Nobles' Club XXXVI: Gilgamesh

[Navarre]

Hi, I decided to give it a try, at Noble. I used to play Prince and sometimes Monarch, but I've stopped playing a long time.

Noble/Marathon/BAT to 980 BC.

Spoiler :

Settled in place, went Worker first to work that corn. Research order was AH for the cow, then Mining and BW.

After the worker I built barracks to let the city grow, then Warrior > Settler to take the stone south. Research went Masonry > Pottery. Founded Eridu.



Another worker, then warrior and settler. Since I knew Mansa Musa and Toku were around and a rush would not be easy, I tought about it, and decided to abuse the Creative trait by settling under Mansa's nose to claim the horses and the marble. It seemed a good idea to go coastal, but that's no sea. Oh, well.



Built a Granary after the whipping in Uruk, then chopped the Great Wall once the stone was connected. Research went Mysticism > Meditation > Priestood to unlock the Ziggurat, then Polytheism > Monotheism since nobody seemed to found Judaism, which I grabbed. I founded a city to grab the copper north or Uruk, and researched Fishing and then Writing to spread the faith. Mansa and Sury turned Jews, Toku stayed Turtle. Several chariots went sniffing around so I researched Hunting and then Iron Working to see if there's any. Then I started to research Monarchy for the happiness cap and to connect the wine.

Once the Marble was connected I built the Oracle in my second city, and got it. I had a hard time deciding what to take : I didn't want any religion to spread around and mess things up yet, so CoL and Theology were not a good choice. MC was tempting, but I barely have coast, and there's no military danger, so I decided to take Alphabet, to see where everyone was and trade/spy techs. I traded Sailing and Archery with Sury and Mansa, and was leading by several techs already. I discovered Monarchy, switched to HR/OR and started to research Mathematics while pumping settlers to grab the ivory and the iron.

The mighty Sumerian empire at 980 BC :



The dudes around :



Sury and Mansa are pleased, Toku is pissed because I don't stop trading with Mansa, everyone is at least 3 techs behind.

I guess I gonna keep on settling for now, and make it peaceful for a while. I have copper, iron, horses and ivory, and I probably gonna have cats first, so maybe not, it will depend on the mood. I can also go wonderhog, since I have stone, marble, ivory, gold and a tech lead.

I have to say, this is a strangely easy game for now. Maybe I should have played Prince.

 

[TheLazyHase]

@Navarre : I agree, for now I tend to think that this map is pretty easy. Hard to say why, maybe the lot of food everywhere.

 

[Navarre]

@TheLazyHase : maybe. Neighbors don't seem to expand either, so it's easy to grab land, and there's every strategic resource one could want around. Creative works well in that kind of peaceful expansion.

 

[cripp7]

Monarch/Epic with PIG mod

Spoiler :

Monarch/Epic

Tech Mine>BW>AH>Pottery>Masonry>Writing>Myst>Hunting>Archery>Math>IW>med>Priest
Build worker>warrior x2>settler>worker>warrior x2>GW(missed)>settler>rax>vultures
Settled 1S to pickup wine/2 floodplains

Turn 3 - found Mansu

Turn 10 - run into Toku

Turn 33 - BW in go AH

Turn 37 - met Sury

Turn 45 - Animal Husbandry done go Pottery

Turn 49 - pop Fishing from my hut

Turn 52 - Pottery go Masonry

Turn 59 - Masonry go Writing

Turn 63 - Founded Eridu for fish/corn/copper

Turn 69 - Writing go Myst

Turn 74 - Myst go Hunting, OB with Sury

Turn 78 - Hunting go Archery

Turn 82 - Archery go Math

Turn 87 - missed GW settler

Turn 102 - Math go IW

Turn 114 - IW go Meditation

Turn 119 - Med go Priesthood

Turn 120 - 1000AD 3 cities, building vultures to rush Mansu

 

[dualmaster]

Emperor/Epic to 10AD:

Spoiler :

A little scouting revealed a lot of good land with no one too close, so I went into full REX mode. After BW+AH, I went straight for Priesthood and Ziggs. Settled copper city to the north first for vulture barb protection. Don't remember initial builds but got two settlers out before chopping out Oracle. Normally I wouldn't hesitate to take CoL from Oracle, but it is less attractive with Ziggs. My plan was to take Monarchy for early wines+HR. But then I noticed that Sury, Toku, and Mansa didn't have any religions (hadn't met Churchill yet, who founded hindu in my game).

