780AD (1) We are 4th in almost every area, ahead only of Toku. This war has caused both of our civs to stagnate so much that we don't even have any trading materials to trade with the tech leaders. We don't even have a library at our capital! So we have to end this war one way or another. We have to make peace by the end of next player's turnset. This means that we have to quickly build up military, take as many cities as we can, and accept peace taking all of Toku's techs (he currently is willing to give us Calendar).
I change Calendar research to Construction. We need it for catapults and might be able to sell it to Liz if we are lucky. Don't research the techs that all AIs have already. Our only hope of catching up technologically is to research techs that can be traded away. I'd research Drama, but it's worth too little to get any useful trades out of it.
Eugene fortifies near Tokyo, while Sharkbait goes to forest NE of Kyoto to check up on the city. The worker is still there.
I revolt to Hireditary Rule. (We are spiritual, there is no extra cost and Barc is about to grow into unhappiness.)
I speed up Barc's growth by firing priest. It will be a settler factory when it grows, so extra hummers aren't needed at the moment.
We no longer need a priest in Madrid, because even if we get a prophet, it'll be too late to start a shrine. So I replace him with an Engineer for now and will fire him in 2 turns to speed up growth. Madrid has huge happiness reserve from MP and we need to work those water squares. The reason I am going to keep Engineer on for 2 turns is to finish the swordsman in 4. Mermaid's Fury will get to Madrid in 3 and will be able to pick up both of our swordsmen for delivery to Tokyo.
The other Galley will be used to transport worker to connect the horses when the pasture is done. Scouting workboat sees that Russia is still defended by Archers. If we had a half dozen swords and a few cats, we could capture all of their nicely developed and cottaged lands.
Finally, I bring research up to 100% at -14gpt to take Construction down from 11 to 8. Thanks to the recent tech deal, we have enough cash to sustain this research rate for over 10 turns.
IBT: Eugene kills Japanese Archer.
800AD (2) Barc Granary - Library(9) this will be interrupted by a couple of settlers.
Sharkbait goes to heal Eugene.
820AD (3) Jewdaism spreads to HC's city Ollanta... it is protected by 3 archers and a Quecha and has a worker nearby. However, it is too far away to grab at the moment.
Tokyo now has 3 archers and a Galley. I am afraid a settler-archer pair is about to set sail.
Worker boards Mermaid's luck and sails towards Cordoba.
IBT: Toku sends another archer out of Kyoto. Also, an archer leaves Tokyo.
840AD (4) Madrid Swordsman -> Library (6) If we don't improve our research rate, we are going to be on the Spearman side of the Spearman v. Tank battles.
Bo Jangles comes down from his hill to help Eugene and Sharkbait in their forest.
Scouting workboat finds out that Moscow is protected by 4 Archers and a Warrior. Rostov has 3 archers. If only we had more swordsmen...
Our two swordsmen board Mermaid's fury for a trip to Tokyo.
860AD (5) Cordoba Obelisk -> Granary (10). Seville Granary -> Library (6) (Somebody interrupted that Library half way.)
St. Pete is protected by 3 archers, but 2 of them have Garrison promotions. There is also 1 archer outside city guarding pasture.
Sharkbait goes up to a hill, because the second Japanese archer is now in the forest between Kyoto and our archers.
IBT: Kidd kills Japanese archer, but Sharkbait loses.
880AD (6) Bo Jangles avenges Sharkbait. Mermaid's Luck goes south to scout/move towards the capital.
IBT An archer comes out of Osaka and another one out of Kyoto.
Russia founded Yekaterinburg 2 tiles north of Kordoba! The city is in danger of flipping, because Cat is Creative.
900AD (7) Bo Jangles goes to cover Kidd on the hill. Swordsmen are unloaded near Kyoto and the ship moves to pick up Cabin Boy. (No point in building pasture for the Russians.)
IBT Eugene kills Japanese archer.
920AD (8) Swordsman attacks Tokyo and loses at 67%. Another swordsman attacks Tokyo and wins. Bo Jangles finishes the job and we have our second worker! The worker boards Mermaid's Fury and begins sailing home. Eugene promotes to Medic and goes back to Tokyo to heal. (Since our other Medic got killed.)
Cabin boy goes to chop down forest on hill near Cordoba. (At least Russians will not get it.)
Bloodborne kills Japanese archer near Osaka.
940AD (9) We learn Construction. Unfortunately, the only trade Liz is willing to make is Calendar for Construction + 60$. No way. We can get Calendar from Toku for free. Research is started on Machinery (15, but would drop to 25 without losing money). The cash from capture of Tokyo is the only thing keeping our economy afloat. Machinery will be a good trading material and will get us closer to macemen. (It's only a matter of time until AIs learn Feudalism and start defending with Longbows.)
IBT: Cat demands conversion to Confuscianism. (We have it in Tokyo.) We refuse, since we never cave in to demands of inferior races.
Toku offers Calendar for peace. Not yet. We need to capture Kyoto first.
960AD (10) Madrid Library -> Cat (4), Barc Library -> Cat (5)
Bo Jangles moves out into the forest to fight Japanese archer there.
The turn numbers are veird, so I'll play 2 more turns to even it out.
IBT: Cat demands we cancel all deals with England. We refuse, but this isn't looking good. Japanese archer steps on plains near Tokyo.
980AD (11) I start a Granary in Tokyo. The city will have no good tiles to work and will keep revolting until we capture Kyoto.
Our swordsman kill Japanese archer. Bo Jangles approacher Kyoto and sees 4 archers there.
I drop research down to 80%, so we are now at -11gpt, instead of -24gpt. Although research time on Machinery goes up from 10 to 12 turns. If we capture Kyoto within the next 11 turns, we can bump this back up.
IBT HC offers 240$ for peace and I accept. Nice! This was a very profitable war. Getting Gems pillaged was bad, but 240$ more than covers that cost.
And HC is even willing to trade techs with us. (Although we have nothing that he wants.)
I sign OB with him, so we get extra trade route income and a chance to scout out his land.
1000AD (12) Seville Library -> Barracks (5) This is our top production city. It gets almost no growth in current configuration (working all forests), but it's at the happiness limit right now. NOTE: Let it grow to next size once Gems are connected.
Cordoba Granary -> Library(23) (Forest chop got +100% for Granary by Expansive leader bonus, so 23 production carried over into library. That's why I kept building library, Granary ended up costing us very little due to strengthened chop.)
Worker starts mining gems. Another worker boards Mermaid's Luck.
Bo Jungles and the swordsman go back towards Tokyo.
Research is back up to 100% for about 15 turns. That should be enough time to capture Kyoto.
Notes:
1) We need to train a missionary for Cordoba if we want it to have a chance to resist being flipped. (There is not much hope of holding on to the horses.)
2) When the Gems are mined, don't forget to road them.
3) After mining Gems, worker should probably build a road through dyes towards Barc. Until that road is complete, one Galley will have to work as a transport along northern coast and another along southern coast.
4) When Barc grows into unhappiness, it can be whipped for a Forge. Don't forget to let the forge build for a turn before whipping it.
5) Seville is configured for no growth. When Gems are connected, let it grow to next size and then return it back.
6) After capturing Kyoto, make peace with Toku for as many techs as he will give us. We can finish him off 10 turns later and an extra tech or 2 would be really good right now.
7) Work Boat is prepairing to net fish when Cordoba's borders expand.
Have fun.
PS I just noticed that HC can buy our second fish for 2gpt. Please make this deal, because such deals are a great way to strengthen relations and we need all the friends we can get to catch Cat.
. And probably not going to be able to play for the next week or two (exams, ugh).
on kipper!
