Played the first edition a while back, played smoothly iirc
We played it once after dozens of digital games. It is long and fiddly. The game is great, but this is one where the app improves the experience tremendously.
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Back when I was okay with having one game taking six hours, I was happy to play the physical version. But with the app as an option, it is hard to recommend the physical version given the length of the game and the downtime between turns.
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I got an indecent amount of amusement from combining Communism with Charlie Chaplin. (I had to choose between picking Churchill and Communism, but I had stayed with Despotism too long by then and desperately needed the higher civil action allowance and urban building limit.) Then a declaration of war by @HostileApostle forced me to develop nuclear weapons to defend, albeit unsuccessfully. What a bizarre game. 
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Wow - blistering speed and high scores! Nice work!
PS. @doublebullout I found the choice between Churchill and Communism even more amusing than the combination of Communism and Chaplinā¦ 
Definitely went against my political preferences there. Itās just a game, right? LOL.
The more interesting choice was between Air Force and the Manhattan Project wonder. I could have buffed my strength to a max of 34 to exceed @HostileApostleās strength of 31, or gone nuclear and matched it at 31 and prevented anyone else from getting nukes. Since the war would resolve on @HostileApostleās Politics phase and give him the decision to accept a tie instead of only win or lose, I chose to build nukes to match strength levels and gamble on a little nuclear brinksmanship, Building Air Force units instead would have just forced a loss for me anyway. Sadly, @HostileApostle chose victory over peace with dignity.
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My actions were not a political statement at all. I was just scrambling for any kind of points I could find.
My engine was so far behind. I couldnāt do anything, but attack.
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I think he got that because of his Himeji Castle which allowed a unit to be doubled in power at cost of sacrifice.
Thatās why I never really tried to get over the top of him in military, because it seemed safer to stay matched.
Plus, I think we had a pact?
Yes, Himeji Castle allowed him to sacrifice a unit to get back over.
Hmm, do you have to sacrifice when you declare the attack, when the attack resolves? Would be an interesting tactic to balanc those
Units for Himeji have to be sacrificed at the resolution of a War, or when the Aggression is played. If the attacker has the Castle, they must sacrifice before the defender responds with Defense cards.
This wonder is an attempt to bring back the combat from the original Through the Ages, where either player could sacrifice units to double their power in Aggressions and Wars. This made end game Wars more powerful in the original, though if I remember correctly, you could not sacrifice units in Age IV.
Aggressions weāre also more powerful, as you could only discard Defense cards in response to Aggressions. There was no option to discard any card for +1 strength.
Good game to @js619 and @Mirefox I just tried to stay just barely ahead in military to discourage anyone, and then just stacked wonders. Just lined up right.
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Table 3 complete, good game @jason1002 and @johnl! I got some decent culture and military going early and rode it out to the end.
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Great game @geigerm and @Codington! I managed to get some good draws with the colonies, but it was close till the endā¦
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Darn! Thought I had 2nd place but it was the usual āif only I had one more turnā or if I had finished that wonder in Age III. I also completely messed up my last Political action by playing āImpact of Scienceā and then realizing that I needed to do something other than boost my science in that last turn! 
Good game though and congrats @feederofgoats!
Yeah, Iām thrilled to come out of that one with second place. Spent a lot of time worrying about my military, only to realize fairly late that I wasnāt doing enough to gain culture or get a big enough military lead to take any by force.
Well played, both of you, and congrats to @feederofgoats on the win.
Table 2:
@SpiceTheCat got himself into some trouble in the mid game with no defenses. I tried to offer him a Pact of Military Protection (a pact I almost exclusively only offer when I would get the strength, but I had no Aggressions and didnāt want @kyakerdude to get a big advantage). Kyakerdude got one Aggression off, but I won a War on Territory for 5 population to compensate. I was still worried @KYakerDude might be able to pull off a War on Culture against him late game though (and I had yet to draw one). Fortunately, I finally drew one, and declared war on Kyakerdude on the last turn when he had limited resources and science.
Good game all!
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Iām liking this game less and less due to the aggression aspect. I suppose it is an important part of the game. When I lose (not really if) I usually sustain some sort of military defeat. Iāve tried to play peacefully without building up a strong military but that clearly has not worked. So I tried to focus a little more on military this game. I didnāt like hitting @SpiceTheCat with Aggressions especially right after @Hardco did, (I think Hardco hit SpiceTheCat again) the end result was that @SpiceTheCatās economy was shattered and he was basically out of the game. But without doing so, I had no way of catching up with Hardco or having the resources to defend myself from Hardco. I think I had a War on Culture card late in the game but got rid of it because I didnāt think I would actually use it. Apparently it is an important part of winning.
Ugh.
Ironic that the end of the game Hardco had Gandhi as a leader and had more that twice the military as anyone else.
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