Having played with Matthew quite a bit...1. People that settle forrest squares vs grasslands have a harder time expanding. Which is why you usually end up leading the powergraph chase (due to pop).
2. Very rarely do I get a city down in the first turn. Usually it takes 3 to 7 turns, and I rarely have a problem of falling too far behind in the city count game.
3. Raging hoards rocks. It keeps people from having more cities than units. Those people who are betting the whole ball of wax on not being discovered early. And then when they are, they have excuses why they can't continue and just leave the game. And then quickly forget they were even in the game when bragging about how well their strategy works. I love looking at the top five cities and seeing a barb city there.
4. Yeah luck can sometimes really hurt early in a game, but SH*T happens.
5. Don't chase the happiness wonders and go straight for the war monger sciences. (if you have fewer cites, you really don't need them.
6. Even if people build on forest or river squares, (you can't always find the combo), Early on they don't have vet defenders so racing for math, to send out the horde of vet catapults will put the fear of god into them. 90% of the time they won't have the offensive units in the city to take out the Phalanx or pikeman that you send for cover.
7. Build your army of diplos and keep up in the science war that way. (I know you're really good at that.)
And if all this doesn't work, so what.
You're one of the better players. You can't win them all. Let the other players enjoy winning every now and then 
RAH
First time in a month that I dropped the first city.
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