Inherited turn: As mentioned, start Musicians Guild at Divinity, workers at Faith and Piety, and fire the engineers at Faith. Yes, we can spawn scientists from Divinity then Devotion. That is the correct order because Devotion can go faster in the 500-600 interval because that city has a garden.
Spy says nothing to steal from Portugal. I move him to Sweden just to get a peek at our next target. Our other spy is uselessly sitting in Singapore who's already allied. I move him to Mbanza-Kongo, which is a militaristic CS that we want to stay friendly for units, and also has whales if we can get to alliance.
I start selling buildings in burning Novgorod. Rome can stay puppeted for the moment, a university is an OK build order. Neapolis (castle) and Antium (bank) are on lousy builds, but I don't see much need to annex them either.
I start mustering all available workers towards Russia. Start advancing units towards Moscow through Novgorod, though it's slow going in that unroaded jungle.
Turn 232: Moscow completes Uffizi. Uh nice wartime build there Cathy! We'll take it.
Portugal steals Metallurgy (from Devotion, not our capital).
Zurich wants a Great Musician, and may actually get it as we finish that guild.
T233: Been advancing towards Moscow, but I pause for one turn for a bunch of artillery to shoot down one musketman that had been worrying me. Also I stupidly advance a Lancer to kill a crossbow but Moscow kills it on the return fire.
T234: Move into position against Moscow for real. We lose a cannon to the city's return fire shot (73 damage!) plus a crossbow shot. I belatedly realize we could have done another Citadel to bite off some territory and probably gain a turn.
T235: We pound Moscow with all five artillery, but still only get the 85-strength city down to half health. Tough nut to crack. We lose another (our last) cannon to return fire. But Valletta gives us a new Artillery!
T236: Boom boom, round two redlines Moscow and we capture it.
I pull out as many Great Works as possible (3 of the 5) from Moscow into our own cities, for the pennies of culture and tourism while Moscow resists.
I debate for a bit, then decide to continue to take St Petersburg as well. Reason is it will clear the way for a faster advance back east after Sweden. I don't think it will delay advancing on Sweden either, since I can build roads north of Moscow in the couple intervening turns.
Archaeology in, and I start building museums just for the heck of it. And Hermitage in Faith which seems worthwhile, +50% culture. And a cargo ship in Marrakech because extra trade route slot from Petra in Moscow.
Moscow's gems trigger a CS quest from Antwerp (mercantile) and two WLKTD. We also use our prophet on Moscow.
T237: We got a Great Writer. I assume the culture bulb for 1837 culture is obvious to do, and take the +25% GPP ideology.
T238: We capture St Petersburg and set it to razing, eliminating Russia.
Both Lusophones in the east denounce us, unsurprisingly. Mbanza-Kongo gives us a new Cavalry and Almaty gives us a second Gatling Gun, both at Onondaga, um okay thanks I guess.
T239: Advancing towards Sweden. With the two lost cannons, we're not going to have enough to split up, so do this all-in on Sweden then go east.
T240: Got Divinity's Great Scientist, who bulbs 4000 beakers for Biology and lands 2 turns from Flight. We have one 3-oil resource, all the way in the south, no worker nearby to hook it up so Divinity will build one.
The roads in Russia are rather haphazard, I was just dumping them anywhere the workers could get to. I was trying to build a "two-lane" road to improve throughput, though past St Petersburg that will take quite a bit of effort.
We are probably two turns from opening hostilities on Sweden. We'll have to go through Sigtuna to get to Stockholm the capital, but shouldn't need to do anything else. We see muskets and crossbows and nothing newer.
Make sure to keep Devotion's Great Scientist points ahead of Faith's Great Engineer points. Also resume Faith's Hermitage when St Petersburg burns down.
I shouldn't see another turnset in this game. Finish it off, guys.
