The variant rules for this Epic of not being allowed to mine any arable tiles and to shun representative governments would lead to a less productive empire than usual, and the resulting larger cities should provide for a nice playground for trying out the different types of specialists. To get as much specialists as possible, I decided to go for a sparse empire layout with no or nearly no overlap between cities, so that each city could grow as much as the terrain would allow for. I also decided to go for a space race victory: I hadn't done this in C3C yet, and also wanted to let my cities build as much as possible to experience this variant as much as I could.
After looking at the starting position, I decided to found right on the starting spot. At least my capital would not be hurting that much for shields in the beginning, with two bonus grass, lots of plains, a hill that could be mined and fresh water for size. Since irrigating the wines or the bonus grass would be wasted during despotism, there was not much worker labor to be done at first other than roading for commerce.
Since I knew pottery already, I could shut down science immediately and buy techs once contacts were established, but there had been indications that it may be cheaper now to research a tech by yourself than buying it and you always would have the chance of scoring an SGL, so I checked which civs were in the game to see which techs were already known in the world. Nobody had bronze working or the wheel, so I started to research the wheel at maximum science as trading material. Entremont built three warriors (two for scouting) and then a granary, as usual. Thanks to the agricultural trait, Entremont could be micromanaged for additional shields every time the city was about to grow.
I sent my two scouts north and west, and already the first hut I popped in 3250BC gave me...a settler! Grmpf, surely a boon for my civilization, but not something I like in a tournament. Well, let's hope my usual sloppy play will make up for the advantage this gave me compared to games that didn't get a settler from a hut.
The settler was quite far away from my capital, though, and so I decided to move him to a closer location, even if that took several more turns before my second city was founded in 2850BC, at a freshwater location to the west of Entremont near spices. By the way, the replay later showed that every AI had founded their second city before me.
The wheel was discovered in 3050BC, and I started to research mysticism next on my way to monarchy. I hadn't met any of my rivals yet, though, and couldn't trade. A second hut yielded only barbarians, and the first contact I made was Egypt in 2950BC. Then I found Carthage in 2550BC and now could trade the wheel to Egypt for masonry and 35 gold.
On the same turn, Alesia was whipped to complete its temple - I like the religious trait, especially in a game where shields will be scarce and so whipping more powerful! I would whip a temple in every of my new-founded cities while in despotism, and several other buildings as well.
Entremont built its first settler in 2770BC, and I decided to go for the pyramids soon, even if I would not be allowed to mine all the nice tiles at Entremont. But I hadn't self-built them in a long time, and this being only emperor, it should not be a problem for me to get them. Additionally, my scouting had revealed lots of land for me to grab even if I delayed my expansion by building a wonder, and so the granary in every city would be quite powerful. So after the settler, Entremont built a temple, then a worker to irrigate the plains and mine the hill, then started with the pyramids.
A third hut again only gave me barbs, and my third city was founded in 2150BC near the furs to the east. In 1700BC I discovered polytheism first and traded it to Carthage for warrior code, bronze working and alphabet. Monarchy at max science still would need 50 turns to complete and my research wouldn't increase much in the near future, so I decided to go for mathematics next.
My scouts spotted a razed city between Egypt and Carthage, so there had to be war already between these two - good for me, that would probably delay their expansion a bit. Another hut produced only barbs, and finally Alesia, my second city, was ready to produce settlers. Camulodunum was founded in 1375BC, again with enough distance to its neighbours so no overlap would occur.
Mathematics came in in 1275BC and was traded to Egypt for iron working and some gold (Carthage knew it already), and I was delighted to see that Comulodunum had iron in reach! Research was set to monarchy now. Richborough was founded in 1150BC, on a bonus grassland at the coast, now that I knew I would regain the extra shield once it would reach size seven.
England had completed the colossus already in 1350BC, but the next wonder to fall was...the pyramids for me in 850BC!
