Epic 2: Part 1
And we're off! Delhi has been founded for us, so no decisions needed there, but I do still need to think about research order and suchlike. I figure my initial goals are quite simple; I need to hook up the gems so I need roads (The Wheel) and to be able to clear the jungle (Iron Working), I also need ships to explore with (Sailing). I start off with Fishing (pre-requisite for Sailing) while I'm getting Delhi to build a Fast Worker, then I'll go for the techs necessary to hookup the gems. Then after that I'll come back for Sailing as workboats can explore while I'm waiting for Galleys for transport.
Hmm, the Tiny Islands setting isn't kidding, is it? Looks like my Warrior isn't going to be much more use for exploration, but at least the second Gems island looks big enough for a city (would've been a bit tedious otherwise!
Fishing was discovered in 3730BC, started on The Wheel. I thought about building a workboat at this stage to let Delhi grow, and get my exploration and attempt to circumnavigate the globe first off the ground. But at the moment a workboat will take a long time (not many hammers available) so I stick with plan A. I'm still trying to get a feel for how epic speed plays (maybe should've done this before ;) ), so the numbers of turns for everything to get done looks awfully big.
3310BC and Delhi finishes the Fast Worker, starts on a Workboat and The Wheel is conveniently discovered in the same turn so I've got something for the worker to do. 
I was beginning to wonder if I'd mis-timed it completely! And also in the same turn Buddhism is discovered by somebody somewhere else, one down 6 to go!
The only even remotely interesting thing to happen for the next several turns is that my worker hooks up the Gold - that's one of them controlled, anyway :) 
Otherwise roads are the order of the day, and waiting for Iron Working to be discovered. And waiting for the Workboat to be built. I think I could've started better, though I'm still not sure precisely how. But this doesn't seem terribly efficient. Finally in 2710BC the Workboat is built, and I start exploring the islands around me. The second Gem island is definitely big enough for a city:
The second workboat gets sent off to explore somewhere else, and the third is for fishing the clams. And finally, finally, in 2020BC Iron Working is discovered and my Fast Worker can start to mine the gems. Nearly there for hooking up Gems #1! My workboats have been exploring away, and discovered Gems #3 and Gems #4 close by:
Once Sailing is discovered in 1720BC I've completed my initial research goals, and I've got to make some decisions about what next. Hinduism had been FiaDL in 2110BC 
so the way was clear to make a run for Priesthood and The Oracle (for 10 points of score). I sat and dithered about that for quite a while, but in the end decided against it, I didn't think I was in a good position to succeed in building The Oracle - the few Monarch level games I've played so far haven't been terribly successful and I'm generally behind the AI. So I decided that I was more likely to miss out on The Oracle and I'd be better off putting the research & hammers into something more likely to make me survive longer. So my next techs are going to be worker techs, to grow my empire - Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Masonry (I've got Stone nearby and also that will let me try to build The Great Lighthouse). In that order, which I came to regret later :(
Gems #1 hooked up in 1660BC:
And Gems #5 discovered in 1270BC:
As I start researching Masonry someone somewhere else discovers Judaism 
, and once Masonry is discovered I move onto Writing - I'm aiming for Calendar here. Delhi is busy with a Galley and a Warrior to accompany a Settler to the second city site, and once those are done I start on a Lighthouse followed by the Great Lighthouse. Bombay is founded in 805BC:
And immediately I realise a snag with where I put it - I need culture before I can hook up the second gem source, and I'm not a cultural Civ so that means buildings. Bombay is a trifle short on hammers so I revolt to Slavery so I can whip things, and start it building a Lighthouse to start off with so that I can actually grow quickly enough to whip!
Better news in 775BC - I meet my first customer
She won't buy any gems from me yet :( Next customer is equally intransigent:
But Catherine will at least give me Open Borders so I can carry on looking for more Gems.
550BC dawns and disaster strikes - someone beats me to the Great Lighthouse by 10 turns :( 
I should maybe have done my research and building in a different order - it would've delayed my second city, but not by much & I'm pretty sure I'll not be fastest to hook up the second Gems anyway. I am at least doing well at not founding any religions 
as Confucianism is FiaDL. Only 3 of those left to avoid :) I find the third and fourth customers while Dehli is busy building a new Settler and Warrior escort for my third city:
Also during this time the Oracle is built elsewhere. 
I'd expected that to be built sooner than 415BC, and I think I might've stood a chance - more so than the Great Lighthouse, in retrospect. Ah well, hindsight is always 20-20.
As well as meeting the Khan in 310BC I also build my second settler, and as the boat is about to depart here are some thoughts on city placement:
Christianity is founded elsewhere, and still no-one will buy 
my fine Gems :( I start research on Alphabet (now that I have discovered Calendar in 265BC) and I also notice that I'm doing pretty well on circumnavigating the world:
I finally had enough population in Bombay in 235BC to whip a Library, so the culture is starting to build up. Next order of business there is to build a workboat to hook up the fish near Bombay. And the Fast Worker is poised to hook up Gems #2 as soon as the borders pop. Madras is founded:
Success! Yay! I circumnavigate the world (with Workboats!) in 160BC. And shortly afterwards one of the workboats falls victim to a Barbarian Galley. But I still got the bonus! That's 4 points earned, and the spectre of a complete disaster averted ;)
And I follow up that success by connecting my second Gem source in 10BC (and still nobody's buying my fine Gems). I'm pretty sure that's not going to be the fastest - I made a few errors of judgement while doing that, and I think I can see how I'd've done it differently if I was to do it over.
