Pericles of the French

[Pangaea]

Rolled a totally random Fractal map with Unrestricted Leaders, because I wanted to try something a little different. First got Charlemagne of the Greek, which I didn't much care for (I really don't like Charlemagne). Went back and re-launched with same settings, and this map popped up, with Pericles of the French. Start looks really good, actually, but I didn't want to reroll. Had my mind set on trying what came up.

Spoiler :

Have attached the same here, just in case somebody else wants to try out something like this. I've no idea what the map looks like or what other AIs are present.

Settings:

• Immortal
• Standard speed and size
• Fractal
• Unrestricted Leaders (takes a leader and matches it with another random civilisation)
  
• No huts or events

 

[krikav]

Pericles is one of my absolute favourites, cre/phi and the creative odeon is nice. But here we don't get the odeon, right...? We get the Salon?
Starting with agri+tw is awesome compared to fishing+hunting though.

I'm preoccupied with NC248 still, but might give this a shot if I get to annoyed with endgame warfare.
Fun idea!

 

[lymond]

I like Peri a lot too....always seemed a bit underrated and overlooked. And with Frenchie techs that is very nice. And no tundra start which I guess is maybe more of a Hunting tech thing, but when I roll Greeks I seem to always be in or near tundra.

Yep, no creative Odeon here which is really nice indeed.

The Peri>French really offers no direct synergy, but the starting techs means faster start and faster libraries likely, and at least the UU has some value as Cur support.

 

[sampsa]

Yeh, good starting techs and great traits. UB/UU not that important. I'd rather have the scout here to check if I'm missing something if settling 1E. Guess you kinda need to SIP now.

 

[krikav]

UU/UBs are seldom that important, but they can often be nice, and they certainly add an important bit of flavour imho.

When it comes to UB though, I rate the odeon quite high, especially for pericles.
40 hammers for a colosseum that gives 2 happines is dandy but whats really nice with it, is that it's one of those rare conquerable culture buildings (The other one being the incas granary). So if you are robbing cities with pericles most of the time it's just 2 turns out of revolt and the borders are popped, which at certain stages of the game are really sweet.

 

[Pangaea]

That is what I love about the Odeon too. So great to have it survive when you capture cities. No access to that here, though, but we do get much better starting techs.

Tempting to settle 1E, but losing out on a third hill may become an issue later. City won't have many hammers (until workshops are good).

 

[lymond]

I was thinking 1E as well. Pretty sure it picks up another FP while taking out a brown (although that may just be a wash there). I haven't counted up the other river greens but may be a gain there too. Hill not that important. You may have some strat tiles anyway.

 

[krikav]

I wouldn't dare settle 1E out of fear of moving away from something sweet in the west.
In fact, I think I would move settler NW T0, to take a peek. And then I'll get more info, and based on what I see then, I might just settle there NW on T0.
If nothing else, I would get the corn improved one turn earlier.

 

[Pangaea]

Played to T51.

Spoiler :

SIPed. 1E was very tempting, but lack of hammers worried me. I find it rough when you want to grow the capital in the mid-game, when it barely has any hammers. You want to produce stuff, but don't want to whip any more.

The start has actually felt a little awkward. Barbs caused issues in all directions, so that is probably part of it, and I only have two cities so far. Usually have three by 2000BC, but maybe one food source is why. Two workers will chop out the new settler. A woodie warrior thankfully defeated a barb archer in the east, but there is one to the NW too, and I'm sure he will invade soon, so there is a real risk that I need to double pop an Axe. Aye, we have copper. That is definitely nice. Just got AH too, thinking about the sheep spot for third city.

Spoiler :

Have only met Darius of the Aztechs, so we are almost certainly semi-isolated. May be possible to contact others with workboats, but too early to tell. No lack of strategic resources, though, which is nice, and with three seafoods nearby, we'll need Fishing in the near future.

Dotmaps may need to be updated, though, as I made them before copper and horses showed up. Three horses so near the capital must be rare. Particularly when coupled with two coppers Low chance for iron, I suppose

Actually opened with Pottery, before going Mining -> BW -> Writing -> AH. Probably Math next.