So I founded Confu with the idea of spreading it to select neighbors to ease the diplo situation. Immediately got Sury to switch with the free missionary. Tried to get open borders with Toku for an auto spread but he is stubborn. Gave him several techs and finally have open borders. Toku and Sury are pleased with me while Mansa is in a different religion and hated by all. Also just popped a GP from the Oracle and built Confu shrine to feed my economy.



Managed to peacefully expand to 7 good cities and will soon raze and resettle the barb city to the south for 8 good cities.

Just finished teching construction and just about done HBR. I have some decent production so I should be able to get a catapult+phant army together quickly and go after Mansa. With the diplo situation I'm not too worried about getting attacked, although can Sury be bribed by Mansa into attacking me? That would be bad.

Techs:


Tech situation looks good. Mansa is teching ahead as usual but I'll soon deal with that. Since he's hated by everyone I won't get minus diplo for multiple DoWs, so I may take peace for tech a few times.

After Mansa I'll probably turn on one of my neighbors. Things look pretty good overall.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

Took the immortal save but I gave up. Let's review:

1. Catapult raped 2 AIs. So far so good
2. Low sea level (crap)
3. 2 AIs finish with more population than me, even though they never, ever went to war the entire game and I farmed all of my tiles outside the capitol...

What the hell?

So that's about all I'm willing to tolerate until next time.

 

[TheLazyHase]

Spoiler :

Sury finished off, Mansa Musa reduced to one toundra city and vassalized, Tokugawa so backward that I could cleave into him, some real tech advance compared to the two other AI I have encountered (Churchill and Zara). It's just far too easy, I should had taken emperor level, or something like that. The only thing that can make me loose is that I have an enormous empire and a vassal, so I'm about 30% science, that not exactly good.

 

[Amao]

Took the immortal save but I gave up. Let's review:

1. Catapult raped 2 AIs. So far so good
2. Low sea level (crap)
3. 2 AIs finish with more population than me, even though they never, ever went to war the entire game and I farmed all of my tiles outside the capitol...

What the hell?

So that's about all I'm willing to tolerate until next time.

I just signed up for a Monarch/Normal game. So it seems like a mid/late game challenge. TMIT, you don't even think you have a chance for space/culture?

 

[TheMeInTeam]

I just signed up for a Monarch/Normal game. So it seems like a mid/late game challenge. TMIT, you don't even think you have a chance for space/culture?

No chance. Big AIs with 30%+ of the world's population from early in the game tech pretty fast on immortal...and capturing >20 cities with catapults slowed me up a bit (couldn't get to internet first).

 

[dualmaster]

Emperor/Epic - To 1000AD (things got interesting):

Spoiler :

So I build my phant+cat army and go after Mansa. Take two cities and raze a third without trouble. Then Toku sends a stack to join in on the fun.

Except the stack is headed for me. Oh yeah, Sury DoWs me on same turn as Toku

So I quick make peace with Mansa and turn my stack into Toku's land while I add some extra defenders on the east side. Strangely, I haven't seen anything at all like a stack from Sury? Anyways in Jap lands I raze a crap city and am on my way to take Tokyo (which happens to have the GLib) when an AP vote stops the war. Grrrrrrr. I figured Toku would be back for more, but I wanted to push into Khmer lands a bit (his cultural pressure was troublesome for my eastern cities, plus he had some good land and iron, which I lacked).

So my stack heads east and makes some progress, but Sury has longbows that slaughter my cats. Meanwhile Toku redeclares on the west and sends a sizable stack at one of my cities. When he's almost there an AP vote ends the war (this time I voted yes).

