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One of the many strategies which can be used at the beginning of the game is called REX. (coined by me 
) It stands for Rapid Early Expansion.
This can work for any civ but works best with Industrious and Expansionist civs. You will see why is an instant
Rapid Early Expansion is a strategy designed to keep pace with the AI expansion in Civ3. It is designed to give you a good chunk of land with which to work with. It is also designed to keep pace, or even surpass the AI in its expansion. More land equals more resources. The more resources you have, the better off you will be. you will be less dependant on other civs to give you stuff to help your empire function properly.
Expansionist Pottery, better stuff from barb villages, extra scout plus ability to build scout
Industrious Masonry, Workers work twice as fast (200%), extra production in city center
These two are very good for a REX start because the workers work faster meaning that you can connect your cities with roads faster, and you start with a scout.
I On you mark, get set, REX!
A. Your first and second cities
You want to found your first city exactly where it is placed, unless there is a very tantalizing resource nearby. Your scout should be out exploring the sourrondings, and tipping barb huts. Start in one direction, and continue that way until you have gone about 4-6 spaces from the capital. If you havn't found a suitable city site, go in another direction until you do. You should find a city site by turn 3 at the latest.
If there is a fresh water supply around, your worker should irrigate, until you have found a good city site, the build roads in that direction. If there is no fresh water, then building roads to a nearby resource or mining hills is also a good option
The city should build a cheap defensive unit. In most cases this will be the warrior. The first one is built to protect the city. If after the first one is built, the city doesn't have size 3 yet (ie. this city is not in an ideal spot) you should build another warrior, or another scout. The first one is fortified in the city, the second one will be used as an escort.
After the scout has found the first city scout, you send him to find the secound. This should be done mostly in concentric circles, so by your 5th city or so, your capital should be surrounded. If (as is the case) the terrain in a certain direction is not appealing (desert, mountains, tundra, ocean) you can earmark that later for colony building or later expansion. These inhospitalble lands usually contain the best resources. While your scout explore city sites, it should also try to find the nearest civilization and try to make contact with them and also try to make a peace treaty.
Now lets assume that this is what was build in your city: Warrior, Warrior, Settler.
The second warrior will first act as a defense for the settler while it goes to the pre selected city site (by now a road should go all the way there) When the city is founded, you use it as the first defensive unit. Your capital will now build a city improvement or another unit. The second city should build first the cheapest city improvement (temple, grainary) and then a settler. (if it hasn't reached 3 yet, then let it build a warrior. Now just repeat.
Construction Queue
Capital: Warrior, (warrior/scout/settler), (settler/city improvement/ unit)
City 2: city improvement, (warrior/scout/settler), (settler/city improvement/unit)
II The End of REX
REX ends in any direction when: (1) Your cities borders encounter another civilizations borders (2) The land is no longer suitable to build cities in or (3) Your cities are too far from your capital and have from 50% to total corruption. If you are aggresivly REX'ing north, and you encounter another civ, then you can continue REX'ing west until you reach the ocean. At the end of REX, your culture should be low, but your infrarstructure should be the finest in the known world. All of your cities should be connected by roads, some should have mines and/or iirgation and some of the known luxeries and strategic resources should be connected to your city.
III The End of an Era-The Start of the Next
After REX-ing to your limit, you should then consolidate. Typically what I will do is build culture producing city improvments in cities which have contact with other civs. All cities should have the basic one (temple) but these outer cities should have the more advanced ones which come with tech improvementsThe cities on the interior and cities which have no contact with other civs will have to build defensive units and offensive units to protect the empire. When you think you have enough defense, then you should start building culture in all of your cities. Ususally your standing army can be upgraded all the way to the modern era, so you only have to worry about build ing more units if you go to war over a strategic resource or city (which is ok. A REX-ed empire is very strong because everything is very developed by the middle to end of the ancient era)
) It stands for Rapid Early Expansion.This can work for any civ but works best with Industrious and Expansionist civs. You will see why is an instant
Rapid Early Expansion is a strategy designed to keep pace with the AI expansion in Civ3. It is designed to give you a good chunk of land with which to work with. It is also designed to keep pace, or even surpass the AI in its expansion. More land equals more resources. The more resources you have, the better off you will be. you will be less dependant on other civs to give you stuff to help your empire function properly.
Expansionist Pottery, better stuff from barb villages, extra scout plus ability to build scout
Industrious Masonry, Workers work twice as fast (200%), extra production in city center
These two are very good for a REX start because the workers work faster meaning that you can connect your cities with roads faster, and you start with a scout.
I On you mark, get set, REX!
A. Your first and second cities
You want to found your first city exactly where it is placed, unless there is a very tantalizing resource nearby. Your scout should be out exploring the sourrondings, and tipping barb huts. Start in one direction, and continue that way until you have gone about 4-6 spaces from the capital. If you havn't found a suitable city site, go in another direction until you do. You should find a city site by turn 3 at the latest.
If there is a fresh water supply around, your worker should irrigate, until you have found a good city site, the build roads in that direction. If there is no fresh water, then building roads to a nearby resource or mining hills is also a good option
The city should build a cheap defensive unit. In most cases this will be the warrior. The first one is built to protect the city. If after the first one is built, the city doesn't have size 3 yet (ie. this city is not in an ideal spot) you should build another warrior, or another scout. The first one is fortified in the city, the second one will be used as an escort.
After the scout has found the first city scout, you send him to find the secound. This should be done mostly in concentric circles, so by your 5th city or so, your capital should be surrounded. If (as is the case) the terrain in a certain direction is not appealing (desert, mountains, tundra, ocean) you can earmark that later for colony building or later expansion. These inhospitalble lands usually contain the best resources. While your scout explore city sites, it should also try to find the nearest civilization and try to make contact with them and also try to make a peace treaty.
Now lets assume that this is what was build in your city: Warrior, Warrior, Settler.
The second warrior will first act as a defense for the settler while it goes to the pre selected city site (by now a road should go all the way there) When the city is founded, you use it as the first defensive unit. Your capital will now build a city improvement or another unit. The second city should build first the cheapest city improvement (temple, grainary) and then a settler. (if it hasn't reached 3 yet, then let it build a warrior. Now just repeat.
Construction Queue
Capital: Warrior, (warrior/scout/settler), (settler/city improvement/ unit)
City 2: city improvement, (warrior/scout/settler), (settler/city improvement/unit)
II The End of REX
REX ends in any direction when: (1) Your cities borders encounter another civilizations borders (2) The land is no longer suitable to build cities in or (3) Your cities are too far from your capital and have from 50% to total corruption. If you are aggresivly REX'ing north, and you encounter another civ, then you can continue REX'ing west until you reach the ocean. At the end of REX, your culture should be low, but your infrarstructure should be the finest in the known world. All of your cities should be connected by roads, some should have mines and/or iirgation and some of the known luxeries and strategic resources should be connected to your city.
III The End of an Era-The Start of the Next
After REX-ing to your limit, you should then consolidate. Typically what I will do is build culture producing city improvments in cities which have contact with other civs. All cities should have the basic one (temple) but these outer cities should have the more advanced ones which come with tech improvementsThe cities on the interior and cities which have no contact with other civs will have to build defensive units and offensive units to protect the empire. When you think you have enough defense, then you should start building culture in all of your cities. Ususally your standing army can be upgraded all the way to the modern era, so you only have to worry about build ing more units if you go to war over a strategic resource or city (which is ok. A REX-ed empire is very strong because everything is very developed by the middle to end of the ancient era)
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