[Spoiler] 3 EitB games, ah ah ah

[Mr. Cairo]

Ugh, I've ballsed up the start. Firstly, I accidentally teched the wrong tech for a few turns during the blitz. After I got Agriculture I was deciding what to go for next while playing the turn, and selecting different techs while deciding. Eventually I decided to go to Calendar next, but I still had Animal Husbandry selected, and I didn't notice for several turns, at which point, instead of just saying oh well, and sticking with AH, I swapped to Calendar. So my next tech is going to be delayed. Then I started my settler too early for some reason, while at size 4 despite having enough food to grow to size 5 in a single turn, so that's a couple more turns of lost commerce (since I would have worked tiles with commerce with the extra population), and with only one extra Bloodpet with which to escort the eventual settler, despite my scouts seeing a bunch of Spiders and the ever-present threat of Griffons. So I grew this past turn and I'll finish another Bloodpet the next turn (and I'll have finished farming the gems so that'll be a nice commerce boost while building the settler.)

Anyway, I don't think the mistakes are going to be too debilitating, hopefully I can get back on track. I also met Auro, he has a scout fortified/healing near where I want to plant my first city.

[Mr. Cairo]

Well, I was the first to a second city:


I finish Ancient Chants next turn. I was thinking of going on to either Education or Mysticism next, but I might instead go back to some economic techs like AH, or Crafting->Mining. AH is the most likely, since I'll need it for my next city as well.
I revolted into Agrarianism and Religion last turn.

[DaveV]

I see a lot of "spider" signs. Have you lost any units to them?

Why did you pick that spot for your second city?

[Mr. Cairo]

I see a lot of "spider" signs. Have you lost any units to them?

Why did you pick that spot for your second city?

No I haven't actually, since this time around I built more scouts beyond my initial first one. I've only lost one unit so far, a scout to a tiger in the northern jungle. Because of those spiders however, I ended up pulling my scouts back to help escort my settler, so I haven't done much scouting beyond my immediate surroundings. but they're heading out now, I would like to cross that northern jungle, but it might not be possible.

I picked that spot because it has good food mainly, and also because I could improve a tile for it ahead of time (the cows). It's also relatively close, so I can settle it without needing a large escort. My next spot (2, in the upper left corner) will require at least 3 Bloodpets to escort the settler and worker I plan to send over there, and probably a scout so I can try and avoid any more spiders.

[Mr. Cairo]

Saw this lovely welcoming party standing directly between me and where I want to put my next city:



So I think I'll go to the back-up plan and settle by the Incense to the south. It doesn't have any food beyond Agrarianism Farms, but those should do, and the Incense will be a nice boost to commerce.

[Mr. Cairo]

Turn 50 report:

All these screenshots were taken after I had hit end turn, so really it a turn 51 report before I have moved any units or changed anything else.

The Empire:


My only happy right now is Cotton, so I'm pretty limited in my city size, everyone else has size 8 or 9 capitals. That barb city is in a convienient position, saving me the hammers for a settler, although I don't have the units to break those archers just yet.

The cities:
The capital is working on another settler, once I get mining and build a mine on those Gems, I'll give that tile back to the cap.



Nubia just finished a Breeding Pit, letting it work max hammers:



Newest city just grew, I'll work that Incense tile instead of the forest, there's a worker there building a plantation. It was delayed by the presence of yet more barbs.



Demos:


We're all very close right now, but I am at the top in hammers and food, and I'll catch up in GNP with the Incense and Gems. My #1 power is thanks to all the barbs that have been coming at me lately, in the last 10 turns I've killed at least 5 Warriors and 2 Goblins. I have a bunch of Bloodpets and 2 Scouts I'm keeping around for now, to watch out for spiders as I expand.

Expansion



I'll be going for the two spots labelled three at around the same time, with a settler from my cap and Nubia. Hopefully then I'll be able to scout a little more, and I'll have a beter idea of what direction to expand in.

[DaveV]

The creative trait is really helpful during expansion: your settlers don't have to spend as many turns exposed to attack, and you gain a little more flexibility in city placement.

That's a lot of unimproved tiles being worked...

[Mr. Cairo]

The creative trait is really helpful during expansion: your settlers don't have to spend as many turns exposed to attack, and you gain a little more flexibility in city placement.

Yeah, it's one my favourite traits in Civ4, without it I would have to be a lot more conservative while expanding.

That's a lot of unimproved tiles being worked...

It sure is
But with Mining, I should be able to start chopping down those pesky forests and building more mines and farms. Hunting would be useful as well, but I don't think I'm going there any time soon unfortunately.
I haven't yet fully decided, but my next tech target is probably going to be Cartography for City-States, followed by a beeline for Corruption of Spirit.

[Mr. Cairo]

Up to five cities, I think the first (still haven't met bob). I need to put expansion on hold (briefly) to build a few more workers and improve some more tiles, especially commerce tiles like the Gold to the north and Wine to the west. I make as much gold at 0% science as I lose at 100% science, and I need to improve that.

My next expansion target is to continue to the West. As far as I an tell there's a contiguous band of jungle to my north, perhaps dividing the entire continent. I think that superjm is to my west, with Auro to my north and Bob to his west.

My cities:















My newer cities are putting their few hammers into Breeding Pits, for lack of anything else to do. I have enough Bloodpets for defense against barbs, and if I should need more I can make them out of my cap and Nubia quickly enough.

My cap is going to start working on Duruptus. While Nubia could build it much faster, it'll be much more useful in my capital, since Nubia doesn't really have any commerce potential, and I've come to appreciate the commerce bonuses that Duruptus provides as much as the Ale.

I just got Fishing, for the crabs by Adonais. Next is Festivals for the cheap Markets, Cartography for City-States (which I'll revolt into straight away), before I go after CoS and Ashen Veil.

Demos:


Not the best, but could be worse. I'm certainly going for a wide approach, which increases my expenses, which everyone else appears to be more focused on their capitals, which are all much larger than mine.

[Mr. Cairo]

A few turns ago, a scout of mine that had finally managed to get more than 5 tiles away from my territory ended up on the same tile as one of superjm's scouts, which was next to a tiger. superjm's scout was highly upgraded so I wasn't concerned. The next turn there was no superjm scout and an injured tiger. If I had stopped to think about it I would have realised the Tiger was superjm's that he had captured, but I isn't really stop to think about it and so I killed it. Now that scout has turned up on my border, probably looking to cause mischief in "revenge".

Of course, had I realised the Tiger was his in the first place I would have killed it anyway, as far as I'm concerned any barb unit is fair game. If superjm didn't want me to kill it, he could have had it declare nationality. Anyway. if that scout of his wanders too close to some of my Pets that I'm sending out as an advanced guard for a settler, I won't hesitate.