In 110 AD, Greece completes Leonardo's, and that ends the cascade except for a couple weak coastal cities on Magellan's. My chances look excellent. Ur can swap to the Palace to keep building, but that (it's 500 shields) can only last about 12 more turns even if I slow it down. Will someone research Music Theory or Economics in time, or am I going to have to build a very expensive Wall Street here?
I decide to buy Gunpowder at full price, and nobody even has Chemistry. What have the AIs been spending the last ten turns researching? They're all big enough to research pretty quick, and all the civs at war are still in Republic...
And the next wonder that gets initiated is... SHAKESPEARE'S. Ech. Well, that explains what they were researching. Well, Ur is way up over 450 shields, so cascade from Shake's isn't a concern; as soon as somebody researches Music or Economics, I'll have a wonder.
Yay, somebody starts Smith's. But -- I'd rather have Bach's. The tech is cheaper to buy, for one; and it'd also be half my Golden Age (and there are no more religious wonders), with Theory of Evolution a perfect other half.
But there's a brokerage deal available for Economics - Chemistry is around but Egypt didn't get it - so I do that. Incense, 40gpt, 190g to Greece for Chemistry, and Chemistry plus some spare change to Egypt to get Economics and Printing Press. No good 40-turn target; I set research to Democracy, but I'll want it sooner than that for railbuilding.
Ur swaps to Smith's, due in 6; if Music Theory comes around in time I'll swap to Bach's, but it doesn't.
A few turns later, Shakespeare's completes, killing the cascade (except for Magellan's, but only one city anywhere is building it, despite Rome having quite a number of powerful coastal cities. Huh?) I decide to take a shot at ALSO building Bach's!
Where? In Ellipi, which is my most powerful city that hasn't had its progress delayed by building a wonder or too many settlers. (Babylon can't use the Palace.) Ellipi also happens to have three turns of building towards something in the box already, and swaps to the Palace.
Then, Persia starts Bach's two turns later. My city has 120 shields prebuilt. Can I win? Persia's building in a size-5 city and Greece in a size-8 coastal city. I think so, depending on where the others start it...
Then Rome starts Bach in a size-4 city. :)
Another round of brokering: Persia and Greece have Physics and Metallurgy. Rome and Egypt have Metallurgy. I buy Physics, lump sum of 1600 (from Persia since Greece has FOUR GRAND in the treasury), sell to Rome for Metallurgy, and to Egypt for a discount on Military Tradition (only 400 gold), and sell Military Tradition back to Rome for Music Theory. Yeah, I'm buying techs at lump-sum instead of gold-per-turn now; my economy has ramped up quite nicely, with Smith's providing a very nice boost.
Egypt then starts Bach's in Memphis - the only size-12 city attempting the wonder. That city has two hills - but they aren't yet mined! That city is close to the border with Rome, who might have units bothering Memphis. Bach's should be mine! And that with Theory of Evolution will be my Golden Age. :D
All along I've been trading techs to India to renew my iron supply whenever necessary. They're far enough behind that that's been plenty easy to do. Also, I've sold my only saltpeter to Egypt on occasion for some extra cash (around 13/turn.)
Also, now that it isn't tied up otherwise, I have Babylon start building Bowmen every turn, to add to the garrisons in Akkad and Lagash, which are in slight danger of a flip from that Greek city. (I have been somewhat lucky in that they haven't flipped before now.)
Egypt demands... Spices. Um, I don't HAVE Spices. Or rather, my only spices are at Zariqum, which is the unconnected city in the wild wild west. They can demand a resource that you don't have connected?! Wait, no - the Romans just connected it by ROAD for me!
Uhm.... well... I really don't want my reputation to be at Rome's mercy (the trade route going through their land), so I have to hurry a harbor at Zariqum, and I send a boat over with a musket and some spare bowmen for a flip garrison. This rather sucks, that I could end up with my reputation dead (completely honorably, at that) because I GAVE IN to a tribute demand.
Egypt really got the worst of the war between them and Rome, but now they make peace. The world has settled down; the remaining wars are India against Rome and Persia.
Greece is in the Industrial Age after researching Theory of Gravity, and I have to wait about ten turns before someone else got it (I wasn't gonna pay monopoly price.) I then buy Magnetism, trade it to Egypt for ToG, and pull Nationalism for free.
Has Greece already gotten to Steam Power? Well, Greece has already researched... Communism. Dumb AI...
I sell Nationalism:
I revolt to Democracy, and slam research to 100% on Steam Power.
