Epic I: The Honorable French Report
I'm honestly amazed at the number of diplomatic wins posted so far. I've never been one for diplomacy. And spaceship victories are the default. But cultural victories? Well, Sullla said at least one person would try a Cultural Victory, and it looks like I'm that person... Well, I was until Dwip posted his report while I was busy writing mine.
So did I succeed against the Worst Neighbors Ever and Washington Bank? Read on and find out...
---The First Turn---
The longest journey begins with a single step. -Unknown
Both Louis's traits and the variant rules are perfectly suited to a Cultural Win. I also like the idea of winning without crushing everyone under my boot. Time to start.
The initial position:
![[Image: rbciv-epic1-teaser2.jpg]](http://www.realmsbeyond.net/civ/images/rbciv-epic1-teaser2.jpg)
I move my warrior NW to get a better view of the area and discover corn to my NE. A city on the hill with access to four resources? Yes, please.
![[Image: firstturn.jpg]](http://www.public.iastate.edu/~mikelem/epic01/firstturn.jpg)
---Session 1: Get Stoned---
4000-280 BC
I spend the first 2000 years researching cultural techs and building up Paris. I discover all of the civilizations except the Greeks, including two neighbors: Montezuma to my NE and Genghis Khan to my E. Could a ruler ask for better neighbors? No, really.
"It is from their foes, not their friends, that cities learn the lesson of building high walls." -Aristophanes
Forget diamonds; stone is a ruler's best friend. Blessed with an abundance of raw materials, can I really resist going on a wonder building spree, even when I should invest in my army to deter Khan & Monty from attacking me?
No.
![[Image: stonehenge.jpg]](http://www.public.iastate.edu/~mikelem/epic01/stonehenge.jpg)
1925 BC: Stonehenge built.
By 1500 BC, I've scouted out most of my area and noticed I'm on an uninhabited peninsula. If I can cut Khan off early with my rapid expanding borders, I'll have a large slice of land to myself. I found Orleans to the SE in 1450 BC and send two warriors to guard it.
Khan founds Beshbalik within spitting distance of my capital in 1425 BC. He is so irritated I didn't surrender in sheer awe he declares war in 960 BC. Did I mention I hate Aggressive civs?
![[Image: firstwar.jpg]](http://www.public.iastate.edu/~mikelem/epic01/firstwar.jpg)
His archers smash against my warriors. Luckily they aren't that good at attacking, so I manage to keep my lands intact through sheer numbers. I haven't built archers yet myself; instead I made a rush to Iron Working for cutting. (Look at the amount of jungle on that peninsula; it's like the Amazon in Florida!) Luckily I discover an iron node right next to Paris's border; soon it will be engulfed and my swordsmen will mow down Khan's puny units.
Even during war, I need to feed my obsession:
![[Image: pyramids.jpg]](http://www.public.iastate.edu/~mikelem/epic01/pyramids.jpg)
740 BC: Pyramids built.
That's when I notice I still haven't built a quarry for the stone yet. Whoops. I'll have to rectify that. Thank God for the industrious trait! Now what am I going to do with it?
Hmmm...
...
Well, my cities are lacking happiness, and I plan on running a lot of specialists anyway, so I revolt to Representation soon afterwards. It's my Civic of choice for most of the game.
I end my first session with all quiet on the Eastern Front.
---Session 2: Martyr for the Cause---
280 BC-1130 AD
People die, cities burn and our subjects sacrifice everything for France.
In 280 AD, I finally pop my first Great Person: Mozes. I doubt I'll gain any religions with my current tech, which means no shrines, so I decide to meld Mozes into Paris for his +2 hammers & +5 gold (which lets me move Research back up to 100%).
Meanwhile, Paris's borders finally expand enough to engulf an iron resource to the SW. Remember what I said about stone? Scratch that; iron is a ruler's best friend, especially if he has swordsmen ready to unleash revenge on those damn archers. Let loose the dogs of war!
As soon as I get a breather from all these archers. Khan launches another massive attack soon after I resume. I can barely crank out warriors fast enough to fend off Khan's archers, let alone build anoter worker to hook up the iron I desperately need.
80 BC: Orleans and its brave, brave warriors fall under the Mongol hordes.
![[Image: orleansrazed.jpg]](http://www.public.iastate.edu/~mikelem/epic01/orleansrazed.jpg)
Orleans is razed to the ground, and I'm afraid this might set me too far back to catch up.
Now if this was a regular game, I'd probably get disheartened and leave it incomplete. This is the RB Epic, though! I've got a reputation to make, and I'll be damned if I let a little setback like this stop me!
"When skill & luck fail, try persistance."
Luckily I made a spare Settler. I send him SW with a lone warrior to found a new city, far away from the savage Mongols. It's risky, but holing up and doing nothing is riskier.
Their journey is remarkably safe, which only makes me more nervous. Sure enough...
![[Image: barbariansettle.jpg]](http://www.public.iastate.edu/~mikelem/epic01/barbariansettle.jpg)
Notice the lovely barbarian city that's sprung up not four squares away from my chosen location. For the love of- Well, this is the best spot to settle, and I'll be damned if I let a bunch of barbarians tell me where to settle. I found Lyons and pray my lone warrior can hold them off until I can spare some forces from the Mongol front. Since he's got the Forst upgrade and there's plenty of jungle hills between us and them, I actually move him out of the city and onto the hill as a barbarian magnet, leaving the city completely undefended.
This is where I cross my fingers.
In 1 AD, I connect the Iron Mine and start cranking out Swordsmen. In 120 AD, I learn Archery. In how many games can you say you had Swordsmen before Archers?
270 AD: I make Genghis pay for his razing of Orleans by conquering Beshbalik, his little border city that started this entire mess. I am forgiving, however, and spare the citizens' lives. I've also stolen Khan's only source of copper, which won't cripple his army much, but it does narrow down their unit selection. I crank out mass spears for the mass Keshiks he'll be making for revenge.
330 AD: The Parthenon is built in a faraway land. By Gandhi, of course. With my lack of spare cities & knew, I didn't even bother trying to build it. I had more pressing concerns at the time.
620 AD: Taoism founded in a distant land. So has Confucianism. At this point, I doubt I will found a religion, unless...
The Great Prophet Mahariva was born in Paris a few turns earlier, and I put him to sleep until I decided how to use him. He will let me instantly discover a Religion tech. Right now, he's just offering to learn Meditation, but If I can get Meditation & Monotheism, I might be able to bump him into discovering Theology & netting me Christianity. I trade Gandhi the Alphabet for those 2 technologies (a lopsided trade) & check Mahariva again. "Learn Theology"!
I waste no time in nailing Mahariva to the cross & founding Christianity.
![[Image: christianity.jpg]](http://www.public.iastate.edu/~mikelem/epic01/christianity.jpg)
Christianity founded in Beshbalik. (Obviously the conquered heathens needed something to soothe their troubled souls.) I immediately convert. And then kick myself for using up that prophet earlier when I could've saved him for a shrine!
