How very frustrating that the forum went down just as I was pulling off my first Deity win!
(no reloads, not even for crassly not noticing an enemy unit next to a critical but empty city and stupidly losing the darn place). It went thusly:
Ancient era - researched wheel, writing, philosophy, got something or other free then got horseback riding. Then launched an early despotic war against America with a small handful of mostly regular MWs. Meanwhile got monarchy in a trade with the Ottomans and made peace at once. Revolted into monarchy in about 750 BC and immediately renewed hostilities. Extorted Republic from America in the final peace treaty, immediately resumed the war then ruthlessly knocked the last stronghold out. That was in about 70BC.
Middle Ages - revolted straightaway into Republic. Mostly peaceful, consolidating era. Noted that Egypt (no. 2 power behind the mighty Iroquois) was wiping out the Ottomans, my buddies, but also noted that the Ottomans had accessible iron, which I did not. So, with the Ottomans on their knees, I launched an amphibious invasion in the vicinity of Istanbul, picking up that city (including the workshop and the soon-to-be obsolete Hanging Gardens IIRC) iron and gems.
Into the industrial age with the Ottomans wiped out. One continent each but I had a toehold on Egypt's. Egypt had no saltpetre (throughout the game, all three sources being on my continent). As the era unfolded it turned out that this was a pattern. I had no rubber, Egypt no oil etc (although we both had coal). Egypt had a healthy tech lead but researched the wrong things (ironclads, fascism and similar rubbish) while I followed my favoured path: steam, industrialisation (the factory, coal/hydro plant, railways and mines meant that, later on, Salamanca was cranking out exactly 100 shields per turn = 1 bomber!) medicine, electricity, scientific method, build the Theory of Evolution and get replaceable parts and Atomic Theory free, then head for Electronics, build the Hoover Dam, bosh! All of which was accomplished but along with that was an extended defensive war fought almost exclusively around my enclave on Egypt's continent.
During the war, I found Egypt had colonised a small island off my coast and that its city there was built on a rubber source, which I badly needed. So another amphibious assault netted that while my collection of armies (muskets, rifles and cavalry) and artillery bumped off endless hordes of enemy infantry. On one turn, one of my new infantry armies chewed up about 35 enemy infantry units for the loss of a few hit points.
As soon as Egypt was ready for peace I traded for communism at a high price and immediately went into anarchy for the third time (7 turns) so the final war would not be attended by crippling war weariness. When ready, I launched the final conflict, staking out enemy territory with settlers and heading in the general direction of Memphis and Thebes to head off Egypt's looming culture win (52,000 on the way to 60,000 at about 500 points per turn) by destroying those cities (in fact I magnanimously absorbed them into the empire along with armfuls of GWs). My armies of infantry, cavalry, rifles and muskets, combined with massed artillery and auxiliary cavalry, guerrillas and infantry (I left the MW army at home) did the job (I.e. domination) by 1826 just as I tipped into the modern era.
So that's that! Now what? SID is most definitely out of the question but what else is there to live for?
Lessons - tiny continental games seem to be very heavily influenced by the distribution of resources. It is a major headache to discover that the nearest oil or rubber or coal is in unfriendly hands a continent away. Therefore, I should put more effort into exploring, which I tend to neglect. Nor should I neglect little islands as they often turn out to be handy, if only as unsinkable aircraft carriers.
An ultra-early war seems best for the Iroquois, never mind the early GA. If you can bag an entire continent, basically half the globe, you must be in with a chance. Inferior numbers can be compensated for with speed. Time and again a couple of fresh MWs would turn up just in time to decide the fate of a battle. As Justanick suggested, I mostly used regulars, 'spamming' them as much as I could but I doubt I ever had much above 20-30 at one time. If you don't attack early then you either fall too far behind or worse, you get attacked early yourself when there is usually no chance.
The AI/KI is unbelievably stupid. My pathetic navy consisted of a few outmatched caravels and galleons and these were allowed to ferry forces back and forth to the Istanbul bridgehead unmolested, when they could easily have been destroyed. The enemy preferred to misuse its navy in making piecemeal, ineffectual amphibious raids. I so denuded my own continent of forces that there were times when a well organised landing could have caused serious trouble. This is yet another advantage of the tiny continental approach - the AI is even more useless at naval operations than it is at everything else.
Anyway, real fun that was. I learned so much here and thank you guys again for the many invaluable tricks, lessons and insights (and the conversation). What an amazing game.
