So...we're at war with Rome and we have no metals. No wonder Qwack wanted to skip this set of turns. So do I. Will I blow it? Will our fine culture be buried beneath the sands until the curious and wealthy of future generations care to cast us a glance? Will Rome acquire Iron and march through our fine cities? Baghdad already is a smoldering ruin having barely been founded. Will we avenge it?
Here is the story of another 250 years of Arabian culture....
Turn 0: 225BC (inherited)
Running at 100% research. Good. I'll try to keep up the binary science rate.
Mecca is 8 turns from growing and will have 2 happy faces in 2 turns. Let's switch from the mined hill to the cottaged grassland so we grow in 4 turns instead.
No difference in archer build time if we pull our citizen off the plains hill mine and stick him in the temple. Let's get another prophet ASAP.
Barracks due in Damascus in 1. Nice.
Najran growing painfully slowly. Need to whip up some venison.
Note that Monotheism is 4 turns away at 60/179 researched.
Summary: Some prep work before the storm.
Turn 1: 200BC
Roman stack converges SW of Medina. They will attack next turn. We're ready, though. Thank Allah...er...Confucius that my turn follows Blake's!
Barracks complete in Damascus. Start Confucian Temple to assist with the culture war.
Great Lighthouse is biafal!!! Well, it didn't take long to relieve that suspense.
Chariot completes in Mecca. 2 turns to Confucian Temple there.
Medic Chariot in NW China is confused. Decides to scout near Guangzhou.
Two more Roman axemen are marching toward Medina.
Basher (chariot) is pulled out of Damascus to the elephants near Mecca in case we need him.
Note that Bismarck's workers are pasturizing the cows near Damascus for us. Today, it's 62% German.
Summary: Gaahhh! No Lighthouse. And this on the eve of a great battle! Tis a bad omen, I say
Turn 2: 175BC Assault on Medina
The Roman stack attacks Medina. Our valiant archers defeat 2 axemen and a chariot before a Roman chariot defeats our leading archer. The last Roman troop--an archer--remains in the forest to protect the wounded (0.3 health) chariot. What are they feeding those horses that I'm not?
I promote our best Medina archer to City Garrison, health goes from 2.6 to 2.8 as he fortifies.
Worker near Damascus puts a turn into mining the other plains hill there.
Worker near Najran decides to built a road so we can drive by at night, shine spotlights at the deer, and kill them.
Julius is willing to talk peace.
He is willing to give us 10 turns of peace for the Kong Miao and its wondrous city. Our reply is not suitable for young ears. From the screenshot, at least it appears we are giving Julius a headache.
We send the worker near Mecca toward the other grass hill near Mecca.
Our roaming Medic chariot deduces Iron near Guangzhou.
Despite all the weeping and gnashing of teeth, the people of Medina band together to train a Settler. An archer is dispatched from Damascus to help the defense of Medina, should they require it.
Summary: This war is going to take longer than I'd hope, but we express optimism by starting a Settler in Medina despite foreign troops right next to the city.
Turn 3: 150BC
Mecca completes a Confucian Temple and starts a Library.
Inexplicably, the Roman forces disperse themselves. Archer and chariot (now wounded Combat III) descend on our horse pasture. They are attacked by a raw chariot recruit at 86.5% odds (Sure death for the Arabian chariot in the hands of Compromise.) But lo! The war gods are please and we win 2 XP and drop to 0.8 health. Another newbie decides to try his hands at the wounded chariot before he can heal. The bastard has already pillaged our horse farm! At 95.7% odds, another of our chariots pulls off a surprising victory.
Our exploring Medic discovers the Chinese building a plantation on some dye near Shanghai.
Our chariots try to lure the axemen to plains or into an across-the-river attack on us.
Worker shift as the Damascus worker heads to the grass hills near Mecca and the Mecca worker heads north to rebuild the horse pasture.
Medina can whip a Settler for only 13 turns of unhappiness, and does so.
Note: Pasture near Hamburg is down to 60% German.
Summary: Hamburg is building us a pasture. The Chinese are way advanced. The Romans hate our roads.