In the east my offensive grinds to a halt - phants and cats just can't push through longbows. But I make sure to get this little prize:


I have enough cats and phants to safely take one more city so I plan to get the one above the spices, for the happy resource and to relieve some cultural pressure. Hopefully that weakens him enough to give me a decent tech for peace. Sury has maces and longbows and is part way through Guilds so he'll soon have Knights.

In the west Toku has a large stack with 10-15 cats ready to go. He should be coming in a couple more turns. He also has longbows so I won't be able to make much forward progress.

The empire and tech situation:



I'm thinking the best route forward is to turtle up against Toku and try and get back in the tech race (though I'm not terribly far behind). I've started stealing some techs from Mansa too. I may have a decent shot at Lib, although who knows what is happening with the other civs in the game. Budda and Judaism are out there so I'm hoping there is some religious trouble to slow down their tech rate.

I'm hoping to get to muskets/rifles and cannons ahead of my neighbors and then go for another war or three. But reading about TMIT's game has me a little worried...

 

[Shafi]

Monarch / Epic - 10 AD

I am not too pleased with this round - i think i could have done better, but then as it stands now i think i have pulled it back a bit, will make for an interesting game ...

Spoiler :

Settled in place, early tech path and build order as follows,

Tech – Mining > Mysticism (hut) > AH > BW > Pottery > Writing > Meditation > Priesthood > IW > Mathematics > Aesthetics > Hunting (trade) > Archery (trade) > Poly> Metal Casting (From Oracle) > Literature > Monarchy > .......

1st City build – Worker > Warrior > Warrior > Worker > Warrior > Settler > Library > Worker > Settler > Chariot > Chariot > Chariot > Oracle > Settler > Worker ....

Going for the Oracle actually sidetracked me and i think i lost out at least two planned city locations ... so this was silly since my plan was to Rex and block MM & Toku.

I picked up MC from the Oracle, i generated a GS and used him for an Academy in the capital, Currently going for the GL.

Sury is pleased with me and MM is at friendly due to religion. Problem is MM seems to be ahead of me on tech right now and i am worried if he will win Lib race, should i look to take him out now? he has the Jewish holy city too ... but that would mean i lose my tec trading partner ... Decisions ... decisions ...

what would you suggest? Here are the screenies ...

Heres the save -

 

[cas]

Small nit. I do this all the time when I cut/paste and forget to change something.

...select "Play Scenario", and look for "NC 36 Julius Noble" ...

Should be Gilgamesh.

cas

 

[dualmaster]

Emperor/Epic to 1928 Space victory

Spoiler :

After making peace with Sury, I started teching. Spammed cottages, spent a lot of time building wealth/research. Stole 4-5 techs to help get me caught up. Then my cottages took off and I was ahead. Met Zara and HC who were already behind me. Apparently the other continent had each civ with a different religion and there was a ton of fighting over there.

On our continent Sury voluntarily vassaled to me. Toku DoWed me 5 or 6 times. The cycle went like this: Toku builds up a mass obsolete units, DoWs and moves them into the open next to my city. Siege followed by muskets/rifles/infantry slaughter them. Toku pays lots of money for peace. Rinse and repeat.

I had decided to make a straight run to internet, I was already ahead by SciMethod so I pretty well self-teched everything after that. I did a terrible job of actually building spaceparts, taking something like 40-50 turns to get parts built. Thus the very late 1928 victory and crappy score.





Pretty fun game, although the last hundred turns were pretty boring. Thanks for hosting dalamb!

 

[L-Plate Ruler]

Noble, normal to 1AD.

Spoiler :

I was tempted to move 2S for the capital, but decided to settle in place given the greener pastures.

Tech path: Animal Husbandry (10 Turns) - Mining (6 Turns) - Bronze Working (13 Turns) - Pottery (97 Turns) - Fishing (4 Turns) - Sailing (10 Turns) - Writing (5 Turns) - Iron Working (8 Turns) - Masonry (2 Turns) - Hunting (2 Turns) - Alphabet (10 Turns) - Mathematics (7 Turns) - Archery (2 Turns) - Currency (8 Turns) - Calendar (12 Turns) - Code of Laws (11 Turns) - Construction (413 Turns).

