So I look at the description of Adventure Nineteen, and I think hey, that looks interesting. Maybe I should play it. But what technology to choose? Maybe... Or maybe... Or even... Wait. I look closer at the details of the game. A Terra map, eh? And is that a coast I see to the northeast?
So I picked Astronomy. I have gathered before posting this that I was not alone in picking this. That's not really surprising, it's a technology with a pretty obvious application. More surprising is that I wasn't even alone with my slightly more specific idea of what to do with it - and I thought I was being so inventive! Ah well.
Starting out, I move the warrior one step to the northeast, which reveals seafood. Great, I'll research Fishing first. Two turns later, I found my city on the plains hill.
Hmm? You think that's a strange name for a city? Possibly. No comments.
In 3720 BC the borders of Scorched Earth pop the nearby hut for some minor gold, I finish a warrior, and I find out that Huayna Capac is nearby to the south.
I wonder if we'll be friends?
The next turn I discover Fishing, start a work boat and set research to Bronze Working - and absolutely vital technology for what I'm about to do.
A few turns later my northern warrior kills a wolf, and my southern warrior finds Cuzco.
Why couldn't I have gotten a capital like that? It's almost perfect.
The next turn (3480 BC) the exploratory journey of said southern warrior ends in the belly of a lion (should have moved to the forest, dammit).
In 3320 BC I finish the work boat and can finally start working on a worker, expected in eight turns.
In 3200 BC, I have good fortune with a hut pop:
Nothing I need immediately, but still nice. If you'll look in the upper right corner, you'll notice I still haven't investigated the tribal village immediately to the north of Scorched Earth. I'm afraid of barbarians; it's too close to the city when I have no defenders.
The always lovely Montezuma shows up from the west the next turn.
I hope he doesn't steal my hut! (He did, of course.)
I get Bronze Working and find out there's copper at the original location of the capital. That's nice... for those who settled there. No matter, that's not what I wanted Bronze Working for. I set research to Hunting.
In 3000 BC the worker is done. I start a galleon and switch to Slavery.
When Hunting comes in, I switch to building a scout and start researching Archery.
In 2840 BC, Huayna Capac finally gets around to founding Hinduism.
Hmm. I wonder if there'll be trouble between those two?
In 2720 BC the strains of Rule Britannia fill my ears:
Pfft. Someone in this world will rule the waves, Vicky, but it won't be you.
When Archery comes in I switch to Masonry. Meanwhile, my worker is clearcutting Scorched Earth.
In 2600 BC Tokugawa shows up from the east. Great, I hope he's nearby (pretty nearby, it turns out).
In 2480 BC I complete my galleon, and Saladin drops by to congratulate me.
The galleon sails east, Saladin does not (to my knowledge). Ever see a galleon with sight range one before?
In 2360 BC I make a mistake. Or in 2400, rather. I chop the final forest in the fat cross of Scorched Earth, which goes to an archer. Said archer now has all the hammers it needs, meaning I can't whip it, meaning I'm now going to have to build a settler while being unhealthy, until I can whip it. How inefficient.
In 2320 BC the galleon picks up the scout from the east end of the continent, who then sails off into the sunset. Or sunrise, rather: east. Same year, barbarian warriors start showing up. Good timing for that archer, I guess.
When Masonry finishes I start Animal Husbandry - I hate not knowing where the resources are.
And finally, in 2160 BC, I make landfall in the New World.
We'll see how long that scout lasts. The galleon turns around sails right back (though maybe I should have gone west instead?).
In 2080 BC I remember to whip that settler - should have done it earlier. I let the overflow go into another archer, and queue up another settler after it. Meanwhile, the settler and my first archer start trecking east.
In 1880 BC my settler, my archer (who defeated a barbarian archer on the interturn and barely took a scratch) and my warrior (who's been all over the place and is now a medic) jump onto the boat and head east.
In 1640BC I finish another settler (the first one hasn't landed yet). Meanwhile, I've learned Animal Husbandry and The Wheel, and am working on Pottery.
Finally, finally, I found Beijing in 1520 BC.
Great, good time to declare war on Japan. We call up Tokugawa and tell him what we thought of the Rape of Nanking... which he admittedly had nothing to do with... and which is some three and a half thousand years into the future... and which will have happened in a different universe... but never mind that.
I move about settlers and ships and archers for a while, and in 1040 BC I found Shanghai.
Still no word from Tokugawa.
Oh, look, there he is:
Maybe I shouldn't have sent that worker and settler out with just an archer for escort. Maybe. But he didn't attack, he went for the barbarian archer instead. Not that I'm out of danger, but at least I can move my group into the forest, and a few turns later I manage to finagle them onto the ship. Whew!
In 825 BC, we find this situation:
In 800 BC, my economy improves:
Hmph, didn't autoraze. The culture, I guess? At any rate... behold! The flying palace of China!
