Where do you get the money to cash-buy settlers if you're not Spain? I get something like 500 total from city-states, 100-200 from ruins, 100-200 from an early friendship resource sale. Takes forever for city income to ramp up to any meaningful total, usually not until road connections. My earlier Tradition games would buy maybe four and still have to build the rest. Iron sales help a lot if you can find multiple 6-sources; maybe you have to go Bronze Working second to find the iron before picking the third policy.
BTW Manpanzee, I recognize your name from Civfanatics, thanks for coming over here
BTW Manpanzee, I recognize your name from Civfanatics, thanks for coming over here