Adventure 3: Part 1
As I opened up the save I began to wonder what I was letting myself in for! I've never won a game on the Prince difficulty level (and have only actually played a small handful at that level). I've never played a game with Raging Barbarians on, and I've seen mention that that significantly increases the difficulty level - and this on a level I can't beat anyway. So I decided my objective was not to win or even to do particularly well but to score as a Tsar, which meant getting a total of 15 points in each section. Farmer and Priest seemed possible, Soldier is definitely my weakest area.
4000BC and we're off! I moved the scout SE to the hill, to see what there was to see, then settled the Settler in place as I couldn't see any reason to move. Fearful of the barbarian hordes I initially built a warrior to defend Moscow, then lined up a Worker. My initial research plan was to get The Wheel and Animal Husbandry to hook up the plethora of pigs in the vicinity.
In 3920BC my scout got a map from a hut - early enough to actually be useful. Gold from the next hut (in 3800BC), followed by a second scout in 3640BC. This new recruit was sent off to the west of Moscow while the first one kept exploring the eastern lands.
Buddhism was founded somewhere else - I don't think I'd ever had a hope of getting that one, even if I'd aimed for it.
Just as I was thinking it was rather quiet, not even any barbarian animals, a wolf showed up in 3560BC. But my scout successfully fended of the ravening beast - a good example for my other scout in 3400BC who stiffened his spine and also fought off a wolf.
Hinduism is also founded somewhere else in 3280BC. Both the early religions gone.
Finally in 3120BC my first Worker is made, he's put to work immediately, building a road to hook up those pigs. Moscow starts to make another Warrior (who is going to stake out the fog a bit - why, yes! I am scared of the barbarians, why do you ask?)
In 3080BC I learn how to look after the pigs and start to research the techs towards Monotheism - I'm hoping I'll get there first and found Judaism, as it would be nice to have my own religion (and higher scoring too which is always a plus).
My western scout finds the end of the lands up there - there's not a lot, mostly ice and tundra so I don't think I'll be founding a city up there in a hurry. Just need to watch for the raging horde of barbarians we were promised. Sent that scout off to the SE, as the other one is poking around in the NE at the moment.
In 2960BC my worker starts to build a pasture round the pigs. At this point I remember that I'd intended to micromanage Moscow to provide more hammers when the Worker was built (way back in 3120BC). So I do that now, and speed up the warrior no end, lining up another warrior after him.
The next 400 years or so is more of the same exploration. My scout to the NE fends off a wolf and gets a Woodsman I promotion, then as he's healing on a convenient hill he fights another 2 wolves. The worker finishes with the pigs and heads off to mine the hill to the south of Moscow, due to having nothing else to do. My NW bound warrior gets to his hill and fortifies:
Then at 2680BC Masonry is researched, and my next warrior is built (he's sent off to the east, with no choke point handy he's just going to fortify on a piece of forested plains). Moscow starts to make a barracks - we need the XP. And the SW bound scout finds that west is not a good way to go on this map:
Finally in 2520BC I meet another Civ - I'd expected to see more of them earlier, given there are nine of them. Probably just because I'm way up at the top of the map. Unsurprisingly Qin Shi Huang is doing rather better than I am with score!
While my worker starts to mine the eastern hill, I start to contemplate city placement for the future:
My southern scout loses to some bears, so now there's only my northern exploration. Mysticism is researched in 2400BC, and I start on Polytheism - still heading for Monotheism and the glories of Judaism. In 2420BC my remaining scout proves his worth and gets Fishing from a hut. And I micromanage Moscow so that it doesn't grow any more as it's hit the happiness cap.
In 2280BC is becomes clear that my gamble didn't pay off - I shouldn't've diverted from the path to Judaism to learn how to look after pigs. Judaism is FIDL, and I need to make a decision. After a bit of thought I decide to defer the decision till I've got Monotheism (and thus Organised Religion), and see how long it looks like it'll take to get Theology (and Christianity). Moscow finishes its barracks, and it seems the Stonehenge is only going to take 12 turns even without stone. So another gamble - worst case, I get some gold & can keep running higher research rates for longer.
