I haven't gotten gutted as badly as I did here without losing immediately in ANY game I've ever played. This was an exercise in futility for me; the game was over within 50 turns.

Overwhelmingly, my biggest problem was the barbarians. I played from the beginning, and had a slower start than the lucky wheat. That set me back enough to ruin me. The barbarians, with a little help from the RNG, brushed back my warriors and even my spearmen as though they weren't even there. I couldn't get settlers built, and if I did, I couldn't get them out. My expansion (despite a nearly immediate granary) was slowed to absolute zero.

The whole game after the first two millennia was a joke. I never went to war, I went straight for moneymaking techs and bargained my way up the tech tree. Since the AIs linger in the modern age (they got the Cure and Longevity) and commit suicide (communism), it took all the way until 1440 AD to put me out of my misery when China (not the big power) won the space race.

I can understand how this game would have been really cool, if I could have gotten the kind of toehold the rest of you got; Sirian's start would have helped tremendously, but I'll win or lose on my own steam every time. As it stood, though, this game was just plain boring for me.

I had 5 cities at maximum. I ended the game just before Radio, with the AIs obviously finished the tree. I had ten spearmen and twelve workers. The only "not required" techs I got were literature, republic, and, for a 12 gp laugh, music theory.

And, just 'cause it was funny, India had 48300 gold the turn China won the game.