Speeding Up Games

While I enjoy playing freeciv, there are two things which
stop me after awhile, the amount of time it takes to get
things done and the amount of time I spend playing.

The CMA is a good start on addressing the first issue.  So
is using fewer cities.  In my last game I kept myself to 12
cities until my 'take over the world' phase.  That worked
well for me.

But a big problem is how long it takes to play a game.  I
have been playing on 50x80 worlds (or 80x50) and finishing
a game (to around 1900 AD) takes several weeks.  The game
gets in the way of my life.  But I thought, if a game only
took a week or so to play, I could play one game a month
and still get stuff done.

I realize that this is in the category of "how do I stop
playing," but I am interested in what people do to speed
up games.

-David Paigen