Epic 17: Swiss Capac

[Swiss Pauli]

Free choice of civ, and victories judged by category give players a lot of scope to play the game they want, rather than tailor their game to the settings/scoring presented by the sponsor. Warring isn’t my bag, Space on Epic is a bit too drawn out for my taste, and I find Diplo wins can be a rather flaky and unsatisfying, so it’s going to be a cultural victory for me (but you’d guessed that already).

I thought about a left-field leader (Augustus) but with the start as it was, I couldn’t see past Huayna Capac: plains hill for some initial hammers into the Henge whilst gunning for Hinduism, which should be a straightforward claim seeing as we can work the oasis (3-0-3) after our border pop. Cuzco will be a wonder-factory; not sure what the other two legends will looks like, but they’re bound to have some cottages

Get a map from the hut, and we’re good to go:




Get another map and see Mongolian borders. A couple of turns later, Kublai pops up. If you don’t settle in my face, I won’t Quechua rush you. Deal? Seeing as we have Agri, it’s worker at size two. Hinduism is duly founded on turn 15. Uneventful exploring and teching (AH then Mining):




Cool that we’ve got Marble in our back yard: should allow a 3 city Oracle. City 2 is going for Corn/3 Gold. Gotta get there before the Mongols! Settler whipped after BW is discovered.




That’s Karakorum’s culture in the pic, of course. Henge complete in 2475BC. No danger of losing that one. The Wheel and Masonry are the next techs learned, and we encounter Mansa in 2200BC. Nice to see a friendly face. Macchu Pichu founded to claim sheep and marble. Jules pops in for tea soon after. Hmmm. Onward to Priesthood and the Oracle, with Writing due around the same time as the wonder, of course. Choose CoL, found Confucianism in Tiwanaku, cementing its status a Legendary city.




Olly looks a reasonable cottage/production hybrid. Not sure if it’ll be Legend though. Pots cast a couple of turns later.



Seems to sum up this part of the game quite well. I’ve got my beady eye on those two barb cities, so I’m going to be training some axes after those terraces are whipped. Unfortunately, Mansa’s drill 3 skirmisher manages to take Ligurian which he keeps (because he’ll never raze a city). I don’t know where his homeland is, but it can’t be that near
Meet Hannibal on T113, and discover IW a couple of turns later. A GP was born around the same time and builds the Kong Miao. I’m hoping to convert KK to Confucianism (so that I may run it too). Gift Kublai a spare Corn for the relations, and meet Alex on T120. Hmmm. Expand into the jungle:




Learn Sailing (BC700) and complete ToA (650). Change the gift to KK into a trade (for cows). Seize Parthian from the barbs and get a weird message about returning it to Mongolia. Eh? No, it’s mine. All mine. Complete Calendar and note that Jules has Alpha. Trade him CoL for it. Tech situation:




Looks like Hannibal is planning a war: glad he’s not near me! Speaking of wars…





O me miserum!

Kublai has a 5 strong stack near Tiwanaku: 2 swords, an axes, spear and chariot. I have a newly upgraded Axe, and a whipped spear and swords coming next turn (plus 40% cultural defence). Unless KK comes with more units, I’ll be fine. No sign of Jules and his dread Praetorians, so I assume he’s dogpiling on request. Four turns later, St Augustine reports that Kublai is the most powerful civ on earth. Perhaps in response to this message, he attacks Tiwanaku, losing his entire stack to my beefed up defence. Having whipped up a large bunch of warriors, I think I’ll need to find a good use for them

Jules has shown up with an axe and a wounded archer, so I kill them and make peace for 30g. I’d put wonders on the back burner, but in 260BC I finished Mausoleum in Cuzco. Two turns later I get another GP who builds the KW. OK. Construction is learnt soon thereafter, so the war plans can hot up now. Some minor skirmishing shows mean KK has Keshik :sad: but gives me a GG  who creates a medic chariot.

BC 155 saw someone build Pyramids and Jules LB Philo, founding Taoism with the GS he popped the previous turn. Up north, I was able to take the surprisingly poorly defended New Sarai, but KK retook it two turns later. My main target, however, was Karakorum. I decided to go ‘all in’ and attack without bombing down the defences because more defenders were pouring into the city. After a mass catapult suicide, the troops stormed the barricades, and despite terrible losses, were able to claim the city. Make peace for Monotheism. With KK founding Judaism in Beshbalik – as well as bring CRE – I’m not going to get much value from Kara for ages. Indeed, it’ll need a huge garrison just to stop it flipping. With these AIs, have a good reason to train units won’t hurt my chances of survival!


Can you say ‘dogpile’?



Poor Mansa. In 10AD, I found Huamanga for crab/iron and discover CS. Revolt to BUR and HR for 2 turns of anarchy. In 130AD, Jules demands that I convert to Judaism. Why I thought you’d never ask! More Anarchy.

