last updated by cracker – January 4, 2003

Zagnutrabi of the Babylonian Heroes Guild

Zagnutrabi shares with the world his process of discovering the real value of early game play skills on Deity.

Postscript:  This is my first Deity game and, in retrospect, I should have read some of the Forum posts about how to play before I started.   But, I started cold and learned the hard way.  It seems from the posts that it is customary to be behind, but I seem to be way behind.  Final score Persia 748, Babylon 243.  No other civs contacted.  Persia has 16 cities and I have only 5.  However, I shall play on valiantly.  I am British, after all, and we pride ourselves on putting up the good fight.

4000 - Worker goes to west.  Capital built on start square.  Start building warrior

3950 - Worker starts road on square immediately to west of capital.

3800 - Road finished, start mine.

3750 - Warrior finished, sent north.

3550 - Unrest in Babylon, provide entertainment.

3500 - Cultural boundaries expand, revealing barb camp to NW.  Mine finished.  Move worker to north to build road on plains.  Warrior along to protect.

3450 - Second warrior finished.  Send him toward barb camp.  Start settler.

3400 - Barb camp attacked.  3 barb warriors disturbed.

3350 - My warrior dispatches one barb.  2 others advance on undefended Babylon.  Move remaining warrior and worker into Babylon.

3300 - Warrior in Babylon kills one barb.  Other barb pillages road/mine to west - disaster!  Move worker out of Babylon to begin road to north.

3250 - Barb attacks Babylon.  My warrior has 3 hp and barb has 2, but barb wins and pillages my capital.

3100 - Bring warrior back to capital.  Worker completes road on plains and begins irrigation.  Switch production of settler to spearman.

3000 - Spearman completed and fortified. Warrior moved north to protect worker.  History of the World tells me I am the unhappiest civ!

2900 - Irrigation complete just north of capital.  Send worker to east to irrigate wheat square.

2670 - Warrior exploring north and east.  Worker building road to irrigated square.

2550 - Road complete to irrigated square.  Worker moved to bonus square just west of capital to reconstruct road/mine pillaged by barbs.  Reduced research to 10% - Warrior Code in 11 turns.  Increased luxuries by one to enable me to get entire population of Babylon back to work.  Previously had to have one entertainer to eliminate unrest.

2470 - Finally get a settler built.  Send him north with spearman for company.  Building spearman in Babylon.

2350 - Get settler to square where I want to build city and Persia builds a city in the same turn.

2310 - Move one space SE and build city by forest with game.  I am afraid I am not long for this game.

2270 - Try to trade with Persia.  It has 6 technologies that I do not.  It will not trade for anything but Warrior Code which I am 5 turns from getting.  I decide not to trade.

2230 - Here I forgot to keep this summary and am trying to construct it from memory.

2190 - Built settler in capital and sent it with warrior to the east over the mountains.  Persia is developing to the north and I apparently have lost the advantage there.

2070 - Bowman complete in both Ur and Babylon.  Persia is sending spearman and warrior SW toward Babylon.  Maneuver both bowman and a warrior to head them off and turn them back.

1990 - Settlers being constructed in both Ur and Babylon.

1750 - Third city of Nineveh constructed to east of Babylon.  Here I am back on the summary in real time.

1675 - Persian spearman and warrior heading home.  Send warrior in Nineveh to the north to see what is on the other side of the mountains.  One bowman heads NW from Babylon to explore area to the west of the Persian city of Gordium which is just north of Ur.

1625 - Warrior going north from Nineveh finds flood plain on other side of mountains.  Decide to try to head there and build city.  Bowman heading north from Babylon is shadowing the departing Persians.

1600 - Departing Persians turn east and appear to be headed for Ur.  Bowman also turns east in forest.  Trade with Persians.  Only thing I can afford is Pottery.  They want 140 gold.  I negotiate them down to 121.  Still have 101 gold left.  Worker completes road to forest with game NE of Ur.  That also connects to Persian city of Gordium, but cannot trade for luxuries so Gordium not connected to capital.  Do not know location of Persian capital.  Worker moved to plain SE of Ur to build road and irrigate.

1575 - Persian spearman and warrior turn south toward Babylon.  Move 2 bowman and warrior to block them. Babylon goes into unrest.  Give it some entertainment to calm them down.

1550 - Babylon builds settler and I send him to NW to build city on floodplain west of Gordium.  Still trying to block Persian troops.

1500 - Settler built in Ur.  Send it east to build in floodplain east of Gordium.  Warrior back in Nineveh.

1450 - Try to trade with Persian.  No luck.  They want all my gold.

1425 - History of the World has me as the smallest civ.  Persia has 13 cities, I have 3, with 2 more about to be built.

1400 - Ashur built east of Gordium.  Ellipi built NW of Gordium. 

1375 - Concentrating on building defensive units and workers.

1325 - Trade Persians 72 gold for gems.  They have 5 techs for trade.  However, for 3 they will not accept any offer and for the remaining 2 they want all of my gold plus 8 per turn.  I only have 12 per turn and so reject.

1275 - Worker at Nineveh completes road to NW, starts on mine. 

1250 - Spearman produced at Nineveh.  Send warrior to east to explore.  Worker built in Ur.  Send him NW to start road to connect to Ellipi.

1200 - Spearman produced in Babylon.  Send him to Ur.

1175 - Delhi has completed Pyramids.

1125 - Warrior going to east discovers Persian city of Ergili.  Persia has me surrounded except for some grassland to the east of Nineveh.

1100 - Indians have completed the Great Lighthouse.  Persia has me outscored 690 to 229.

1075 - Chinese have completed Great Library.

1050 - Settler built in Babylon is sent to grassland east of Nineveh to build new city.  Persians are also headed that way but I think I will beat them.

1025 - Send worker at Ashur to block Persian settler and spearman heading for Nineveh east.

1000 - Persian settler and spearman intrude into Ashur’s cultural boundary.  I do not challenge them to leave as I am much weaker than Persia.  Send an additional worker to block them.   Persia also lands settler and spearman in jungle area SW of Babylon.  It wants the dyes there and I failed to secure them.  Now it is too late.