Welcome to Compromise’s edition of the Realms Beyond Civ 4 Epic 2: Eastern Gem Dealers.  The original link to the game is here.  This is my first ever RB epic, my first tiny islands game and only my second game at epic speed.   This is also my first attempt at chronicling a game.  Not sure how well that will work.  We’ll see what happens….

 

I did a (very) little bit of research in preparing for this epic.  I read some of Sirian’s writeup from the Civ3 epic of the same scenario.  I was impressed by his initial decision to play an “honorable” game.  So, I have placed a few additional conditions on my play.  See the initial proclamations in 4000BC for details.

 

First Light: The self-proclaimed lord of the island, aka The Big Man, wants us to found a colony.  And lo, it is accomplished:

 

(Starting shot)

 

4000BC: We have strategically placed our fine new capital so as to have excellent resource opportunities.  First and foremost: Gems!!!  The Big Man loves the shiny stuff!  And look, another land just across the strait with even more.  Why the glittering is almost blinding even from this distance.  We must haves them!  We must haves them ALL!!

 

And what else do we have?  Gold.  Yes!  And cows.  Oh wondrous cows.  Oh Sacred Cows.  Oh how we love cows.  We are so blessed with cows that we will forgo all other theological research so that we might be one with our cows.  Verily the cows are the work of gods!  That said, we have a clear research direction: discover a way to derive benefit from the cows!  But not by Hunting them.  Nay!  We must feed them and love them and hug them and MILK them.  Yes, we will discover Agriculture!  We will not eat them, we will MILK them.  From now on, our fine people will be called the Milk-Drinkers.  (Pending approval of the name by The Big Man, of course.)  And who will milk them?  Why, our Worker of course.  Get to work!  And you warrior, scout this fine land and tell us of all that you see!

 

Initial Proclamations: We have a wondrous start (what with the cows and all!), and we should be grateful.  We will therefore impose upon our people the following conditions (in addition to the game constraints):

 

1)     We are a peaceful people.  We will not start any wars.  We will seek to end any wars as quickly as possible.  We will not take any cities, unless they be those of the loathsome barbarians.  They hate cows (or at least we accuse them of that) so we hate them.  There is one possible exception.  We really, really love gems.  If another civilization settles near gems, we may consider violating this condition.  But that is the only reason we will consider it.  Even then, we will try to see if a better option: i.e., culture bomb, is possible.

2)     We like our wonders.  If we are ever beaten to any wonder that we are working on, we will be upset.  We will be quite upset.  We can’t start a war (per condition 1 above.  So, if someone beats us to a wonder we are working on, we will change the production of every city of ours to a military unit and get it in the city as quickly as is reasonable.  Not to use them necessarily, but just to show our frustration with the loss of our wonder.

3)     We love free stuff.  We will try to acquire all the freebies in the tech/wonder tree: Oracle, Taj Mahal, Music, Physics, etc.

 

Start Agriculture, Start Worker

 

3580: We have discovered Agriculture, now on to Animal Husbandry.  Our warrior has completed his exploration of our small island.  He is happy to confirm the existence of Stone nearby, but suggests a city on the northern tip of the island to properly harness it.  Fair enough.  After we connect the sacred cows, we may do so.

 

3310: Our worker has finished.  Since he has no machete to knock down jungle, and doesn’t yet know how to milk the sacred cows, he must go gets us the gold.  Oh sweet gold.  Oh yes, the gold!  Meanwhile, our fine capital will focus on growing as quickly as possible.  Pet the unpastured cows!  Grow my people!

 

3130: We have the gold mined, but our scientists still can’t figure out what to do with the cows.  That’s fine.  Start mining that grassland hill.

 

3040: Got Animal Husbandry, Start on the Wheel

 

2980: Delhi grows to size 2: Nearly stagnate growth and work that Gold Mine!  Stop work on the warrior and get to working on a Settler for our second city!

 

2860: Send worker to mine grassland hill

 

2770: Got Wheel, Start Pottery (Date might be slightly off, I forgot to check)

           Start the road to new city site in NW corner of island

 

2500: Got Pottery, Start Masonry.  Road to future city site complete.  Get a road to that gold mine and then go back to mining the grassland hill

 

2380: Got Settler. 