Poor Mansa’s luck got worse when someone asked me to join the war. Libyan was costing him a fortune in upkeep, so really I was doing him a favour




With Kara struggling under Mongol culture, Libyan will be used to spam my cities Jewish. Olly completes Hanging Gardens in 265AD, which seals it as my choice for 3rd Legend. Trades some techs and make peace with Mansa, and in 370AD I pop a GP who bulbs Christianity (in Tiwanaku). I’d learnt Aesthetics the same turn, which gave me some more wonders to chase, but by economy needed some attention so Currency was soon traded in. Livy declared me the most advanced civ in 415, so this is looking very promising.

I notice that Monty has Literature and realize my recent Space games have made me ignore Music out of habit. Oh well, might as well head that way anyway. Monty had got a GA earlier, but much to my surprise, Music was undiscovered. Until 550 thatis, when I claim it and its precious Artist (merged to Tiwanaku). During the tech to Music, I completed SoZ and founded Vilcas on some incense so that it could work fish, cows, and iron. Jules asked me to join his (imminent) war with Azteca. No thanks, said I. And Monty got the same response a few turns later.

Hagia Sophia completed in 565, and Philo traded in from KK the following turn. In 595, Alex asks me to attack Mansa, which I do to give this situation:




Sankore in 640 and this is beginning to look won already. Seeing as no-one else wanted it, Parthenon in Olly in 685. Next turn Vilcabamba is founded on furs, to work fish and (later) whales. Trade in MC (Philo) and Machinery (CS & Aesth). Sistene in Cuzco in 760, and it’s all about how early I can wrap this up.

I must have made peace with Mansa at some point, because KK asked me to go again. And why not? Education in 805 and Vitcos, my final city, in 900, when Apostolic Palace is completed. No more wars against me now :groucho: I vote for Alex as leader.

Liberalism in 920 (to deny it to the AIs) and Nationalism is taken. Having traded in Lit, Olly completes the Great Library in 970. I’d normally avoid this wonder in culture games, but Cuzco is my GP spammer, so I shouldn’t suffer too badly from GS pollution (and an Academy is 4cpt). Seeing as more religions are a good thing, I found Islam in 1010, the same turn as I complete Taj for a 15 turn GA. Another Prophet the next turn, and he scoots to Tiwanaku to found Nativity.



Alex uses AP to get Monty & Hannibal to declare on Mansa. I complete AW in Cuzco (because I could) and the Spiral Minaret in 1150. Makes some trades and gift Hanny Education and I’m now Friendly with everyone that matters. A GP starts another GA in 1240. I bribe KK into war against Monty with Banking, as much to keep him busy as for any other reason. I sign a DP with Hannibal.

Useless preachers:




And the eagle-eyed will notice that Mali is no more. I pop a Copper at Cuzco in 1350 KK asks me to join the war against Monty, which I agree to, seeing as Aztec is finding the two on one too much to handle. No more DP, of course. Welcome aboard:




By this point I have switched off research, but Glib and Sankore are giving me beakers anyway, so I can Lib to Hanny for the rest of Rep Parts. I strike a similar deal with Alex for Chemistry. By 1490, I’m running profitably on 100% culture. Monty departed in 1480; he won’t be missed. Cuzco get an improbable GS. Oh well, such is the risk of a wonder-spam GPP farm (Academy in Tiwanaku).




Cheeky Alex. Or rather, suicidal Alex: if I’d have voted for myself, I’d have won thanks to Hannibal’s votes. I abstained because I’m gunning for a culture win and 1505 would be quite late for an AP victory anyway*. Speaking of victory, Cuzco goes Legendary in 1530: this was planned because the trick here will be to get Olly and Tiwanaku to Legendary around the same time. The latter is already at 1145cpt, so I want a couple of Artists to bomb into Olly.

Were now into ‘hit enter’ territory. DPs with Jules and Alex secure that side of things, and nothing of great note occurs until:




Shakey (and I don’t mean Bernard) came along at just the right time. Sweeeeet.




Much wooness for me. And it’s top of my HoF (*until I reload and get the AP win, which scores more). It was plain sailing for me (and that includes KK’s attack) I think the scenario was pretty well designed, although I think we could have swapped Hannibal for an IND civ, to give Wonder-hogs like me a (more) decent run for their money.

[sooooo]

No comments on this game yet? Looks like a great win, 1700 culture is sweet. Nearly all your cities seem to be 1 tile away from where I put mine .

[Swiss Pauli]

I think Muaziz's 1665 finish means that people aren't so interested in how/what I did, especially seeing as he hasn't been able to post a full report, so comparisons can't be drawn either. I hope he can find the time to do so before too long.

[Compromise]

Nicely done. I think 1700 is an impressive date for a cultural victory. Good detail in the report.

One thing that seemed to help a lot was that the whole world converged on Judaism. I know you spread it to your own cities, but did you do anything to encourage it in the AIs? Some were still Jewish even at the end of your game.

[Swiss Pauli]

I don't know if KK assumed the missionary position, but Judaism spread like wildfire through the AIs in the early game (he only got the shrine much later). So I didn't have to do any work in that regard, other than take KK's capital and Mansa ex-barb city in order to give myself a Jewish footprint.