pretty much exactly like i would play it in 2player: a wharf-village engine. open silver/silver, get wharf whenever you can, get village whenever you can't get wharf. don't buy monument, it's a trap. workshop seems nice because you want lots of villages, but you can't do it, it will delay wharfs too much, and getting wharfs is everything. if you get 4 and your opponents split 3/3, you're in good shape.
once your engine is going, you can probably buy harems and some crossroads. i'd expect an early 3pile, so don't even bother with gold.