Gandhi start on Warlords

[Thrak]

Not sure if anyone else has noticed, but the trait changes to Gandhi have given him access to a really nice starting strategy I've been abusing - its a variant of the CS slingshot that lets you slingshot really early, sometimes before 2000 bc.

Basically it goes like this:

research polytheism
build worker
finish poly, found hinduism
research bronzeworking
finish worker, build anything while you grow*
mine with worker until bw, then pre-chop
research priesthood
finish priesthood, build temple, chop it or pop rush @ 20 hammers
research writing
use priest specialist
build oracle, time it to finish 1 turn after great person pops*
research meditation
use great prophet on code of laws
use oracle on civil service

* as a variant here you can put production in stonehenge and chop for it before the oracle, for the extra GPP

The nice thing about this is that you can then diversify your research quite early while reaping the benefits of 50% extra commerce/hammers

(If you are ever lucky enough to get bronze working from a hut, this is a crazy strategy! )

PS this is on Monarch

[Prussia]

Sounds good.

Don't quite understand it, but it sounds like it would work.

[Thrak]

Basically, by avoiding masonry your great prophet will discover code of laws for you (as long as you research all the other religious techs like meditiation too).

But you're right looking back on it, thats some not-very-well-explained stuff right there.

To test it I did it last night off my first start on a monarch random map thing.

[rah]

I've done something similar many times.
Use the oracle to get code of law and following a similar tech path, the first GP will lightbulb civil service (or at least 95% of it) This way the timing isn't as critical and you can use the oracle to help pump out the GP. With an industrious civ you can chop oracle pretty early to keep someone else from grabbing it and then you can take your time getting the GP because nobody can stop that one. You can even research mediation after you get the great person so you can research some of those land improvement techs to get those cottages up earlier.

[Dis]

I don't know how you guys use the Oracle for these slingshots. It's the wonder I can never get (along with great wall and pyramids).

[Thrak]

well, I never found getting the oracle a rush with this strat, and I normally grab stonehenge as well

I prefer to grab civil 100% and goto beau asap tho, the prod bonus is great, its like being imperialistic for your first settler.

Ofc, if you are industrial, you can't be phi. I'm not 100% but after grabbing masonry and org rel, I know the prophets lightbulb monarchy and theology (not sure which order) but theocracy that early rocks for a nice military campaign - if you beeline construction it gets sick (especially with elephants).

[One_more_turn]

AI usually builds the Oracle by 1200BC at Monarch level. If you get COL by then, you should be able to accomplish the CS-slingshot. Around 1500-1400BC, there is usually a big barb rush. So be prepared.

[Thrak]

I find it generally builds it later than that in warlords although that was certainly the case in vanilla civ.

Never experienced a big barb rush at 1400BC tho tbh.

[Blaupanzer]

Raging Barbs setting guarantees that rush in my experience. The higher up the difficulty level you go, the quicker each of the wonders get built by the AI. Above Noble, I find it very hard to get any of the ancient wonders unless I pick an IND-traited leader.

[MikeH]

Played 3 games on Prince on Warlords, got the Oracle every time and none of them were IND leaders. I'm sure it's much harder on higher levels, but if you deliberately aim for it at prince there's no reason you can't get it with any leader.

[Dis]

So when do you guys start building wonders? I think I wait too long (like when I get 4 cities up and running). I hate being locked down building a wonder before then. I need another city to crank out settlers, and another to build military troops. so I need at least 3 before building a wonder.

[rah]

That's your problem with wonders.
I usually start one after the second city is down. But I usually build a couple of extra warriors before starting my settler to let the cap get to size three.

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by Dis
So when do you guys start building wonders? I think I wait too long (like when I get 4 cities up and running). I hate being locked down building a wonder before then. I need another city to crank out settlers, and another to build military troops. so I need at least 3 before building a wonder.

You're waiting WAY too long. As soon as a second city is down I move to a wonder. If I can chop something cheap like Stonehenge, even sooner.

[SirIlya]

Originally posted by MikeH
Played 3 games on Prince on Warlords, got the Oracle every time and none of them were IND leaders. I'm sure it's much harder on higher levels, but if you deliberately aim for it at prince there's no reason you can't get it with any leader.

I never find getting the Oracle out to be a problem on Monarch. It is a relatively cheap wonder and easily chopped.

The race is getting CoL researched fast enough.

[MikeH]

Yeah, definitely. I often just compromise and take metal casting, the idea being I can rush a forge in my first expansion city and hopefully get a great engineer to build a big wonder like the pyramids (before the capital with the oracle pops a GP)