Europe at War....

2410 BC: Interesting - Germany has just declared war on France - shall I help? I decide not to because although I feel safe on the French front, I'm not sure what Greece has in mind - Alexander has never been friendly and has denounced me twice. I have a lack of muscle so I build an Archer then Granary in Bilbao.

My statistics look better - I expect to be unpopular because of all the wars I started. Let's be honest - this is not a poularity contest! My low population is no surprise because I have been concentrating on production not growth and I had Unhappiness for ca. 10 turns...

The Victory Points table shows me joint 2nd behind Russia

2390 BC: Catherine declares war on Alexander - well that is cute - maybe I can bash Napoleon a little bit after all...

After barrages from Bilbao and my Archer a Warrior assaults and kills the French Warrior - that should help my friend Bismarck :-) Those symbols on the right of the map mean that a whole bunch of City States have declared war on me - I guess I am very unpopular now...

2380 BC: I meet Genghis Khan and make friends with Askia of the Songhai - nice, but then Bismarck makes peace with Napoleon. What is going on? Only 3 turns of conflict! I offer Napoleon peace terms and much to my surprise he is not interested...

2340 BC: Now Russia and Greece agree to peace and I am beginning to feel foolish. In 2330 Napoleon offers peace and I accept...

2320 BC: Rome gains it's 4th Citizen and I put him to work in the mines - I want to finish The Colossus as soon as possible.

2320 BC: Alexander denounces me so I denounce him - I meet the friendly Chinese and I look at my stats. Bismarck profited slightly from the conflict but I am joint 3rd with 53 VP's.

In the lower table I am improving slightly - all 3 of my cities have gained population and Army is above average size. It is now 2290 BC and in 4 turns Masonry will be finished - what should I choose next?

The Empire expands.....finally

2935 BC: Let's take a look at my statistics - I know they don't look too great but I am the only Human player! - At King level the computer players "cheat". They start with 2 combat units instead of 1 and require less time to build things. - I do have the largest Mfg. capacity though :-)

As you can see below I have a Roman citizen on the Horses hex because I consider production more important than money. A Settler is next in the production queue. I have also accumulated 93 Culture Pts so in 2 turns I can adopt the Collective Rule policy which will give me a free Settler.

I have decided to build my next city at Bilbao to put an end to the French threat there once and for all - it will also enable me to use my Mining Tech to upgrade the Silver hex to a mine which gives me 4 extra Happiness points and so assure continued growth. Below a view of the known world....

I'm moving a couple of Workers to Bilbao in order to chop down Forests and speed up production. 2905 BC and I receive my free Settler.

2845 BC: Bilbao is founded and I choose to produce a Monument followed by Warrior. Napoleon complains but I tell him where to get off. In the following turns I become friends with Gandhi and Ramesses so together with Bismarck we are quite a team. In 2680 BC I finish researching Bronze Working and choose Archery for my next Tech - I need more firepower. I have also met Askia of the Songhai and Darius I of Persia.

2605 BC: My 2nd Settler arrives and I start it marching to the Rhine - in Rome I now start building the Colossus. Mainz is founded in 2545 BC and I again choose to build Monument then Warrior - when Archery is completed I shall change the Warrior to an Archer build.

Bismarck complains and I promise not to settle anymore in his area - and it's true!!! I intend capturing his city of Hamburg, not building a new one :-) Anyway, I have achieved my immediate goal and with 3 cities I dominate my part of the world. The Silver mine will soon be complete and as soon as I have completed Archery I shall research Masonry next, (improves Marble to a Quarry = 4 more Happiness points).

2530 BC: A Barbarian has arrived SW of Bilbao - I have to interrupt building my Mine and bring my Worker to safety. It takes a couple of turns to destroy this bad boy and invaluable mining time has been lost. There must an be encampment somewhere so let's go investigate - sure enough...

2470 BC: The encampment is destroyed and I receive 75 Gold - little comfort because I now have -1 Unhappiness which drastically slows growth...a couple of turns later, 2450 BC, I can adopt a new Policy and choose Republic which increase my production capability.

A couple of turns later my Silver mine is completed and my Happiness level is +3 - I am now researching Masonry and the Colossus will soon be complete - things are lookin good :-)

The Uneasy Peace - The Easy War - France Round 2

3385 BC: The smoke has cleared and I take up sentry positions and start to rebuild my strength - the French Worker is moved to the Horses hex N of Rome and I purchase land so that it can start building a Pasture - that will enable Chariot Archers after I have researched The Wheel.

In 3280 BC I adopt Liberty policy and meet Ramesses of Egypt - he's a long way from home - next turning for a while until something happens....

3190 BC: Napoleon again!!! He's escorting a Settler southwards now and I can`t attack him because there has to be 10 turns of peace before one can attack the previous combatant again...but I am occupying the hex he wants with my Archer :-)

3145 BC: No more restrictions! His forces are not under Paris's protective umbrella this time...the 2nd Franco-Roman war....

Hey, Alexander - who jerked your chain?

