Here's my post game spoiler.
PreGame tactic : Go straight for monarchy, picking up iron working with poly hopefully. Switch to cash. Build loads of warriors -> mass upgrade. Switch to monarchy, attack, get GA, finish everybody.
Actual game.
Sent my first settler south wat turned out to be a mistake, 1st warrior discovered cows and wheat north. Settle 3rd there.
Romans turn up after a few turns, trade my 2 techs + some gpt for their techs. This puts them in a good mood which is necessary because I;m building settler instead of warriors now.
Pick up Iron Working pretty quickly, alrdy trade for that in my mysticism trade round. I'm tech leader from the start but after mysticism I've bled the ai dry. Proceed research to monarch. Start to settle towrds northern iron.
The Romans are to close to leave em alone untill monarchy. BUild some archer and attack em. Mainly to get the ivory they settled before me. During the war I lose a settler to barbs, this will happen 1/2 times more. Prune the romans.
Connect iron, start upgrade. Get Monarchy, revolution in 1 turn (!!! WOOT) position immortals next to romans and japanese. Declare war finish romans quickly, japanese are 2nd to be wiped. Arabs refuse to retreat and declare war. Greeks settle nearby, I declare war and take their city.
By now I have almost 60 immortals and am building only military.resaerch at 10/20%. After lit I build some libs for expanding borders, after currency I build some marketplaces to finance my miltary.
After the japanese the greeks go. After the greeks the arabs. Started war on the carthaginians after I killed japanese too. This goes very well for the 1st 4 cities but their GA + acc prod has filled Carthage with Numidian Mercs!! They put up quite some resitance and because all their towns have iron (damn map-makers
} I'm swarmed with swords. SoD of 12-14 gets hurt to much to take Cart. Make peace and retreat, 2nd SoD suffers same fate a few turns later
. After 1st SoD I go max science to chivalry, build horsemen (and upgrade) and finally I overrun carthage with 20+ knights and 10+ immortals. The world adores Xerxes as their one and only leader in 410BC
Remarks:
- Upgrading worked extremely well because it's only half cost at acc. prod! Didnt realise that before the game, but since upgrade cost is shield times 2 gold and you need only 50% of shields this is cheap.
- Underestimated carthage, I think the conquest 1500bc-1000bc is also possible.
- NO leader in the entire game
An Fp would have sped things up considerably. I think people with an early leader will easily beat my date.
PP