Has felt like a slow or poor start, so I must have made some minor mistakes somewhere. Barbs ofc impacted things, but still :-/

 

[lymond]

Spoiler :

Still think 1E is superior based on the info at the start. Hammers shammers . You do seem a bit slow on the 2nd city here. Can't remember my date but know I was building 3rd settler by around 2000AD. I settled 1E, so I settled 1st city 2S of copper for copper/sheep/corn and cottage share. Good city for settlers too, and food sharing later with other cities.

Barbs were an issue mainly from the NE. S/SE were fairly locked down with busting, but barb invasion from NE was annoying. W was easily busted.

Actually Oracled MC in Orleans with some whips/chops there as I was pushing to CoL for expectant religion, but someone founded it right before I finished. Kinda irrelevant really as Darious was spreading Bud to me and I adopted it, but Col nice for early Caste which is good here.

Bizarrely, I was able to get Mids at around 1AD, not even trying hard and HG went several turns before. (you don't have map knowledge yet as to why I built Mids)

I think bulbing Philo though was a mistake, and using a GE on GLib. Hurt my Astro date considerably. I really have to do better with that, but I've never really solved the fast Astro equation.

Built Colossus easily though I really shoulda fail golded it some.

Really nice land here. You should be able to lock down the area from Darius, but you will need to be a bit faster with the settlers in subsequent turns.

 

[sampsa]

I wouldn't dare settle 1E out of fear of moving away from something sweet in the west.

Yes, this is my reasoning as well, couldn't care less about hills.

edit: maybe moving away from say corn isn't a disaster though, grabbing the extra fp is nice anyway.

In fact, I think I would move settler NW T0, to take a peek. And then I'll get more info, and based on what I see then, I might just settle there NW on T0.
If nothing else, I would get the corn improved one turn earlier.

Sensible for sure, even if it loses quite a lot of green river tiles and a fp. Wins 3 anyway due to faster corn.

 

[Pangaea]

You do seem a bit slow on the 2nd city here. Can't remember my date but know I was building 3rd settler by around 2000AD.

Good to hear I'm not the only one who was a little slow with settlers

 

[lymond]

Good to hear I'm not the only one who was a little slow with settlers

I set a great example

 

[Izuul]

I went 1E. I had the same concerns as others here, but I'm a sucker for a big juicy cottage capitol, and i haven't had one in a while. Not saying it was the correct move, but it was the one i wanted to play.

 

[krikav]

Spoiler T79 :

I went NW to see if there was something nice there, considering settling NW as it would enable worker to reach corn 1 turn faster. But then I see a PH thats tempting.
I use my other settler movement to scout 1W too, and the warrior moves south to see if there is anything spectacular down there.

There was nothing south, so I climbed the PH, was annoyed when I saw coast but thought "screw seafood" but was still relieved when I didn't spoil any ocean fish.

Had 10 in production in capital so one chop gave me another worker in 4 turns so I went for double-worker. Was so happy to see copper, but I finished the chop first.

Had nice forward positions with the warriors, but still chopped out one axe.

@ Writing
I put a turn into a library in Lyons with the intent of whipping it, but then I realized I had forgot to revolt to slavery so I do that first.

Apparantly, there is no end in good city spots on this map!

I have quite a few workers, but when Darius the wimp puts two of them right in front of me, I couldn't resist. Damn shame losing the ivory though, didn't think about that in my greedy haze.

He is willing do to a ceasefire just a few turns later, I have probably overstreched abit with Rouen as now I have to work things like coast and empty riverside to not go broke.
But I tried to make @sampsa proud chopping everything.

Time to cottage up abit.
Think I probably have to limp my way to currency somehow.

 

[krikav]

Save

 

[Pangaea]

Played to 500BC yesterday.

