Roster (full):
Arathorn
darrelljs
Jabah
Ozbenno
Kylearan
What a fantastic team. I'm excited about this. Been a LONG time since I've played with Kylearan. Great memories, though.
I could see major trouble for
1. if no horse around
2. defense (especially early), if we can't build archer...
3. facing spear/pikes
1. Well, we will have horses around, one way or another. Just...gotta. I'll probably have a friend generate maps until we get one with horses within a city's length.
2. Defense is a nightmare. If the AI attacks a city, it's basically lost. Simply leave one unit as MP and meet them in the field. At least we can usually flank and destroy all siege weapons.
3. Yeah, they're a pain. Elephants are an even bigger pain, though, because we have no counter -- and nothing even as strong until cuirassiers. We'll just have to horde over them and then hoard ivory.
unfortunately I played a similar game before
Sorry to miss you, sooooo. I'd glanced around for a similar game, but I didn't look as far back as mid-2006!

That looks like vanilla, too, with uber-cossacks, so our game will be reasonably different.
Nope. Move 2 is the criteria, not just mounted. I debated quite a while on this point, actually. But I went with the speed requirement, for blitz warfare possibilities. No crawling armies, here.
Also, no siege weaponry, 'til mobile artillery?
I'd forgotten about mobile artillery. Another allowed late-game unit. That could be handy. Otherwise, no. None. Retreating will have to suffice until mobile artillery. We can use spies to instigate city revolts, though, and I imagine we will end up doing a reasonable amount of that, simply to get cultural defense down. We might even want to discuss running an espionage economy all-around.
so the SoZ would be nice to have...
Interesting thought. That's a wonder I've only built once (in a must-do-everything warlord game -- quite fun, actually, found all religions, build all wonders, found all corporations, get all tech great people, build all 7 shrines, launch to space). A counterpoint is that we'll spend less time in enemy territory, since we can hit fast and hard, instead of plodding in with melee units, so our ww might not climb as high as fast. I have no idea which is accurate.
Opening tech path? AH to horseback riding and very early keshik rush?
BTW, I was probably wrong about a start today. I forgot I have a thing at the kids' school to attend tonight. So it'll probably be Saturday.
And, Ky, congrats on the impending fatherhood. It's a trip unlike any other. Disappear when you need, though a quick note once you can would be appreciated by all.
Arathorn