In 2200BC I meet another civ, unsurprisingly Isabella is Buddhist. IBT my warrior off to the east fights off the first barbarian warrior.
Oh look! I don't seem to be very powerful, though I guess I should be pleased to be on the list:
Polytheism is researched in 1920BC and I start on Monotheism. Then in 1800BC one of my gambles does at least pay off! I've built Stonehenge, and now start on my first settler.
In 1440BC my settler is built and Moscow starts to build a warrior for that second city. I'm taking a risk and sending this settler out without an escort as I've no fog of war between here and there. In the same turn Monotheism was discovered, and I revolted to Organised Religion (but unfortunately didn't take a screenshot and didn't realise till I was writing this up :( ). I need to stay on this till game end for the points. I decided I was going to make a run for Christianity after all - still not infected with anyone else's religion and the extra points for founding my own would be nice, especially as I've made Stonehenge so I'm in line for at least one Prophet to build the shrine with.
In 1400BC St. Petersburg is founded. I set it to make a barracks, as there'll be a warrior on the way from Moscow. The fog-busting warrior moves off to the hill at the SE choke point.
In 1360BC my scout fends off a barbarian warrior, those barbs are starting to build up now. Scout gets a Woodsman II promotion & fortifies to heal before carrying on exploring. Moscow builds a warrior in 1320BC that gets a Combat I promotion and heads off to St Petersburg. Moscow then builds another Combat I Warrior for itself, and sends the unpromoted warrior off to the NE to fog-bust near the third city site. The warrior to the NW fends off another barbarian, and a little later my scout falls to a barbarian. Moscow has built another warrior by this stage, so sends that off to the hill the scout died on to fog-bust. Moscow sets to work to build another scout, who gets a Woodsman I promotion out the box, and is sent off to find out more about the world. Moscow now begins to work on a third city - first it builds a warrior escort with the settler lined up for afterwards. And it's time to think city placement thoughts again, now I know some more of the world:
Writing is discovered in 1000BC, and Theology is going to take 38 turns :/ Keeping those fingers crossed.
After knowing of the existence of the Chinese and Spanish for centuries I finally find their borders in 900BC:
In 875BC I celebrate the birth of a Great Prophet in Moscow - that'll come in handy for the shrine. Hang on! What tech will he give me? Looks like it's Meditation at the moment, which is only 6 turns away. Is it Theology next? I can't remember, but decide to gamble anyway - Theo is still a long long way off if I'm just straightforwardly researching it!
My settler is born in 825BC, and I send it off with its escort to the SE city site - the chinese are getting close and I'd like to block them off from my real estate. I'm into expansion now, so Moscow is set to build another warrior/settler pair. In 750BC I'm startled by Isabella asking for Open Borders, I grant them - she won't stay this nice if I do make it as far as Christianity. And if I don't get my own religion then hers would be the best one to go for.
In 725BC Meditation is discovered, and it seem the Prophet will now give me Priesthood. That's only 4 turns away, so I go for that. Surely it must be Theology next?
By 700BC my un-promoted warrior to the NE has fended off two barbarians, so he gets a promotion to Combat I. Next turn St Petersburg finishes its barracks, and I start it making a Library for that science & culture boost. Novgorod is founded, and I set it to make a barracks - every city needs to be army capable (yes, I'm still scared of the barbarians!). The fog-busting warrior is moved out to another hill.
In between turns the warrior to the NE is attacked by two barbarian warriors,
and dies to the second one. 
The warrior to the NW is luckier and only has to
fend off one, which gets it a Combat I promotion. Then everything starts to
come together (I feel I should be saying something here about the relative
merits of being lucky vs. being good, but I think someone's said that before ;)
). Priesthood is discovered, the Prophet gives me Theology and Christianity
is founded in Novgorod. I convert to Christianity, need to stick with this till
game end for the points. And I send my free missionary off to St Petersburg to
convert the heathen.
Research was set to Archery - damn I need those archers, the barbarians are beginning to ramp up now.
More Priest points as Christianity spreads to Shanghai and Qin converts! Yay!
