India also researched both Navigation and Magnetism during that war. They want 514 + 15gpt for the pair though. We say BAH to that. Greece (remember them?) actually got Navigation somehow, for which we trade Chemistry.

Our cities on South Island rush harbors and barracks. We pillage our saltpeter and all our iron, and actually abandon Hastings, which was founded on top of iron, so that we can rush Horsemen on South Island to upgrade to cavalry, which with Leonardo's is much cheaper than rushing the cavalry outright. (This may be borderline exploitative, effectively rushing Cavalry at less than half the price?)

990 AD: Greece is still a loose end to tie up. Pay 45 to investigate the one city - it's got a settler due in 2 turns, two hoplites on defense, and a caravel there too. Can't let that settler get away. I have to attack with the three cavalry before they're fully healed, and fail. Next turn, though, we do win, eliminating Greece - and we finally get a Great Leader! On an island where it can't get an army win!!! Well, what it can do is rush a new Palace in Kohlapur, which is a much better location.

1030: Good, India founds another city on South Island. That's one settler that didn't go to a not-yet-settled island. Also, they lock Jaipur onto building Sistine Chapel. I investigate most of their cities. Heh, they're building a settler in a tundra-only city that can never grow beyond size 2 without a harbor!

India declares war!!! There was still 12 turns left on the peace treaty! Well, this will end REAL soon. I had workers sitting on top of the saltpeter at the ready, and they hook it back up. I upgrade the horsemen and then pillage the saltpeter again, and would continue doing this every two turns, so the pair of cities on South Island can rush Horsemen then upgrade them. This is definitely borderline exploitative, but it turned out not to be necessary at all.

Good - India settles a city on Pharsalos Island, where Karachi had been. Our cavalry raze it, and other cavalry march inexorably across South Island.

Conquest Victory in 1140 AD. Never built a boat. Final score 5502. First in my Hall of Fame!

I will decline to enter this into the competition scoring, though. I strictly followed the letter of the variant, but went WAY outside the spirit. The first three Epics were interesting tech-up races. I was completely not in the mood to play this game as a straightforward boring tech-up-to-Advanced-Flight race.

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I love discussing Civ 3, especially with fellow Realms Beyond Epic players. Send comments to erik - at - dos486.com .

- T-hawk, 7/10/2002