In 390 BC, we declare WAR on Greece, and move two swords (all I could afford to upgrade) next to Sparta.
Round 1: Vet Sword vs Vet Hoplite. Sword wins 4 to 1!
Round 2: Vet Sword vs Reg Hoplite. Hoplite wins 4 to 2.
Round 3: Vet Horse vs 1-hp Hoplite. Horse wins 1 to 1!
Round 4: Vet Horse vs Reg Archer. Horse wins 3 to 1, Sparta is ours!
Just taking Sparta improves my income from +2/turn to +8/turn. And good - I didn't have to use Jags, so as not to waste the Golden Age in despotism.
We get high on incense! Quick as a flash I turn around and trade Incense for some Indian Dyes and 37 English gold and their map. With the English gold we upgrade another jaguar to sword.
Greece does not have Iron (in fact, nobody besides me has any hooked up), so we can handle any counterattack.
In 310 BC, we have that second Horses hooked up, and sell them to India. He won't trade his wines for the horses, so we take his 33 gold + WM. (Below market value, I'm sure, but we need all the gold we can get ASAP to upgrade jaguars.) I also sell England some Gems for their 17 gold and upgrade another jag.
250 BC: The Attack On Delphi.
Round 1: Vet Sword vs Reg Hoplite. Hoplite wins 4 to 2.
Round 2: Vet Sword vs Reg Hoplite. Sword wins 3 to 1!
Round 3: Vet Sword vs 1-hp Hoplite. Sword wins 1 to 0, Delphi is ours!
Well, Athens is at size 7, so no way we can take it with this motley bunch. Also, critically, we have secured access to irrigation. And there's a tiny little crack in the hills at Elfland to let us irrigate all the way home.
For peace, Greece cedes Monotheism, Republic, Literature, a worker, 30 gold, and a city. (MUCH more than I was expecting to get.)
Aha!!! Here's a way around that whole building boats restriction! Greece cedes Pharsalos, a city on another landmass! It'll be hopelessly corrupt forever, but enough rushed units there and it will be able to conquer its island. Heh heh heh... If I can do that enough times, it could be possible to win before air units! This is now
I wait one turn, so that we can whip towards a temple at Delphi, and get our ass into Republic.
