T0 – Settled in place. The capital looks very fertile indeed, even though neither corn resource is naturally irrigated. Research goes into Agriculture. Mecca builds a Worker.
T5 – First contact already! Zara Yaqob's scout appears to the north-east of Mecca. His Creative cultural pressure will have to be dealt with.
T9 – The finest minds of semi-nomadic Arabia invent the tortilla. Research goes into Mining next.
T12 – The starting warrior suddenly finds himself next to a stray lion and is promptly snackified on the interturn.
T14 – Buddhism founded in a distant land, which seems rather late – did nobody else start with Mysticism?
T17 – Hinduism follows suit. On the same turn I finish Mining, but unwisely decide to research Animal Husbandry next, even though Bronze Working first would have allowed me to double-whip a Settler at size four.
T29 – Mecca hits size four and builds a Settler; research on AH completes, and I pursue Bronze Working, already having realized my mistake a few turns ago. Zara Yaqob revolts to Slavery.
T38 – Settler finished and on the way. I discover Augustus Caesar's borders in the northern jungle and glare at his double ivory camps.
T40 – Medina founded 3W of Mecca. Production goes into a Monument, which will bring the food resources into play. I loathe Monuments.
T42 – The first Worker, now having farmed both corns, mined two grassland hills, and built a road on the southernmost corn, adds a farm 1NW of Mecca to his oeuvre. The city hits size five on the same turn, and works all the improved tiles to build another Worker, which will be double-whipped on T44 for huge overflow. Good thing Saladin is Spiritual. Indeed, this may be the only good thing about him.
T44 – Bronze Working, and thus Slavery, arrive at long last, also revealing a riverside grassland copper resource right next to the capital. Praise be to Cypris!
I crack the double-whip, and plan to invest those 28 overflow hammers into another Settler, as the first one was so unnecessarily delayed, and I need to claim land in the east before Zara makes himself too comfortable there. The planned city site is situated 1W of the wheat on the southern coast. À propos coast: research necessarily goes into Fishing.
T45 – The Workers build a mine on the copper and a pasture on the pigs, respectively. I might have mined the pigs instead, had I not planned Medina to serve as my Great Scientist generator for the time being.
T48 – A warrior stumbles into a barbarian city's borders, whose name is „Carib“, and what a fine city it is: fish, pigs, double sugar, river access, six tiles of grassland as soon as the jungle is cleared – what's there to complain about? (That is, apart from its placement on the wrong side of the river.) It's rather close to Augustus, unfortunately, but seeing as there are warriors, not archers, defending the city, I might have a chance to smack them good with a lone axeman.
T50 – Fishing is done, and on the same turn, Medina grows to size 2 and whips a Monument. Research now goes into Pottery.
T51 – Medina puts its production, and thus its whip overflow, into a Worker for a turn.
T52 – Finished the second Settler in Mecca, who heads for the eastern wheat/fish/cows/whale city site. Medina swaps its production to a work boat.
T53 – Mecca's six overflow hammers go into a warrior, whom I'll take off the queue next turn to put 4 hammers into an axeman (this is why I love myself at least one grassland mine in food-rich cities). A road now connects Medina to Mecca, apparently designed by someone who really loved maccaroni. Zara Yaqob, as it turns out, is already running three cities: his capital, then one by the pigs and floodplains east of the central desert, then another one by the double wines. I have only had visibility on Gondar, though.
T54 – Both workers move into forests. As planned, Mecca puts a turn into an axeman (growth to size 4 in one turn). I found Damascus, my third city, at the intended location, which grievously forces me to build a Monument and run 70% on the research slider. Pottery now takes an additional turn.
T55 – Mecca double-whips the axeman to 64/35
, and swaps its build to the 6/15 warrior. The axeman will be banked for a few turns. Medina grows, working the pigs and a mine, and will finish the work boat one turn before its borders expand so that the clams can be hooked up immediately.
T57 – I move the warrior in Medina onto the grass hill 2W of the city and find that there is a clam resource right by the shore, to go along with those fish in the ocean – I could have founded two cities in this area if only I had scouted this tile earlier! The resources are now out of range for any possible city, unfortunately. Both workers chop forests for Mecca; the warrior is now finished.
T58 – Mecca grows to size 3, and swaps its build to a worker (4t with overflow). Both workers move into forests again.
T59 – Pottery finished. Research goes into Writing. Mecca reconfigured for maximum hammers (11/turn) at stagnant growth (copper + 2 grassland mines), and swaps its build back to the banked axeman (64/35).
T60 – Mecca puts its overflow into a Worker (1t). Medina's work boat is finished, and moves on top of the clams.
T61 – Judaism is founded in „a distant land“. Two chops and overflow go into a granary in Mecca (1t). The work boat improves the clams. Medina tastes the whip, in love not given lightly, to produce a Worker.
T62 – The „distant land“ of Kabbalist lore turns out to be right next door as Zara Yaqob embraces Organized Religion, despite not having chosen a state religion yet.
Mecca starts to build another Settler, working both corns and the copper again. Medina grows to size 2, and begins work on a granary.
T63 – And now Zara Yaqob acknowledges his heritage as a member of the Thirteenth Tribe, and coverts to Judaism. I also remember that the axeman could be useful in capturing Carib, and send him off to that city; ten turns until he arrives at his destination. My four workers are farming the wheat, mining the grass hill 1SE of the pigs, cottaging 2N of Mecca and moving towards the wheat in Damascus, respectively. The worker that's moving towards Damascus is losing some turns, but I'd rather get to the wheat slightly faster.
The Above in Pictures
These are images of Arabia on turn 63, the barbarian city of Carib (guest starring Zara Yaqob's northern borders), and a Demographics screenshot. Zara Yaqob has twice my GDP
, I sure hope that a lot of it results from Judaism and getting Creative culture, not from gold or gems! He has also barely overtaken me in Food and Production over the last few turns, although whipping down Mecca undoubtedly had an effect on this. I'm on the verge of seeing Augustus' demographics, and have allocated all my espionage points (all four of them) towards him.
Carib would have been an even better city if it had been placed 1W, but I appreciate the gesture nonetheless; after all, a free Settler is a free Settler. The place in which my warrior is standing seems fit for another city. The planned fourth city will grab cows and stone to the north of my position, and I can found a „filler city“ in the river delta north of Mecca to work grassland tiles and two clams. It will also be able to mature cottages for Mecca thanks to overlap, and I think this capital will prove a Bureaucratic monstrosity to rival those imagined by Kafka.
A save is attached, even though I find my backward position quite embarrassing.
Economy is a bit sinking, getting to Infantry will take a long time. Rome had a 5 settled Great General city, I'm planning to make it my Globe Theater city, drafted Infantry with two promotions out of the gate!
What better place to learn, though?
, so one turn of 9 surplus is necessary to grow in three turns.