The religion quickly spreads itself to Aztec lands. Within a century, Monty has converted to it! I even offer him Monotheism as a churchwarming gift. (Okay, he demanded it from me, but I can afford to give away a measly tech like that.) Does this mean the beginning of a beautiful friendship?
810 AD: Monty declares war.
No.
Luckily, I accepted Genghis's offer of peace 50 years ago. Fighting two wars at once would be ugly at best, and my idle military units have been itching for another fight. And if I could conquer Tlaxcala to the north, it would relieve pressure on Beshbalik...
I also managed to spare enough manpower from the eastern front to conquer Minoan, the barbarian neighbor to Lyons. I notice it has 3 Dyes & 1 Sugar within its radius, not to mention miles of fertile jungle land. Money money money!
The war with Monty is rough at first, as his fresh yet inexperienced army swarms into my borders. The 3-tile path between Beshbalik & Tlaxcala is drowned in blood, while he keeps trying to sneak units through the mountain pass NE of Paris. He even manages to siege Paris for a couple turns thanks to the forests surrounding it! Once I've beaten them off, I send a worker up there to clear all the trees around Paris. I won't let anyone siege my cities just because they're entrenched in the woods too well!
Gandhi asks me to help him fight Khan in 1020 AD. Thanks but no thanks, Gandhi; I like you and all, but I'm sick of Mongols at the moment.
Even during war, I find time to feed my obsession:
![[Image: colossus.jpg]](http://www.public.iastate.edu/~mikelem/epic01/colossus.jpg)
Built in 1105 AD, mere turns after I learned Metal Casting.
Out of the blue, Alexander declares war on me. Where the hell is the little scumbag? I'm being attacked by people I don't even know! I guess he doesn't know where I am, either, because I don't see any of his units for the entire "war".
After a long & grueling uphill fight (literally; Tlaxcala's built on a hill), I capture the Aztec city and sue Monty for peace. Oh sure, now he accepts.
![[Image: tlaxcala.jpg]](http://www.public.iastate.edu/~mikelem/epic01/tlaxcala.jpg)
---Session 3: Ping Pong---
1130-1355 AD
Now that my initial wars with my neighbors are over, maybe I can start concentrating on the infrastructure I desperately need. My 6-city empire is split into two halves, I've barely begun work on monasteries, let alone the temples I'll need to build cathedrals, and I still need to keep astride with Monty & Khan on military or they'll overrun me.
I take care of combining the two halves first by founding the city of Tours between them:
![[Image: tours.jpg]](http://www.public.iastate.edu/~mikelem/epic01/tours.jpg)
This time, I build it next to a barbarian city on purpose; I hope to flip it soon, and it's a good garrison for a couple units to make sure their archers don't cause much trouble. Also notice the score: I've managed to gain a lead on everyone except my archnemesis Washington. With the Mongol & Aztec empires buffering him, though, there's not much I can do about his lead except try to catch up while sending trouble his way.
I start by analyzing my newly-captured cities. Beshbalik & Tlaxcala are stuck in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by plains and thus won't be able to grow much further until Civil Services is learned. Tlaxcala in particular will be nearly useless until I can build a farm chain to it. Rheims (built over the remains of Orleans), Paris, and Lyons all can produce decent hammers and will be my main cities until I have a comfortable military lead on my neighbors, while the previously barbaric city of Minoan will become a commerce powerhouse. I'm also setting up Tours to be a Great People city. I still need to generate enough gold to support both my expenses and my research, though.
First I research Code of Laws, a stepping stone to Civil Services. (Besides, I need the courthouses.) Next is Monarchy -> Feudalism for Serfdom & Longbowmen (I really needed to upgrade my town defenses.) Then it's a short hop to Civil Services and farms for everyone!
At least, it would be if Monty hadn't interrupted my building by declaring war on me (again) in 1200 AD. "Didn't you learn your lesson the first time?!?" Our matched forces beat each other to a standstill around Tlaxcala around 1250 AD.
That's when Gandhi asks me for help in the war against Khan. Smelling an opportunity, I agree. Monty's satisfied with our little skirmish and agrees to peace, and my phony war with Alex ended centuries ago, so I'm free to concentrate on Khan. This time, he will pay dearly.
I sign a peace treaty with Monty in 1265 AD to concentrate on Khan. I finish researching Feudalism then switch to Machinery & Engineering for Pikemen & Crossbowmen. I need to teach these upstarts not to keep messing with me. I not only switch to Serfdom, but back to Paganism as well. (By now, I have nearly all my cities cranking out units instead of buildings, and I need the extra coinage.)
To make a long story short, I conquer every Mongol city near my borders & get plenty of use out of my overwhelming numbers of Spearmen before laying siege to Karakorum itself:
![[Image: karakorum.jpg]](http://www.public.iastate.edu/~mikelem/epic01/karakorum.jpg)
In 1355, I conquer it, immediately dropping Khan to last place and obliterating his military aside from two boatloads of Keshiks he turned away when he saw my Galleys guarding the coast. He's more than happy to take up my offer of peace now!
You chose unwisely!
Once again, I end a session in relative peace. Will it last? Can I finally turn to my original goal?
---Session 4: Uneasy Peace---
1355-1704 AD
For the first time in half a millenium, I'm not at war with anyone. Montezuma & Genghis are mere pests next to my true rival: Washington. His growth has proceeded unchecked, his land nearly matches mine, and the combination of his Financial trait and the AI's obsession with cottages have propelled him to the top of the tech race. I am a half-dozen techs behind him and, barring a miraculous land grab, have no chance of catching up. It's time to pull out the Hat Trick: the Cultural Victory I decided to try has become My Best Chance.
Winning a Cultural Victory literally sweeps the rug out from your opponents' feet. Your tech starts stagnating, your armies slowly grind to a halt, everything's looking rosy and bam! After everyone's brushed you off, you get 3 Legendary Cities and render your opponent's carefully constructed spaceship worthless.
Of course, having enough time to prepare that requires peace & quiet, two things I have been lacking lately with the enraged neighbors and all. Now that I've taken Genghis's capital away from him, the little runt should quit yapping, but the giant Aztec shadows looming over my land disturb me. It's time to hide my pride and suck up to Monty.
As I haggle over tribute with him, a little inquistive questioning reveals Monty's almost as pissed off at Washington as he is with me. Their armies are evenly matched as well. I could turn this to my advantage, especially since we're both the same religion. When Monty snaps (and he'll snap), he'll either attack me or Washington. All I've got to do is get on his good side and he'll distract Washington for me! Passive aggression at its finest!
