Fifteen Centuries:
Next few years were spent meeting people (Jewish Louis;
Buddhist Justinian & Christian Gilgamesh) and trading for outdated &
some up-to-date techs - scored Construction & Monarchy for
We complete Great Lighthouse in 160AD and the revolt to Hereditary Rule, however our economy is still in the dirt. Where is all the extra trade-route income!? Ah, there's no foriegn routes: I realise there must be a Barb city somewhere between myself and Brennus blocking the flow of Trade. I resolve to seek and destroy, but get somewhat distracted....
Ah. Oh Dear. I realise I haven't actually built an Axeman yet and get on that (& some Cats) right away. Then to rub it in he goes and starts a Golden Age! After taking Bjorgvin he leaves his Cats in the city as guards(!?) and the rest of the stack heads towards Nidaros. Whipping is involved in leading a spirited defense, but his troops are turned and defeated. Cats are not the best defensive troops (apart from being immune to Collateral) and we re-take Bjorgvin in 355AD. I idly wonder what it would take for Peace - not really knowing if I want to take it - but he is demanding the city as payment, and that's not something I'll be handing over!
Another round of trading has allowed me to adopt Organized Religion as well as Caste System (several Mechants are called up in Nidaros), but our economy is still fairly shot. 400AD gives us a Great Prophet to build the Confucian Shrine which does help somewhat.
You'll also notice the Failed Quest ... in pre-AD times, the Confucian leaders had tasked me with settling 10 landmasses (with several caveats, of course). They failed, however, to inform me that this was also (fairly inexplicably) tied to the survival of a particular Galley. I wasn't pursuing this Quest particularly actively, but I may have been a little more cautious: as it was my Galley had perished trying to pass a barb city (in French/Byzantine lands). Ah well.
So I wrote down a plan here which read:
Get Spy scouting Khan
Expand W & S
Research MC for Triremes
The first was a spectacular failure. I built a Spy, landed him on Genghis' home island (which I was worried to find out was just around the corner) and /the next turn/ he was spotted and killed. OK, thinks I, must be a freak occurance so I get another one training. He manages a single turn of movement before also being discovered.... <Sigh> And that was the last Espionage I engaged in.
What I had failed to note on my plan was "find and destroy Barb city blocking my trade route". When Currency came in and the economy is still in the dumps I finally remember to head some forces that way. Carib is captured in 860AD and GNP explodes:
With Trade routes open again, I can also trade for some resources. I was much more willing to trade away duplicate happy, health & even strategic resources to anyone who could offer me similar; the only exceptions being Stone and Marble. Barring Gil's Stone, we had the only nearby sources of either so resisted (repeated) requests to offer them in trade.
Khan beats us around the world this year, which reminds me he exists and prompts a check on what peace would cost ... he still wants Bjorgvin. <Sigh>
Nab Colossus (930AD) and Great Library (970AD), but lose Artemis in 1040AD to Justinian; I think this is the only wonder he scores all game with Gil forming my main competition apart from some annoying later poaches by Louis. Two Merchants are merged into Nidaros before the Shrine-tastic year of 1130AD ... Sushi-tastic for me also
I was also busy grabbing Parthenon in 1240AD and then a very late Pyramids in 1255AD, so was a little
under-prepared when Khan returned to shatter the peace. He bypasses Bjorgvin and heads for
The first turn the Axeman attacks & loses and then he bombards ... at least that's the order it gets reported (does anyone else get confused / irritated by this?). Over the next few turns the revised Siege rules save the city; his Cats can keep my troops repressed, but he can only kill two units per turn with the HA & Longbow. I manage to keep troops flowing to maintain 3+ at EOT until I can strike back and destroy his stack. I spawn a General - who becomes an Instructor at Tonsberg - and also another Merchant to merge into Nidaros. I also decide that the time for words is over, and that Guns will solve this argument.
It's also probably around this time in the game when I completely forget about the 1500AD scoring deadline - uh-oh - so wrapped up was I in plotting against Genghis, not to mention managing the Emipre and leading it towards eventual victory. I lose the Mausoleum by 3turns, which is frustrating, but do score an second Prophet to double-shrine Nidaros. National Epic accelerates GP generation in Nidaros, but I divert that enough to allow a Scientist out of Birka for an Academy.
I also lose Notre Dame by 2turns which is very frustrating, and 700g is not really a compensation, however it does take away the temptation to send the next Merchant on a Trade Mission so he merges with Nidaros; as does the Prophet who pops a few turns later.
The war machine starts rolling towards Mongolian lands in 1480AD with the taking of Kushans
... and then I realise it's 1500AD.
Ah, so I have 2 Workboats sitting 1-2turns away from their destinations, and I also have an Exec who is the same distance away from his. I had founded Lodose in the SE to grab the Silver and Marble; with no food resources this was effectively a junk city ... except with Sid's it could work two Silvers, Marble, and another hill and be a worthwhile contibutor to the Empire. The Exec had just reached Carib though, so after a short debate - resolved by a lack of later scoring rounds - I settled him there instead and Lodose had to wait to be productive.
Sid's x5 = 10pts
Sushi x13 = 13pts
-----
1500AD Total = 26pts
10AD Total = 33pts
-----
Final Total = 59pts