The pieces were in place. Greek culture was triumphant, and would shape the world for centuries to come. All that remained was empirical proof of Pythagoras' theories concerning the world's spherical shape. The movement of constellations was one thing, but two Caravels travelling in opposite directions and meeting would silence even the most vocal critics, and would cement Greek influence on science, art, and philosophy. The only trick was building those Caravels. Optics would take some time to research, and while the Scientists of Thebes could discover it with ease, they were too interested in codifying a phonetic Alphabet and delving into theoretical Mathematics.
So it was time to hit up the neighbors. Caesar Augustus, a much more reasonable man than his adopted father, provided Alphabet:
And three turns to research Mathematics beat a full nine plus for Optics.
And therefore did Charles Darwin, a biologist studying the flora and fauna of the Nile valley, develop a magnifying lens so as to better perceive the intricate goings-on of his subjects:
Little did he realize the grander import of his simple invention. You can also see that Carthage's war against the barbarians was not going smoothly, and that our attempts at conciliation with our southern neighbors had hit a snag. No matter. We just need to still be alive when our boats hit the water. Diplomacy is no longer of any real concern.
As our first Caravel (a refitted Trireme) sailed westward for the Pillars of Heracles, they witnessed the desolation that had come of the Carthaginian empire:
The sailors muttered prayers to the gods, for Hannibal had always been kind and fair. But they pressed onward, for they sailed for the everlasting glory of Greece. Meanwhile, Athens worked on a second ship while Workers toiled to build a canal between the Mediterranean and Red Seas.
Rome, too, suffered the depredations of the barbarian hordes:
Rome, though, was strong, or at least stronger. The Greek city-states trained mostly soldiers in those days, for despite the fact that they were no longer strictly necessary, Pericles' legacy would suffer if any member of the Greek Federation were cast into ruin.
The coming of Arabia largely spelled the end of Babylon:
Frankly, I was surprised at how late this meant the game was. This meant we were well past the B.C./A.D. divide; indeed, we were into the latter half of the first millennium! Regardless, Saladin was pleased despite our refusal to adopt Islam, for we were generous trading partners (Compass for Horseback Riding) and we had not sided with the infidel Christians, either.
We were generous with the Mayans, too, granting them Aesthetics in exchange for passage into the Pacific:
The game was well in hand, now, we were merely playing out the string. You can also see that we were, indeed, well into the 7th century.
And what better way to celebrate a victory than with a massive Golden Age?
I suppose there were better point investments for those three Great People (another Academy, maybe a few techs), but a win is a win, and it was time to party!
Finally, in 700 A.D., our two Caravels found that they were exploring the same minor continent in the south Pacific:
They met the next turn, just off the coast of what we would call Sydney, and their captains clasped hands in an impromptu ceremony. But their cartographers had already done their work. And not a moment too soon, for another wave of barbarians stood at our borders!
Pericles was satisfied, and it was time to retire:
And that was that. A fun little game. Looks like I dodged the plague bullet, not that it would have done much damage to anything other than our final score.
So how did we do?
A compact little empire in a world of compact little empires. I like not having to paint the globe red (or whatever our color is). The game was a bit short, though, and it was decided a bit too easily. Oh, well. It was a fine way to learn the new (to me) mod!
Scorewise, we did well. Not amazingly, but well:
There we have it. Rome never triumphed, for there was never any Alexander to provide a blueprint to empire-building. The barbarians at the gates were never fully beaten back, but there was no great Roman empire to collapse into a Dark Age. I imagine this world progressed more slowly, but more steadily, eventually looking much like ours, though with fewer Latin-derived languages
Final thoughts?