Once that's taken care of, I turn to my Gods. "Now, I know you all hate each other, but we must work together to overcome our barbaric rivals." I always liked sacred number 3, so I choose 3 religions to spread throughout my nation: Christianity, Buddhism, and Confucianism. Confucianism, Washington's founding religion, probably was a bad choice. I could've chosen Judaism just as easily... I need each religion in 9 cities so I can build the 9 temples for each required for 3 cathedrals, one for each of my Legendary cities. Once I pull that off, my 3 Legendary cities will have +150% culture, which they'll need to reach 50k- no, let me check... 75 THOUSAND CULTURE?!?
Uh, could you build those churches a bit faster? Spread, my army of missionaries! Spread the good word(s) to all corners of the nation!
1445 AD: Civil Services learned! Construction begins on the great farm chain to Tlaxcala, turning this runty little fort town into a production powerhouse. (Remember, what good are mines if you can't feed their workers?) For the rest of the game, Tlaxcala would be my main base when I needed units cranked out yesterday. I couldn't ask for a better border town.
1595 AD: A mine pops Iron for me. Only noteworthy because this is the first time in 5 games I've ever had a mine pop a resource.
1658 AD: With the building of the Hagia Sophia (originally ordered to help my workers quickly improve my massive lands), I finally overtake Washington in score. I might actually win this!
![[Image: hagiasophia.jpg]](http://www.public.iastate.edu/~mikelem/epic01/hagiasophia.jpg)
What can I say? I love my Wonders.
1664 AD: Montezuma snaps after four centuries of quiet (he lasted longer than I thought) and declares war on Washington. Although they'll fight each other to a standstill and not accomplish anything, I'm just happy he's venting his frustrations against my arch-rival.
1676 AD: Gandhi learns Liberalism three turns ahead of me! There goes my hopes of catching up in the tech race with that free tech... Washington and Gandhi lead me by a half-dozen techs for the rest of the game. At least I can still get the Free Speech civic from it, which is obscenely vital for a Cultural win. +100% culture is nothing to sneeze at.
Meanwhile, Sinan the Great Engineer is born. I couldn't ask for better timing; the Taj Mahal is taking an eternity to build without marble. I rush production on it and bask in the glow of the resulting Golden Age.
![[Image: tajmahal.jpg]](http://www.public.iastate.edu/~mikelem/epic01/tajmahal.jpg)
Maybe now I can finally get those cathedrals built. Did I mention how much I hate wars?
Cathedral Count: 1
---Session 5: My Soul was Saved by Rock N Roll---
1704 AD-End
The 18th century, the moment of truth. I've checked all my cities and counted them twice. I finally announce which three will become my babies, the cities whose Legendary Culture will lead me to victory:
*Paris, my capital city
*Lyons, the spunky coastal city that could
*Beshbalik, in a surprise nomination mainly due to its production strength (those plains are more valuable than I thought!)
I take a moment to check my army's strength. It's the 5th largest in the world, which is not good when you're bordered by two very irritable civilizations. I sense thunder clouds brewing on the horizon and start churning out guards.
1716 AD: Gandhi asks me if I want to join another "war" with Alex. "Why, sure. I'll just cheer you from the sidelines."
1718 AD: I learn ??? and immediately adopt Free Markets, Universal Suffrage and Emancipation. It's the last Civics change I make in the game.
1720 AD: Sure enough, Monty declares war on me. We skirmish for a few decades, call it a good game and declare peace. Back to cathedral building.
1742 AD: The barbarian city NW of Tours finally flips. It will merely be a burden this late in the game, but I'm just glad it isn't sending out marauding Longbowmen anymore.
1764 AD: Montezuma declares war. Again.
MONNNNNNNNNTYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!
I don't care if I have to capture half of your cities or sign a Defensive Pact, this is it. I'll be damned if you attack me again!
Cathedral Count: 4
1778 AD: Washing asks me to declare war on Alex. "I just made peace with him a decade ago, but I'll do it for you." Poor Alex, he's the nerdy kid whose face all the big guys smash into lockers to bond. I should send him a fruit basket or something to apologize.
Nahhhh...
1790 AD: Khan, despite having a backwards inbred army and only having a third of my score, declares war on me. "Beat you head in? Why sure!"
The Honorable French, the most peaceful nation on the planet, is now at war with half of the world. Figures, huh?
I have to admit, though, cavalry vs. elephants is fun.
![[Image: elephants.jpg]](http://www.public.iastate.edu/~mikelem/epic01/elephants.jpg)
1816 AD: After they capture his entire western coast Monty is more than happy to make peace with the French.
1824 AD: I get my first Great Artist. I know it's a bit late to start cranking them out for a Cultural victory, but I can still pull it off. I send him to Paris to rest until he's called upon.
1844 AD: I capture Ning-hsia from Khan, but he's got a lot of units and these wars are distracting me from my goal. It's time for my ultimate weapon: a Defensive Pact. I make peace with Khan and decide to ask Gandhi for a Pact next turn, "now that I've finally gotten a little peace & quiet".
Then Monty attacks me again. !#$*@$
1857 AD: My attempt to capture Tlatelolco & its coal supply grinds to a halt as Monty uses Nationalism to summon defenders from thin air. His main force approaches Tlaxcala and I decide to cut my losses fast.
As soon as Monty accepts my peace offer, I sign a Defensive Pact with Gandhi. That should be enough to discourage him from attacking me again.
1859 AD: Imagine my surprise when Washington asks me to sign a 3-way Defensive Pact! "Of course I like you Washington. What, me try to steal victory away from you? Never!"
The Triad of Powwwwwwwer!
"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." Okay, I never liked Monty & Khan anyway, but you get the gist. With the military might of 3 countries backing me up, I'm finally safe from war. It's time for the final stretch.
Cathedral Count: 7
1868 AD: I complete Rock N Roll in Lyons, adding another +50% bonus to its culture.
1871 AD: Washington completes the Eiffel Tower before me. Although it stings, I can recover from it by manually building broadcast towers. It'll stretch out my research for a couple turns, but I can recover from it.
1879 AD: I complete Broadway. Just look at those +50% culture bonuses stack up!
1905 AD: Gandhi completes Hollywood. Now that stings because I won't be able to replace that +50% bonus.
1906 AD: The UN completed in Paris. Although I've persued a cultural goal, I've had a backup plan for a Diplomatic Victory. Now let's see if it will work. Even if it doesn't, there's plenty of ways I can use the UN to screw with my enemies' well-laid plans.
Thanks to my obscene relations score with Gandhi, I'm elected the UN Secretary General every time. It's once the voting starts that the fun begins. First I pass every trade-generating resolution under the guise of "helping everyone". In reality, it edges my Cultural production just a biiiiit higher. Then I start defanging my neighbors. The anti-nuclear resolutions ensures I won't be nuked by a vengeful Monty. Then I start enforcing peaceful civics; since the three largest nations support them, all Monty & Co. can do is gnash their teeth as they lose their precious civics. My constant votes for Diplomatic Victory always fell short, though; if only I had kissed up to Monty more!
