Byzantines — wood → gold land race

Recorded community opener for Byzantines. Early income is woodcutters on forest; mountains go to gold mines (and a short iron spike). Later the race shifts explore focus (forest → all land → mountains → plains) while gold and mage towers carry the score.

Numbers are from one strong run — use them as targets, not hard rules. Live modifiers: Civilizations. General opener: Protection start.

Idea

1. Jan–Jun 1000 — Toolmakers + woodcutters; mine-production research; skim quiet months.
2. Jul–Dec 1000 — Hunters on free forest, fill mountains (iron then gold), start town centers.
3. 1001–mid 1004 — Explore forest for income, plains for TCs; woodcutters are the bank until gold takes over.
4. ~1004 — Explore all land, still mainly forest income; farms taper off.
5. ~1007 — Pivot explore to mountains; ramp gold + toolmakers + mage towers.
6. ~1009 — Explore plains; put new hunters on forest; stables when explore cost bites.

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Protection opener (monthly)

Jan 1000

• Queue 19 toolmakers
• Queue 1 woodcutter
• Queue 19 toolmakers
• Queue 205 woodcutters
• Food ratio: Extremely High
• Research: Mine Production
• Explore: 40 forest
• Toolmakers: 0%
• End turn

Feb–Apr 1000

• End turn each month (triple pops possible in March)

May 1000

• Queue max woodcutters (22)
• Queue 48 toolmakers
• End turn

Jun 1000

• Queue max woodcutters (5) — top priority
• End turn

Jul 1000

• Explore: 40 forest
• Queue max hunters (10)
• Queue iron mines (80)
• End turn

Aug 1000

• Queue max hunters (10)
• Queue 16 gold mines
• End turn
• Double crops this month

Sep 1000

• Queue max hunters (6)
• Queue 24 gold mines
• End turn

Oct 1000

• Queue max hunters (6)
• Queue 24 gold mines
• Food ratio: Very High
• End turn

Nov 1000

• Queue max hunters (4)
• Queue 24 gold mines
• End turn

Dec 1000

• Queue max hunters (7) — low priority
• Queue 2 gold mines
• Queue 3 town centers — top priority
• End turn

Jan 1001

• Queue max hunters (2)
• Queue 3 town centers
• Queue max toolmakers (8)
• Explore: 52 wood
• End turn

Feb 1001

• Queue max hunters (9)
• Queue 3 town centers
• Queue max toolmakers (10)
• End turn

Mar 1001

• Queue max hunters (9)
• Queue 3 town centers
• Queue max toolmakers (10)
• Explore: 24 wood
• End turn

Apr 1001

• Queue max hunters (14)
• Queue 2 town centers
• Queue toolmakers (20) → about 150 toolmakers total
• Queue max farms (18)
• End turn

May 1001

• Queue max hunters (23)
• Queue max farms (73)
• Queue 1 town center
• End turn

Jun 1001

• Queue 13 hunters
• Queue 8 woodcutters
• Queue 4 town centers
• End turn

Jul 1001 — checkpoint

From here: explore forest for income, plains for town centers (and other support). Woodcutters are the main income until gold takes over.

Oct 1001

• Food ratio: Very High

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Mid game snapshots

Jan 1002

Hunter 169 · Farm 111 · Woodcutter 343 · Iron 100 · Gold 100 · Toolmakers 150 · TC 60 · Market 10 · House 50

Jul 1002

Hunter 169 · Farm 111 · Woodcutter 420 · Iron 96 · Gold 104 · Toolmakers 175 · TC 91 · Market 10 · House 50

Jan 1003

Hunter 169 · Farm 111 · Woodcutter 569 · Iron 73 · Gold 130 · Toolmakers 175 · TC 121 · Market 20 · House 50

Jul 1003

Hunter 169 · Farm 111 · Woodcutter 830 · Iron 37 · Gold 194 · Toolmakers 200 · TC 144 · Market 20 · House 50

Jan 1004

Hunter 169 · Farm 90 · Woodcutter 1 142 · Iron 0 · Gold 251 · Toolmakers 225 · TC 172 · Market 30 · House 50

Pivot: explore all land (not only plains). Forests still fund the boom.

Jul 1004

Hunter 169 · Farm 20 · Woodcutter 1 472 · Gold 307 · Toolmakers 300 · TC 197 · Market 55 · House 50

Jan 1005

Hunter 169 · Farm 0 · Woodcutter 1 780 · Gold 391 · Toolmakers 300 · TC 234 · Market 80 · House 50

Jul 1005

Hunter 169 · Woodcutter 2 053 · Gold 484 · Toolmakers 600 · TC 280 · Market 100 · House 50

Jan 1006

Hunter 169 · Woodcutter 2 435 · Gold 766 · Toolmakers 600 · TC 337 · Market 100 · House 50

Jul 1006

Hunter 400 · Woodcutter 2 896 · Gold 937 · Toolmakers 600 · Mage towers 6 · TC 391 · Market 120 · House 50

Jan 1007

Hunter 400 · Woodcutter 3 587 · Gold 1 077 · Toolmakers 600 · Mage towers 20 · TC 434 · Market 175 · House 50

Pivot: explore mountains instead of forests.

Jul 1007

Hunter 400 · Woodcutter 3 928 · Gold 1 242 · Toolmakers 1 000 · Mage towers 50 · TC 496 · Market 225 · House 50

Jan 1008

Hunter 400 · Woodcutter 4 106 · Gold 2 416 · Toolmakers 1 000 · Mage towers 70 · TC 496 · Market 225 · House 200

Jul 1008

Hunter 400 · Woodcutter 4 182 · Gold 3 077 · Toolmakers 1 080 · Mage towers 200 · TC 515 · Market 225 · House 300

Jan 1009

Hunter 400 · Woodcutter 4 325 · Gold 4 122 · Toolmakers 1 200 · Mage towers 282 · TC 525 · Market 250 · House 450

Pivot: explore plains (not all land). Build extra hunters on forest.

Jul 1009

Hunter 485 · Woodcutter 4 404 · Gold 5 104 · Toolmakers 1 350 · Mage towers 313 · TC 550 · Market 325 · House 550

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Late race (yearly)

Woodcutters stay capped around 4 404 from here; growth is gold, mages, TCs, markets, houses — then stables when explore gets expensive.

Land at Sep 1026: Mountain 304 759 · Forest 26 220 · Plains 323 990 (free M 2 333 · F 506 · P 5 374).

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Checklist

• Mine-production research early; toolmakers before the wood flood
• Mountains: brief iron → then gold; don’t leave free mountain idle
• Food via hunters (and temporary farms); drop farms as wood/gold carry food ratio
• Explore phases: forest income → plains/TCs → all land → mountains → plains again
• Cap woodcutters once gold is the bank; reinvest in gold, tools, mages, TCs
• Stables when explore cost spikes; keep horses on explore as needed