 

[Crap.  The wife needs the computer.  Aaargh.  Okay, fine.  We’ll be back.  That’s what I get for not waiting till the weekend to start the game.  At least we have cows.]

 

2380 (continued)  Because of roads, we can found Bombay this very turn.  Set both cities to work on granaries to encourage faster growth.  Worker works to connect our assets

 

2290:  [Strategic note: Unlike some people, I’m not a big fan of extremely early workboats.  They simply take too long and they only do one thing and do it once.  I think if you have other resources, like cows, gold and grassland hills to mine, a worker is much more useful.  Hence, it is only now after the agricultural route to pottery that I finally get around to fishing, even on a tiny islands map.]  The big man demands a clam bake!  We need boats to go get the clams!  We need fishing!!

Got Masonry, Start Fishing, Worker starts on Stone quarry

 

2140: Got Fishing, Start Meditation/Priesthood for Oracle.  Switch Bombay to a workboat.

 

2050: Our Stone quarry is complete.  Now, our wonder-building efforts will be enhanced!

 

1930:  Delhi granary complete, return to work on warrior

 

1870: Bombay workboat is complete.  Send it to work on the Delhi clams for The Big Man.

 

1810:  Big year.  Delhi completes warrior, starts Stonehenge.  Move off the gold hill and maximize growth in Delhi.  Especially with our newly harvested clams!

 

1750: Got Priesthood, Start Writing.  There is arguing in the ranks.  Some of our tribesmen want to continue Stonehenge and the move on to Oracle and keep building wonders for this great civilization.  Others want to focus our production on expanding to other islands.  After much discussion, The Big Man has decided to proceed with the wonder building.  We will try to get Currency from the Oracle.  Our production is very good in the capital, so it makes sense to put the hammers toward other cities’ obelisks here rather than at each site.  This will give us more flexibility in picking city locations too.

 

Also, The Big Man has become convinced that the world is round.  This is, of course, crazy talk, since if it was true, the water would all drain from the sea, but hey, he’s the boss.  So, the decision has come down from on high that The Big Man wants to know the size and shape and layout of the world.  We are instructed to circumnavigate (yeah right) the globe as quickly as possible.  We are to do this without sails (what?!) using only fishing boats.  The Big Man has a little brain.  (Note: new Indian chronicler needed)

 

1510: Got Writing, Start Math.  We need that before we can complete Stonehenge.

 

1480: Built Stonehenge!  Our first wonder!  Now, start on the Oracle, even though we may have to delay it to finish research on Mathematics first.

 

[Break in the record...Due to my carelessness with overtyping and a couple of breaks to let somebody do real work on the computer, the next few years are reconstructed from memory before the accurate record resumes.]

 

Built workboats pretty quickly to go explore the world.  Met the Mongols and Catherine of Russia.  Got circumnavigation (What do you know, The Big Man was right!) in 500s or 600s or something.  This helped our civilization immensely since we were able to move about the world 50% faster than everyone else.

 

We delayed the completion of the Oracle while we researched Mathematics.  In the meantime, we built a library.  We assigned scientist specialists as soon as it was complete.

 

Built Oracle and used it to discover Currency. Money, money, money!

 

Popped Merit Ptah (a Great Scientist) in Delhi.  He immediately built an academy.

 

I think we took advantage of Open Borders with the Mongols and Catherine to expedite the passage around the world.

 

We researched Sailing, then Bronze, the Iron Working.

 

Accurate recordkeeping resumes in 640BC

 

625: Bombay finishes lighthouse, starts another Settler.  We can see foreign borders to our south from our boat!  Not familiar from our east-west trips, either.

 

610:  Meet Rome.  They have 3 colonies already!  Also, our exploring workboats meet Mao of China.  At least he only has 1 colony so far.  Get open borders with both

 

595: Found Madras which starts a worker

 

580: Finish Lighthouse in Delhi, Put a turn into aqueduct to keep it from losing hammers due to disuse.

