Ganked by Gandhi: The final countdown

28 turns to go (1981): Persia complete 2nd SS Booster.

By this point Persia have already completed the SS Cockpit and two of three SS Boosters so they are nearly half way to finishing their space ship. I try to get a scouting unit to their to see what they are up to but they refuse my requests for open boarders, which is very annoying. So twenty eight turns. Twenty to build the UN and eight to wait around twiddling my thumbs while the other world leaders get round to having a vote.

24 turns to go (1985): Ottomans request help with their war on Persia. I make everyone else go to war with the Ottomans instead.

I know, that was the point, it was my idea!

19 turns to go (1991): Persia complete 3rd SS Booster.

That was quick! They now only had the SS Engine and the SS Stasis Chamber to go and I had no idea whether they had the tech to start on those projects. At this point I was starting to panic. I was really close to the victory, just 19 turns away if I got my way in the UN vote. To help my cause I was frantically stockpiling money to buy some friends (the only way to make friends that I know of). I had decided to buy as many city states as I could the turn before the vote, I reasoned it was the most cost effective way to create allies. Maximum influence for minimum expense.

15 turns to go (1995): Bismark make another demand of the Indian Empire. We've been here before.

10 turns to go (2000): Atomic Theory discovered

Ahhh! this is going too slow! I shifted to the edge of my seat. I was playing a turn based strategy on the edge of my seat... what does that say about me?

8 turns to go (2002): UN completed. COME ON! 

Such expectation... such hope... such a lot of hot air.

7 turns to go (2003): Darius completes SS Engine - just the Stasis Chamber to go.

I was now worried to end each turn, just in case I discovered I had actually lost. It had taken effort to get this far, planning, concentration, execution, more effort than I normally put into a Civ V game. I had a genuine sense of desperation, winning was now everything.

4 turns to go (2006): I start the Apollo program, it is only 36 years late.

3 turns to go (2007): Germany are pissed.

To ease my tension I spend this turn and the next sending ridiculous demands to Bismark, they were the only demands I made during the whole game but I couldn't help it. He didn't like it. I liked that.

1 turn to go (2009): Victory beckons.

It was close, Persia were only one component away from building that bloody space ship, I even thought they would manage it at one point. But here I am, inches from the finish line, about to break tape, on the edge of the precipice, just one more turn to...

Shit!

Now, I need to explain what just happened. I was going to pretend to you that I thought the UN vote was at the end of the turn. So having played for eight turns waiting for the vote I then believed I would have the next turn to buy my friends with the vote following my actions. But that would be a lie. Basically, I forgot. I forgot to visit each city state and buy their loyalty. Why? you may ask. Stupidity and complacency, in my head I had already won. I had sat back from the edge of my seat. One part of it was simple habit, I had completed what I wanted to for that turn and I just smacked the enter button as a reflex. The other cause was that I spent the entire of the last turn taunting every other world leader. I made stupid demands, I told them not to settle cities near my boarders, I 'requested' they give me their cities. I just pissed them off essentially thinking I would win the game... Well I didn't... shit!

I've played Civ 5 from release. This is the first time I
have seen this view. It looks very helpful.

The Vote result mocks me, I got two votes, I needed nine. My long term city state Ally Cape Town voted for me and I voted for me. Now I will have to wait another ten turns until the next one!

10 turns to go (2010): *sigh*

9 turns to go (2011): *sigh*

8 turns to go (2012): *Sigh*... okay you see what was happening.

5 turns to go (2015): Nuclear Fusion discovered - not the most popular of contemporary dishes (okay, I'm actually embarrassed by that one).

3 turns to go (2016): Persia complete SS Stasis Chamber

The end, Persia had built all the components, I was deflated, I was forlorn, I had lost. The game was over, just like that...

I thought.

Nothing happened. The game kept going, the turns kept rolling on, he mustn't have built it at his capital. He would have to move it from one city to the next. There was still a chance.

2 turns to go (2017): I'm still in it.

1 turns to go (2018): I'm still bloody in it!!

I am so popular, 11 votes, they all love me... we are
so close, just like Facebook friends.

Over the last ten turns I was chanting, don't forget, don't forget, don't forget. My economy was still ridiculously strong and I had stockpiled gold for a long time. I now spent it all bribing each city state until they all loved me. Then I hesitated, my finger hovering over the enter key. This was it. One more press for victory. It was so close, Dairus' spaceship components could all be waiting in his capital and when his turn comes around it might be game over. I just didn't want to press the button. I thought about not pressing the button, about saving the game and leaving it lingering forever. I liked the poetry of it... the uncertainty of it...

I pressed Enter.

And won.

Thank god, at least it hasn't been one big waste of time!