Part 43: Ugh….

Well, let's do this. What can we do to upgrade our army?



Hmm, we need to get Machinery, I suppose. Better crossbows should help us fend off the bad guys. Also: Great Artist GO!



Wow, pretty. I appreciate that so many art pieces come from around the world.

I do need to research acoustics before researching Machinery, though. I really, really really really really want the Sistine Chapel. It increases culture by 25% in all your cities. Not only will this let us get the culture, it will prevent everyone else from getting it, and therefore, make it easier for our tourism to overtake everyone else's. Plus, it's got slots for art.

So, I hit the Rennaisance! Which gives us another free policy!



Handy. My miners finally connect iron to the network, so I can upgrade my warriors to swordsmen…and soon as I can they'll be upgraded into long swordsmen.

A few turns later I earn a policy the old-fashioned way.



The "old" Mandate of Heaven, renamed and re-moved! Handy, but it'd be handier if we had more happiness.



YES! Gahh, I was so worried I'd miss this.



A man ain't nothing but a man! Time to upgrade our sword guys.



Shaka hasn't attacked us yet. Did he get cold feet? That happens some times.



Way over here, I managed to sneak a work boat to harvest these whales…tricky, time-consuming, but totally worth it.



This gives us another trade route, and harbors now act like Caravanassaries, they extend the reach and profitability of sea trade routes.



I have a Great Musician now! They're like Great Artists and Great Writers, but instead of optionally producing a ton of culture or a Golden Age, you can send them into enemy territory and have them play a concert tour to win the hearts of the other country. I'm going to burn him on music for the moment, though. If I feel cheeky the next one I might send into Shaka's territory to bombard him with tourism.



Music!



Here's a thing. The Sistine Chapel said it wanted 2 paintings from the same era and civ. We had two paintings from the same era and civ (us), so putting both in there makes the Chapel give more culture and more tourism. Handy! This is the "Theme Bonus."



This Aesthetics policy just straight-up gives us a free Artist. A shot in the arm! I'll take it. Rembrandt, whatcha got for me?





Morocco went around spreading their religion, which annoyed me. Let's use our new Great Prophet to spread some religion in Shaka's lands! He'll appreciate it, he doesn't have a religion of his own, and a shared religion speeds tourism.

Then I get a proposal:



Ngggh…uhmm….well, no, I don't think I'll do that, Shaka. Right now you're the worst nightmare on the planet, I don't want to help you.



Who the hell is out there? Soon as I can I need to get cracking on a caravel, this is annoying me. Someone is playing the same culture game we are. Brazil? They are geared for Tourism...

But I do get a stolen tech from the zulus! Gunpowder! Thanks, Shaka! Now I can upgrade my sword guys to musket guys!



Hmm. Do I warn Gadah Maja? Heh.

State of the world, and State of Tourism!




Ooh, in only a few dozen more turns, I'll be influential over Indonesia! Heh heh.