I have read the spoilers for your other games, but I haven't finished my game (at Prince difficulty).
In 75 AD T118, my England is the largest civ in the game, and the only civ to know Currency or Philosophy. I have no state religion. One turn later, in 100 AD T119, Washington asks me to declare war against Mao Zedong. I say no. I like Washington, but I don't want to go to war with my weak army of Chariots and Warriors. I ruined a past game when I was too eager to join the AI's wars. Now I want to stay out of wars, settle more cities, and get more Workers.
Also in 100 AD T119, my Warrior maps the missing coast tiles north of Chehalis. After I end my turn, this Warrior survives an attack from a wounded barb Archer, and I get the trade connection past Chehalis to Zara Yaqob and Ragnar.
In 150 AD T121, I settle my 11th city of Standelf (south of Deephallow, to grab 2 furs and 1 iron). I notice on this turn that Darius I no longer wants Currency. I decide to sell Currency to other civs before they can would get it from Darius. I don't want to trade with Rangar (worst enemy of Washington) or Boudica (worst enemy of Saladin), but I will trade with Mao (other enemy of Washington). I had been selling techs for only gold, but Mao has only 10 gold, so I ask for more. Mao pays 10 gold plus Polytheism plus Priesthood plus Archery to get Currency. I take all the gold from Washington, Saladin, and Zara Yaqob. Now that I have Priesthood, I can see that most civs know Monotheism and Monarchy. I don't know them, because I got Representation from the Pyramids, so I didn't aim for Hereditary Rule from Monarchy. In 300 AD T127, as I sell Aesthetics to other civs, I take Monotheism from Mao and Monarchy from Saladin, then adopt both Caste System and Organized Religion. (I still have no state religion, but I can use Organized Religion to build missionaries.)
In 250 AD T125, Washington's Combat I Axeman is next to the barb city Chehalis. I want to conquer Chehalis before Washington does. I have my wounded Warrior and an Axeman by Chehalis. I promote my axe to City Raider I to check the chance. My axe has a 21.9% chance to slay the defending Archer and conquer Chehalis. I let Washington attack first. On the next turn, I don't see Washington's axe, and the barb Archer isn't wounded. I wait until I have 2 axes, then attack Chehalis in 325 AD T128. My axe loses the 21.9%, but my 2nd City Raider axe wins the 96.1%.
Chehalis becomes my 12th city. It has no buildings, so I begin a Granary. After I build roads, Chehalis might add wheat and wine to my network. I can't import resources (for now; I later import dye). In 425 AD T132, I begin selling resources to civs, as I sell a sheep to Darius for 2 gold per turn, and a rice to Washington for 2 gold per turn. I was giving the rice to Washington, but I cancel the deal so I can sell the rice. I have no other resource deals in 425 AD T132; I stopped giving a pig to Saladin centuries ago when a barb pillaged the pig.
In 500 AD T135, I win the race to Music's Great Artist. I was slow to Music because I didn't get Aesthetics until after Philosophy, but the AI civs were slower. Also in 500 AD, I settle my 13th city of Needlehole (on the coast north of Chehalis). I move Miles Davis (Great Artist) out of Camelot to settle him in Stock. I don't want a golden age this early, because my cities are small and don't work many tiles. My cities are growing because I know Calendar and am connecting more resources. If I run 20% science in 500 AD, I would lose 3 gold per turn. This should get better as my Workers improve tiles and I build a few Courthouses. I continue to alternate between 0% and 100% science. My research isn't stuck because I have scientist specialists. When my cities run out of good tiles, the citizens become scientists. Representation (from the Pyramids) adds extra science to my specialists. I have enabled scientists by adopting Caste System, and before that, by building Libraries for culture.
In 620 AD T141, I accept Washington's offer of Metal Casting, and Saladin's offer to declare war against Boudica. The war will be nominal: Boudica is too far away. Saladin has (at least 2 times) retaken Medina from Boudica. Boudica's Celtic army would need to cross Darius's Persia, then Saladin's Arabia, before attacking me. Boudica has no coastal city. Boudica soon makes peace with Saladin. I have a few Axemen, Chariots, and Spearmen on defense.
