[Vanilla] Opps, no iron or niter, so how defend?

[planetfall]

Just in first partial games of civ6. Only had domination victory set. Japan has 8 cities and I have 16, but no iron and no niter. I got surprised by Japan attacking along with a city-civ. City-civ is not an issue. Japan has 3 Cav-corps and 2 other units attacking my second city which only has walls and a lone crossbow defending. I assume I have lost the city, but my questions are:

1-- how do you plan play if don't have iron or niter?
I had the opportunity to plant a city on horrible site with only water is site of iron. The closest niter is 2 tiles from a city on the coast but all tiles but one are desert, so expansion is suspect.
Think earliest would have iron is 10 turns and about 30 for niter. Obviously no help at all in this war.

2-- How big of a gap can there be between your military count and closest civ military count, on settler level, before liable for surprise war?

 

[DeckerdJames]

The main ranged and anti-Calvary units don’t have resource costs.

You tech to military tactics and get pikeman and you can go to machinery to get crossbows. Pikemen become pike and shot and eventually AT units. Crossbows become field cannons and eventually machine guns.

You can probably defend your territory with ranged and anti Calvary if you can get them early enough. For an ongoing war, not sure.

 

[vorlon_mi]

I have Gathering Storm, but you should be able to buy tiles even in vanilla. Planting a city near some iron, buying the iron tile, and nursing it along should help it grow enough to support your empire. Domestic trade routes can send food also, I believe.

 

[Civilopedian]

My advice is to defend yourself with anticav and ranged units and focus on your economy and peace, and if possible look to expand onto unchartered lands on different continents via sea, with a plan to hopefully push later on with oil and aluminium with artillery, bombers and battleships. So obviously you should do everything to accelerate your science to reach that point, and maximise gold output to sustain it when it comes.

 

[reddishrecue]

I would often use the ranged and the heroes that can be built particularly against barbarian man at arms which are powerful when you don't have a good hero around.