The period of initial survival and early horizontal expansion has passed. Now we enter the inevitable "can't expand any further until we tech up" phase, a part of the game that has worn thin on me faster than I would have thought. (Kylearan has mentioned it, too. The sameness of the strategy forced on players by the game's economics. City maintenance bills are the "new corruption" and they actually provide fewer valid options than the old approach. ICS has been eliminated, but at what cost? Clearly, the last chapter on how best to design the economics for an empire game is yet to be written.)

My first combat picture:

The camera doesn't rotate and zoom in when you're on defense, only on offense -- and this is only my second battle on offense from the entire game!

I have to protect the road to the iron, so any enemy units on pillage duty must be attacked in the field. This will lead to much higher casualty rates for me. (Up to this point, I've only lost one land unit. That's one, total, for the whole game to this point!)

Here it is, my little empire by the sea, in a relatively protected pocket not unlike that of historical Rome.

I've got six cottages at Rome, only two at Antium, none yet at Cumae, one at Neapolis, with more to come in the southeast, but too much risk yet to build them along the front. (How long will it be before I can get those Cows hooked up at Ravenna? Let's just say, "Don't hold your breath!")

My armed forces:

Only four warriors. That's three Medics plus the Forester, who is stationed permanently in the south to keep that pocket of tundra lit up and prevent any barb units from appearing down there. (I'm never going to settle there. Can't afford it!)

I'm four and a half hours in to this game and killed over a hundred fifty enemy units, while having lost only one (on land).

That's right! My record on land is 156-1, while my record at sea is 0-1. ... There's something distinctly fishy about that!

My exploring Axemen found the north shore, thick with jungle and popped two huts. The first was hostile, to no useful effect, while the second provided a cash infusion.

Finally I manage to limp along to researching Monarchy.

This will allow me to connect Wines, as well as swap to Hereditary Rule. This will allow me to grow my cities larger, which in most cases means not more production but more Cottages or coastal tiles (more income). With Rice and Corn connected, and Fish, and being Expansionist, there's plenty of Health to go around. Happiness is what has been holding me back and now the lid will come off.

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