Ruff_Hi's Antics

All Happiness is the Release of Internal Pressure

 
Game Report: Sooooo's - All The World is a Stage (1/6)

A vanilla CIV IV game on Monarch using Elizabeth. There are also a bunch of rules for this variant (see the Realsm Beyond Forum here for details) which will control how I play this game. I had thought of the following:

Along those lines, I had requested a game set up at marathon speed (why? more time to spread our religion without the chance of other religions). However, upon cheating and popping open the game in world builder, I find that we have multiple continents which will require astronomy to property spread our artistic ways. Lets face it, who has time to tech to astronomy at marathon speed? Not me. Thus I decided to go to the other extreme and play at normal pace.
 

In the Beginning, there was ART ...

I shall be playing on the train in the morning and reporting (again on the train) in the evening. This will mean that my reports will NOT know the end position and the reader should be able to see my plans, expectations, desires, etc (providing my reporting skills are up to the task).

Anyway ... on with the show!

The above is the starting position. I settle in place - a plains hill for 2H in my capital. You will notice that I am playing with Blue Marble. Since I never recieved a NOT APPROVED response to my 'Blue Marble Approval Application', I have decided that this means that the default is that it is APPROVED. Thus my future reports will all be with Blue Marble. You will also notice that there are some differences in some of my screens. This is because I am also playing this game with my mod in place (rule neutral, modification of presentation items). Yeah, ok, this mod isn't approved, nor has it even applied for an approved status. So what! What are you going to do? Sue me? Anyway, hopefully, the use of Blue Marble and my mod will result in a prettier, more artistic report and thus earn me points with this particular even - given that it is all about art!

Tech Selection
My For tech selection for this game will be driven by artistic requirements. Firstly, we need an audiance. This means that I need people who have nothing better to do with their time than watching shows, attending exhibitions, etc. Naturally, they have to work the fields (or similar) during the day so that they can earn money to buy art works / attend shows during the evening. All tech selections will be driven by this requirement. We will also be planning to take our shows / exhibitions on the road ... with force if necessary.

So, for tech, I select Agriculture and I start a worker. I also send my warrior out scouting for other raw materials to turn into works of art. He entertains one village (see above) and the villages teach him Masonry (what clever artisans!) to show their appreciation. He heads further South-West and finds Stone, Wheat and Fish. And another hut. My warrior enters the village, proceeds to perform a well rehearsed musical number and is rewarded with ...

You know, of all the CIV IV games that I have played, I have never ever popped hostile villages. My warrior is set upon by the first villager and survives. Unfortunately, he is overcome by the second. This could be a very short game. Well well ... do we build another warrior for defence against this critic? Do we stop work on the worker? Do we tech a defense tech (we just learnt Agriculture). After reviewing our options, the decision is made that you cannot stop production of a huge work of art like this just because one barbarian critic doesn't like what he sees. On with the plan ... let the audience decide. Animal Husbandry is selected (more food from cows, more people to enjoy our art) and we let the worker complete (starting a warrior after that). To overcome the loss of our scouting warrior, research is turned towards hunting and a scout is sent North. One of our warriors is also sent West and find horses.

Further research into the wheel and pottery - growth and transport of goods is always important for artists - as well as more exploration is the order of the day. Finally, another critic is discovered ... Napoleon from France. France is to our West and is a fair distance away. Exporting our art to these people will take a while ... we need to grow!

After we learn pottery, we reach a tech choke point. We have lots of valid options ...

This is a tough decision as each tech offers good futures. In the end, I decide on Mysticism as I need to pop a border quickly and this is the best route. Why do I need to pop a border ...