I complete some world wonders: Angkor Wat in Bywater in 640 AD T142, the Great Library in Camelot in 800 AD T150, my national Moai Statues in Stock in 820 AD T151, the Sistine Chapel in Bywater 940 AD T157, the Mausoleum of Mausolos in Camelot in 1080 AD T168, the Spiral Minaret in Bywater in 1170 AD T177, the extremely late Great Lighthouse in Stock in 1170 AD T177, and the Kong Miao in Bywater in 1200 AD T180. I lose Notre Dame to Washington and the Hagia Sophia to Boudica. I settle my 14th city of Pincup (south of Camelot, near my iron mine) in 920 AD T156, my 15th city of Nobottle (between Chehalis, Overhill, and Waymoot) in 1030 AD T163, and my 16th city of Woodhall in 1120 AD T172. I learn Divine Right and found Islam in Pincup in 1000 AD T160.
I begin in 680 AD T144 to add Buddhism to cities with my own missionaries. Mao Zedong completes a Jewish Apostolic Palace in 740 AD. My civ doesn't have Judaism. When religions spread without a missionary, I never got Judaism, but usually got my own Confucianism. (I had expected a Jewish AP from Mao or Ragnar; they both got Theology. In some games, the civ who founds Christianity completed the AP; but in this game, Ragnar founded Christianity and Mao completed the AP.)
Ragnar in 960 AD T158 says, "I'm making you an offer you can't refuse." He offers only 5 gold to buy Calendar, so I do refuse. I have previously refused to help Ragnar, refused to join his war against Washington, and refused to adopt Hereditary Rule.
Ragnar declares war against me in 1030 AD. I had feared such an attack and kept some units in my northwestern cities nearest Ragnar, but I don't have enough units. My reply in 1040 AD T164 is to exit Caste System and adopt Vassalage and Slavery. Anarchy takes 2 turns. My slavers hurry a Maceman in Needlehole just before that city falls to Ragnar in 1070 AD. I lose 4 units (Maceman, Spearman, Warrior, Axeman) and slay 1 Berserker.
I have the largest civ. I rank 1st in all of crop yield, production, and gold. My Workers build roads toward Needlehole and chop forests. I get angry citizens (because Washington annexed my winery west of Chehalis as the war began), but the anger disappears as I whip my slaves and shrink my cities. I settle Woodhall and complete the Mausoleum of Mausolos, the Spiral Minaret, and the Great Lighthouse during the war. Most cities produce Barracks, Macemen, Pikemen, and Trebuchets. Ragnar's attack on Chehalis fails as my new Macemen reach the front. I get Pachacuti (Great General), who leads a Medic III Chariot.
How did I get the Great Lighthouse in 1170 AD T177? In NC267 Montezuma, I had completed the Great Lighthouse in 400 BC T99, and other players completed it earlier. In this game, everyone forgot to build it. You can build it only on the coast, but all civs started this game away from the coast. Washington and Boudica never got coastal cities! Ragnar and Saladin each got 1 coastal city. Mao got 2. Zara Yaqob and Darius I each got 3. I got 4. Some coastal cities are small and weak. Darius's Angle is a large coastal city, but might be too distracted by wars. I suspect that Angle was a barb city until Darius took it. Angle is now on the front of Darius's war against Boudica.
I win the Liberalism race in 1210 AD T181 and take Nationalism as my free tech. (Astronomy costs more bulbs, but Nationalism helps the war.) I attack Needlehole in 1220 AD T182, with 5 Trebuchets and then mostly with Macemen; I lose a Maceman and slay 10 units. I retake Needhole in 1230 AD T183. My maces, pikes, trebs, medic invade Vikingland; conquer Bjørgvin (my 17th city) in 1290 AD T189, Birka (18th) in 1330 AD T193. These 2 cities are on hills but have only 20% defense, so they fall quickly. In past games, when I attacked cities with maces, I stopped to bombard each city's wall or castle with Catapults. In this game, I have enough Trebuchets to bombard the 20% and attack units on the same turn.
