In our single-player chapter, we went through a full game of Civilization, talked about the ups and downs of our strategy, and watched while it all played out. It's time to do the same thing with a multiplayer match.
In the interest of showing off more of the game's peaceful advances (like we were supposed to do in the single-player game), we're both attempting to win via more peaceful methods.
Our Setup
| Players | Michael Lummis and Chris Burton |
| Nations | Poland and Russia |
| Map Type | Continents |
| Map Size | Small |
| Difficulty Level | Prince |
| Game Pace | Normal |
We Begin
Turn 1: 4000 BC
Chris Burton Comments
I start on a hill by a river surrounded by Copper, Stone, and various animals. This is a good land. My starting Tech is Animal Husbandry, since I'm next to cattle. I'm off to explore and find some ruins. Yay! Got Pottery, free of charge.
Michael Lummis Comments
Wow! Great starting Luxuries. Not a very defensive area, but I have a coastal city with great potential. This place is just sick! No ruins early on. I'm Exploring all around my city, but it's a ghost town here. The ruins I finally got just told me about barbarian encampments.
Turn 10: 3600 BC
Chris Burton Comments
Nothing new going on.
Michael Lummis Comments
I received a free Population point from some ruins; that's always a crazy perk. My first push with Policies is into the Liberty line. With Chris and me facing off against each other, I expect to have a considerable amount of land. Liberty is the clear choice for exploiting that.
Turn 20: 3200 BC
Chris Burton Comments
Fighting barbarians now and contemplating expansion. I've met Melbourne and adopted Honor, since we're surrounded by barbarians.
Michael Lummis Comments
I met two City-States and have explored to the west, finding the edges of my territory. There's coast everywhere, so I should be able to create a strong naval power. There's plenty of Fish. I'm thinking that Exploration will be a strong Branch later in this game. I'm going to be rich.
Turn 40: 2400 BC
Chris Burton Comments
Thanks to some ruins, I got Bronze Working. I'm building a military to deal with the barbarians. Now I need to decide: learn about land or sea? I'm thinking of heading toward Optics so that we can prosper on the water when I build a new city. I decided to pursue a religious path. Adopting Piety.
Michael Lummis Comments
I pushed to get Writing quickly and ran for the Great Library. Snagged that and popped Iron Working with my free Tech. This threw me into the Classical Era and gave me a free Policy (thanks Poland!). I'm grabbing more Liberty Policies. Already had my free Worker from them, and now I'm working toward my free Settler. Oh yeah!
Turn 60: 1600 BC
Chris Burton Comments
With a Settler on the way, it's time to clear out that nice peninsula we spotted. Sending Spearmen and a Scout; hopefully that'll be enough.Gah! Our Worker got captured, and we lost one of our best Scouts while trying to get the Worker back. Fortunately, our Settler is on the way now.
Michael Lummis Comments
Settled my second city, free of charge, while my Capital sticks with Wonder building. My economy is sludge, but that's to be expected right now. I'm going to grab the Pyramids to really jumpstart my tile improvements. Barbarians are trying to hassle me, and my military isn't tough enough to clear them out. I'm keeping the barbarians close to the cities and killing their units with city ranged attacks and my bloody Scout. This is silly, but it's working. If Chris (or anyone) were on the continent, I'd be fish food.
Turn 80: 875 BC
Chris Burton Comments
It's time to found a religion and start spreading the word. We've found a connection to the mainland by a small spit of land. That would be a good place to defend Russia. We've founded a religion based on stone circles. That's ideal, because we're working on Stonehenge, and there's plenty of Stone around here. But, there are barbarian Swordsmen now.Novgorod, the new city to the north, was founded a bit too far away. I don't have the Worker time or money to build roads to it yet.
Michael Lummis Comments
Finished the Pyramids and have made a nice road network. Happiness is fine for now, so another city should be on the horizon. I’ll have Krakow do that once it gets a little bit bigger. I’m hoping to score the Colossus as well. I'm going a bit Wonder crazy, but I don't think Chris and I can meet until we have deep water access. And by then, I suspect I'll be able to punish his forces even if he breaks our agreement for peace.
Turn 100: 375 BC
Chris Burton Comments
One turn! Stonehenge was one turn away from being finished!