Given what I've learned from NCXXXV I tried rushing my closest neighbour, Mana Musa, destroying him in 825BC with about eight Vultures. This time I kept his capital

To help with this I chopped four (or three) workers, so I've been able to get resources hooked up pretty quickly which I think positioned me well.

I tried for the Great Wall but missed out

However, I did get the Moai Statues, The Pyramids, The Hanging Gardens

And at 25BC I captured Tokugawa's capital! I plan to destory him and live peacefully with Sury until I've got enough war elephants to crush him too. I think I'll then have the continent to myself.

Screen shots of 1000BC

Spoiler :

Screen shots of 1AD...

 

[Shafi]

@ L Plate - You are doing really well here ...

Spoiler :

For some strange reason i did not rush anyone and find myslef in a real slog ...

 

[dalamb]

@TMIT: That's at least 2 of my maps where the AI wound up expanding too fast to make the game fun for you (this plus Boudica). Any advice you want to give me on making the map next time around? High sea level?

 

[Shafi]

I remeber the Boudica one - that was real bad, i gve up on it ... I'm sure tis must be better ...

 

[Navarre]

Following my first round, 980 BC to 535 AD.

Since everybody else seemed to rush the neighbors, I decided to play it peaceful.

Spoiler :

After Mathematics, techpath went Currency while I was building Zigg all around to tidy up my economy. I gave a go at the Pyramids, even if I'm not too fond of the big tombstone, and I grabbed them, so I went CoL to switch to Caste System sooner or later. GW in Uruk gave a Great Spy, I settled him to steal techs later since Mansa and Sury were researching decently, and switched to Representation . I traded Construction for Currency with Sury, and researched Calendar to use these bananas lying around.

I met Churchill, who was annoyed, being Buddhist and knowing that I did trade with his worst enemy, whoever that was (probably Sury, I didn't pay attention, I became his worst enemy anyway for trading with his worst enemy, got to love the AI diplo).

After Calendar I researched Aesthetics > Literature to grab the GL and get wonder-happy with the marble and stuff. I then began to research Music, for the free Great Artist which I intended to use for a free Golden Age. I traded Feudalism for Currency and CoL with Mansa.

Sury then decided I'd make a nice sugar daddy, and offered himself as a vassal. Since he's freaking ugly and doesn't have anything I could want, I declined.

Got the GA from Music, and saved him for the GA once the Mausoleum of Maussolos I was building in my southern city, the one under Mansa's nose, would be finished. I began to search Civil Service. I finished building the Parthenon, and scored the Classical Literature quest which gave me a free scientist in Uruk

Mansa got a Great Scientist and bulbed Philosophy, and soon after a Great Prophet he used to bulb Theology. I decided to put my EP to good use and stole him Theology to build the AP. I asked Horseback Riding to Sury, not feeling like trading away my shinies just yet, and he gently gave it to me. A Great Scientist was born in Uruk, I built an Academy to abuse my already powerful research center: bulbing Philo would have been a waste, since I gonna steal it from Mansa.

Once CS was researched and the MoM built, I fired the GA and waited 3 turns, until the Schwedagon Paya I was building in my Oracle city for the GPP was finished, to switch to Bureaucracy/Caste System/Pacifism. I traded Aesthetics for Metal Casting with Mansa, and began to research Machinery, which I got just after finishing the Statue of Zeus in my ivory city.

I now research Paper to build the University of Sankore in Uruk once the forge is finished, and wait to have enough EP to steal Philosophy from Mansa while building forges and longbows all over the place to make sure nobody, meaning Toku or Churchill, gets bright ideas.

The empire:



Uruk:



The tech situation:



The diplo:



Mansa, Sury and I are buddys and the most advanced, Toku and Churchill are lagging behind. Churchill doesn't like me and demands bananas, but we shall defend our bananas, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender our delicious fruits !

 

[Navarre]

535 to 1240 AD

Spoiler :

I'm playing with the idea of a Cultural Victory, I never go for it. Not sure yet, but I built wonders to anyway.

