Wonder Boy?

[LlamaCat]

in response to your shadow games for the ALC vs. my own:

Spoiler :

I actually found this start to be quite nice at showcasing the Vikings. I was able to build a small army of berserkers and I beelined Astronomy. I then captured three of Bismarcks cities on the nearest continent directly from the Galleons and didn't even bother with siege units - they took the cities easily and it was kind of fun. Trading posts helped early growth and commerce on the water, and I got the circumnavigation bonus.

The stone and marble have been great for some early wonders and I have a decent little empire set up on two continents with more room for expansion. Attacking Bismarck is the best move because he is industrious and won't hold a big grudge later.

I actually am almost caught up in techs and might have a shot at Liberalism first. I traded away Optics for tons of other techs, and with the Great Wall helping me get a couple Great Spies, I stole 4-5 techs from Hannibal.

That said, I will probably lose eventually because this is Emperor as I am 2nd last in power and I don't know what to expect after this point. But if I can get this far and showcase the Vikings, I would think the community certainly can do much better with Sis's game.

 

[oyzar]

Spoiler :

cats and maces with galleons is pretty good since it is possible to get astronomy very very early if you try..

 

[DarkSchneider]

Well I continued along in my game. The main problem now is that of the four other Civs on my continent, their are all Hindu and united under the Apostolic Palace. Which means they seem to take turns attacking me and declaring peace once all of their catapults meet my macemen. The other problem is that the only one that hasn't taken a shot at me, and still trades with me, is the one I would otherwise be most inclined to attack based on map position.

ps. I totally didn't realize that the Apostolic Palace gives a production bonus to relgious buildings. I will definitely have to build that one in future games.

 

[futurehermit]

The AP can be a major pain in the butt. Any chance you can win without having to war with these clowns prior to later in the game?

 

[DarkSchneider]

Well I decided to try accepting the Apostolic religion, so now I'm going up against my former friend. I'm just worried that every other war on the continent has been broken up by the palace. I hope I don't have to defy a resolution! Hopefully a quick takeover of my opponent's city will be enough population to defy the next stop war resolution.

As it is I'm about to hit what would normally be the optimal war-time. A few turns away from Rifling and I already have Nationalism.