After Birka falls, in 1330 AD, Ragnar becomes a vassal of Zara Yaqob, who joins the war on Ragnar's side. This act of the Zara surprises me. In past games, I have seen a civ capitulate to an enemy during war, or become a vassal during peace, but I have never seen a civ gain a war ally by becoming a vassal, as Ragnar now gains the Zara. (I feared something else: if the Apostolic Palace would declare war, then both the Zara and Mao would join. Now the Zara has joined, but Mao is still out.) This act of the Zara will slow my invasion of Vikingland, because I will split my army.
Some units will stay in Birka to defend against the Zara. Other units will go west from Bjørgvin to continue attacking Ragnar. I have a road from Needlehole to Bjørgvin and Birka because I brought 2 Workers with my army. Now in 1340 AD T194, I have 8 Macemen, 3 Pikemen, and the Medic III Chariot defending Birka.
The problem is that the Zara knows Guilds and can build Knights. If he has enough Knights, along with some Catapults and Trebuchets, then he will slay my stack in Birka. I have no Knights, but I am 1 turn away from learning Military Tradition to unlock the Cuirassier, who is stronger than the Knight. I want to take the turn, then change civics. I want to exit Vassalage, Slavery, and Organized Religion; I want to adopt Nationhood, Caste System, Mercantilism, and Theocracy. I might also convert from no state religion to Buddhism. The anarchy will delay my Cuirassiers, but Nationhood should allow me to draft Musketmen, so I might have enough units to fight both Ragnar and the Zara.
I still fear the Jewish Apostolic Palace. Mao is the AP resident, but the Zara would become the resident if Ragnar votes for the Zara. As long as I hold Birka, a Jewish city, then the AP might not declare war, but the AP might stop the war and return Birka to Ragnar. I might defy an AP resolution so I can continue the war. I have never defied the Apostolic Palace in any game, and I don't know whether the penalty for defiance would ruin this game.
Spoiler 1340 AD T194 :
In 75 AD T118, my England is the largest civ in the game, and the only civ to know Currency or Philosophy. I have no state religion. One turn later, in 100 AD T119, Washington asks me to declare war against Mao Zedong. I say no. I like Washington, but I don't want to go to war with my weak army of Chariots and Warriors. I ruined a past game when I was too eager to join the AI's wars. Now I want to stay out of wars, settle more cities, and get more Workers.
Also in 100 AD T119, my Warrior maps the missing coast tiles north of Chehalis. After I end my turn, this Warrior survives an attack from a wounded barb Archer, and I get the trade connection past Chehalis to Zara Yaqob and Ragnar.
In 150 AD T121, I settle my 11th city of Standelf (south of Deephallow, to grab 2 furs and 1 iron). I notice on this turn that Darius I no longer wants Currency. I decide to sell Currency to other civs before they can would get it from Darius. I don't want to trade with Rangar (worst enemy of Washington) or Boudica (worst enemy of Saladin), but I will trade with Mao (other enemy of Washington). I had been selling techs for only gold, but Mao has only 10 gold, so I ask for more. Mao pays 10 gold plus Polytheism plus Priesthood plus Archery to get Currency. I take all the gold from Washington, Saladin, and Zara Yaqob. Now that I have Priesthood, I can see that most civs know Monotheism and Monarchy. I don't know them, because I got Representation from the Pyramids, so I didn't aim for Hereditary Rule from Monarchy. In 300 AD T127, as I sell Aesthetics to other civs, I take Monotheism from Mao and Monarchy from Saladin, then adopt both Caste System and Organized Religion. (I still have no state religion, but I can use Organized Religion to build missionaries.)