Techpath went Paper > Engineering for Notre Dame. Mansa Musa bugged me all along the segment to become my vassal, but he's everybody's worst enemy and I don't see any point in accepting, so I declined. I got a Great Engineer in Uruk and saved him for later.

By 585 AD, Churchill declared war, and sent a whole galley to attack me, spreading horror in my empire... or not. He landed an axeman and a swordman on my copper, and pillaged it. The exact same turn, my iron mine blew up : I like how things are not made up in this game. Anyway, I paid the bill for the iron mine and blasted Churchill's forces with a maceman, then he made peace.

I stole Philosophy from Mansa, and researched Drama, then Guilds and Banking. I got a Great Merchant from nowhere in Ur, and saved him for a while. I finished building the Apocalyptic Palace, and was elected in. I started to build castles around, and triggered the Best Defense quest that I was hoping for : with the GW, it's really a nice quest.

I built the University of Sankore in Uruk. After Banking I researched Divine Right for the shinies, and bulbed most of Education with a GS from Uruk. Once finished, I went for Economics. I managed to complete the Best Defense quest before obsoleting castles and took the +25 Espionage for the GW reward, making my already strong espionage stronger. I used the GE I was saving for the Sistine Chapel, and triggered a Golden Age with my merchant and a Great Spy I got in Nibru to switch to Free Market.

I built Notre Dame, but Sury beat me to Hagia Sophia. I saved the GM from Economics and went for Liberalism, wanting to switch to Free Speech ASAP in case I was going for cultural. I stole Nationalism from Mansa and took Constitution as a freebie when I discovered Lib. I traded with Mansa for his Compass, and then with Sury for Optics while researching Gunpowder, since Churchill was looking like he wanted to go for another round. I built Angkor Wat for the culture, and the Spiral Minaret for the money and the GPP, still waiting for a Great Prophet to build the Jewish Shrine.

I researched Printing Press for more money and opening Democracy, and then went Replacable Part and Rifling for protective rifles, since I met Huayna Capac and Zara Yaqob, none of them happy with me. I built Versailles and the Taj Mahal, using the GA to switch to Free Speech. Since Sury didn't want to trade it, I stole Astronomy from him and began to research Democracy for the SoL. I sold some old techs to Mansa who was full of money, and am going to upgrade my longbows to riflemen to withstand the attack I feel coming, from Churchill probably.

I have a ridiculous tech lead, so I'm not sure yet if I gonna go cultural or space race. Cultural sounds good for a change, but it's boring in the end IIRC, and there's not much seafood to boost Sushi. I'm getting Great Artists left and right from the wonders, I've settled them for now, I could save one for Jewelers later. I'll have to get another GE for Creative Constructions too.

The Sumerian Empire:



I've built several wonders giving +10 culture in Kish, the Hermitage and settled a GA here, I'd love to flip Timbuktu if I go cultural.

The tech situation:



No comment. I'll have to watch which tech obsolets the Sistine Chapel (Scientific Method I think), and maybe skip it if I can on the way to Electricity > Radio > Mass Media.

The diplo:



I'm Churchill and Zara Yacob worst enemy, and they gear up for war. Not sure macemen and knights will do them too much good versus protective riflemen, but that's gonna live up things a bit. Huayna Capac and Sury are preparing for war too, don't know against who, don't really care.

 

[GGS]

Prince/Epic. 825 BC.

Spoiler :

Sumeria settled in place. The early build order was warrior, worker, warrior, settler, barracks. The tech path to date is: mining, BW, AH, IW, fishing, writing, mysticism, meditation, priesthood. A stunning nine huts produced 455 gold (still running 100% science) experience, warrior, masonry and two hostiles. The luck continued in 2450 with the axe-handle thing for Vulture shock.

Mansa Musa was met in 3900, Suryavarman II in 3425 and Tokugawa in 3400. Eridu was founded 1SW of the nearby copper in 2450. Modest diplomatic mismanagement meant that only Malinese cities have been explored but Timbuktu is a GPF-in-waiting.

So, here we are on the eve of the Mali War. Eleven CR I vultures with four on the way may not produce a quick victory but they should be able to feast.