.

Cheat curragh -> archer.

I build an embassy in Cuzco and propose a war against the Aztec, or the Americans. No dice. I ask them to leave and they declare, so I build an embassy with Aztecs (using most of my money) and ask for an alliance. By reducing all sci and ent spend I can get an alliance for most of my money -- I'll have about 12 and make 3 per turn. (I now have one tax collector and one scientist.)

Questions:
1. Should I ally with the Aztecs? I guess it's a no-brainer but it's a shame to give up on the chance to get Literature.
2. Should I switch my non-unit builds? Again, I guess I have to but I hate to abort my growth.
3. Most important: What did I do wrong? I didn't make any obvious fumbles, maybe some minor micromanagement errors, but I am kind of screwed; I can fend off the Inca while everyone else grows and gets more powerful. I can't seem to get a good start: Either I get a silly position, or I build up a defense force and miss out on rapid expansion, or I expand quickly but then get raped because I don't have much of a military.

Screenshot:

 

[bed_head7]

You seem to have done an okay job of expanding. I can't see the save, so I am not sure what is going on in all of your cities. A couple obvious things I see are not enough workers and no barracks. Dedicate your third or fourth city to units, and dedicate your second or third to workers. Or something along those lines. You have tons of regular units, which seems a great waste. Just take a shield rich place and have it pump units. Of course, your start isn't the greatest in terms of shields. You have a couple of cities that are growing at the minimum rate. Get some workers, irrigate those plains and floodplains, let your cities grow.

Bubs is probably too agressive a place for a city, so if the Americans were stronger, they might have declared war too.

You are also never going to get an alliance against someone with which you are not at war, but nice thought on trying to divert the Incas.

And why not play a real SG?

 

[floydmcw]

I never thought of the obvious, which was to pay lots of $/turn for a tech and then have the Inca void the deal when they declared. Duh.

I've started some rax. It's interesting that you think I should have some; I normally build many improvements early but thought that was a weakness in my game. This time I was trying to churn out units of any quality to deter the AI. Obviously that didn't work well.

Yeah, workers are my weak point but there's never a time when it seems right to spend a pop point for a worker.

Yes, I should join a SG for real. I notice that many of the harder games require a preexisting history. Where should I start? Monarch? Emperor?

Thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate it.

 

[bed_head7]

Start your own game. You set the level, the objectives of the game, and people will join. Workers are an absolute must have. Even if it is hard to stomach sometimes, you need workers desperately.

As you are playing decently on Demigod, I would suggest you play at that in an SG.

 

[floydmcw]

I get the Andy Reid strategy award for 1350-1325. I could have tried to buy Lit off the Inca before they nailed me. And going through previous saves it would have worked, too. (Even if they had then left me alone how bad would it be -- I could have remarketed the tech to both Aztecs and Americans.)

I change Strong Sad to an archer (losing 9 shields) and Homestar to a rax. No alliance with the Aztecs yet; when I do get Lit I'll be in a stronger position.

1300: America blackmails 20.

The Inca attack. A warrior and archer wound and promote a spear; then a sword kills him.

Strong Sad builds an archer; it and a spear join the units in Poopsmith.

1275: An Aztec Jag approaches my borders.

Incan attack on Poopsmith mostly unsuccessful.

Homestar rax -> ...

I road horses and can build war chariot!

1250: Great. Here come the Aztecs. They have allied with Inca.

Coach Z gets a war chariot; he sticks around to defend the north.

1225: The charior defending the worker north of Coach Z defends against a jag, wins, and it's GA time! A spear also fends off a sword.

Literature in 2. Lots of chariots up.

1200: The Cheat chariot -> rax. Homestar chariot -> chariot.

1175: Poopsmith's spear defends two warriors, then dies against archer.

Strong Bad chariot -> chariot.

Lit, 10, 1/ to America for Iron. No Iron nearby, but I can see Inca iron near my borders (Huamanga, four from Poopsmith) and can maybe pillage it. America has Map, Philo, HBR, Math. I try CoL, in 9.

Chariot pops Incan scout.

1150: Four war chariots, but also a lot of Aztec units around Marzipan. Can I bring America into the war? I'll have to wait a turn to build an embassy.

One WC dies taking on Aztec warrior, another is redlined.

1125: Two more WC's, one conveniently located in Poopsmith.

Americans want a lot of money to fight Aztecs (no wonder) -- 14/ or so. That seems like a lot of money for me to spend just to get America destroyed.

Drill the elite Aztec archer next to Marzipan -- one WC redlines, but the other is okay. I try a warrior against the remaining archer; he dies but redlines the archer, which I pop with a WC sitting in Poopsmith.

Also kill a swordsman outside Poopsmith.

WC pops an elite warrior two west of Strong Mad (no injuries!)

1100: Three more swords approach Poopsmith. No counter-attacks.

Two WC's built.

1075: Archer wounds spear and jag kills him. More jags approach Marzipan.

Cheat rax -> WC.