3130 BC: Napoleon moves his forces forward??? - presumably to try and found a city next turn - well I don't give him that chance - another barrage and the Warrior dies and I move in to capture the Settler which becomes another Worker.

 I round off the turn by starting a Granary build in Rome and choose Bronze Working as my next Technology.

Napoleon eventually sues for peace again and I also meet Ghandi and a Siamese guy with an impressive name...

It is now 2995 BC and all is quiet on the western front. In the heat of the battle I forgot to mention that Bismarck has founded Germany's 2nd city SE of Berlin, as hoped, and since France is pretty much out of the game at the moment I might rethink where to build my 2nd city - Mainz or Bilbao?

No sign of Alexander and his Hoplites - hopefully he is looking easwards..Ave, Caesar :-)

The Franco-Roman Conflict 3415-3400 BC

3475 BC:
The French tempt me by sending a Worker alone to improve the Horses hex to a Pasture - decide to commit my entire armed forces - all 2 of them - to capture this valuable unit.

3415 BC: I have moved my Warrior from the Rhine to Gallia and open the conflict by barraging the French Warrior then advancing to capture the Worker.

I now get greedy and decide to attack the French Warrior - didn't go too well... :-(

3400 BC: The city of Paris bombards me but I survive and luckily the French Warrior doesn't counter-attack. Fortuna is again on my side and I get a Unit promotion - I select Heal Instantly which allows me to barrage and assault the Frenchie again, defeating it.

I take another barrage hit from Paris but everybody survives and we move out of range of the city. The fighting is over and Napoleon eventually sues for Peace. I have gained a Worker from the French and they have also lost also a Warrior. A setback in the early game.

Be warned Napoleon - a Brit as Caesar!!! Ave!

Strategy Session:

I want to expand but unfortunately there are other civs in my vicinity with the same idea - France, Germany and Greece - plus Russia, Egypt and the Ottomans beyond...

I have made friends with Germany so I am hoping that they will consider Russia more of a threat than I am and therefore build their 2nd city SE of Berlin not in the Rhine area where I want to expand first.

France can also choose a Rhineland strategy or go south, i.e. Spain - that's where I want my 3rd city. Then there is Greece - it can expand northwards, along the Rhine, or to the East where the Ottomans and Russians are.

I shall be choosing Liberty then Collective Rule for the extra Culture/city and the free Settler to create a city where today Mainz is. That will of course upset Napoleon, Bismarck and Alexander but I shall apologize to the Germans and give a one finger greeting to the other two. Having decided that I need to defend both areas until my Settler arrives - with military force, if necessary!

I need a land expansion because I have to research Iron Working in order to make my powerful Legions and Ballistas available. A maritime strategy would require research along a different path. After Pottery my next Tech will be Bronze Working for the Spearman and the Colossus.

The ideal place for a 3rd city is Bilbao, Spain which allows two more cities to be built in Iberia later in the campaign.

I also need to consider Luxury items to maintain Happiness - Gold is available near Bilbao and I already have the Mining tech - Wine and Marble need a new Tech to be researched. Decisions, decisions....

Greeks and other Barbarians....

3970 BC

Well, from my vantage point I have great view over the lands beyond the Rhine - Germans, French and a Barbarian Camp complete with a Brute unit. I shall have to bypass that to the North then continue East.

I bump into Alexander of Greece - he is only neutral, not friendly - we might have trouble with him later. I then find another Ancient Ruins hex in Poland which gives me an extra population point in Rome. I use the extra population on the Marble hex - that doubles my production speed but also stagnates growth - I need the Scout ASAP! Travelling back on a more northerly route I encounter an Amsterdam Settler which I attack converting it into a Worker unit and 15 Gold. I escort the Worker past the Barbarians and send it to the Wheat hex. Finally in 3790 BC my Scout arrives :-)

It moves East to the Ancient Ruins and receives advanced weaponry - is now an Archer unit...

I now have enough firepower to take on the Barbarian Camp. I start the attack in 3730 BC and after 2 salvos from my Archer followed by an assault by my Warrior it is defeated and I collect 75 Gold.

Meanwhile I purchased the Wheat hex so that my Dutch Worker can change it to a Farm. My Warrior explores the Balkans while my Archer travels around the Iberian Peninsula and S.France. I also meet Catherine of Russia and Suleiman of the Ottomans. The situation in 3565 BC...I have finished researching Mining and choose Pottery for my next Tech, (for Granary and leads to Calendar - Plantation).

In 3475 BC the Monument is complete put another Scout followed by a Warrior on the production queue.

Rome is built....and 1st Contact

The location for Rome is excellent - Wine hexes are to the NE and SE of the city while Marble is NW of Rome with Wheat northwards and Fish in the SW. There are also 2 Ancient Ruins in the vicinity...

I decide to build a Scout followed by the Monument. I will also send my Warrior to the East in order find neighbours and look for more Ruins hexes. It enters a Ruins hex and I receive an advanced Tech - Animal Husbandry - which reveals Horses NW of Rome - excellent - the Gods are with us... The Germans and the French introduce themselves - Bismarck and Napoleon :-)