Oh well, he was a backstabbing psychopath anyway.
Now it's time for the final push. As I finish building broadcast towers, I set my 3 Legendary cities to Culture production, turn my spending ratio to 90% Culture / 10% Wealth (which would be extremely dangerous if I hadn't signed a Defensive Pact), and wait to see if it's enough.
1915 AD: I get another Great Artist for another +6000 Culture boost. The timing couldn't be better; Washington has begun building spaceship parts & my hair's beginning to stand on end. It's to the wire.
1938 AD: Washington builds the Pentagon before me! I was trying to get every military boost possible in Tlaxcala, but this is actually useful since the extra 800+ gold lets me run up a deficit that much longer.
It gives me an idea. I stop the piddly little productions I've been making in my other cities and set them all to Wealth to Wealth to reduce the drain, then put the slider up to 100% Culture. With that much raw production being converted into Wealth, I'm still making a surplus!
It's all or nothing now. Nothing to do but sit back, keep pressing End Turn, and pray my Defensive Pact holds long enough to keep the neighbors off me. If I have switch production now, I'm toast.
1940 AD: At my current Culture rate, I estimate a win in 15 turns. Washington only needs one more spaceship piece to win, though. Will he learn Fusion and build the Engines before Beshbalik (the lowest of the 3 ) hits Legendary Culture? Nothing to do but keep advancing the turns.
1949 AD: Lyons hits Legendary Culture. 1 of 3 down.
1953 AD: Paris hits Legendary Culture. 2 of 3 down.
1956 AD:
SCOOOOOOOOOOOORE!
![[Image: culturalwin.jpg]](http://www.public.iastate.edu/~mikelem/epic01/culturalwin.jpg)
Beshbalik hits Legendary Culture. The trinity is complete! Washington may colonize Alpha Centauri first, but the French will be remembered as the most wonder-ful (Bad pun) civilization of all time.
My crowning cities:
![[Image: paris.jpg]](http://www.public.iastate.edu/~mikelem/epic01/paris.jpg)
Paris
![[Image: lyons.jpg]](http://www.public.iastate.edu/~mikelem/epic01/lyons.jpg)
Lyons
![[Image: beshbalik.jpg]](http://www.public.iastate.edu/~mikelem/epic01/beshbalik.jpg)
Beshbalik (Yes, it's CPT is the Mark of the Beast. That's what I get for relying on a Mongol city.)
Nothing to do now but save, watch the replay, and realize I haven't eaten or pissed in 7 hours. Whoa.
The War Bounce:
It always seemed like I would make peace with one nation only to be attacked by another. So how many times did Monty & Khan swap places as my Enemy of the Month? Read on.
980 BC-760 AD: War with Genghis
800-1125 AD: War with Montezuma
1105-1240 AD: "War" with Alexander (WTF? I have no idea why he declares war on me. He's on the opposite side of the continent! He'd have to march through 4 nations just to reach me! I don't see a single Greek unit during this so-called "war".)
1200-1265 AD: War with Montezuma
1250-1355 AD: War with Genghis (I've taken your capital! Don't piss me off again, dammit!)
Three centuries of peace followed. Genghis Khan has been defanged, while a couple tributes to Montezuma gets him on my good side while he tosses his units at Washington. It was risky for me to play them off each other, but I figured I'd rather stay on my neighbor's good side than a distant acquaintance's. That was my best decision of the game; Washington might have built the final spaceship piece before I won if he wasn't "occupied" for a couple decades centuries ago.
1716-1764 AD: "War" with Alexander (He sends two Caravels to harass my Galleys. You call this a war? The British sent more forces to the Falkland Islands than this!)
1720-1746 AD: War with Montezuma
1764-1816 AD: War with Montezuma
1778-1812 AD: "War" with Alexander (Again, we never see an enemy Greek unit.)
1790-1844 AD: War with Genghis (Infantry vs. Keshiks! Superior firepower vs. overwhelming numbers!)
1844-1857 AD: War with Montezuma (Quit attacking me!)
1859 AD: The Big Three sign a triad Defensive Pact. All wars miraculously disappear and the world lives in peace for the next century.
Wonder Tracker:
In which I document my obsession with Wonders. I really need to lay off the Industrial civilizations...
1925 BC: Stonehenge
740 BC: Pyramids
560 AD: Great Lighthouse
1100 AD: The Colossus
1195 AD: Notre Dame
1540 AD: Spiral Minaret
1656 AD: Hagia Sophia
1782 AD: Church of the Nativity
1804 AD: Statue of Liberty
1826 AD: Versailles
1868 AD: Rock N Roll
1879 AD: Broadway
1906 AD: United Nations
Genius: What did I do right?
-Rushing Christianity. I gave Gandhi a sweet deal for two early Religion techs & used Maharive to rush Theology. It was even founded in the perfect city (Beshbalik). It paid off in spades.
-Courthouses: What other building can cut your maintainence costs by a third? Even when I had to adopt poor fishing villages, courthouses made sure I stayed in the green.
-Sucking up to Monty: As much as I hate to admit it, offering tribute to Monty during the Renaissance ensured he would attack Washington instead of me when he felt the 7-decade itch. Getting him to adopt my religion didn't hurt, either. The distraction to Washington also delayed his Space Race by a few turns, enough to let me squeeze in a Cultural Victory later first. In all honesty, if Monty had attacked me instead of Washington, I probably would have lost later.
-The 3-religion rule. Spreading not one, not two, but three religions throughout my empire let me build three ubertemples in each of my three cities, providing a whopping +150% to culture. Could I have gone for four or even five, perhaps? It'd be tricky.
-Peace Through Superior Firepower: Okay, so I didn't get much peace (see the War Bouncer above), but at least I made sure I gained more than I lost.
-Alexander the Scapegoat: Sorry Alex, I know I never stepped foot in your country and I really didn't have any reason to constantly fight you, but my pals kept asking me to and I couldn't let them down! It was just moral support for them, 'kay?
-Defensive Pacts: Every peaceful civilization should have one. I'd research Military Tradition just for this. Thanks to Washington & Gandhi, I could completely ignore military production in the 20th century.
-The UN: I needed most of the endgame Civics for a cultural victory anyway, and forcing everyone else to adopt them was a great way to hinder their progress. "Oh, Monty, you want Theocracy? Too bad!"
Idiotic: What did I do wrong?
-"I don't need Archery just yet." Wrong! When you're cornered by two Aggressive civilizations, there's no such thing as too much military tech.
-I used my first Great Prophet immediately. I didn't count on founding a religion, and even if I did I decided I would get at least 2-3 more before the Renaissance. As a result, the Church of the Nativity wasn't built until 1782 AD.
-"I don't need Astronomy; it's a Pangaea map!" Lacking those +25% research Observatories hurt a lot, and ensured I'd always be in 3rd place in techs next to Gandhi and Washington. Delaying Astronomy knocked me out of the Space Race.