At this point I rather belatedly remember to send a warrior off to fog-bust to the east. Moscow finishes off the settler, and starts to make a library. I'll change this to archers once I can. The settler and escort head towards the NE city site, but only as far as St. Petersburg for now as there's a barbarian warrior heading into my lands! Eek! Archery is discovered in 500BC, St Petersburg and Moscow both start to crank out the archers. And the barbarian warrior near St Petersburg seems to be fannying around rather than attacking. Eventually in 425BC it gets close enough to St Petersburg for my garrison warrior to notice that it's wounded and to put it out of its misery. Finally my settler can go on its way and found Rostov in 325BC:
The turn before this Qin asked for Open Borders - I granted them, Qin's my friend :) Or at least, I'd like to keep on his good side. I also notice that Saladin is Buddhist (and I appear to have forgotten to note when I met him, my note taking clearly needs to improve), which means he and Isabella are shaping up to be buddies. I also discovered Agriculture, and started to research Pottery - got to give those workers something to do. Tacitus ranked the most powerful civilisations, and I'm no longer on the list :(
A turn later I finally find Saladin's borders:
The next few turns are full of building up my defense. I'm aiming for all cities to have 2 archers, and once I've acheived this Moscow and St. Petersburg finish their libraries while Novgorod builds a Christian Temple. The barbs are coming thick and fast now, but they're still warriors and I'm so far not losing fights where they matter. Isabella cancels Open Borders, rather like I thought she would - now I'm Christian she doesn't like me much. I discover Pottery in 100BC and start to research Bronze Working - Axemen would be good, it can't be long before I need better soldiers. Moscow now starts on an archer/settler pair to send off to my fifth city site. Rostov gets Christianity, and this screenshot also shows that I've found my first barbarian city, but it's not within reach of my puny military might:
The conversion of the Chinese to Christianity continues apace (without my having to lift a finger, always the best way ;) ), with Ghangzhou converting in 25AD.
And a turn later I lose my only worker to the barbs, due to a dumb move on my part (when it stopped what it was doing I failed to move it out of harm's way). Novgorod conveniently finishes its Temple and I set it building a replacement worker.
Moscow finishes the settler, and I finally make a WorkBoat for the fishes, the settler & its archer escort head off to St Petersburg till I've cleared the barbarians away from city site 5.
Christianity keeps spreading - in 200AD Beijing is the next to convert:
And in 225AD Bronze Working is discovered and I have copper next to Moscow! Thank goodness! (Screenshot taken in 250AD as I forgot). I also revolt, to Slavery.
There are quite a lot of barbarians harassing my territory now - so I make a note that I could really do with a mobile force to take the fight to them, rather than wait till they attack a city. Moscow starts to make a worker, and Novgorod finishes its worker next turn (I set it to make a Monastry, for lack of anything better).
Once Moscow has made a worker I take a chance on another wonder and start to make The Parthenon, but this time I lose out to someone else - The Parthenon is built somewhere else in 425AD, and I get a small pittance of cash for my trouble. Never mind, in the same turn another Great Prophet is born so he goes scuttling off to Novgorod to make the Christian shrine. In bad news - the barbs have axes now.
The shrine income comes in handy immediately - I can take research up to 70% again and keep making a profit. Next turn, the first of my axemen comes in - Moscow is going to be cranking those out for a while.
500AD and end of the first score period! (Also end of this play session, the wine is beginning to take its toll, and it's time for plings to seek their beds and sleep.) Before I stopped I totted up the score that I had got by this point:
- Cities captured: None.
- XP on most experienced unit: 10
So I have 10 soldier points. I've founded 4 cities, so that's 4 farmer points and if I stick with Organised religion till game end that's another 10, and I've more than 1 health resource in current territory so I just need to live till 1500AD to get a minimum total of 15 farmer points. And I'm doing really well with priest points - I've 10 points from founding my religion and if I stick to it till game end then that's another 25 points, if I can keep Novgorod in my hands then that's a further 20. And I've got points from cities converting to my religion, and from China converting under its own steam. So far so good! Most of what I have to do now is survive.
Onward to Part 2