1.16, Monarch/Marathon
Found Rome, Pompei and Aemona Julia (in the Balkans, BUT in your own core and with access to copper - if another Greek city has covered the copper tile yet, attack it at start and raze it, so they'll come easily to you begging for peace, same thing if there's Messana). Wait two turns to accept Mailand from Gauls (do not invade their territory before).
From now, just build up your empire until the discovery of Law, which will allow you to switch to Citizenship. Rome will be your first-buidling city, let other cities produce workers first; Roman UP is wonderful, you'll have a 30% discount on every building previously created in Rome. I decided to build Granary, Olympian Temple, Barracks, then Library. After the discovery of Law, search/obtain by exchange with other civs (preferably the ones you're gonna destroy later) Currency (build Forums, switch to Merchant Trade, so your finances will be safe) and Engineering (build Arena, then Flavian Amphitheatre in Rome - other wonders are unnecessary, let other civs build them up, so you'll get them later). Now you can go for Generalship and switch to Conquest.
Now you are ready to build up your army, probably after 100 AD, so past the deadline for 1st UHV
Before, you don't have to attack anyone but Gauls. I suggest to take over Lugdunum and Burdigala right after their spawn. They will give you two barracks needed to reach 1st UHV and maybe acqueduct or arena in place of poorly productive Pompei thanks to their close forests ready to be chopped. Gauls units are weaker than Barbarians, so with some tactical tips you'll be able to overcome them with few Legions. About that, my suggestions are:
- Build (just Roman) roads everywhere. You'll be able to move fast from a tile to another.
- Promote Legions to Woodsman and Shock. With a couple of Legions with these promotions in the right forest tile, you can defeat every kind of four-barbarian stack.
- Chop the forest in the first ring around (almost) every city. They'll just provide a safe spot for the enemy, not for your units.
- Use one Archer per city.
- Do not use any units but Legion outside the town.
- Send a galley with an archer in Iberia, then Britannia, Ireland, Scandinavia and Jutland to the huts; they could give us some money, but disband any other units received.
As I said, you don't have to produce any military unit until 100 AD. You can create some units only during the interval between the production of biuldings needed to reach 1st UHV: they'll be enough to face barbarians. From 100 AD, you'll have to invade your neighbours; before, you can keep them pleased with open borders (do not open to Persian or any other eastern civs with some non-pagan religion, because you don't want their gods make useless your temples or keep you away from wonderful Flavian Amphitheatre).
I built 4 ballistas, 6 or more legions, 6 galleys and 6 war galleys (Mare Nostrum is the way). I went to Carhago (an additional Spearman could be useful against their Elephants and, later, for barbarian camels raids), I razed the city in Lybia and keep, if present, the city in Algeria. If you are lucky, you'll find a city of them in Iberia too, usually weakly defended: take it with some units from Gaul.
Then continue to produce some additional ballistas from the magic triangle Rome-Mailand-Aemona Julia and go right to Athens. Taking their capitol will give you a powerhouse, probably full of wonders too. If there is Sparta, keep it only if it provide you some wonder; on the contrary, raze it. Take another two cities between Greece and Anatholia (I usually found Byzantion and Ankyra), then stop. You don't need to go further to the East, but, with some of your units left in Northern Africa and some additional ones produced by handsome Carthago, go to Egypt. If Alexander was The Great, you'll find a bunch of Greek cities or, if you've taken Athens already, maybe a bunch of weak indie cities; on the contrary, you'll have to face Cleopatra, your last enemy. The time is running out, so go ahead to Diospolis Magna and their Pyramids, then get another little town around there.
In the meantime, you'll have to produce only 3-4 settlers. This will be a task for Burdigala, Lugdunum and, if necessary, Pompei, after 100 AD. When you'll take control over the Mediterranean Sea, send an escorted galley to Burdigala (it will take some time) in order to transport a settler to Britannia; the other ones will settle Lutetia Parisorum and 1-2 cities in Spain just in time with the deadline of 320 AD, we don't want to keep them for a long time.
Congratulations: a very useful 2 out of 3 UHVs golden age will save you from the abyss of a terrible stability crisis and push you to the 3rd UHV.
After Law and Generalship, you just have to aim to every single tech required. You could set some GP production from the start in order to exploit some tech; I was given a great artist (100% of chance) and a great engineer (mixed chance), so I used them to discover 4 techs. Of course, you'll have to be lucky; China or India could preempt you, sometimes Persia too, so I suggest to not exchange any tech with them if you see, in the diplomatic window, that they are too much ahead.
I succeded in 336, then my empire was split in two.
