Where to from here?

[panda_pajama]

Okay, first time playing Monarch, and with random civ to boost. I can certainly feel the pressure from the other civs and some penalties subtly kicking in.

I wouldn't say this is an awesome start, but I've managed 6 cities on 525BC. I wouldn't say I'm crippled, but I'd definitely say I'm not particularly healthy at this point.

Being Monarch, I thought the AI would expand really fast and I would get boxed in really quick, so I hurried up to gather some terrain here and there, only to get really disappointed. However, I successfuly rushed to Boudica up there, which gave me Iron, which is a good thing.

But now my chronic lack of planning has led me to this situation:

• I have a new settler coming up, and I have no idea where to settle next
• I'm working on the pyramids, but no stone. I'm chopping them all around, but may not be able to finish them on time.
• I wouldn't be able to say which cities to specialize, and how

I guess this is an arguably relatively good start, but I have no idea where to take it from here.

Any ideas?

 

[Denethor]

At first glance:

Looks like some worthwhile territory to the east of your capitol (wine, sheep, flood plain).

To the west, looks like there's a barbarian city. So you could always capture that, raze it , and place a better city. Or at least just raze it so your rivals don't take it.

 

[Anysense]

You could already have vanquished one or two neighbours with war chariots. It's a shame not to make use of such an awesome UU.
Also you selfteched too many unnecessary techs. It's way better to get alpha early and backfill through trades.
edit: building Mids isn't a good idea, you could built 4 WC instead and take Boudica's cities with ease.
Your cities have a very small food surplus. Usually a city needs 5-6 food surplus to be productive.
Meanwhile you lack happy resources Willem is willing to trade one.
Wine-sheep-Iron spot looks good. I'd rather say this place should have been occupied long ago.

 

[yyeah]

1st of all never ever bulid HA's, with Egipt, its not worth it WC are op, have 5 compered to 6 and they cost 30( 1 math choop) vs 50. Its just not worth to bulid HA's.
Techin HBR its ok since you have elephants and its a great trade bait.
I would settle this Sheep Marble spot but SB is allrdy going there ... maybe you can try to steal this marble becouse of your Cre trait. And with marbe i would go for Aste->Lit and TGL.
In meen time i would haras Boudica with WC. Take city or 2, steal some workers.
She has only chariots its ezy.

Bulding Mids without Stone is allmoust never worth it, maybe if you are IND and yea playing on Monarch.

Thebs looks like only reasonable cottage spot since it have 6 food tile rest are just cities.

If you manage to settle or conquer city with 2 5+ food tiles you can bulid NE there and make it Gp farm if you decide to go for lit. Best if you bulid TGL and NE in same city then run there constantly 2GS.

 

[Anysense]

I made a quick run to 255 BC. SB's was already there so I settled not in the best place, at least I claimed sheep, wine and some useful riverside tiles.
It seems that I built too many chariots, planned to attack Stalin but mantenance suggests that it's time to care of domestic affairs. Trade cows for gems and spam cottages. Some cities still need more farms.

Spoiler :

 

[Anysense]

Played till 1 AD. Breacking even at 40%, 143 bpt at 100%. I think all we need here are calendar and construction. Then simply whip/chop catapults and war elephants.

Spoiler :