Nothing like the Prodigal Sons: The Odd Couple actually play as themselves.

[NobleHelium]

GUYS WE SHOULD CHOP THE SNAKE IN TWO AND MAKE WINE OUT OF IT

[Boldly Going Nowhere]

I had a few minutes to do...something so I ran through a very slow pottery first opening. The sandbox gave us a hunting civ, so keep that in mind.

NOTE: Hunting Civ...

T0 SIP - wheel

T8 - wheel EoT --> Pottery
T13 - worker completes. Farm wheat (T13-17). Work ivory, warrior 5t.
T17 - work wheat (14/22), warrior (13/15)
T18 - worker to hill, pottery due EoT --> mining.
T19 - worker to FP, cottage 5t (T19-23). grow to 2 EoT (26/22 --> 4/24), warrior completes (15/15).
T20 - begin worker #2 (9/60). Work Ivory, Wheat.
T23 - work wheat, FP cottage. Worker 27/60.
T24 - worker cottage FP#2 (T24-8). Worker2 (43/60)
T26 - swap from FP cottage to ivory. Worker2 60/60 EoT, --> granary (grow to 4, 3t; 11/24).
T27 - worker2 road to ivory, or road to new city?
T28 - FP cottage #2 complete.
T29 - worker1 to ivory
T30 - worker1 road1, worker 2 mine1w/cancel
T31 - 1N, camp1/4
T32 - both camp
T33 - camp complete, work wheat, FP, camp; Granary 20/60, growth to size 4 EoT (32/26 --> 6/28). worker 2 1S/mine2/cancel
T34 - worker1 1S, mine3, worker2 SW, then either W/SW/S and road1, depending on what scouting reveals toward city #2.
T35 - worker1 mine4 (complete), worker2 road2 (complete)

---
Settler at size 2, mining, BW, wheel, pottery

Settler due EoT 32 (100/100) 2 chops. City works farmed wheat, camped ivory. 2 workers (mined grass hills for lack of anything better to do, could likely improve). Warrior 5/15 (No defense).

[Boldly Going Nowhere]

I like Mali with this start.

[Boldly Going Nowhere]

This is what I came up with for Mali. Some refinement is needed, particularly toward the end. I'll do another run or two tomorrow if this looks promising to you guys.

Mali - WHEEL/MINING --> AGRI (T9), BW (23), POTTERY (32), HUNTING/AH??

T0 SIP, Worker, Agriculture (9t)
T9 AG--> BW (16t)
T13 worker (A) --> worker (B). A farm (T13-17)
T18 A move E/NE
T19-20 road
T21 mine1/cancel
T22 SW/S/road1/cancel
T23 - worker B complete. --> warrior (2/15). A move SE. B move SW/W to grass forest. BW due EoT --> pottery.
T24-6 A/B chop
T26 - chops complete, swap production to settler.
T27 swap to warrior, grow to 2 EoT. A move NW/road2. B move E/SE to PHF.
T28 - A move N/NE/mine2. B chop1. swap to settler 56/100 (warrior 5/15)
T29 - A mine3. B chop2. settler 65/100
T30 - A move 1N. B chop3. settler 94/100
T31 A road1. B wasted turn, move N/N/NE (can be improved) settler 103/100 EoT.
T32 A road2. B mine4. Settler moves. Pottery finishes EoT.
T33 revolt. A move W, cott1, B move NW, cott2.
T34 A/B cott3/4
T35 A cott 5. B move 1W, cott1. Grow to 3 EoT.
T36 A/B cott 2/3.
T37 A/B cott 4/5.

We have time to research Agriculture before the worker finishes, but don't want to have to research both mining and agriculture, otherwise we'll be held up getting chops out at BW and will delay our second city. So we need either of Agriculture or Mining to start, and I wanted to pair that with the wheel to get us closer to Pottery. Mali is the only civ (I think) that gets both Mining and Wheel, so that's why I simmed with them after a Hunting civ.

We're up on the pick.

[Gaspar]

Its basically either Babylon or Mali.

[spacetyrantxenu]

Considering all of you have done Babylon does that mean Mali? (Not sure if NoGas has done Mali before, mind you).

[NobleHelium]

Actually nobody has picked the Ottomans. So no chance of us taking Babylon despite my prediction from yesterday.

[Gaspar]

Noble's aforementioned 21 was Bismarck of Mali. I had Mali in the aborted PBEM47. But both Boldly and Noble seem to prefer Mali's synergy to Babylon's Ag/Wheel start that I want.

[darrelljs]

GUYS WE SHOULD CHOP THE SNAKE IN TWO AND MAKE WINE OUT OF IT

Of the many odd things I've eaten in China, snake wine is, by far, the worst.

Darrell

[Gaspar]

Oh, right - forgot about that. Ottomans or Mali, rather.