I managed to piss off the whole world, leaving my only friends Ramses, Augustus, and Lincoln. After a tenuous DoW on almost everybody, Religion was the only thing keeping all of the above from eating me alive, as all were my neighbors. William Von Douchbag used to be, until he DoWed Washington and left the holy city open. I couldn't resist, having popped out Stonehenge earlier. Stalin, the honestly quite capable underdog in about every game I play with him, had managed to hold out against all odds against me so far.
And I mean we've had 5 wars by the time the AP was built, 3 by me, and 2 by him. He only had 2 cities left before Augustus took whatever he had behind him.
So, I wipe out William and take my rightful place as warmonger-prophet of Islam, (go team Jihad). But then suddenly a wave of DoWs as everybody with a superior economy techs up heavy footmen, leaving me with antiquated warfare means. I was able to catapult the first three waves from Qin Shi. Gilgamesh, and Zara easy enough, and held back Hayua at only one lost edge city (which I didn't care about given how contested that ground was), but then comes Justinian with his goddamn cataphracti just 3 turns before I get engineering. I was boned. And when he started rocking me even Augustus joined in.
I had -9 and -10 on a few of the leaders from 'you declared war on our friends!'
CIV