 

565: Delhi switches to start on Great Lighthouse.

 

550: Got Ironworking, Start on Metalcasting.  Start working those Gems near Delhi (already roaded by worker).  (First have to chop jungle, of course.)

 

535: Met Cyrus.  He has 3 colonies too.  Yikes!

 

475: Finally found a southern return route and a dye island route for our returning workboats

 

460: Met Tokugawa with 2 colonies

 

445: No gems on Dye Island

 

415: Got Settler in Bombay, Start another Settler

 

370: First Gems Connected!!!  Sell to Caesar or Toku for 1 gold-per-turn (GPT)....Caesar it is.

 

355: Now Caesar has another GPT.  Bah!  Should have waited.  Oh wait, we can’t wait to sell Gems!!  Found Bangalore and start a lighthouse there.

 

340: Drop off a worker on Madras to help work those gems.  Discover more gems out to the east!!!

 

(Image)

 

325: Discover even more Gems out in the ocean!!!  How are we going to settle these....as quickly as we can, of course

 

310: Got Metalcasting, Start Code of Laws leading to Civil Service.  Discovered a southern route to the southerly gems

 

250: Worker in Madras completes.  Julius declares war on Cyrus.  yes, Yes, YES.  Make those (non-Indian) enemies!  Pillage, crush, burn!

 

235: According to the recordkeepers, we are the least powerful civilization in the world.  Yes, but we have GEMS!!!

 

220: Bombay finishes another Settler, starts yet another one.  Two turns to Great Lighthouse...come on baby!

 

205: Cyrus wants us to declare war on Julius.  Heck no, he’s not just our friend, he’s a customer!  Also, we have to decide which Gem City to settle next...how about the one near the copper!  Yes, that will do nicely.

 

190: Oh no!  One of our returning exploratory workboats was killed by a barbarian galley.  Crap.  And the galley was near the northerly source of gems.  We’ll put another turn of work into our much-neglected aqueduct in Delhi, then start a galley next turn.  Can’t afford to lose many troops to the vicious barbarians.  Oh I hope I find one of their cities....

 

175: Delhi switches to Galley

 

145: Start on the road connecting our second Gems...ohboy ohboy ohboy

 

130: Second Gems hooked up!!!  We’re so much happier...now let’s sell ‘em off.  Genghis will take them for 1GPT.  Better to please the nearby neighbors, I always say.  Found Calcutta.

 

115: Hey, Julius has more gold.  Let’s renegotiate for 2GPT for our gems....excellent.

 

55:  Delhi finishes Aqueduct, starts Forge.  Next Great Person coming up next turn...61% Prophet, 30% Scientist, 7% Merchant

 

40: Popped...Moses.  Oh well, another scientist would have been good, but production and gold aren’t bad.  Into Delhi he goes.  Hey!  Cyrus made peace with Julius.  Too bad.  I was hoping that war would last forever.  And what’s this?  Genghis Khan builds the Pyramids?  He’s a neighbor!  We can just waltz over there and take his...oh yeah.  The Big Man doesn’t like that.  No, none of that for us.  At least the Pyramids aren’t the must-have wonder they were pre 1.61.

 

25: Genghis switches to Police State.  I sure hope that’s just his favorite civic....

 

10BC: Bombay finishes a Settler, starts a workboat.  Gotta feed the people.

 

20AD: Confucianism spreads in Madras!!!  Hey, our first religion!

 

95AD:  Built a Forge in Delhi.  That should expedite our building of the Hanging Gardens!  We drop a  settler off south of the Mongols.  We’ll place that city so as to not intrude on Beshbalik as much as possible.

 

110: Got Civil Service, Head toward Literature via alphabet

 

125: Start road on 3^rd gems.  Found Lahore which starts a worker

 

140: That barb galley that sank our workboat wasn’t dead!  And attacks our galley!  We survive with just 0.5 health left.  Whew!  Good point to take a break...

 

155: Start another session.  A quick review reveals that we have not yet switched to Bureacracy.  What are we, idiots?!  Switch!  Connect those 3^rd Gems and sell to Tokugawa for 1GPT.  And here I thought his closed borders policy would keep our traders out.  Nope!