In 250 AD T125, Washington's Combat I Axeman is next to the barb city Chehalis. I want to conquer Chehalis before Washington does. I have my wounded Warrior and an Axeman by Chehalis. I promote my axe to City Raider I to check the chance. My axe has a 21.9% chance to slay the defending Archer and conquer Chehalis. I let Washington attack first. On the next turn, I don't see Washington's axe, and the barb Archer isn't wounded. I wait until I have 2 axes, then attack Chehalis in 325 AD T128. My axe loses the 21.9%, but my 2nd City Raider axe wins the 96.1%.
Chehalis becomes my 12th city. It has no buildings, so I begin a Granary. After I build roads, Chehalis might add wheat and wine to my network. I can't import resources (for now; I later import dye). In 425 AD T132, I begin selling resources to civs, as I sell a sheep to Darius for 2 gold per turn, and a rice to Washington for 2 gold per turn. I was giving the rice to Washington, but I cancel the deal so I can sell the rice. I have no other resource deals in 425 AD T132; I stopped giving a pig to Saladin centuries ago when a barb pillaged the pig.
In 500 AD T135, I win the race to Music's Great Artist. I was slow to Music because I didn't get Aesthetics until after Philosophy, but the AI civs were slower. Also in 500 AD, I settle my 13th city of Needlehole (on the coast north of Chehalis). I move Miles Davis (Great Artist) out of Camelot to settle him in Stock. I don't want a golden age this early, because my cities are small and don't work many tiles. My cities are growing because I know Calendar and am connecting more resources. If I run 20% science in 500 AD, I would lose 3 gold per turn. This should get better as my Workers improve tiles and I build a few Courthouses. I continue to alternate between 0% and 100% science. My research isn't stuck because I have scientist specialists. When my cities run out of good tiles, the citizens become scientists. Representation (from the Pyramids) adds extra science to my specialists. I have enabled scientists by adopting Caste System, and before that, by building Libraries for culture.
In 620 AD T141, I accept Washington's offer of Metal Casting, and Saladin's offer to declare war against Boudica. The war will be nominal: Boudica is too far away. Saladin has (at least 2 times) retaken Medina from Boudica. Boudica's Celtic army would need to cross Darius's Persia, then Saladin's Arabia, before attacking me. Boudica has no coastal city. Boudica soon makes peace with Saladin. I have a few Axemen, Chariots, and Spearmen on defense.
I complete some world wonders: Angkor Wat in Bywater in 640 AD T142, the Great Library in Camelot in 800 AD T150, my national Moai Statues in Stock in 820 AD T151, the Sistine Chapel in Bywater 940 AD T157, the Mausoleum of Mausolos in Camelot in 1080 AD T168, the Spiral Minaret in Bywater in 1170 AD T177, the extremely late Great Lighthouse in Stock in 1170 AD T177, and the Kong Miao in Bywater in 1200 AD T180. I lose Notre Dame to Washington and the Hagia Sophia to Boudica. I settle my 14th city of Pincup (south of Camelot, near my iron mine) in 920 AD T156, my 15th city of Nobottle (between Chehalis, Overhill, and Waymoot) in 1030 AD T163, and my 16th city of Woodhall in 1120 AD T172. I learn Divine Right and found Islam in Pincup in 1000 AD T160.
I begin in 680 AD T144 to add Buddhism to cities with my own missionaries. Mao Zedong completes a Jewish Apostolic Palace in 740 AD. My civ doesn't have Judaism. When religions spread without a missionary, I never got Judaism, but usually got my own Confucianism. (I had expected a Jewish AP from Mao or Ragnar; they both got Theology. In some games, the civ who founds Christianity completed the AP; but in this game, Ragnar founded Christianity and Mao completed the AP.)
Ragnar in 960 AD T158 says, "I'm making you an offer you can't refuse." He offers only 5 gold to buy Calendar, so I do refuse. I have previously refused to help Ragnar, refused to join his war against Washington, and refused to adopt Hereditary Rule.
Ragnar declares war against me in 1030 AD. I had feared such an attack and kept some units in my northwestern cities nearest Ragnar, but I don't have enough units. My reply in 1040 AD T164 is to exit Caste System and adopt Vassalage and Slavery. Anarchy takes 2 turns. My slavers hurry a Maceman in Needlehole just before that city falls to Ragnar in 1070 AD. I lose 4 units (Maceman, Spearman, Warrior, Axeman) and slay 1 Berserker.