Michael Lummis Comments
Starting a new round of settling. I'm still munching Wonders in the Capital, so my secondary city is going to be the source of military units and Settlers. On turn 86, I finished Stonehenge (late, but I figured why not). Chris glared and laughed from the other computer. I get the feeling that he might have been working on that. Confirmed: I got that feeling because he just told me that he was working on it. I'm both sad and happy. But that's better than being just sad.
Turn 120: 125 AD
Chris Burton Comments
Finally, I've got a Trade Caravan with Melbourne to get some positive income. Once we get a Cargo Ship, I'll be able to afford to connect Novgorod to my Capital.
Michael Lummis Comments
My third and fourth cities are settled and growing quickly. My Workers are so fast (with Liberty and the Pyramids) that getting roads and early improvements took almost no time. New Luxuries are supporting the shift in Happiness, so that's not slowing me down at all. Income is still low, but I'm working on that. I'm going to settle a fifth city near Lake Victoria; that Natural Wonder is awesome. I would be even better in the early game, but we're still spreading out nicely.
Turn 140: 600 AD
Chris Burton Comments
I'm eying the desert to the east for its Incense. Russia is poor, technologically backwards, and having trouble connecting our cities, but my people have lots of faith that it will get better.
Michael Lummis Comments
I'm working on the better naval Technologies while my troops clear out the large, eastern side of our continent. This place is huge, and I'm starting to feel like this map is just balanced way too much in my favor. I haven't been able to make a Caravel yet, but I suspect that Chris' position isn't even remotely as awesome as this place.
Turn 160: 1000 AD
Chris Burton Comments
Finally, all the cities are connected, not only by roads, but by the one true faith.
Michael Lummis Comments
Our Wonders, Population, and economy are thriving. It's in such a state of snowballing that I don't think Chris can catch up. We've been in the Renaissance for quite a few turns already, and I think we'll hit the Industrial really early as well. The free Policies are helping quite a bit, and I'm getting Science building throughout my empire without wasting much time or cash. I did make a really stupid mistake though. I'd been working on Oxford University for a few turns (in my Capital) when I founded a new city. Very silly. This is what happens when you play late at night.
Turn 180: 1200 AD
Chris Burton Comments
We've finally met the other civilization. They are far more advanced technologically, but have strange beliefs and gods. Perhaps they should look at some of our fine holy works. The south is under the sway of our religion, and now it is time to spread it north to the military City-States along with trade. In retrospect, working on my infrastructure and trade first would have been a much better idea. Right now, I've got religion, but not much more, and my lack of money means that I'm very vulnerable to invasion.
Michael Lummis Comments
My Caravel went the long way around the world to find Chris; isn't that always what happens? Anyway, his continent is smaller, has worse tiles, and is somewhat crunched in by City-States. Back home, the City-States are along the borders, barely taking up any room. I had the dream start, and Chris got rocks and desert. I said hi, and we started exchanging Luxuries.
Turn 200: 1400 AD
Chris Burton Comments
The World Congress has been founded, with Poland as host. Russia was given a seat at the table, which we promptly used to propose a World Religion (ours). It doesn't have much hope, but it means that they'll have to block it.
Michael Lummis Comments
I'm setting up a city on the eastern portion of my continent. It's much closer to Chris' area. We're not fighting in this game, but it's force of habit. This is where I would stage an invasion.With the World Congress up and running, we're able to compete diplomatically. Chris is trying to secure a World Religion (good choice). I want Cultural Heritage Sites, because I've been a Wonder builder the entire game. I wouldn't have been able to vote his Resolution down and pass mine, except that the World Congress advanced to a new Era right before the vote. The extra votes gave me the best of both votes (yay for me, nay for Chris' religion).
Turn 220: 1550 AD
Chris Burton Comments
Rostov, our city in the desert, has finally started growing thanks to Caravans of Food from Moscow—should have done that earlier. Poland has a massive lead in Delegates, Tech, and a start on Tourism. It's highly unlikely I could compete in any of the major arenas, and if I get uppity, Michael's way more advanced in terms of his army. Fortunately, he wants to be friends and I'll concede that he's probably a way better leader for the world than Russia.
Michael Lummis Comments
I think we're going to call this. I control the World Congress, and my new City-State Allies are going to make the next vote so one-sided that I'll get my World Religion through, and then it's a no-show for Russia. I have the edge on Culture, Diplomacy, Science, and Domination.