In both beta and release, I have tried many times to get the Harappans culture and it has been repeatedly impossible.

Before I can get halfway to one star, one of the AI's do and that is always the first culture chosen so I have never gotten to try it.

Has anyone ever been able to play this culture with AI opponents?

If so how did you get a star fast enough to do so?

The how is easy because you can do it yourself. Put on auto explore and watch.

Luck. I didn't play with more then 5 AI opponents yet but sometimes they stay in the neolithc era longer then expteded, giving you 3-4 extra rounds to complete the tasks. Otherwise there seem to be an almost fixed order of picks for the AI.

The sad thing for me is, I really don't want to play them myself, I just want to deny the AI getting them because on higher difficulties they are especially annoying, stealing your workers, denying 8/10 pop cap events, likely stealing your religion ;)