 

170: Load worker up to pre-chop the jungle northeast of Bangalore.  Calcutta gets granary, starts axeman.

 

185: Drop worker off on un-citied gems.  Bombay finishes workboat, starts another.  Let’s rush that settler in Madras to get those gems to market sooner!

 

200: Got Alphabet, go Polytheism (on way to Literature)

 

230: Got Polytheism, Go Literature.  Need to delay Hanging Gardens by a turn to give benefit to new city too.

 

245: Genghis wants us to cancel deals with Persia...No.  Can’t risk alienating a potential customer.  Start on road for gems near Calcutta.  Found Karachi, Start Lighthouse

 

260: Got Hanging Gardens, Start Colossus.  Rush Lighthouse in Karachi.  Start working a scientist in Delhi again.

 

275:  Mongols demand one of our Fish.  Sure!  Got Literature.  Now on to Music for the Free Great Artist!  Bombay finishes workboat, start barracks.  Karachi finishes lighthouse, starts granary.  Calcutta finishes axeman, starts forge.  Offer gems to Cyrus for 1 GPT.  We really want the Great Library, so we’ll switch to that (15 turns) instead of completing the Colossus (6 turns left).  We’ll come back to it, though.

 

290: Start Gem mine near Karachi.  Start Cottages near Calcutta.  Rush barracks in Bombay.

 

320: Lighthouse in Madras, Start Worker.  Judaism has spread in Lahore!  Our second religion.  We still prefer cows, though.

 

350:  Rush worker in Lahore

 

365: Lighthouse in Lahore.  Finished Gem Mine in Karachi.  Now, hook it up.

 

410: Got Music and Homer!!!  Start on Monarchy.  Bangalore axeman, start granary.  Catherine has 1GPT for gems!!! She also wants to trade her spices for my extra clams.  Sure!  Anything for a customer!

 

425:  Catherine demands Code of Laws.  Hmmm.  Anything for a customer...okay sure.  Confucianism spreads in Delhi.  Yes!  Rush granary in Bangalore.

 

440: Start Library in Bangalore

 

455: Start on Mine near Lahore!  Last Gems!

 

470: Got Monarchy, Start Paper...We want that Liberalism free tech.  Got Worker in Madras, start Granary.  Send worker to Lahore.  Switch to Hereditary Rule.  Boots on the ground make for happy people!  At least they’d better act happy!

 

500:  Built the Great Library.  Now on to the...What WHAT WHAT.  Somebody else finished the Colossus.  Aaaarrrggghhh!   This is an island map!  That could be huge.  Oh what fools we were.  Why didn’t we just dump the 6 turns into it way back when and finish it.  We even had copper and didn’t have the marble that the G Library required.  Oh woe are we.  Woe are We!

 

And you know what that means:  Invoke Supplementary Condition 2:  Everybody to axemen!!!  To arms.  TO ARMS!!!!  Aaaaahhhhhh!

 

[My wife has informed me that it is time to take a break from “whatever the h*ll you’re doing on that d*mn computer.  Fine.  She’s probably right.  Oh curse it  CURSE IT!, But first, some renegotiating...]

 

.....rrrrrgggghhhh!

 

Okay fine.  Somebody’s gotta pay.  Time to look for some new Gems deals.  Cyrus, 1GPT ain’t gonna cut it.  You’re up to 2GPT.  Julius, you’re up to 3GPT now.  Thank you.  And I hope an earthquake topples that Roman Colossus too!!!

 

515: Okay we’re back.  Everybody’s making axemen.  D*mn that was annoying.  No more taking chances.  Of course, the only wonder we really want from here on out is the Taj, and if we get to Liberalism first, no one’s gonna deny us that!  According to St Augustine, we’re the most cultured civilization in the world.  Great.  We’d rather be drinking milk from our sacred cows in the shadow of the Colossus.  [Two days later, and I’m still peeved.  This game is brutal.] 