Kill an Inca sword with a vet WC. They'll talk peace! Originally they ask for Poopsmith, which is funny in a juvenile way. But I dial down my spend and they'll take 8/ and 14. I lose happiness though; lux to 10.

1050: Stack of four jags attacks Marzipan. But across a river, into a hilltop -- jags aren't supermen. They promote two chariots, one to elite.

Switch Marzipan to worker and Poopsmith to temple.

1025: Aztecs dial up and want a deal. They'll take 8/ and 20ish for Philo. I'll wait till I get CoL in 3 turns.

Coach Z temple -> rax. Marzi worker -> settler.

1000: Cheat chariot -> ?. Bubs temple -> worker; it expands at the expense
of Atlanta.

Map and military attached. Note (groan) that Inca are in Republic.

 

[floydmcw]

975: Homestar settler -> settler. Strong Bad rax -> spear.

I get CoL, but America already has it. How about the Aztecs? Nope, they have it as well. I do make peace with the Aztecs for 9/ and 18 to get Philo.

Settler heads southwest; I can cut the Inca off and save the south for myself.

950: Bubs is finally hooked up by road.

925: The Cheat spear -> curragh. Coach Z expands.

900: Strong Sad temple -> worker. Bubs gets a worker and expands. Homestar settler -> WC. The settler will go between Coach Z and Marzipan.

875: Strong Bad spear -> worker. Coach Z rax -> WC. Cheat curragh -> WC.

Found Pom-Pom on the coast west of Strong Mad. This saves the southwest for me.

850: Strong Sad worker -> worker.

825: Curragh attacked by redlined barb galley and promoted!

Coach Z WC -> worker. Homestar WC -> spear. Strong Mad spear -> temple. The spear goes a-wanderin' south.

Found King of Town two east of Marzipan. It works on a rax.

800: Strong Sad gets its temple, -> lib (will prob switch to market). Coach Z worker -> spear. Cheat WC -> spear; the WC heads south.

F11 says 3226.

775: Lots of stuff out: Marzipan settler -> worker. (Settler heads east to settle north of Homestar.) Strong Sad worker -> lib. Strong Bad worker -> wc. Homestar spear-> settler. That's ten workers, so I can ease up a bit on worker production. So I switch Marzipan to settler.

Only two more turns of GA (sniff!).

750: Poopsmith temple -> WC.

730: End of GA. Dial down science spend and Republic is far away.

Coach Z spear -> WC. The Cheat WC -> WC.

Decided I will do a little pointy stick research on America. I can see a settler near Chicago; maybe I can nab him.

Spear and WC have gone pretty far into the tundra without seeing anything useful (and just one barb camp). Where are the furs?!

710: Homestar settler -> spear. Settler heads south.

Oh, and my F11 numbers are 5566. 69 GNP, 33 shields.

690: Pop the barb camp when the horse leaves it.

Dial sci down to 0.

670: A spear exploring the polar forest got popped by barb horse.

Strong Bad WC -> WC.

Sweet: There are Gems in Boston (the northeasternmost of the American cities).

650: Spear and two WC. Massive uprisings near Pom-Pom; probably the one I found on the far southern tip. The WC who spotted the barb camp discreetly runs away.

Found Halloween Goblin on the coast north of Homestar; starts temple.

630: Sweet: American settler/spear pair enters my territory.

Found Lem Sportsinterviews in the plains SW of The Cheat. Not the greatest spot but it fills in a gap.

610: No, it was another barb camp closer to me. Four horsemen near Pom-Pom.

Homestar WC -> WC.

I pop two barb horses. Will storm Atlanta in two turns, when next run of WC's come out.

590: Inca offers 20 more turns of peace. Yeah, I'll take that.

Two barb horses attack Pom-Pom, but all they can do is to promote the vet spear.

Strong Mad temple -> spear.

Inca are building Sun Tzu.

Prepare for war -- I safeguard the road from Bubs to Coach Z (there's an
Aztec settler/archer pair wandering around) and bring units up to smack the settler/spear.

570: Activity around Atlanta; units come next to it and leave, so clearly time to pop it. Allso five barb horse near Pom-Pom. Never seen this before -- different barb nationalities stacked together, Scythian and Olmec.

Fortunately Pom-Pom is well guarded, and its WC kill three barbs. Now it's time to deal with America: I move the curragh north of Boston (so it is out of American territory) and declare.

Easy part: I pop the spear and get two slaves.
Hard part: I attack Atlanta with a vet ... and destroy it. There was a settler
there so I get two more slaves. Didn't expect that. Oh well, it's all good.
(Unless you're America.) Homestar starts a settler.

That's all the whacking I have any interest for. I want America around for trading. So I don't go for the settler/spear in the forest; better an American city than an Aztec. The plan is to hang around till America will make peace, and maybe whack Chicago if they show a reluctance to do so.

550: Last two barbs die and promote Pom-pom's spear. Other than that, just hanging out. I hurry Marzipan's settler (which will be a 3-pop hit, but all Marzipan produces is food).

