Anyway, I double-whipped the library and hired two scientists in an attempt to make the first Great Person a Scientist instead of a Prophet. Next build was a second worker while researching Wheel - Pottery, then Alphabet to trade for Iron Working (we do have iron), Masonry, and Monotheism.
Confucianism spread naturally to one Incan city and I sent the free missionary to another. Huayna and I both converted. Hinduism had never spread naturally, so I went with Confucianism and that kickstart.
And the two hired scientists did pop a Great one in 600 BC, overcoming the Oracle's Prophet points, who went for the acaduhmy. Next research was Monarchy both to fix the happy cap (double-revolt to Hereditary Rule and Org Rel) and to establish shared civics relations with Huayna and Alexander, then Literature for the Great Library.
Wow! Sucks for Alex!
Here's an overview shot, with Huayna Capac to the north, Alexander to the south, and everybody else spread out around the inland sea.
By now, my neighbors had expanded enough to keep the raging barbarians out of the picture. Even without copper, it only took about two extra archers to fend off the early barb archers. The barbs never sent any axemen or horse archers, which might have given me some trouble.
I researched Philosophy because I wanted Pacifism, which founded Taoism. Since I had no interest in spreading the religion, I actually sent the free missionary south through Greece just as a scout. He contacted two more civs before getting eaten by a barb.
So with the Great Library complete in 150 AD, and the Bureaucademy slingshot in place as a Financial leader with several villages grown up now, here's a shot of the GNP. This is almost embarrassing.
Following the Great Library came the National Epic, then the Forge, Aqueduct, University, and Oxford. My pair of workers cottaged all available terrain, mined the plains kills, then chopped the forests out west beyond the city radius to help build all of those. As usual, I researched to Education, then Printing Press. Then came a beeline to Astronomy for the Observatory.
The Great Library spawned Leader Two in 475 AD, who bucked the Prophet odds and also came as a Scientist who obviously settled. Leader Three was a third scientist in 740 AD at 60% odds who did the same. Leader Four was an Artist at 18% odds (stupid National Epic) who settled for the few pennies of cash.
With health as the limiting factor (I quite like the Expansive trait for an OCC), London maxed out at size 17 in 1050 AD. The city would stay at this size until the 20th century.
I next researched up the Guilds - Economics line, settling the Great Merchant in 1120 AD. Along with the revolt to Free Market, I took the chance to swap Org Rel for Pacifism and max out on scientists. There weren't any important buildings to build now, so I just pumped scientists while researching, hitting a crazy 90 GPP/turn with six hired plus two free scientists. I mostly just built Confucian Missionaries for a while, making sure Huayna stayed with my religion, and also converting Alexander. Huayna founded Christianity but stayed with my Confucianism, while Alex had no native religion so was easy prey for spreading mine.
Despite the hired scientists, the first of this wave of new GPs was a Prophet at 15% odds. He went for the Confucian shrine, natch. #6 was a settled Scientist. #7 was a settled Prophet. #8 was a Scientist. #9 was a damnable Prophet. #10 was a Scientist, and then the Great Library expired at Scientific Method.
The first war of the game was Monty on Bismarck in 1400 AD, which Monty won handily with help from Japan, eliminating Germany about 200 years later.
On the hill where I'd been meticulously preserving that forest, there turned out to be *uranium*. So I had to mine it. Also the other single plains forest that I'd kept now had no health benefit, and no chance to get railroaded anytime soon, so I replaced it with a watermill.
I got a "flip" of one sizable Incan city -- it was at population 15. Definitely the biggest city I've ever flipped -- just wish I could have kept it. :) I was building the Hermitage to try to ensure that eventual flip; may as well let the wonder complete now anyway.
And this shot sums up my total economic domination:
With a lead of about twelve technologies, I was able to sandbag the Liberalism slingshot long enough to grab ASSEMBLY LINE.
OK, this is boring. I've won OCC space race on Monarch twice before, with far less of a lead than this. That's a foregone conclusion now. There will be zero suspense or interest if I go on to Alpha Centauri from here.
So let's make things interesting.