 

530: Genghis wants Code of Laws and 10 gold for his Calendar technology.  Okay sure.  I’m not founding any more cities for a while, and I can spread religions now to expand borders.  Last gems connected.

 

What’s this?  Mao has no cash flow?!  We have all the gems in the world and Mao is our only non-customer and he can’t afford it??!!  What?!  Come on man, everybody’s doing it!  You know you want the shiny stuff.  You know you do!  Whip your people!  Sell your dogs.  Good grief.  Right back into it and frustrated again.  D*mn this is a good scenario!

 

575: Got Paper, Start on Education.

 

590: Tokugawa declares war on us.  What?!  Why don’t you go take the Colossus?!  And he landed on our Gems near Lahore!  It’s okay.  We’ve got two axemen there.

 

605: Toku’s horse archer takes out one of our axemen.  How did he know to send non-melee troops against us.  Why didn’t we trade for archery.  Why!  We’re learning to build Universities for cows’ sake!  Oh well.  Our other axeman took out his attacking archer.  Fool.  Now, I can attack him with 92.1% chance of success.  But, we’ve got a fortification bonus.  So, I think we’ll wait.  At least the city is size 1 and will simply be auto-razed if he wins.  Then we can load up some troops and a settler and reclaim it.  The B*stard trashed our Gem mine too.  Good thing Mao still doesn’t have cash for them.

 

620: Toku’s horse archer attacked.  We won.  Handily, I bet.  He was way wounded.  I’ve got two galleys nearby.  I don’t want to attack, but we’ll see if he’s willing to risk my coastal defense.

 

635: Toku’s galley flees the naval encounter. Wasn’t paying attention and we popped Mahavira, a Great Prophet, in Delhi.  Into the city he goes.  Start a Confucian Monastery in Delhi and a workboat in Bangalore.  Gotta replace the fishing boats that Tokugawa ungenerously trashed.

 

650: Rushed granaries in Bombay and Madras

 

680: Julius demands Civil Service...Hmmm.  No.  That’s too valuable to just give away.  I hope he doesn’t take it too hard.  Like I did the Colossus!

 

740: Cyrus demands we cancel our deals with Julius.  Uh, no.  We’re gem dealers.  We don’t cancel deals.  We’re even looking every turn to make peace with Japan to get that deal going again.

 

755: Julius wants us to cancel our Persian deals.  Why can’t I red that option out.  No!  We deal in gems!

 

770: Found Kolhapur for the gold, start a Granary

 

815: Execute a fishing raid near Kyoto.  Take that you closed-bordered warmonger!!!

 

830: Renegotiate some gems deals for extra GPT.  When will Tokugawa want peace?

 

860: Popped....GEMS in Delhi!!!!  Oh yes.  OH YES.  The Big Man is a happy man!!!  Oh baby.  Now, even with everybody as customers, our own fine citizens will look fabulous too.  Oh this is wondrous!!!  Thank the cows!!!  Makes forges motivating too.

 

(Picture)

 

875: Got Education, Head for Liberalism via Philosophy.  At least somebody already founded Taoism so it’s a little cheaper for us to research.

 

890: Finally peace with Japan.  No open borders, of course, but the gems they are a-flowin’ again, and at 2GPT too!

 

965: Julius wants deals cancelled with Persia.  Look.  I’m glad you guys hate each other, but we’d really like to continue trading gems to both of you!

 

980: Got Philosophy, Go for Liberalism.  Taj Mahal, here we come.

 

995: Found Jaipur, start Granary.  This city has one purpose: to grow.  With three seafood resources and another little plains island that can at least make its own food, this city can grow to 25+.  Better settle it.

 

1106: What’s this?!  Genghis has declared war on us?!  Don’t you have someone you hate more?  We’re giving you gems man, GEMS!  Fine.  I hope this is just a naval war.  All I see is your empty galley near my fishing nets.  Those can be replaced. 

 

1112: You know what?  Why fight alone?  We’re traders after all.  Let’s bribe some customers to take on Genghis with us.  That should help keep Khan’s focus away from us.  Protect your own outlier colonies you gem-hating backstabber!  Also, let’s do some trades:

1)     Trade our philosophy to Julius for Monotheism, Hunting, Horseback Riding, Construction and Gold.  He’s willing to do it because Liberalism isn’t discovered yet.  Little does he know that I’m getting it in the next turn!  Bwhahaha.

