Adv 45- Rowain (Eiffel tower + Statue of Lib)

[Rowain]

What wonders to take is the first question one has to ponder in this game.
Several combinations spring to my mind:
First the super-science combi of Great Lib and Oxford. This combi will provide enough beaker-power to be the first to techs for a long time enabling a lot of other wonders. Especially if the pyramids get added to the mix but in the end the advantage this combi gives has to be levereaged into a winning position and this beeing my first Immortalgame I’m doubtfull I can manage that.

The second combination is the military Pentagon+West Point combi giving 3 promotional Units. But continuous warfare takes a lot of time and time is in short supply.

Another interesting combi presenting itself to the carthagians is Great Lighthouse + Colossus but again this only gives an economic advantage without leading itself to a win.
So I’m doubtfull I can achieve a military or space-win despite the help of the kind muse. That leaves 2 possible path to victory: Diplo and Culture. Now Diplo is hard to manage and taking the UN at start is a dangerous thing. Who knows for whom the AI will vote before any history of contact and religions is established and if not for you how to defend against such things as emancipation voted in?

That leaves culture and that leads directly to 2 wonders which each for it alone wouldn’t be great at the start but together they are powerfull: Eiffel Tower providing a building which gives +50% to culture and a place for an artist specialist which conveniently gets filled by the Statue of Liberty. Making it that every city starts with 6cpt


Start research of BW and after BW (thanks to hut-popped Hunting) Archery as there is no copper near by. Build order is worker – warrior + a chopped WB. The first great Person is Enrico Dandolo (GM) which is nice as the gold and food he provides after settling are quite usefull and the capital is in no dire need of culture anyway.

The starting warrior explores the east meeting Ramses the second one starts to the west (meeting Mansa ) while the capital is busy building Archers and Settlers to fulfill my aim of 9 cities.

The starting culture any city makes means I can easily seal my borders. On the other hand I don’t want to have my legendaries at the border as this means unneccessary risks of invasion and an aggressive settlement might provoke an attack. So first the border-cities then the would be legendaries even though this means victory will come later but as long as it comes I’m happy.

So in 2240BC I found Easternborder my city towards Rameses east of the rice with silk and dyes in the BFC and just 14 turns later the westborder1 which locaton was forced by the barbcity Hurrian. A little later westborder2 located SE of the pigs just north of crabs sealed my western border ( and flipped Hurrian only 30 turns later)

west:


east:


With my borders sealed I start to settle the 2 cities which shall complete the magic 3. First Utica in 750 BC and then Hadrumetum in 50 AD(!) . Part of the delay was an Barbarian uprising in 200 BC consisting of several Swords which made Axes a priority. Funny enough the same time those Barbs start to plunder civilazation the Barbcity of Hurrian joins it freely
techsituation in 50AD




But this barbuprising was also the last military action any of my units saw. The rest was trading, complying to demands and watching the AI fight. Carthage built 2 wonders of its own The Great Lib in 225AD and the Sistine Chapel with a Great Engineer (375AD).
Overview of the Empire and the 3 legendaries tobe at 1010 AD:







The Taj was 3 turns from completion when Rameses popped an Engineer and rushed it.
I teched to Steel and traded for Rifling in 1590 AD With that I felled secure enough (especially with those neighbours) so I set the cultureslider to 90 or 100 % (depending on money) and hit enter several times
During the 17th century the threadlvl increases as Alex gobbles through Rameses and vasalizes him in 1690AD.
Carthage close to the finishing line:



Luckily Justinian declares vs Alex in 1770AD just after Carthage has reach legendary status and JC joins his fellow Roman. Those two make short work with Ales and Justinian has then both Alex and Rameses as vassals (1818AD).
In 1824 AD just 165 turns after founding Hadrumetum is my 3rd city to reach legendary status earning me my first immortal victory and my 3rd cultural victory.






Military facts: lost 1 warrior killed 13 Units and at the end I had 40 military-Units

[darrelljs]

I didn't even consider Eiffel Tower, I just lack creativity I guess. Looks like a nice win, hope you get around to putting some pictures up soon .

Darrell

[Rowain]

Pics uploaded and some additional Info :

Meeting times: Egypt 3720BC, Mali 2840BC, Rome 2480BC, Greek 1480BC, Byz 650BC, Louis 100BC

Great Persons: 1 Eng (rushed Sistine) 4 Merchants (1 settled, 1 bulb MC, 1 GA, and 1 trademission) 9 Artists (IIRC 2 great works 7 settled)

Techs aquired through trading mostly thanks to my Aest-lit-Music-Philo rush: Meditation, Priesthood, Sailing, Masonry, Alpha, Currency, Monarchy, Monotheism, Calendar, Compass, CoL, HBR, Machinery, Feudalism, Engineering, Theology, Optics, CS, Gunpowder, Economy, Corp, Astro, SciMeth, Rifling

[The Reverend Doctor]

Pretty impressive you had 6 religions in your lands without founding any!

Good to read a report from someone who picked their wonders for culture... I just decided on it when I ran into the roadblock of the other AIs.

I had fun playing an event with random events on... although I say that because mine seemed to all come with rewards, not a stack of barbs!