-Once I learned Military Tradition, I put off ending my wars. If I had ended them immediately, I could've made that pact with Washington & Gandhi decades earlier. I'm sure that would have shortened my game 1-2 dozen turns.
Debatable:
-Should I have spread Hinduism or Judaism instead of Confucianism? I know Washington was cashing in on every city I spread Confucianism to, but it began in Paris, which made it easy to build a Monastery & crank out missionaries for. (Interestingly, it seems if you have Organized Religion, you can automatically make missionaries of any religion in that city, not just your official one. I'll have to look into that.)
-Should I have switched from Pacifism to Free Religion as early as I did? I thought the research bonus would be handier than the extra Great People points.
-Did conquering Aztec & Mongol cities really advance my Cultural goal or did it just distract me?
-Would the population hits from Slavery & Nationhood be as bad as I thought?
Endgame Summary
Win: Cultural
Win Date: 1955
Final Score: 8325
Total Wars: 11 (8, not counting the fake ones with Alexander)
Total Time Played: 14 hours, 1 minute
How Close was It? Washington only had the SS Engine left. Talk about a nail biter!
I'm honestly amazed at the number of diplomatic wins posted so far. I've never been one for diplomacy. And spaceship victories are the default. But cultural victories? Well, Sullla said at least one person would try a Cultural Victory, and it looks like I'm that person... Well, I was until Dwip posted his report while I was busy writing mine.
So did I succeed against the Worst Neighbors Ever and Washington Bank? Read on and find out...
---The First Turn---
The longest journey begins with a single step. -Unknown
Both Louis's traits and the variant rules are perfectly suited to a Cultural Win. I also like the idea of winning without crushing everyone under my boot. Time to start.
The initial position:
I move my warrior NW to get a better view of the area and discover corn to my NE. A city on the hill with access to four resources? Yes, please.
---Session 1: Get Stoned---
4000-280 BC
I spend the first 2000 years researching cultural techs and building up Paris. I discover all of the civilizations except the Greeks, including two neighbors: Montezuma to my NE and Genghis Khan to my E. Could a ruler ask for better neighbors? No, really.
"It is from their foes, not their friends, that cities learn the lesson of building high walls." -Aristophanes
Forget diamonds; stone is a ruler's best friend. Blessed with an abundance of raw materials, can I really resist going on a wonder building spree, even when I should invest in my army to deter Khan & Monty from attacking me?
No.
1925 BC: Stonehenge built.
By 1500 BC, I've scouted out most of my area and noticed I'm on an uninhabited peninsula. If I can cut Khan off early with my rapid expanding borders, I'll have a large slice of land to myself. I found Orleans to the SE in 1450 BC and send two warriors to guard it.
Khan founds Beshbalik within spitting distance of my capital in 1425 BC. He is so irritated I didn't surrender in sheer awe he declares war in 960 BC. Did I mention I hate Aggressive civs?
His archers smash against my warriors. Luckily they aren't that good at attacking, so I manage to keep my lands intact through sheer numbers. I haven't built archers yet myself; instead I made a rush to Iron Working for cutting. (Look at the amount of jungle on that peninsula; it's like the Amazon in Florida!) Luckily I discover an iron node right next to Paris's border; soon it will be engulfed and my swordsmen will mow down Khan's puny units.
Even during war, I need to feed my obsession:
740 BC: Pyramids built.
That's when I notice I still haven't built a quarry for the stone yet. Whoops. I'll have to rectify that. Thank God for the industrious trait! Now what am I going to do with it?
Hmmm...
...
Well, my cities are lacking happiness, and I plan on running a lot of specialists anyway, so I revolt to Representation soon afterwards. It's my Civic of choice for most of the game.
I end my first session with all quiet on the Eastern Front.
---Session 2: Martyr for the Cause---
280 BC-1130 AD
People die, cities burn and our subjects sacrifice everything for France.
In 280 AD, I finally pop my first Great Person: Mozes. I doubt I'll gain any religions with my current tech, which means no shrines, so I decide to meld Mozes into Paris for his +2 hammers & +5 gold (which lets me move Research back up to 100%).
Meanwhile, Paris's borders finally expand enough to engulf an iron resource to the SW. Remember what I said about stone? Scratch that; iron is a ruler's best friend, especially if he has swordsmen ready to unleash revenge on those damn archers. Let loose the dogs of war!
As soon as I get a breather from all these archers. Khan launches another massive attack soon after I resume. I can barely crank out warriors fast enough to fend off Khan's archers, let alone build anoter worker to hook up the iron I desperately need.
80 BC: Orleans and its brave, brave warriors fall under the Mongol hordes.
Orleans is razed to the ground, and I'm afraid this might set me too far back to catch up.
Now if this was a regular game, I'd probably get disheartened and leave it incomplete. This is the RB Epic, though! I've got a reputation to make, and I'll be damned if I let a little setback like this stop me!
"When skill & luck fail, try persistance."
Luckily I made a spare Settler. I send him SW with a lone warrior to found a new city, far away from the savage Mongols. It's risky, but holing up and doing nothing is riskier.
Their journey is remarkably safe, which only makes me more nervous. Sure enough...
Notice the lovely barbarian city that's sprung up not four squares away from my chosen location. For the love of- Well, this is the best spot to settle, and I'll be damned if I let a bunch of barbarians tell me where to settle. I found Lyons and pray my lone warrior can hold them off until I can spare some forces from the Mongol front. Since he's got the Forst upgrade and there's plenty of jungle hills between us and them, I actually move him out of the city and onto the hill as a barbarian magnet, leaving the city completely undefended.
This is where I cross my fingers.
In 1 AD, I connect the Iron Mine and start cranking out Swordsmen. In 120 AD, I learn Archery. In how many games can you say you had Swordsmen before Archers?
270 AD: I make Genghis pay for his razing of Orleans by conquering Beshbalik, his little border city that started this entire mess. I am forgiving, however, and spare the citizens' lives. I've also stolen Khan's only source of copper, which won't cripple his army much, but it does narrow down their unit selection. I crank out mass spears for the mass Keshiks he'll be making for revenge.
330 AD: The Parthenon is built in a faraway land. By Gandhi, of course. With my lack of spare cities & knew, I didn't even bother trying to build it. I had more pressing concerns at the time.
620 AD: Taoism founded in a distant land. So has Confucianism. At this point, I doubt I will found a religion, unless...
The Great Prophet Mahariva was born in Paris a few turns earlier, and I put him to sleep until I decided how to use him. He will let me instantly discover a Religion tech. Right now, he's just offering to learn Meditation, but If I can get Meditation & Monotheism, I might be able to bump him into discovering Theology & netting me Christianity. I trade Gandhi the Alphabet for those 2 technologies (a lopsided trade) & check Mahariva again. "Learn Theology"!
I waste no time in nailing Mahariva to the cross & founding Christianity.
