Okay, just did Japan in Monarch, BTS, latest patch. Here's how it is done:
On your first turn, switch to Monarchy, but not slavery (I never had to slave-rush anything, and having even 2 slave revolts before 1500 AD can result in failing the first goal). Found Tokyo on your second turn (any later, and you don't get workers). Send one workboat around India, the Mid-east, Africa, and to Europe. Use the other one on the fish.
Tokyo should build a workboat, and then a forge, and then start popping out wonders. Moai Statues, The Colossus, and The Great Lighthouse should be built more or less in order, and are probobly absolutely necessary to do this. Next build a library and any other city improvements you can manage. Always prioritize building wonders over improvements or happiness.
Tech-wise:
Go for sailing to open trade routes with the civs you contact. Then go straight for civil service (Even skipping calender. Those silk can wait). As your fish boat contacts civs, continue to trade. Prioritize getting Alphabet and iron working, but any techs you can get are important. Open borders with everyone you meet, you will want those trade routes. (A good trick for this is to offer 10 gold when you first meet the civ. After you have open borders, you can be as much as a dick as you want, so long as you don't want to trade techs with them later.) After civil service, switch to Bureaucracy, and research paper, philosophy, education, printing press and constitution, and then finally liberalism. You absolutely HAVE to be the first to get liberalism to get the first goal. I also traded to get up to optics, allowing me to choose either astronomy or democracy for my free tech.
Now, you should be around 1450. If you are behind someone, go for astronomy, and build 5-7 galleons. Go make first contact with the Maya, Inca, and Aztecs, but send those troops to raze cities of anyone who is going to be ahead of you point wise. This will be tight, but you should have a few turns to take out one or two cities. It is very likely that your troops will all die off, but at this point who cares, so long as you are ahead in points.
After 1500, its just about waiting around until 1850 to win. I have yet to see Seoul or any other city have culture infringe on Honshu, but if any do, just raze them.
Some other notes:
The following countries are going to be the ones to watch. Avoid trading any techs to them at all, ever, at all costs:
France
Greece
China
India
A good game will have China collapse to mongols, and greece collapse before modern times. The Greek are annoying because they are far away, and have a massive tech advantage.
Plague:
This helps you out more than hurts you. You only have one city, and you will lose 5-7 population points from a plague. France will have 4-6 cities, and each will lose 5+ points from plague. In fact, Plague is the main reason I won.
Wonders built before 1500:
(Obviously, build any wonders you can, but here are the one's I pulled off)
Moai Statues
Colossus
Great Lighthouse
Wat Ptah
Temple of Kukulkan
The Taj Mahal (Very helpful for getting out 2 golden ages before 1500).
Attached you can see the screenshot for 1505 (Where France JUST passed me in score. See how close this is), and two shots showing you the victory at the end.
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