I have the largest civ. I rank 1st in all of crop yield, production, and gold. My Workers build roads toward Needlehole and chop forests. I get angry citizens (because Washington annexed my winery west of Chehalis as the war began), but the anger disappears as I whip my slaves and shrink my cities. I settle Woodhall and complete the Mausoleum of Mausolos, the Spiral Minaret, and the Great Lighthouse during the war. Most cities produce Barracks, Macemen, Pikemen, and Trebuchets. Ragnar's attack on Chehalis fails as my new Macemen reach the front. I get Pachacuti (Great General), who leads a Medic III Chariot.
How did I get the Great Lighthouse in 1170 AD T177? In NC267 Montezuma, I had completed the Great Lighthouse in 400 BC T99, and other players completed it earlier. In this game, everyone forgot to build it. You can build it only on the coast, but all civs started this game away from the coast. Washington and Boudica never got coastal cities! Ragnar and Saladin each got 1 coastal city. Mao got 2. Zara Yaqob and Darius I each got 3. I got 4. Some coastal cities are small and weak. Darius's Angle is a large coastal city, but might be too distracted by wars. I suspect that Angle was a barb city until Darius took it. Angle is now on the front of Darius's war against Boudica.
I win the Liberalism race in 1210 AD T181 and take Nationalism as my free tech. (Astronomy costs more bulbs, but Nationalism helps the war.) I attack Needlehole in 1220 AD T182, with 5 Trebuchets and then mostly with Macemen; I lose a Maceman and slay 10 units. I retake Needhole in 1230 AD T183. My maces, pikes, trebs, medic invade Vikingland; conquer Bjørgvin (my 17th city) in 1290 AD T189, Birka (18th) in 1330 AD T193. These 2 cities are on hills but have only 20% defense, so they fall quickly. In past games, when I attacked cities with maces, I stopped to bombard each city's wall or castle with Catapults. In this game, I have enough Trebuchets to bombard the 20% and attack units on the same turn.
After Birka falls, in 1330 AD, Ragnar becomes a vassal of Zara Yaqob, who joins the war on Ragnar's side. This act of the Zara surprises me. In past games, I have seen a civ capitulate to an enemy during war, or become a vassal during peace, but I have never seen a civ gain a war ally by becoming a vassal, as Ragnar now gains the Zara. (I feared something else: if the Apostolic Palace would declare war, then both the Zara and Mao would join. Now the Zara has joined, but Mao is still out.) This act of the Zara will slow my invasion of Vikingland, because I will split my army.
Some units will stay in Birka to defend against the Zara. Other units will go west from Bjørgvin to continue attacking Ragnar. I have a road from Needlehole to Bjørgvin and Birka because I brought 2 Workers with my army. Now in 1340 AD T194, I have 8 Macemen, 3 Pikemen, and the Medic III Chariot defending Birka.
The problem is that the Zara knows Guilds and can build Knights. If he has enough Knights, along with some Catapults and Trebuchets, then he will slay my stack in Birka. I have no Knights, but I am 1 turn away from learning Military Tradition to unlock the Cuirassier, who is stronger than the Knight. I want to take the turn, then change civics. I want to exit Vassalage, Slavery, and Organized Religion; I want to adopt Nationhood, Caste System, Mercantilism, and Theocracy. I might also convert from no state religion to Buddhism. The anarchy will delay my Cuirassiers, but Nationhood should allow me to draft Musketmen, so I might have enough units to fight both Ragnar and the Zara.
I still fear the Jewish Apostolic Palace. Mao is the AP resident, but the Zara would become the resident if Ragnar votes for the Zara. As long as I hold Birka, a Jewish city, then the AP might not declare war, but the AP might stop the war and return Birka to Ragnar. I might defy an AP resolution so I can continue the war. I have never defied the Apostolic Palace in any game, and I don't know whether the penalty for defiance would ruin this game.