Christianity founded in Beshbalik. (Obviously the conquered heathens needed something to soothe their troubled souls.) I immediately convert. And then kick myself for using up that prophet earlier when I could've saved him for a shrine!
The religion quickly spreads itself to Aztec lands. Within a century, Monty has converted to it! I even offer him Monotheism as a churchwarming gift. (Okay, he demanded it from me, but I can afford to give away a measly tech like that.) Does this mean the beginning of a beautiful friendship?
810 AD: Monty declares war.
No.
Luckily, I accepted Genghis's offer of peace 50 years ago. Fighting two wars at once would be ugly at best, and my idle military units have been itching for another fight. And if I could conquer Tlaxcala to the north, it would relieve pressure on Beshbalik...
I also managed to spare enough manpower from the eastern front to conquer Minoan, the barbarian neighbor to Lyons. I notice it has 3 Dyes & 1 Sugar within its radius, not to mention miles of fertile jungle land. Money money money!
The war with Monty is rough at first, as his fresh yet inexperienced army swarms into my borders. The 3-tile path between Beshbalik & Tlaxcala is drowned in blood, while he keeps trying to sneak units through the mountain pass NE of Paris. He even manages to siege Paris for a couple turns thanks to the forests surrounding it! Once I've beaten them off, I send a worker up there to clear all the trees around Paris. I won't let anyone siege my cities just because they're entrenched in the woods too well!
Gandhi asks me to help him fight Khan in 1020 AD. Thanks but no thanks, Gandhi; I like you and all, but I'm sick of Mongols at the moment.
Even during war, I find time to feed my obsession:
Built in 1105 AD, mere turns after I learned Metal Casting.
Out of the blue, Alexander declares war on me. Where the hell is the little scumbag? I'm being attacked by people I don't even know! I guess he doesn't know where I am, either, because I don't see any of his units for the entire "war".
After a long & grueling uphill fight (literally; Tlaxcala's built on a hill), I capture the Aztec city and sue Monty for peace. Oh sure, now he accepts.
---Session 3: Ping Pong---
1130-1355 AD
Now that my initial wars with my neighbors are over, maybe I can start concentrating on the infrastructure I desperately need. My 6-city empire is split into two halves, I've barely begun work on monasteries, let alone the temples I'll need to build cathedrals, and I still need to keep astride with Monty & Khan on military or they'll overrun me.
I take care of combining the two halves first by founding the city of Tours between them:
This time, I build it next to a barbarian city on purpose; I hope to flip it soon, and it's a good garrison for a couple units to make sure their archers don't cause much trouble. Also notice the score: I've managed to gain a lead on everyone except my archnemesis Washington. With the Mongol & Aztec empires buffering him, though, there's not much I can do about his lead except try to catch up while sending trouble his way.
I start by analyzing my newly-captured cities. Beshbalik & Tlaxcala are stuck in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by plains and thus won't be able to grow much further until Civil Services is learned. Tlaxcala in particular will be nearly useless until I can build a farm chain to it. Rheims (built over the remains of Orleans), Paris, and Lyons all can produce decent hammers and will be my main cities until I have a comfortable military lead on my neighbors, while the previously barbaric city of Minoan will become a commerce powerhouse. I'm also setting up Tours to be a Great People city. I still need to generate enough gold to support both my expenses and my research, though.
First I research Code of Laws, a stepping stone to Civil Services. (Besides, I need the courthouses.) Next is Monarchy -> Feudalism for Serfdom & Longbowmen (I really needed to upgrade my town defenses.) Then it's a short hop to Civil Services and farms for everyone!
At least, it would be if Monty hadn't interrupted my building by declaring war on me (again) in 1200 AD. "Didn't you learn your lesson the first time?!?" Our matched forces beat each other to a standstill around Tlaxcala around 1250 AD.
That's when Gandhi asks me for help in the war against Khan. Smelling an opportunity, I agree. Monty's satisfied with our little skirmish and agrees to peace, and my phony war with Alex ended centuries ago, so I'm free to concentrate on Khan. This time, he will pay dearly.
I sign a peace treaty with Monty in 1265 AD to concentrate on Khan. I finish researching Feudalism then switch to Machinery & Engineering for Pikemen & Crossbowmen. I need to teach these upstarts not to keep messing with me. I not only switch to Serfdom, but back to Paganism as well. (By now, I have nearly all my cities cranking out units instead of buildings, and I need the extra coinage.)
To make a long story short, I conquer every Mongol city near my borders & get plenty of use out of my overwhelming numbers of Spearmen before laying siege to Karakorum itself:
In 1355, I conquer it, immediately dropping Khan to last place and obliterating his military aside from two boatloads of Keshiks he turned away when he saw my Galleys guarding the coast. He's more than happy to take up my offer of peace now!
You chose unwisely!
Once again, I end a session in relative peace. Will it last? Can I finally turn to my original goal?
---Session 4: Uneasy Peace---
1355-1704 AD
For the first time in half a millenium, I'm not at war with anyone. Montezuma & Genghis are mere pests next to my true rival: Washington. His growth has proceeded unchecked, his land nearly matches mine, and the combination of his Financial trait and the AI's obsession with cottages have propelled him to the top of the tech race. I am a half-dozen techs behind him and, barring a miraculous land grab, have no chance of catching up. It's time to pull out the Hat Trick: the Cultural Victory I decided to try has become My Best Chance.
Winning a Cultural Victory literally sweeps the rug out from your opponents' feet. Your tech starts stagnating, your armies slowly grind to a halt, everything's looking rosy and bam! After everyone's brushed you off, you get 3 Legendary Cities and render your opponent's carefully constructed spaceship worthless.
Of course, having enough time to prepare that requires peace & quiet, two things I have been lacking lately with the enraged neighbors and all. Now that I've taken Genghis's capital away from him, the little runt should quit yapping, but the giant Aztec shadows looming over my land disturb me. It's time to hide my pride and suck up to Monty.
As I haggle over tribute with him, a little inquistive questioning reveals Monty's almost as pissed off at Washington as he is with me. Their armies are evenly matched as well. I could turn this to my advantage, especially since we're both the same religion. When Monty snaps (and he'll snap), he'll either attack me or Washington. All I've got to do is get on his good side and he'll distract Washington for me! Passive aggression at its finest!
Once that's taken care of, I turn to my Gods. "Now, I know you all hate each other, but we must work together to overcome our barbaric rivals." I always liked sacred number 3, so I choose 3 religions to spread throughout my nation: Christianity, Buddhism, and Confucianism. Confucianism, Washington's founding religion, probably was a bad choice. I could've chosen Judaism just as easily... I need each religion in 9 cities so I can build the 9 temples for each required for 3 cathedrals, one for each of my Legendary cities. Once I pull that off, my 3 Legendary cities will have +150% culture, which they'll need to reach 50k- no, let me check... 75 THOUSAND CULTURE?!?
