(45) - Okay its immediately apparent I won't have the option to attack during my turnset, because we won't even have Horse available. I look around and everything looks fine. I decide in the end to change Pasargadae to the Cow tile. 3F grows us in 4 turns instead of 7 and the cost is only 8g total. Seems worth it. I also try and hustle some cash but the most I can get is 10g from Ramses for Open Borders

. I pay Venice 250g, much better than losing Ally status and its only slightly less efficient than a 500g payment would have been.
(46) - Bucharest targets an encampent in the middle of frickin' nowhere. The only silver lining is we can avoid having our Scout stumble into it.
(47) - Ramses builds Stonehenge in between turns. He's not that far away

. Scout has fully defogged the west, I start the long track back east but circle him north to pass between Pasargadae and Rome. I want to get a peak at what units Octavian has milling around.
(48) Someone we haven't met enters the Classical Era. Our Archer makes it to Pasargadae and finds a Barbarian Encampment.
Smells like free experience

. Rome's got three Warriors and an Archer in Antium. And a tasty looking Worker. Too bad we can't take it yet.
(49) Perspolis grows into working the Sugar tile (again). Pesepolis also demands...Sugar

. That's a nice break, unfortunately it will be some time before we get around to improving that tile. Archer snipes for 2 XPs.
(50) The Pasture on the Cows is done, and the Archer snipes for two more XPs. We are rich:
(51) Perhaps not surprising given the last chart, Wu Zetian comes knocking:
Its a good use of money, but I don't see what the rush is. No one else has enough cash to join her, so I decide to hold off for now in case we do want to do a Purchase fueled rush (and I still think we do).
(52) We're Classical

:
I select Trapping next, it allows us to improve the Fur which we can then sell, and of course Trading Posts. Checking back, Wu is broke. I have no idea what she spent her money on, but now we can't get a research pact even if we wanted to. In other annoying news, when I click the Horse tile, the Worker takes the only path that goes within two tiles of the Barbarian Encampment

. I finish off the Barbarian with a city bombardment, then reclaim the Woker with our Archer, but that's one Worker turn lost. Our Scout knocks out the Encampment for 25g.
(53) Our Great General has been carefully making his way to Pasargadae, and finally gets there. The Worker at Perspolis completes. There's been a call for more Workers. I'm not sure that's the right call, but I can't make a compelling arguement for anything else since we don't have Horse yet (we can't build a Stables here). So Worker it is, although I'm not particularly happy with the choice. The Worker that just completed is sent to improve the last Wines to sell.
(54) The Encampment near Perspolis spawns another Brute, pushing the first one out into the open:
We gain 5XPs at the cost of 2 HPs.
(55) Ramses lands the Hanging Gardens. I love him

. We somehow spot a new Barbarian Encampment near Persepolis. I guess we are in that Social Policy.
The Wine deal to Ramses wears off but no one wants to buy it, including Ramses

. Keep an eye out for this.
I thought I had taken an overview screenshot, of our front with Rome, but I can't find it. Basically the Archer is in the city, the Warrior is covering our Worker, which is improving the Horse. The Scout is now well east of the city and heading for the great unknown. At Perspolis, our Warrior is healing. I think/hope I moved him back to the Woods. 99% sure on that. Trapping is due in 2 turns. Horse is connected in 2ish turns.
We lack the cash to insta buy a Horseman, but the Mounument finishes in 4 turns and the Worker in 3 turns. We can cash rush a Stables at Pasargadae and slow build two Horseman I guess. I don't doubt Mutineer but it surprises me that a Stables is a worthwhile build.
Darrell