Spoiler :

Annoyingly Darius bombed over to steal the luscious lakes spot. Had just gotten out a settler of my own, but thought that area was safe, so sent him north for the crabs + capital overlap. Within a few turns, Darius plomped down two cities in the SW

A barb city was created very early in the SE. The reason I put a city where I did, instead of 1N on the river, was that I wanted to flip it. But now you can see several chariots on the way, and he already has a Jaguar over there, so no way there is time to build up 100 . Am chopping out an Axe, but chances aren't good with that many AI units nearby. They have such big bonuses against barbs, so even chariots will likely win all combat. And that means the path to the other iron over in the east could be taken, so I may need to get out another settler after all.

With no contact yet, and Darius putting all EPs on me, we are totally semi-isolated here, with probably no workboat contact possible. Darius has had some boats out, and I've just sent one down the western coast, but it looks like Astro is required. Therefore I had intended to not settle more cities, but he grabbing the barb city will force my hand. Haven't even settled the free corn up NE yet, and looks like there is more land further NE too.

Completed Mids this turn, chopped out with the five forests in Rheims (plus a 29/60 granary whip). Currently in Rep anarchy. The happiness will be good. Didn't want to 'waste' turns going to Monarchy myself, although the wine would be a nice improvement and happy boost. Have a GS already, PHI is awesome, and am working on some more. Suppose the first guy could have built an Academy, but have saved him for a while now, so now it feels like it's too late But just in case I don't get a 3rd GS in time, suppose I'll just keep him around. Could even bulb Optics, though that feels like a waste (6-700 excess )

Cottages have been doing quite well, helped by starting with Pottery research and putting a turn into a cottage on the way to corn T15. Without the Rep anarchy, we would actually have gotten the first Town in T100. Now it will be T101 and T102.

Spoiler :

Too few workers really, especially now with Rep happiness, so will whip/build a few.

No religion yet despite open borders forever. Oracle went early elsewhere, and Darius recently built the GLH. Trying to take a stab at HG, but it may go soon-ish. But suppose the capital will need an aqueduct anyway. We'll see... Can at least slowly put some hammers into it, and then decide later.

Usually I go Currency in these (semi)-iso games, but was thinking of trying without it this time. Otherwise I'd probably be doing that now, but am working on MC instead.

 

[Izuul]

Popped gems at the capitol. Want to keep them but feel guilty!

 

[sampsa]

But I tried to make @sampsa proud chopping everything.

Oh I am certainly proud of your play so far.

 

[Pangaea]

To 1AD.

Spoiler :

Very lucky with the barb city. The Jaguar first killed two archers with barely a scratch, but the injured Jag, a Chariot+archer failed to take the city, and there was a 0.8 health archer left. My warrior took the city, with a fresh chariot as backup (the axe wouldn't have been able to get there). No need to build a settler for the east then, but 8 cities is already a stretch. We're breaking even at 30%, which makes for fairly slow progress towards Astro.

The chariot scouted out Darius' lands, and the workboat has gone around the coast and just spotted the edges of another barb city over in the north-east. No barbs have come for a while, so it made sense there had to be another one. But kinda surprised Darius hasn't sent units up there. They seem to be omniscient about barb cities anywhere in the world. The boat will probably die to a galley soon, but with luck it will get around the whole coast. Can't settle there yet anyway, as it would break the economy for sure (I see that happened to @krikav). It almost physically hurts to not settle all this nice land though. Leaving a corn unsettled? Madness!! Such a nice river too, that could have been cottaged, so possible I made the wrong call there.

Was finally able to turn on research this turn, and we get Machinery in 4 turns. No Alpha yet sadly, so may have to do that myself, because if the next great person is a GS too, think I'll bulb Optics as well. The economy is too slow, and I need more happy resources, techs, and of course those wonderful trade routes.

The capital is at happy cap now, thankfully Darius got Calendar early, and he had heaps of Sugars, so we have that + Ivory. He hasn't sent any missionaries yet, but Buddhism has finally autospread to 3 cities, including the capital, so that was fortunate. Since it's at happy cap currently, I re-arranged some tiles and hired two scientists in the capital too. We have 10 atm.

On the topic of chopping: have saved a forest in the capital in case I want to build Oxford for example, and two in the possible HE spot, but other than that the land is pretty much clearcut.

All cottages are being worked, but I had to give up a few farms.