Uh, could you build those churches a bit faster? Spread, my army of missionaries! Spread the good word(s) to all corners of the nation!
1445 AD: Civil Services learned! Construction begins on the great farm chain to Tlaxcala, turning this runty little fort town into a production powerhouse. (Remember, what good are mines if you can't feed their workers?) For the rest of the game, Tlaxcala would be my main base when I needed units cranked out yesterday. I couldn't ask for a better border town.
1595 AD: A mine pops Iron for me. Only noteworthy because this is the first time in 5 games I've ever had a mine pop a resource.
1658 AD: With the building of the Hagia Sophia (originally ordered to help my workers quickly improve my massive lands), I finally overtake Washington in score. I might actually win this!
What can I say? I love my Wonders.
1664 AD: Montezuma snaps after four centuries of quiet (he lasted longer than I thought) and declares war on Washington. Although they'll fight each other to a standstill and not accomplish anything, I'm just happy he's venting his frustrations against my arch-rival.
1676 AD: Gandhi learns Liberalism three turns ahead of me! There goes my hopes of catching up in the tech race with that free tech... Washington and Gandhi lead me by a half-dozen techs for the rest of the game. At least I can still get the Free Speech civic from it, which is obscenely vital for a Cultural win. +100% culture is nothing to sneeze at.
Meanwhile, Sinan the Great Engineer is born. I couldn't ask for better timing; the Taj Mahal is taking an eternity to build without marble. I rush production on it and bask in the glow of the resulting Golden Age.
Maybe now I can finally get those cathedrals built. Did I mention how much I hate wars?
Cathedral Count: 1
---Session 5: My Soul was Saved by Rock N Roll---
1704 AD-End
The 18th century, the moment of truth. I've checked all my cities and counted them twice. I finally announce which three will become my babies, the cities whose Legendary Culture will lead me to victory:
*Paris, my capital city
*Lyons, the spunky coastal city that could
*Beshbalik, in a surprise nomination mainly due to its production strength (those plains are more valuable than I thought!)
I take a moment to check my army's strength. It's the 5th largest in the world, which is not good when you're bordered by two very irritable civilizations. I sense thunder clouds brewing on the horizon and start churning out guards.
1716 AD: Gandhi asks me if I want to join another "war" with Alex. "Why, sure. I'll just cheer you from the sidelines."
1718 AD: I learn ??? and immediately adopt Free Markets, Universal Suffrage and Emancipation. It's the last Civics change I make in the game.
1720 AD: Sure enough, Monty declares war on me. We skirmish for a few decades, call it a good game and declare peace. Back to cathedral building.
1742 AD: The barbarian city NW of Tours finally flips. It will merely be a burden this late in the game, but I'm just glad it isn't sending out marauding Longbowmen anymore.
1764 AD: Montezuma declares war. Again.
MONNNNNNNNNTYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!
I don't care if I have to capture half of your cities or sign a Defensive Pact, this is it. I'll be damned if you attack me again!
Cathedral Count: 4
1778 AD: Washing asks me to declare war on Alex. "I just made peace with him a decade ago, but I'll do it for you." Poor Alex, he's the nerdy kid whose face all the big guys smash into lockers to bond. I should send him a fruit basket or something to apologize.
Nahhhh...
1790 AD: Khan, despite having a backwards inbred army and only having a third of my score, declares war on me. "Beat you head in? Why sure!"
The Honorable French, the most peaceful nation on the planet, is now at war with half of the world. Figures, huh?
I have to admit, though, cavalry vs. elephants is fun.
1816 AD: After they capture his entire western coast Monty is more than happy to make peace with the French.
1824 AD: I get my first Great Artist. I know it's a bit late to start cranking them out for a Cultural victory, but I can still pull it off. I send him to Paris to rest until he's called upon.
1844 AD: I capture Ning-hsia from Khan, but he's got a lot of units and these wars are distracting me from my goal. It's time for my ultimate weapon: a Defensive Pact. I make peace with Khan and decide to ask Gandhi for a Pact next turn, "now that I've finally gotten a little peace & quiet".
Then Monty attacks me again. !#$*@$
1857 AD: My attempt to capture Tlatelolco & its coal supply grinds to a halt as Monty uses Nationalism to summon defenders from thin air. His main force approaches Tlaxcala and I decide to cut my losses fast.
As soon as Monty accepts my peace offer, I sign a Defensive Pact with Gandhi. That should be enough to discourage him from attacking me again.
1859 AD: Imagine my surprise when Washington asks me to sign a 3-way Defensive Pact! "Of course I like you Washington. What, me try to steal victory away from you? Never!"
The Triad of Powwwwwwwer!
"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." Okay, I never liked Monty & Khan anyway, but you get the gist. With the military might of 3 countries backing me up, I'm finally safe from war. It's time for the final stretch.
Cathedral Count: 7
1868 AD: I complete Rock N Roll in Lyons, adding another +50% bonus to its culture.
1871 AD: Washington completes the Eiffel Tower before me. Although it stings, I can recover from it by manually building broadcast towers. It'll stretch out my research for a couple turns, but I can recover from it.
1879 AD: I complete Broadway. Just look at those +50% culture bonuses stack up!
1905 AD: Gandhi completes Hollywood. Now that stings because I won't be able to replace that +50% bonus.
1906 AD: The UN completed in Paris. Although I've persued a cultural goal, I've had a backup plan for a Diplomatic Victory. Now let's see if it will work. Even if it doesn't, there's plenty of ways I can use the UN to screw with my enemies' well-laid plans.
Thanks to my obscene relations score with Gandhi, I'm elected the UN Secretary General every time. It's once the voting starts that the fun begins. First I pass every trade-generating resolution under the guise of "helping everyone". In reality, it edges my Cultural production just a biiiiit higher. Then I start defanging my neighbors. The anti-nuclear resolutions ensures I won't be nuked by a vengeful Monty. Then I start enforcing peaceful civics; since the three largest nations support them, all Monty & Co. can do is gnash their teeth as they lose their precious civics. My constant votes for Diplomatic Victory always fell short, though; if only I had kissed up to Monty more!
Oh well, he was a backstabbing psychopath anyway.
Now it's time for the final push. As I finish building broadcast towers, I set my 3 Legendary cities to Culture production, turn my spending ratio to 90% Culture / 10% Wealth (which would be extremely dangerous if I hadn't signed a Defensive Pact), and wait to see if it's enough.
1915 AD: I get another Great Artist for another +6000 Culture boost. The timing couldn't be better; Washington has begun building spaceship parts & my hair's beginning to stand on end. It's to the wire.
1938 AD: Washington builds the Pentagon before me! I was trying to get every military boost possible in Tlaxcala, but this is actually useful since the extra 800+ gold lets me run up a deficit that much longer.