2)     Trade Civil Service to Julius for war with Genghis.  That’ll foster some hate betwixt them two.

3)     Trade Philosophy, Literature and 30 gold to Catherine for Drama and War with Genghis.  More hate-fostering.

 

1118 Discover Liberalism, Choose Nationalism.  We want the free Merchant from Economics.  Plus, that will open up Free Trade for us.  We traders love that.

 

1130: Okay, we got our liberal freebie and the war with Khan seems to be uneventful.  Maybe due to our war allies, maybe not.  Time for a break.

 

1130: Back online.  Look around and see that Julius is able to give us 4 GPT instead of 3 for gems.  Done.

 

1136: Popped a Great Merchant in Delhi.  Let’s settle his food- and money-giving butt right down in the capital.  Thank you very much sir!

 

1148: Got Feudalism, Start on Machinery

 

1154: Catherine wants Feudalism!!!  What?!  We only just learned it ourselves...oh okay.  Anything for a not-in-the-top-three customer.

 

1160: St Augustine ranks the most powerful: Julius, Cyrus, Catherine, Tokugawa, RBE2!, Genghis and Mao.  Hmmm.  Well, at least we’re not last.

 

1178: Got Machinery, Start Guilds

 

1220: Got Guilds, Start Banking

 

1332: Mao wants us to cancel with Persia...No.  But it’s good to see you hate them!

 

1238: Cyrus wants our silk for his banana.  That’s too funny to refuse. 

 

1244: Genghis is willing to give us 50 gold for peace.  So how did that war work out for ya?  Not so good, especially if you include the fishing nets Julius and I thrashed near your capital, eh?  Leave us alone!  Oh and how about Gems for 1GPT?  Excellent.

 

1250:  Founded Chittagong.  I think this can be a 25+ city, but more importantly, it has almost all the world’s sugar supply.  Should’ve named the city “Havana”

 

1292: Finally built the Taj Mahal in Delhi.  Golden Age baby!

 

1298: Toku wants us to cancel Persian contracts...No!  Discovered Economics!  Got Pytheas the Great Merchant who promptly settles in Delhi.  Switch to Free Market.

 

1310: Genghis wants us to cancel Persian deals.  Didn’t we just end a war about 10 turns ago?

 

1364: Holy Cow!  There’s an unclaimed corn resource on a desert island!  We need that bad!  Get a settler there ASAP

 

1370: Found Dacca

 

1382: Found Indus, the corn city.

 

1418: Found Pune, an industrial complex

 

1424: Cyrus, Genghis and Catherine are all willing to give us another GPT for our Gems.  Nice.

 

1442: Got Gunpowder, Start Chemistry

 

1454: Toku wants us to cancel Persian deals.  No.  But we will raise your gems price to 4GPT thank you very much.  And those d*mn Persians and Romans have taken my two city sites.  I’m trying to get an extra couple seafood resources before 1500....

 

1460: Found a suitable site!  A second seafood was hidden in the fog!  Nice.

 

1466:  Gibbon says we’re the most cultured.  Hey, that’s old news.  St. Augustine said the same thing a long time ago.  Catherine wants astronomy...No.  Too valuable.  I want my galleons alone on the ocean for a while.  Mao wants Feudalism.  Sure.  You need the help.  And by the way...By the WAY.  YES!!!  Was it the Feudalism gift?  Mao finally has CASH FOR GEMS!  Endless turns of checking the financial status of others have ended!!!!  The whole world (including us!) loves our GEMS!!!

 

1472: Found Lucknow.  Also found a nice southern site, but without open borders with Japan, I can’t get a workboat down there.  Couldn’t get there before 1500 at any rate.  I guess it’s remoteness is why no one else has settled it yet.

 

1502AD: Scoring Time!  Number of Gems: 7.  Number of seafood resources: 23, including 1 clams traded to Catherine for Spices.  Time for a break.