OK-I'll play tomorrow.Happy you didn't settle that city though because IMO it's far better 1E. It will gain a 2H center (lacks food so working horses isn't good) and gains 2 more grassland tiles which we could cottage.
We can get Shaka to friendly now by giving him optics (or calendar if we're lucky--but not sure about that one). We won't have much left to trade but at least he won't declare on us.
The next set will be meeting new AIs so we have to decide whether to use the trick for +4 fair trade when meeting (gifting 20 gold). I don't like it that much, it feels a bit like an exploit. If not before then at least now in 3.17 as you can see that person X is the worst enemy of person Y even before meeting Y.
I don't think pigswill can play yet--so that would make ungy up next.
Agree about the new city--I'll put it 1E.
I'm inclined to gift Shaka calender. I don't think he's coming for us--I haven't seen the AI land units like that then declare--I think he's headed for what used to be the barb city. I'm thinking we pick up archery just in case, and build a few XB.
I don't like the gift 20G upon meeting AI--that always felt exploitive to me. I think OK to trade them a tech (which will also get the +4--but that risks getting the immediate -4 with others yet unmet).
What do you guys make of this odd game--Shaka the wonderspammer? Seems like the rest of the world must be oddly backwards--we (and Shaka) have seen no caravels and it also looks like nobody researched aesthetics.
Tech astro after archery. As for tech trading, hold off on that until I get a bit of a lay of the land. The +4 bonus is not worth the -4 hit if I trade with the wrong AI.
Some MM--spread the faith. One MM nit--I would not have cottaged the spice. IMHO it's just not worth the extra coin and it's better to work (and grow) plain grass cottages rather than one that will be plantationed.