It gives me an idea. I stop the piddly little productions I've been making in my other cities and set them all to Wealth to Wealth to reduce the drain, then put the slider up to 100% Culture. With that much raw production being converted into Wealth, I'm still making a surplus!
It's all or nothing now. Nothing to do but sit back, keep pressing End Turn, and pray my Defensive Pact holds long enough to keep the neighbors off me. If I have switch production now, I'm toast.
1940 AD: At my current Culture rate, I estimate a win in 15 turns. Washington only needs one more spaceship piece to win, though. Will he learn Fusion and build the Engines before Beshbalik (the lowest of the 3 ) hits Legendary Culture? Nothing to do but keep advancing the turns.
1949 AD: Lyons hits Legendary Culture. 1 of 3 down.
1953 AD: Paris hits Legendary Culture. 2 of 3 down.
1956 AD:
SCOOOOOOOOOOOORE!
Beshbalik hits Legendary Culture. The trinity is complete! Washington may colonize Alpha Centauri first, but the French will be remembered as the most wonder-ful (Bad pun) civilization of all time.
My crowning cities:
Paris
Lyons
Beshbalik (Yes, it's CPT is the Mark of the Beast. That's what I get for relying on a Mongol city.)
Nothing to do now but save, watch the replay, and realize I haven't eaten or pissed in 7 hours. Whoa.
The War Bounce:
It always seemed like I would make peace with one nation only to be attacked by another. So how many times did Monty & Khan swap places as my Enemy of the Month? Read on.
980 BC-760 AD: War with Genghis
800-1125 AD: War with Montezuma
1105-1240 AD: "War" with Alexander (WTF? I have no idea why he declares war on me. He's on the opposite side of the continent! He'd have to march through 4 nations just to reach me! I don't see a single Greek unit during this so-called "war".)
1200-1265 AD: War with Montezuma
1250-1355 AD: War with Genghis (I've taken your capital! Don't piss me off again, dammit!)
Three centuries of peace followed. Genghis Khan has been defanged, while a couple tributes to Montezuma gets him on my good side while he tosses his units at Washington. It was risky for me to play them off each other, but I figured I'd rather stay on my neighbor's good side than a distant acquaintance's. That was my best decision of the game; Washington might have built the final spaceship piece before I won if he wasn't "occupied" for a couple decades centuries ago.
1716-1764 AD: "War" with Alexander (He sends two Caravels to harass my Galleys. You call this a war? The British sent more forces to the Falkland Islands than this!)
1720-1746 AD: War with Montezuma
1764-1816 AD: War with Montezuma
1778-1812 AD: "War" with Alexander (Again, we never see an enemy Greek unit.)
1790-1844 AD: War with Genghis (Infantry vs. Keshiks! Superior firepower vs. overwhelming numbers!)
1844-1857 AD: War with Montezuma (Quit attacking me!)
1859 AD: The Big Three sign a triad Defensive Pact. All wars miraculously disappear and the world lives in peace for the next century.
Wonder Tracker:
In which I document my obsession with Wonders. I really need to lay off the Industrial civilizations...
1925 BC: Stonehenge
740 BC: Pyramids
560 AD: Great Lighthouse
1100 AD: The Colossus
1195 AD: Notre Dame
1540 AD: Spiral Minaret
1656 AD: Hagia Sophia
1782 AD: Church of the Nativity
1804 AD: Statue of Liberty
1826 AD: Versailles
1868 AD: Rock N Roll
1879 AD: Broadway
1906 AD: United Nations
Genius: What did I do right?
-Rushing Christianity. I gave Gandhi a sweet deal for two early Religion techs & used Maharive to rush Theology. It was even founded in the perfect city (Beshbalik). It paid off in spades.
-Courthouses: What other building can cut your maintainence costs by a third? Even when I had to adopt poor fishing villages, courthouses made sure I stayed in the green.
-Sucking up to Monty: As much as I hate to admit it, offering tribute to Monty during the Renaissance ensured he would attack Washington instead of me when he felt the 7-decade itch. Getting him to adopt my religion didn't hurt, either. The distraction to Washington also delayed his Space Race by a few turns, enough to let me squeeze in a Cultural Victory later first. In all honesty, if Monty had attacked me instead of Washington, I probably would have lost later.
-The 3-religion rule. Spreading not one, not two, but three religions throughout my empire let me build three ubertemples in each of my three cities, providing a whopping +150% to culture. Could I have gone for four or even five, perhaps? It'd be tricky.
-Peace Through Superior Firepower: Okay, so I didn't get much peace (see the War Bouncer above), but at least I made sure I gained more than I lost.
-Alexander the Scapegoat: Sorry Alex, I know I never stepped foot in your country and I really didn't have any reason to constantly fight you, but my pals kept asking me to and I couldn't let them down! It was just moral support for them, 'kay?
-Defensive Pacts: Every peaceful civilization should have one. I'd research Military Tradition just for this. Thanks to Washington & Gandhi, I could completely ignore military production in the 20th century.
-The UN: I needed most of the endgame Civics for a cultural victory anyway, and forcing everyone else to adopt them was a great way to hinder their progress. "Oh, Monty, you want Theocracy? Too bad!"
Idiotic: What did I do wrong?
-"I don't need Archery just yet." Wrong! When you're cornered by two Aggressive civilizations, there's no such thing as too much military tech.
-I used my first Great Prophet immediately. I didn't count on founding a religion, and even if I did I decided I would get at least 2-3 more before the Renaissance. As a result, the Church of the Nativity wasn't built until 1782 AD.
-"I don't need Astronomy; it's a Pangaea map!" Lacking those +25% research Observatories hurt a lot, and ensured I'd always be in 3rd place in techs next to Gandhi and Washington. Delaying Astronomy knocked me out of the Space Race.
-Once I learned Military Tradition, I put off ending my wars. If I had ended them immediately, I could've made that pact with Washington & Gandhi decades earlier. I'm sure that would have shortened my game 1-2 dozen turns.
Debatable:
-Should I have spread Hinduism or Judaism instead of Confucianism? I know Washington was cashing in on every city I spread Confucianism to, but it began in Paris, which made it easy to build a Monastery & crank out missionaries for. (Interestingly, it seems if you have Organized Religion, you can automatically make missionaries of any religion in that city, not just your official one. I'll have to look into that.)
-Should I have switched from Pacifism to Free Religion as early as I did? I thought the research bonus would be handier than the extra Great People points.
-Did conquering Aztec & Mongol cities really advance my Cultural goal or did it just distract me?
-Would the population hits from Slavery & Nationhood be as bad as I thought?
Endgame Summary
Win: Cultural
Win Date: 1955
Final Score: 8325
Total Wars: 11 (8, not counting the fake ones with Alexander)
Total Time Played: 14 hours, 1 minute
How Close was It? Washington only had the SS Engine left. Talk about a nail biter!
Some pictures of these cities as they raced towards the cultural victory might have been a nice addition, by the way.