Monarch with Gilgamesh

[dankok8]

I started a game with Gilgamesh:

Normal Speed
Monarch
Choose Religion
Standard Size
Fractal Map
All other options set to default.

Throughout this whole game, I've been hurt massively by the RNG. I don't think I've ever lost this many 80%+ battles in my life. Anyways on to the game.

My initial plan was to quickly grap copper, chop/whip a bunch of vultures and go rush someone, but no copper anywhere nearby.

I meet my neighbours: Hammurabi (appears for me in almost every game lately) SW, Suryavarman W, and further W Saladin, Kublai, Toku, and Ramses in that order. Early on, I go for Iron Working and decide to attack Surya. The RNG was ridiculous and a force capable of capturing 2-3 cities had only captured 1. I was losing spearmen to chariots and even shock vultures were dying to regular axes all the time.

After that I spend the next 2000 years expanding to the east and beefing up my military although Hammurabi was getting awfully dangerous in the tech race. I grabbed Liberalism first, but Hammy pulled away afterwards. During this whole time, my research rate is pathetic - clearly not enough cottages as the land is a bit low on food. I beelined Rifling and attacked Hammurabi who was roughly 1.3 times my power. Some RNG awfulness there too, but it was within the normal range I guess + I messed Hammy up pretty bad. Captured 2 cities and razed 2 - eventually rebuilt one as Shurrupak. Saladin joined to help Hammy, but I didn't see much of him. Hammy wouldn't capitulate, but I made peace anyways.

While I was fighting Hammy (~20 turns), Kublai and Surya became superpowers. They went 5 techs ahead of me and had double my military although both were pleased most of the time. I bribed Kublai to attack Saladin who was slightly backwards, but also had a large army in an attempt to slow them both down. A turn later, Surya joins.. Damn!! Saladin is toast. I decided to join against Saladin and take what I could. I captured Carib (the far east city of my empire) as well as Baghdad in the main Arab empire. Suprisingly, Saladin survived the onslaught by giant SOD's of Kublai and Surya . I made peace too and gave him Baghdad back as it was constantly revolting. So here is the state of the world. Notice I have a DP with Kublai so I'm relatively safe. I switched to Bureaucracy and Organized Religion to have Surya's and Khan's favorite civics or else they won't trade. I have the largest empire in area, 2nd highest pop, and greatest food production.

World:

My Empire:

Other Stats:

I recently got Electricity and traded it for a total of Communism, Democracy, Divine Right, and Economics I think and a whole bunch of gold (1000 or so) so I'm not that far behind anymore. My production is horrid though as Khan and Surya have already industrialized. I was gonna trade Radio around when it's done and then beeline Internet, but maybe you guys have more ideas. I hope so.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

Hurry up and get Assembly line, then use it to pummel Hammy and take ALL of his cities (or if it's going well just finish him off and broker radio).

Sury is friendly and if you make sure that your little vassal is in his religion too he can't DoW you. Take that opportunity to wipe out hammy (just use infantry and either spies and cannons).

It looks like you're running cottages which I like anyway - once you get infantry just rush buy a bunch and with a couple cannons for bombard or spies rifles really can't touch infantry at all. Any CG promos will be offset by the fact that infantry are almost 50% stronger to begin with and have 25% bonus vs rifles. Coupled with pinch you win.

You'll probably want to be in state property with that many cities, and best I can tell you have the tech already.

If you're in emancipation/FS then this is likely to send your tech rate soaring when you're done, you can easily make up for lost time during the rush buying. At that point victory method is up to you. You can use the snowball power of rush buy, communism, and lots of cities to tech industrialism and turn the slider off for good, pummeling the world with tanks/infantry/whatever, you can try to beeline internet if that's still around, or you can use your friendly sury as a wall and tech towards space.

The best advice I can give you is to trade for some , whip or buy some theaters/coliseums, raise the culture slider, or some combo. Angry faces hurt and you've got a lot of citizens doing nothing.

You're in a winning position though unless someone is going culture or something...can't see that. Not TOO likely given the leaders though.

 

[vicawoo]

Shock vultures don't get amazing odds vs axes. Slightly worse than normal axes, and don't be surprised if you lose to some combat 1 or combat 2 axes.

 

[dankok8]

@TMIT

Thanks a bunch. Haven't really though of going the military route.
One bad side of the strat is that Surya and Khan like Hammy and their status may drop to pleased at which point I can't trade techs + I'll be breaking the DP with Khan. I have this odd feeling that if I attack Hammy, Surya might join in against me and then I'm screwed. Either way, I might have to try what you said or just finish Radio, trade it around and get as much as I can (i.e. Assembly Line, Railroad). The AI can build all those wonders while I'll industrialize rapidly and beeline Internet.

@vicawoo

I know. Shock Vulture vs. C1 Axeman:
9.6 vs. 8 = roughly 54.5% chance of winning.

I should still win ~half of the battles. I fought at least 7-8 times and I won only once. Pretty low odds of that happening. I did have pretty bad RNG luck in this game when you consider I also lost spearmen attacking chariots. That doesn't happen too often lol.

I hope others have more ideas as well. I'd love to hear what people think. Also, there never seems there is any copper with Sumeria. Sisiutil in his Gilga ALC never had copper in either of the 2 rolls. Funny eh? I've never gotten to use vultures in an axerush, but based on their stats, they look pretty powerful and because of higher strength are not as vulnerable to chariots.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

If you're in sury's religion and are worried about a DoW from him, just go OR. If you do this, there is NO WAY you'll drop his disposition meaningfully enough for him to DoW you. Friendly is +11 for most leaders I think. If he stays friendly, HE CAN NOT ATTACK YOU. Not just "probably wont", "CAN'T". This is of course pending his disposition toward your vassal is similar, but you can always force your vassal into OR also (usually a very cheap bribe). Sury can't be bribed to attack friendlies - that tendency is unique to everyone's beloved Cathy.

To put it another way, in the hannibal immortal U, I "declared war on his friend" three times (at least), refused a couple requests, and so forth, and STILL won AP from his vote. His +bonus for religion is obscene. Hell, you might even be able to drag him in vs hammy, but there's NO WAY hammy can get him as an ally.

Or, just give him an extra resource for the +1 to +2 for "we appreciate the years you've supplied us with resources". A favorite candidate for this is livestock since its building bonus is super late, but anything you have excess of works.

Sury is like izzy, <3 people in his religion. You definitely have a military window here, should you wish to use it. I'm not saying you have to, you can win space with the cities you have right now, but crushing hammy is a definite (and quite easy) option.

 

[Genv [FP]]

I thought that the AI can attack you at friendly if it already started war preparations prior to becoming friendly?

 

[TheMeInTeam]

It can, but I somehow doubt strongly that's the case here as usually if sury is friendly it means you're in his religion, which means they've been friendly a loooooooooong time. If he isn't WHEOOHRN already, he isn't going to declare.