I played this game today with my two sons. They played it like a wargame. My race was enslaved twice. I could do nothing, except buy up public cards aligned with my victory condition. They nuked all of my cities, crushed my refugee nomads and forced my entire population into forced labour camps. At the end my people couldn't even cross the narrowest straits as they'd been so beaten down they couldn't build rafts any more - bombed into the stone age.
But the scoring system isn't about technological advancement, it's about cultural development. My people had invented Disney movies (which presumably they actually performed in live theatres, never having invented any metals more advanced than bronze) and other, less advanced but numerous cultural advances and lo, when the scores were totted up, I had 30 points to their 28 and 26!
I've never had such a miserable time winning a game.
The last time I played this game I got a couple of Move cards and just made a run for the far corner of the board. I had a little island to myself, added a few cubes, moved one to share another island.
Lo and behold ten minutes later when I'm sure I'm DFL we count up the points and I won. Everyone else had kind of deadly-embraced each other and I was left the sole owner of one small island, enough to win the game. My initial impression was, "I should have paid more attention."
4 players...all experienced Taj Mahal players....if a bit drunk some?
I failed *big time* at the first two regions and got only dimes compared to my investments...
I decided...well I go for beer(s) and for the rest of the game I just go all-in whole time (continue if I could have some assets to get).
A suicide strategy par none.
Initially looked silly. Some good scores there and there though...
Somehow two big scorings around regions 7-9 and I was suddenly up there...
...but with low steam...and I was halted for some time...
And the final region...I played my last two cards...
...which turned into some crucial assets!!!!
After all dust was settled I had 1VP more than 2nd and 2VP more than 3rd (4th was distant 4th)....
All-in suicide strategy....worked just once and only once....I jokingly tried this afterwards some times....once I scored 2nd place (way behind the eventual winner).