Epic Eleven: Hooray for Hollywood

So what do we need first now? Archery. That settler will need an escort, and also the tech plan to lightbulb CS via Merchant requires you to avoid Bronze Working in order to block Metal Casting. So without axemen, we need archers.

Ottawa built the worker, then two scouts, then two archers, then a settler as it leveled off at the happy cap of 5. Research went to Hunting - Animal Husbandry - Mining (Ottawa has two hills) - The Wheel - Pottery.

And so Montreal was founded in 1810 BC with the goal of building the Great Lighthouse. Unfortunately it would need a culture expansion to get the cow, so I had to go with Mysticism and an obelisk.

City Three came in 1300 BC east of my capital, to get gold (need to raise the happy cap), cow, and rice. Then my capital started on the Parthenon, and unfortunately now I realized my flaw in the Merchant-CS slingshot plan. The Parthenon would complete first and so my first GP would be an Artist from my capital, not a Merchant. So I went on ahead with Bronze Working now and would figure out some way to get to Civil Service later.

Anyway, my initial worker set out for Montreal after improving the two food tiles and mining two hills at the capital. Ottawa would later train a replacement.

I actually put some serious effort into scouting, more so than I usually do, dedicating three scouts to the task. They didn't hit any more goody huts, but did make all the contacts and get a good read on the layout of the pangaea.

My research path was dictated by the needs of the two wonders. First Sailing for the lighthouse, then Polytheism to get started on the Parthenon, then Masonry to enable the Great Lighthouse. And being committed to these two wonders, I didn't have any chance to attempt the Oracle or Pyramids.

Presently, barbarians started attacking, and I lost the gold mine to a pillager but didn't lose any units. Ottawa had to pause the Parthenon to put out two archers, then I got copper and axemen online. I positioned one archer on the road between Ottawa and Montreal to play zone defense; with plenty of 75% defense tiles available I could always sucker barb units into suiciding.

Judaism? Hmm. Not yet, but I'll keep that in mind. And wait a sec. We now have contact with every civ (I think), but there's only one holy city shown in the score box? So I think that means Isabella must have gotten the Hydra! I'd later learn that she did get all three religions, though Judaism was in a second city, not her capital. I think that would work in my favor diplomatically -- this way there's likely to be fewer religions spread around and so a larger pool of allies in whatever religion I do pick.

Shortly later, Hatshepsut got the Oracle slingshot for Theology to found Christianity.

After the Parthenon, Ottawa built (chopped) its library, and ran two scientists until the first Great Person popped. This was a bid to get a Scientist instead of an Artist as my first GP. Great Artists are great for a cultural game, of course, but not really early on. Landing an early Academy instead, especially multiplicative with Bureaucracy, puts you into a stronger position overall.

And on the other front, Montreal had built its obelisk, regular lighthouse, and started the Great one. I've scouted out most of the enemy capitals, and it seems that only a couple are coastal, so I've got a good shot at it.