Hmm, forgot to update this for a while.
I've met all the other players. The land is symmetrical, with possibly the type of lux being the only variation.
After realizing at the completion of writing (I could still trade it to everyone when I finished it) that the others had not gotton a jump on me for Philosophy, I checked the demographics page and found myself a clear 1st in GNP. Didn't take long to decide I should go for it.
Donsig got polytheism a couple of turns before I got philo. After a couple of diplomatic exchanges we decided on a trade -- donsig gave poly, I took monarchy as the free tech and gave it to donsig. At present, donsig owes me 130g worth of tech, which is promised as a lucrative deal on future tech.
Babylon switched to monarchy (2 turns of anarchy) and will open a gap up to the point that someone gets republic. A granary finishes next turn, after which I'll be pumping 4 turn settlers and trying to build units in the other towns fast enough to keep up with escort duties.
Donsig and Strider both have warriors in "my" section of the map. No reason to piss them off, so I'm not making an issue of it right now.
We'll see how long this one stays friendly. The free tech from being scientific will result in a long-term lead unless they all decide to gang up.
Strider still hadn't showed up with Philo 3 turns after I got it, which makes me wonder if he went for lit instead, or was planning to do a Republic slingshot (CoL first) and got caught by the beeline.