RBCiv Epic 18: Potluck Duet, Game A

As for pregame rambling, well... This will be my first (and second, for that matter) ever attempts at playing Emperor level. Considering that I've played a whole three monarch games in my life, and that one of those was a major league loss, and that the other resulted in the latest space launch I've had in forever, to ask myself to play two successive Emp games is probably suicidal of me. Nevertheless, the concept is an interesting one. As for the variant aspect of things, random civ I can deal with, and having to win based on civ trait I can do. Although after Epic 14, I'm not really looking forward to large scale warfare again. Ah well.

And now, on to the wars.

The Birth of the Gerincas

This would apparently be the "rugged, arid" start. <checks> No, it's the "rugged, wet" start. Righty then. Either way, that's quite a start location. Lots of incense to influence my moves, and it's almost but not quite the River Valley of Greatness. A little bit of scout exploration reveals a couple more rivers, besides. Somehow, I don't think finding a place to build the Hoover Dam is going to figure in on this one. Various locations for moving the settler are toyed with, and in the end I decide to just place it where it is. Berlin is founded, revealing...

A floodplain wheat. Oh my. Gigantic celebrations in the palace. Berlin's going to rule all later in life. A warrior is started, and off we go.

And of course the wise men want to know what to research. I thought they were supposed to be wise? Drawing circles in the air seems to give them ideas, though. Off they go.

Popping the goody hut with my warrior nets me all of squat. Well, ok, said warrior does find me another uberspot for a city, sitting on what looks like ocean, with lots of hills and mountains and such and a wheat next door. This is good. I like this.

In 3600, incense is hooked up to Berlin, and the people are flying high and happy.

In 3400, my second warrior pops another hut, and, uh, oh dear. Good Gepids. Niiiiice Gepids...

The first goes down attacking my warrior across the river, the second and third head for Berlin, which is sacked, losing me 44 gold and a pop point. Yuck. Maybe the hut thing isn't such a great plan. Also this turn, I see a yellow warrior... It's Shaka! <groan> He's got Ceremonial Burial and Pottery, but of course I have no money for some strange reason.

And in 3000 BC, Shaka's already got an archer moving after me. This is bad. Berlin hasn't got anybody in it even...

2750 BC, my first settler comes out of Berlin, and we pause to assess the situation:

The choice is actually quite obvious. Me and that dyes spot need to be there real fast. And we want a river spot, so, hrm... The settler sets off, and Rome's warrior wanders in to say hi. He leaves with 40 gold after teaching me Pottery. Checking Shaka, he's got that, Ceremonial Burial, the Wheel, and Alphabet. Um, wow. Very next turn, in comes Montezuma. And he's got more tech than God. Dearie, dearie me. Liepzig is founded near the dyes, undefended next to the Aztec archer, and I hope to hell it'll be there next turn. It is, fortunately.

Turns pass, and I dial up Shaka in 2110 BC looking to trade. He's got the right idea, too, something along the lines of "Trade with us, so that we might become rich and powerful!" Here Shaka. Here's 107 gold and 1 gpt for Alphabet and Ceremonial Burial. The Wheel comes in in 1990 BC, and research goes off. St Augustine declares me the Pathetic Germans, last in land area. Well, we'll see about that. Ask Rome what they want for iron working, and it turns out to be 84 gold and 2 more a turn, which I'll pay. Science is all off except a min sci run on Writing, which I could have bought, but didn't.

The world looked about like this at the time:

The bit of non-fog poking out in the east is Rome itself. Berlin is currently cranking settlers like mad, and I'm trying to grab as many luxury locations as possible. Of note is the iron RIGHT NEXT TO BERLIN, which I somehow didn't see previously. <boggle>

About now, I, uh, sneak a settler past a barbarian camp...

And Shaka sure is being truthful this game.

Sure Shaka, anything you say. No problem.

That same turn, one of those little settler dramas ends with Shaka beating me by one turn to here:

Unfortunately for him, I snagged the horses that Konigsburg is sitting on. He got the furs I was after, though.

Being as how Shaka wants to give me deals on things, he gets all 78 of my gold, my map, and 3 gpt for Masonry and Mysticism. Upon selling my map elsewhere for a whole 9 gold, I notice everyone now knows the Greeks and the Iroquois. Must pick those up, too.

And I just cannot win the disease game this time around. Berlin gets hit 4 times with it in 10 turns or so. And Shaka gets tons of money for contact with Greece and Hiawatha, and Hiawatha will give me Horseback Riding and 5 gold for my map. Sure, I'll take it. And then Caesar will take my territory map and 5 gold just because he can. And of course not two turns later, Hiawatha's scout comes into view. <sigh>

1025, and Monty and Shaka are most definitely not having the warm fuzzy feeling towards each other, as Shaka's scout goes down to an Aztec archer right in front of me. At a guess, Monty's feeling really pressed for living space, and Shaka just so happens to be in the way. No bother to me - means I'll get all the land I want in my rear areas.