Turn 4: 125BC
Roman Axemen head south; maybe he will try to attack us across the river. Bring it on!
Medina builds Settler, but it's too soon to move him yet. I notice our great whipping city has no granary! So, I start to build one while maximizing growth.
In one of the strangest moves ever made, the Settler takes off with an archer and a warrior and heads to old Baghdad's ruins! Folly or genius?! Only time will tell. (Most bets so far are on the former.)
Basher and Axesoaker await the Roman axemen's assault across the river. Backup chariots will mop up if needed.
On a more cultured note, we'll learn the Alphabet some time in the next 25 years.
Summary: Settlers gambit as the chariots pace across the river.
Turn 5: 100BC
What? No Roman assault? The axemen just sit there across the river. (Actually, they pillaged our roads ther.) A Roman chariot appears south of Hamburg to give trouble to Damascus. Fortunately, there are an archer and a chariot there with another archer due next turn.
We discover Alphabet and start on Monotheism.
We hold still across the river, still hoping to draw the axemen into the water.
Julius still wants Damascus for peace.
Summary: Our charioteers steel themselves in the face of the marauding axemen. Err...not steel...maybe they wooden themselves? Anyway, they want the axemen to attack them from across the river.
Turn 6: 75BC
The Romans cross the river. Basher is there, however, and wins while dropping to only 3.2/4.0
Our chariot takes on the Roman chariot near Damascus. An even-up Combat I vs. Combat I fight. 50% odds. We're due some luck and...We win! (We had backup in Damascus just in case.)
We position our chariots across the river again, fully expecting another road pillaging.
Summary: Basher made the river run red with an axeman's blood. We won a 50%-chance chariot-on-chariot battle! Wow.
Turn 7: 50BC
What? A Roman chariot and spearman (with City Raider I) near Damascus? How? Ah I see. He's coming through Hamburg! Another pair are there now. Groan. Still, I think we're okay in Damascus.
We prep for the attack(s).
Summary: Sneak attack under cover of Hamburgers. Good thing their cows will soon be ours.
Turn 8: 25BC
Chariot attack in Damascus kills our archer. What were the odds of that?
Axesoaker comes around the river and attacks the marauding axeman at 60+% odds. And loses. Groan. Another chariot sweeps in and wins at 99.9% odds. Thank god.
We need peace with Julius NOW! I offer him Polytheism and a 10 turn reprieve from our wrath. He accepts!
Now, we're a bit free to re-settle. Then, maybe we'll have some time to regroup before the next AI decides to pick on us.
Monotheism is in, so we can pop Christianity when we get a prophet.
I've started IronWorking to see if we have any chance at a credible defense.
Kufah is founded on the ruins of Baghdad. Confucianism has spread on its own to Najran, so we should be founding Christianity in Kufah.
Note: There is a Roman Galley with an archer and a Settler up near Medina. Probably need some fishing net defense before too long!
Worker moves toward farm rice near Kufah.
Summary: Knowledge of the theory of many gods, whom neither of us think are better than Confucius, brings a respite from Roman aggression. Also, we have rebuilt Kufah on the ruins of old-Baghdad.
Turn 9: 1AD
I negotiate Open Borders with Caesar. Maybe eventually we can get him to like us and turn his aggression on our more industrious neighbors.
Some redeployment of the troops.
Unassign Priest in Medina since we'll get a Prophet next turn regardless.
Delay the temple further in Damascus in favor of another archer.
Pray for peace from other civs!
Worker near Kufah decided to work on road through forest before farming the rice.
Summary: Our people try to suck up to Caesar so he'll hate someone else worse than us next time he's antsy to attack.
Turn 10: 25AD
Zoroaster is born in Medina. Gahh! He can only lightbulb Meditation!
Julius will give us Meditation for Monotheism. Probably a good idea, but I'll hold off and let our collective mind confer.
Summary: We are Prophet-able 
again.
you stole from underneath him ~ just a thought ~ not that it matters now...war, unh, what is it good for? taking enemy cites...good god ya'll!