Portugal cascaded and finished the statue of Zeus the next turn. I sold my two granaries in Entremont and Alesia, and because this had gone so smooth and Alesia was a good enough settler factory, Entremont immediately started to build the temple of Artemis as a prebuild for another wonder, probably the hanging gardens. The pyramids had set off my golden age (unexpectedly, as usual...) and so I was sure to get another good wonder.
In the screenshot you can see a settler/warrior pair on the far left - this became Verulamium the next turn, securing more wines, and several precious forests for good production. I also built a curragh and sent it out exploring, and it found Rome in 670BC before it got lost in treacherous waters on the same turn trying to cross the distance to the other continent. Rome had several techs I didn't know, and I had discovered monarchy and revolted two turns before. So now I traded polytheism to Rome for writing and some money, then monarchy for map making, code of laws, philosophy and horseback riding! It's always nice to make contacts first.
I researched literature next and discovered it in 550BC. Entremont would have completed the hanging gardens next turn, but I decided otherwise and switched to the great library instead and completed it five turns later. I had decided to do a lot of my own research this game, but with this much land to grab, that could wait until the land-grab phase was over and my cities were developed a bit, so the great library would allow me the accumulation of some cash and the rushing of key buildings.
England found me in 470BC by settling a city on the small island east of Entremont. I ferried over a warrior to that island to explore a hut, but only got barbarians again. Later I founded a city on that island, too.
Thanks to the golden age, Alesia had a nice 6-turn cycle of producing two spears and one settler, and so Entremont had started to construct another wonder after the great library immediately, whatever this may become. Meanwhile, embassies revealed that Portugal and England were at war with Rome, but England made peace soon thereafter. The great library got me into the medieval age in 410BC, on the same turn I received the message that I could build the forbidden palace now.
The AIs completed several wonders next: Rome got the great wall, Carthage the Mausoleum of Mausollos, and Egypt the Temple of Artemis and the Hanging Gardens which I would have finished four turns later, oh well. Entremont switched to the Great Lighthouse, which I didn't really want to have, and slowed down production. And luckily, two turns before it would have been completed, feudalism came out of the library and I was happy to finish Sun Tzu's instead.
I self-built three wonders in a shield-challenged game.
In the shot, you can see that I had Camulodunum set up as a two turn worker factory, which I desperately needed. I had finally found Portugal in 110AD, and they now declared war on England. My landgrab was done in 330AD, and when chivalry came out of the library in 350AD, I made the typical I-am-a-scholar-of-the-great-library-and-so-I-am-very-rich move of upgrading eight horsemen to knights and declared war on Egypt in 390AD! Here's the situation prior to the declaration.
I captured El-Armana and razed Byblos (too much overlap!) on the first turn. On the same turn, gunpowder came out of the library and I discovered I had no saltpeter! The nearest source was under Carthagenian control, so I already knew what to do after the Egyptian war...
Anyway, Egypt defended only poorly, mostly with warriors, archers and longbows, and so I razed Giza in 450AD but made peace with them to focus on getting a source of saltpeter instead. Two cities were founded in ex-Egyptian lands, and troops were healed, reinforced and moved into position. Education came in in 480AD, and I started full research on chemistry on my way to military tradition. Which brings me back to my goal of acquiring saltpeter...well, Carthage had no horses. Too bad for them.
Note in the shot of razing Oea how my workers were busy removing the Egyptian mines near Lugdunum - they had to correct several of these ecological mistakes other nations had done to nature.
And while my units razed the offending saltpeter city of Rusicade, the general who had thought up this brilliant plan showed up!
He immediately formed an army which I left empty for the moment, waiting for cavalry. Although my objective was met, I did not make peace with Carthage yet to fish for leaders and to settle the gaps. Note the swamp in the shot? I wanted to found a city on that exact spot, and for the first time in C3C had to clear a swamp first before being able to settle. Annoying!
I finally made peace after razing another city, Hippo, in 660AD. I was satisfied about having saltpeter, but not so satisfied about a very long, stretched-out border to Egypt.
