Adventure 48 - The Reverend should've done better with a custom start

[The Reverend Doctor]

So I guess we can get the important part out of the way first, here's what I did with the start:


My worldbuildering (can I make that a one-word verb around here?) skills aren't great, those two lake fish look terrible!

I figured the happy cap would go away pretty quickly with Globe Theater an early-ish build. To get there with a happy cap of better than 5 (and for trading later) I made two of the tiles that would've been gold gems and silver.

Health would be a concern for much longer (until we built the national park, another of the essential national wonders. Along with Ironworks, National Epic, and Oxford imo). With that in mind I threw in that crab and rice, even though they'd have better tile yields as corn/wheat or more fish.

I made the starting tile stone as opposed to marble as my first wonder build was pyramids for representation, which I imagine most people were in all game for the +3 beakers for all specialists, as well as the extra happy until drama.

First builds were two workboats for those juicy lake fish.
Tech path was Mining, BW, Mysticism, Masonry, Polytheism, Sailing, Wheel, Pottery, Writing, Math, Priesthood, Code of Laws.

And that's as long as I kept track because it highlights that with some commerce in you're capital and no settlers to worry about, you can go for a Oracle into Civil Service even on immortal. Turn 72 for that, and I was definitely worried about it falling before then.

Ran two scientists as soon as the library was up and got a crucial academy at turn 81. After that I basically let the Great People come out as whatever they wished (well, of course, I didn't work spies or artists.... that might go without saying in an OCC going for a spaceship win.)

Here's the city just as I complete Globe Theater:


I got lulled into a false sense of security around this time (turn 90 to be exact) as the whole starting continent was Buddhist (thanks to Izzy of course) and Sury even declared on Spain! I figured as long as I could keep Shaka happy I'd tech along merrily. I even paid Shaka to fight with Sury as soon as there was peace so that no one would notice I still had about 3 dog soldiers as the basis of my military.

Perhaps a serious mistake - Mausoleum being built in a distant land reminded me perhaps calendar wasn't pointless, extra long golden ages would've been nice with all these Great People I hoped to spawn.

Still teching along and I take scientific method with the liberalism free tech, which actually cuts my beakers per turn by about 18%... you'd think discovering how to test things would increase your research! At this point I was feeling good about my game: peace with my neighbors, building the right buildings and national wonders, thinking about the tech order for the most efficient building of the space ship. Coming up on turn 175 and I've railroaded my lands and built the national park (being sure to road first as national park would cut off that coal access I think). Those railroaded grassland gold mines with an extra river commerce and hammer (levee) were looking awesome.

Then my game came off the rails a bit.

First Sury declares on me (although we were friends, had to have been my abysmal power rating, which must happen a lot in OCCs). He can't take my city but I have to build units to try and clear his out so he'll accept peace. I don't want to pay him techs for peace obviously. Finally get him out and fix the pillaged gold after about 20 turns.

About this point in the game I start using great people for golden ages, except one engineer who built mining inc.

Fast forward to turn 260. Now Sury and Izzy declare on me. Once again they won't take the city but I have most defensive units and have to start using production to build something to clear out my lands. 15 more turns of building units instead of teching along. Can't these people just let me have my one city!!

Here's my city at turn 275 after building a bunch of mech. infantry and modern armor to convince those two to give me peace:



Only 15 turns of peace and then Izzy and Shaka come calling! They've even got planes now and I've got none of my own. At this point I sort of ignore them mostly. Kill them if they interfere with me working tiles but I mostly just huddle in my city and keep building spaceship parts. I launch with 1 engine in 1892 AD still at war with two opponents. Now I have a few turns to wreak some havoc while my spaceship flies.

Burn a couple cities as retribution (and it felt soooo good) but Cyrus and Sury both had good tech rates which it was far too late to do anything about.



So I win in 1892 with a bunch of tanks still in my land and my city pillaged back to size 31 (it was sitting pretty at 36 until the fish were gone.)

The sad final tech screen:



I'm not great at reading this but I think I'm up Superconductors, Genetics, Fiber Optics, and Fusion on everybody.

Cryus even has stealth so that one -1 modifier.

Final Score: +3

I didn't come out with a great score but I did have fun trying to think up what land would be best before the game even started, enjoyed that I knocked this game out in about 3 hours total, and if pressed would say it was nice to play a game where the AI opponents were still putting up a real fight late into the game. All in all a pleasurable experience, thanks T-Hawk!

ETA: My factory was sabotaged (or whatever the word I'm looking for that is 'destroyed by spies') a very annoying 7 times! Had to waste at least 7 turns rebuilding it.)