F8 says Cuzco has more culture than MY ENTIRE CIVILIZATION. (Inca have been building wonders left and right.) F11 says 4647, 82 GNP, 43 shields.

Here's the map:



And here's a save.

 

[floydmcw]

My goals for turns 101-120: Pound America hard, take the gems and make them give me lots of techs. Found three more cities. Put at least two major improvements (lib or market) in core cities.

530: Marzipan settler -> temple.

510: Aztecs offer peace. Inca offer to not sodomize me for 34, which seems a bargain.

Homestar settler -> chariot.

490: The stupid Americans keep moving their settler/spear south.

Coach Z spear -> WC. Strong Bad spear -> spear. The Cheat WC -> WC.

I guess the Americans want to cut off my horses. I get the settler but lose a WC.

470: Not much, just getting workers to build better roads to Goblin.

450: Americans land spear/settler next to where I plan to build a city.

Aztecs found Cempoala near the old Atlanta site; maybe I should have stepped my settler over there instead.

Homestar WC -> settler (in case I need to repl Chicago).

America will give me one tech for peace but not two. They are insufficiently motivated, and anyway I am insufficiently gemmed. I pop the spear/settler and get two more slaves.

430: Pom-pom temple -> spear. It pushes the Incan culture back.

Move six WC's next to Chicago (and workers to link the road).

Strong Mad spear -> spear.

410: Strong Bad WC -> temple.

Time to smack Chicago. Once again, I destroy it with a single blow. I do get a worker.

Found two cities: Homsar (south of Lem) and Compy 386 south of Strong Mad. This puts me at my unit limit, so I pump Sci to 90 and will get Rep in 8. Homsar is roaded, so I move workers over to Lem.

390: Homestar settler -> temple. The Cheat WC -> temple.

I pop another settler near Bubs. All these workers can probably be traded for sweet techs, then recaptured ...

370: KOT gets a rax and starts a spear.

350: Move settler onto the old Chicago site.

330: Coach Z spear -> lib.

Put Population: Tire on the old Chicago site. Five WC w/in two of Boston.

310: Homestar temple -> WC. Bubs Court -> FC (not sure if this will stay). Goblin temple -> (harbor prebuild).

Seven WC's next to Boston.

My curragh rounds Aztec territory and sees a pinkish galley. It's too light to be Incan ... it's Scandanavian!

Scand is up lots of techs but has only 10 or 11 cities.

Pop a barb camp SW of Compy.

290: Strong Bad temple -> spear.

Inca are building Sistine.

I take Boston, losing an elite WC. That's enough. America claims he won't be bullied, but when I claim to be "overextended" he offers 13, a worker, and the three techs he is up (HBR, Map, Math).

Aztecs have Poly, Constr, Rep, and Curr. They don't seem too formidable -- I haven't seen any swords or horse -- so may be ripe for a little abuse.

On the other hand, the Aztecs would give me Curr for horses and 250ish. Maybe we can team up against the Inca? I haven't seen anything to indicate that the Inca are as formidable militarily as they are scientifically and culturally.

249 and horses to Aztecs for Curr. Curr to America for 40 gold and their last worker. Change lib builds to market.

270: Lots more horses out of the southernmost barb camp.

Get Republic. Constr in 12.

Marzipan temple -> court. Homestar WC -> settler.

Well, I've now explored the entire south. No furs.

Should I revolt? 61 units may be a lot for Rep. My lack of cities hurts me here; I can support only 17 units per turn with my towns. There's no way I can make up that 88/ cost. (I make only 100/ or so now.

Switch some non-rax unit builds to catapult.

250: The Cheat temple -> WC.

Switch Coach Z to a horse. I'm goin' for a war soon. I could strike Attico/Vilca/Vitcos for spices, or grab Huamanga for iron. Either way, I need many more units and better roads. (I have 28 WC's and 16 spears.)

Incan road network appears poor; I plan to scout it out from hilltops.

230: Coach Z horse -> WC. Lem temple -> cat. Strong Mad cat -> cat. Strong Bad spear -> spear. Goblin expands, giving it access to whales.

Inca has one extra iron, so pillaging Huamanga won't help.

210: Homstar settler -> WC. The settler heads south.

190: Marzipan culture-expands. It also produces a second shield per turn. The Cheat WC -> WC. KOT spear -> spear.

Spying out the Incan lands. Not even clear there's a road to Atico.

170: Sweet: The Aztecs declare on Inca. Will wait 5ish turns to draw Incans north, then strike.

Strong Sad market -> lib. Homestar spear -> WC. Coach Z WC -> WC. Strong Bad spear -> spear.

150: Not so sweet: I see an Incan knight. But it's way off to the northwest, where my Curragh is journeying.

Workers are feverishly building roads on the Incan border. Will soon move most of my army westward.

That's turn 120. F11 says 5644. 116 GNP, 59 shields. I built only one market, but then I decided to go to war. I have 30 WC and 20 spear (and one horse).

Here is my dominion:



And a war plan: