Let's Play Civilization V: The Treasure Islands

[The TechnoGnome]

So I've kind of wanted to do this for a while now, but I'm not sure how many people would be up for it on these forums: a screenshot LP of Let's Play of Civilization V: Brave New World! I will be playing on King difficulty and either Quick or Standard Speed (probably Quick). Of course, as is customary with this sort of thing, I'm going to let you guys vote on some of our other starting variables. Anyone who's interested, sound off with a vote post of the following:


Civilization, of course. Note that I will not be playing as Arabia, Morocco, the Shoshone, or the Dutch. Mostly because I want to play something I don't tend to do a whole lot. Pretty much any of the other Civs are up for grabs however, so let me know what you want to see! And yes, Random is a valid option, and will be what I go with if no real preference is apparent.
Map Type: This one is more obvious, just give me a Map Type to play on. I would prefer to do one of the wraparound variants such as Continents or Pangaea, but if you guys really want to see one of the pre-generated ones I might give it a shot anyway. If no real preference is apparent, I'll be going with a Shuffle map.
Size: Basically, choose either Small (6 Civs), Standard (8 Civs), or Large (10 Civs) for map size. Any smaller and the game's too small to be interesting, any larger and things get too laggy in the later turns for my computer to handle reliably. If there is no real preference, I will go with Standard.
Mods: Really, the question is whether you want them on or off? Off is the Vanilla version of the game, right out of the box, so it'll be easier to follow along (and allow me to earn achievements if I end up doing anything special this game), but mods can make things more interesting. I won't use mods that affect gameplay too much, unless people want to see me play a modded Civ (which I honestly don't like doing, but I have several of them on my computer already and it's not like they're doing anything). I'll post a list of the mods I'd use and what they do below. Note that whether the are turned on or off in general, I will be using the Enhanced UI Mod, which doesn't affect gameplay at all (other than allowing me to switch between leaders mid-discussion) but does alter the in-game UI to be easier to navigate. I can remove it if people really don't like it, but because of how it's structured it's kind of a pain in the ass, and I personally don't think it's worth the hassle.
Any other variations you might like to see (limited or absent city-states, barbarians turned off, world age, etc.) This one isn't a vote so much as just me wondering if there's any variables you might want to see me fiddle with.


I have Gods and Kings, Brave New World, all of the DLC civs, and the Wonders of the Ancient World DLC, for those that are wondering. And of course, I have final veto power, so I can reject any combinations that I feel are too trollish or detrimental to play (like Polynesia on Highlands, for example).


InfoAddict: This mod does nothing to change gameplay, but it replaces the demographics sheet with a more comprehensive data sheet that includes specific numbers on what civs are producing, full ranking lists, and the ability to check relationship status of all Civs on the fly (including while talking to another Leader, which is a HUGE boon when trying to figure out whether to befriend or denouce someone).
Map Labels v. 6: Again, no gameplay alterations, but it randomly generates labels on the map for features like forests, rivers, deserts, and mountains, with the names based on the culture of nearby civs. Or we can set it to match our culture and just assume we named everything. And I can add my own to mark historic events or name things if I like. Better for both immersion and for pointing things out more easily on the map.
More Luxuries: This is probably the closest I will get to affecting gameplay with a mod, and even then it isn't that vital. This mod add 9 new luxury resources to the game, and slightly alters the algorithm that distributes Luxuries so that each Civ can more reliably get a 'monopoly' on a resource. Note that it doesn't add any more spots where Luxuries can spawn, it just increases variety (so rather than, say 7 Luxury types out of 14 spawning, it will be 7 types out of 23. So there's a small chance we won't even see any of the new ones.
Unique Cultural Influence: This is purely a dialogue edit for when you become influential with a Civ. Rather than sying 'Our people are wearing your blue jeans and listening to your pop music' no matter who you're playing as, each Civilization (or at least 'culture') gets their own unique variant. For example, Morocco's is 'eating your couscous and watching your belly dancers'. This mod is entirely irrelevant unless we decide to go for a Cultural Victory.



So, who's interested?

[Illven]

My vote is Becca's vote.

Play as Queen Elsa of Arendelle. :smalltongue:

[OrcusMcP]

Any map is fine, but I propose you have raging barbarians on. :smallamused:

As for Civ, go for Zulu.

[The TechnoGnome]

Any map is fine, but I propose you have raging barbarians on. :smallamused:

As for Civ, go for Zulu.

Oh, you just want me to suffer, don't you? :smallannoyed::smalltongue:

That said, if I did do Zulu, it might help mitigate that somewhat. Especially if I took Honor (which, while usually a weak start, does help deal with barbarians...)

[DodgerH2O]

Since you seem to be a trading civ player and want to get out of your comfort zone my vote is for: Ottomans, Raging Barbarians, Archipelago

Probably Standard size or my preference, Large with a couple less Civs and boost the CS count to keep the same number of starting city locations. More exploration without as much competition from the aggressive AI.

[The TechnoGnome]

Since you seem to be a trading civ player and want to get out of your comfort zone my vote is for: Ottomans, Raging Barbarians, Archipelago

Probably Standard size or my preference, Large with a couple less Civs and boost the CS count to keep the same number of starting city locations. More exploration without as much competition from the aggressive AI.

Hmm... interesting. Definitely the most thorough answer I've gotten from someone. And here I was all set to go Zulu either tonight or tomorrow.

If I don't get a tiebreaker soon, I may have to coin-flip for a civ. Or just go Ottomans, since so far the only map suggested is a naval one.

[Illven]

Hmm... interesting. Definitely the most thorough answer I've gotten from someone. And here I was all set to go Zulu either tonight or tomorrow.

If I don't get a tiebreaker soon, I may have to coin-flip for a civ. Or just go Ottomans, since so far the only map suggested is a naval one.

I'm going to switch my vote to England, because SHIP OF THE LINE!

[The TechnoGnome]

I'm going to switch my vote to England, because SHIP OF THE LINE!

That's not a tiebreaker. :smallsigh::smalltongue:

Either way, looks like people are divided on Civ. Given how many there are, that's understandable I suppose. Though since the only map suggestion so far is naval, I am leaning in that direction now.

[The TechnoGnome]

Well, I'll probably actually start the game sometime tomorrow or Wednesday, but so far we have the following perimeters:

Civ: 1 vote for Zulu, 1 vote for Ottoman, 1 vote for England
Map type: 1 vote for Archipelago
Size: 1/2 vote for Standard, 1/2 for Large (with standard amount of civs and more city-states)
Mods: No preference either way.
Other perimeters: 2 suggestions for Raging Barbarians.

So really, with Raging Barbs + Archipelago, I predict that this is going to be a game with a bunch of pirates roaming the Meier-knows-how-many seas. Which kind of makes me want to play the Ottomans so I can recruit them to my side and make a pirate navy, if not a full pirate nation. Although 'civilizing' the brutes with Ships of the Line could also be fun. :smalltongue:

[Techwarrior]

I would like to second England. Range 2 Gatling Guns FTW.

[Kish]

I'll second Ottomans, and abstain on the others.

[Illven]

I'll add a vote for large, and abundant resources.

[The TechnoGnome]

Alright, so I've been busy for the last couple of days, but I've finally been able to sit down and set up the game. England and the Ottomans tied, so I get to choose between them as a tiebreaker.

And from the settings shown, I want to play a Pirate civ. So Ottomans win!

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/394427414871286891/644D93DCCE064487F9D86C1A8C8557AE1A3CEED6/

But don't worry. As you can see in the advanced settings, I have made the runner-ups two of my opponents in this game. As for the other settings, the final settings were rather unsurprising given that the civs were the only thing people really disagreed on. Archipelago, Large Map with the default number of Civs and City-States (though I briefly debated only doing 9 Civs, and regret not doing so a little now that I mention it), and with both Abundant Resources and Raging Barbarians on.

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/394427414871287113/DC29AB25B6F9A61F0E7739CE5DA5355EDE04F9B9/
http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/394427414871287362/CD0360F9899C92E8C088342AAD0845A20ECD5D3B/

So, enough stalling: Let's Play Civ V as... the Ottomans!

I wanted to put a screenshot of the initial loading screen here, but I couldn't get it to work. So here's the intro text, courtesy of Civopedia.

Blessings of God be upon you, oh Great Emperor Suleiman! Your power, wealth and generosity awe the world! Truly, are you called "Magnificent!" Your empire began in Bithynia, a small country in Eastern Anatolia in the 12th century. Taking advantage of the decline of the great Seljuk Sultanate of Rum, King Osman I of Bithynia expanded west into Anatolia. Over the next century, your subjects brought down the empire Byzantium, taking its holdings in Turkey and then the Balkans. In the mid 15th century, the Ottomans captured ancient Constantinople, gaining control of the strategic link between Europe and the Middle East. Your people’s empire would continue to expand for centuries, at its height, governing much of North Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

Mighty Suleiman, heed the call of your people! Bring your empire back to the height of its power and glory and once again the world will look upon your greatness with awe and admiration! Will you accept the challenge, great emperor? Will you build an empire that will stand the test of time?

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/394427414871287570/11A67AA9155AD7080502830D37E22C4D1954A562/

So as you can see, our starting point is pretty solid. Plenty of Luxuries and Stone, next to a river, and on the coast with fish. With a start like this, I can already see three potential ways to start.

1. Beeline to Sailing/Compass so we can get our ships ready as soon as possible, and embark early.

2. Get Calendar so we can hook up the Cotton ASAP.

3. Beeline Masonry so we can get Stone Quarries and start chopping down the nearby forests to make way for Spice plantations.

Personally, I feel Option 1 or 2 is the strongest, and since both Calendar and Sailing require Pottery, that's probably what I'm going to grab first. Since it's late over here, I'll leave it here so you guys get the chance to influence where the capital goes.

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/394427414871287738/BA670AB9F4CA53B407F31BFC9F93787CB7DF836C/

Just in case, I sent my warrior to take a peek to the west. He didn't find anything that would motivate me to move other than the prospect of a canal city being my capital, which I would have to sacrifice a turn of productivity and my position adjacent to the river for. Personally, judging from what I've seen I think settling in place is our best option, but I did quicksave beforehand, so if you want me to move him east before you make a decision, let me know.

Also note that while I did decide not to go with mods so I could get achievements if we do anything noteworthy during the LP, pretty much every mod except More Luxuries could be turned on later if people indeed want to see them. Considering no one's spoken in favor one way or the other in almost a week though, I doubt that will happen at this point.

EDIT: Also went ahead and changed the thread name to reflect the new settings. Considering the pirate-y aesthetic that the settings are promoting, I think it makes sense. :smalltongue:

[Illven]

I recommend just starting with Pottery for now, and then deciding after you have a more in-depth view of your immediate area.

Also I recommend settling on the hill your warrior scouted, so that you get a canal city. :smalltongue:

[Narkis]

Research pottery, settle in place, and make a scout. You need to find out the layout of your island before commiting to a strategy. And the tears of the people seeing the almost-canal city will be delicious.:smallbiggrin:

[The_Snark]

Seconding Narkis's recommendations. Canals are fun but on an Archipelago map it's not likely to be a huge deal - based on what we can see right now I'd just settle where you started.

[Techwarrior]

Settle in place. Grab Pottery

[DodgerH2O]

Another vote for settling in place and Pottery. Without knowing much about the immediate area the potential benefit of a canal seems outweighed by sure benefit of having a river city and the extra turn of production.

[Kish]

Second vote for settling on the hill.

[The TechnoGnome]

Well, it seems like a majority of the people agree with me that settling in place and researching Pottery is the best first step. So that's what we're going to do!

The first true city, Istanbul, is established in approx. 4000 BC. For now, it is small, but it will one day become the center of a great empire.

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/394427414875202092/1EFF16A7EB8631B4F8AA7DBF27E098A6E8F00052/

It is around this time that the Ottoman people began experimenting with Pottery. It would be many years, however, before they would be able to call themselves proficient in the art.

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/394427414875202328/C2D19FB85DE820B4D68D2B3A2537979D38001D9A/

Exploring to the west, the first warriors of Istanbul find an ancient ruin, filled with weapons made of a metal that they had never seen before. While it would be a long time before the Ottomans would learn to make bronze themselves, this regiment would be considered the first Spearmen of the Ottoman Empire, a fearsome force for any barbarians that dared to oppose them.

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/394427414875202533/A768809284705B1DFAABF169975B01F1BC24A865/
http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/394427414875202782/54D4E1FD198D26B16BCF460DBF6F6066896EDC35/

Meanwhile, the first official Scouting party is organized, and sent into the eastern desert to map the area in that direction.

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/394427414875202916/0438A33A38AAEDD194D4AA5B410F97EB9CA63A64/

The Spearmen have found something interesting. They send reports back to the city of a massive rock, nearly as large as the mountain next to it, with sheer white cliffs going off into the sea. It is named Gibraltar, after the leader of the First Warriors. Already, the people of Istanbul talk of going to see it for themselves, while some of the more powerful lords wish to establish more permanent holdings around the area.

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/394427414875203114/A29C784A59BE643475D5B0B7D0FCD63A36EB43AC/

Meanwhile, the Scouting party, not to be outdone, reports of a massive rock on the other edge of the desert, the color of the sunset. Further exploration would eventually reveal that the people of the desert city of Singapore call it 'Uluru'. While it doesn't draw as much interest with the laypeople as the Rock of Gibraltar by the coast, it does draw attention from wise men who see it as a place of meditation and spiritual reflection.

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/394427414875203492/36BD1A5889AF2DA851E12F8B9631ABBC84BB963A/

OOC: Holy crap, I don't think I've ever seen two natural wonders this close to my capital before! Imagine if we had played as Spain here!

In any case, I can already tell our first city is going to be in range of the Rock of Gibraltar. As for Uluru, well...

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/394427414875203632/9490AA793E8336D2804AE555DCA789527E76F05C/

Singapore's gonna grab it long before we do. Of course, that just means we'll have to conquer them at some point, doesn't it? :smalltongue:

We'll just need to make sure to do it before we meet whoever this City-State is, to avoid pissing them off.

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/394427414875203852/D9EBD79B5669D4129FA5D6DD7D0EC52985EE9B58/

Eventually, tales of the First Warriors and their exploits against the barbarian hordes of the west inspire the Ottoman people, and start forging a culture of unity among them. Both the laypeople and elite alike start acting in a manner befitting a code of Honor that lives up to the glory of the First Warriors, and actively shun those who act with dishonor, fostering a universal hatred of the barbarians who dare try to upset the civilized way of life.

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/394427414875204096/72E8069AF61C27C4DAC2D761D499437777F3995C/

OOC Note: Yeah, I took Honor as an opener mid-fight with my first Barbarian encampment. While it's considered a weak opener most of the time, and I usually never take it at all, I'm kind of worried about the Raging Barbarians, especially since I've never dealt with them before. Plus, this will pay off in the long run when I start sending my navy out to seize their ships for myself, and gives us the opprotunity to build the Statue of Zeus, which will be amazingly helpful if we eventually decide to go for a Domination victory.

Further south, the Scouting Party sends back reports of another civilized people, ones who believe that the people should be ruled by a council of elders rather than one person. The scouting party is greeted warmly and offered an audience in their city, and the council leader opens potential diplomatic negotiations with Suleiman the Great, but warns that the lands to the south belong to the Zulu people.

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/394427414875204506/F92A172A761C29A354B472D05FC06AF8B3498821/
http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/394427414875204295/EC611960DC1BDBA036C3FAB199BC7B87A2D9C075/

OOC Note: Just my luck. We started on the same island as the Zulu of all people. :smallsigh:

Hopefully our city by Gibraltar will be able to use the bay separating us to our advantage if we end up going to war with them.

With no more lands to the South open to them, the Scouting Party is told to head to the Northwest and map the rest of the area that the First Warriors had been exploring, while the Warriors themselves were told to return to Istanbul.

In 3040 BC, the workers of the land learned how to measure the passage of the seasons with a calendar, and in 2860 BC the great warlord Rommel devises 'the First Warrior's Creed', an oral tradition that is passed down among the garrison and palace guards in Istanbul that acts as an official code of conduct for how military personnel are to act, both at home and abroad. The Creed is considered by historians to be responsible for hastening the process of training new military troops throughout the empire.

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/394427414875204902/06225ACA06334E0A36EAE0C0DB5A788F97BDC9FC/

OOC Note: I grabbed Warrior Code next, both to hasten the building of our future troops and to open up the policy after it, which will allow our troops to gain more XP. The Great General was just a nice bonus.

The first official workforce is formed around this time, and Suleiman sends them to build a plantation of cotton to the south of the city as their first task.

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/394427414875205359/D1BBBEA57FC7D6C7C33A328D55E36989A0677FFE/

Meanwhile, in the city proper, the nobles of Suleiman's court discuss the possibility of expanding their empire. It is eventually decided that a group of citizens and skilled builders will be organized to be escorted to the Rock of Gibraltar by the First Warriors so that they may set up an official city in the area, both to expand the empire's influence and to give Suleiman an official claim on both the Rock itself and the fertile lands surrounding it before the Zulu to the south start getting any ideas of their own.

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/394427414875205610/4530AF366F86513A69AF9A783DFF03C2B520F32F/

Around the time of the discovery of Masonry and stone-crafting, word of two Civilizations of the world more advanced than the Ottomans reach Suleiman's ears. While a cause for concern, there is nothing he can do about people he cannot identify. Therefore, Suleiman orders the wise men and craftsman of the land to devise a way to cross the water, so that exploration may be hastened and these advanced peoples can be found.

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/394427414875206043/823A8C169B4AF01A9E4A754A831197864A95C800/

In 2200 BC, the Scouting Party comes across a newly formed Barbarian encampment. Hoping to capture some of the glory of the First Warriors among the people, they attack...

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/394427414875206494/152E30ECF31FD79874032A46FD9EAB58E30DBE50/

...only to draw their ire and suddenly cause them to rise up in arms.

And I think that's a good place to stop for now. Man, I might need to make shorter updates, this took forever to get up. In any case, here's where we stand now.

Our capital city of Istabul.

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/394427414875206695/C4E13FCD159C8F46A2603EF73016EDADED02DA3E/

Our Tech Tree. Not sure where to go after Sailing finishes, but my instinct is to get either Writing so we can get our first Library, or either Animal Husbandry or Bronze Working to start revealing resources.

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/394427414875206917/3D94C5B08F3E005604AF657512F036D8522FA1A5/

Our Social Policies. I intend to at least get Military Tradition as well, but after that I might want to open up Tradition or Liberty, depending on whether we decide to become expansive or not by then. Piety is a long shot, considering that we still haven't founded our Pantheon yet, but it is techincally a possible outcome.

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/394427414875207184/18F0C141D3AF391C80A1625B1142FF87B319DA6C/

Finally, here is where I intend to settle the next city. I placed my scout on the exact position I want to give you an idea, since it would give me a bunch of resources and put me adjacent to the mountain for an Observatory and potential mountain-dependent Wonders. And of course, in range of the Rock of Gibraltar. :smallbiggrin:

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/394427414875205815/CAF4E326F8B94C174C871C36F03607F0A4D93A36/

[Illven]

The only thing I'm worried about is that the settlement spot you have, doesn't have any additional luxuries.

[The TechnoGnome]

The only thing I'm worried about is that the settlement spot you have, doesn't have any additional luxuries.

Considering the only 'additional Luxuries' I've spotted at all so far are either in the borders of Singapore or right outside the Zulu capital, that problem is pretty much unavoidable at the moment. At least this position will give us plenty of spares to trade once we start running into other people.

[The TechnoGnome]

Sorry that I haven't updated in... wow, almost a month. Holidays and RL stuff pretty much took up any free Civ time I had that wasn't GMR, so this kind of fell on the wayside. But I didn't forget about it! So let's return to the glorious Ottoman city of Istanbul and see what they've been up to, eh?

On the last update, the Scouting Party, in their eagerness to mimic the successes of the First Warriors, had gotten themselves into a rather perilous situation.

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/394427414875206494/152E30ECF31FD79874032A46FD9EAB58E30DBE50/

They very quickly realize that their group is not equipped to deal with such opposition. At the first sign of their men starting to fall in combat, the Scouting Party decides to cut their losses and flee north, to hopefully continue the job they were originally given. The people will not find out about the Scouting Party's foolhardy behavior for several more years.

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/358400521673946249/1D408B40C9C659C71CD66D1ABA950E07AAA519D6/

Meanwhile, back in the capital, the scholar Alberti returns from his trip to Zululand. He tells Suleiman much about Zulu culture, both how they have took the concept of tribal elders convening on matters of great importance and molded it into a government ruled by many, and how said governmental style has allowed them to lay the groundwork for a much larger empire. He warns Suleiman that if the Ottomans do not do something to change their current course, the Zulu people may progress to the point where they may see the Ottoman empire as no different than the barbarian hordes. He further states that if the Zulu are any indication of what a civilized empire is supposed to look like, they may even be right to do so.

If he had said such an inflammatory comment to any other ruler, that last comment would have most likely cost Alberti his life. But Suleiman was wise enough to be equally as worried for the empire's future.

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/358400521673946502/C4666A352EF35F485802E89CFFF1468EB0467A0A/

[OOC Note: Hoo boy, this isn't good. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to go Honor after all... :smalleek:]

However, changing the course of Ottoman culture would be harder that Suleiman would like. By this point, the stories of the First Warriors had spread throughout the city of Istanbul and the surrounding lands. They had become a cultural keystone of the Ottoman people, with fables and tall tales of their exploits being used to teach children life lessons, which as adults they would internalize and use to guide their morals and actions. In addition, guardsmen and soldiers returning home had spread the First Warrior's Creed among the common people which, while not always entirely applicable to the daily life of a peasant, became an ideal for every person in the kingdom to strive for, no matter their role or social standing in the empire. This not only had an effect of glorifying the armed service, but inspiring future soldiers to constantly work to improve their skills, in the hope of joining the First Warriors themselves. It was undeniable at this point that the strong Military Tradition of the Ottoman people would not be going anywhere.

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/358400521673946652/33EDDADB8F2447B8F4928ACD318131BBDDD138A5/

[OOC Note: Yup, despite what I just said about Honor maybe being a bad idea, I took Military Tradition anyway. Considering I plan to be doing a lot of fighting (and not just against barbarians), it will be imperative to make sure my soldiers can squeeze every last bit of experience from a fight for those sweet, sweet promotions. Besides, I had already unlocked the prerequisite, so I figured I might as well finish what I started.]

Deciding to capitalize on his people's obsession with the First Warriors, Suleiman orders the construction of a massive stone mausoleum to house the bodies of the great people of the Ottoman Empire when they passed from this world. He ordered it to be large enough to entomb the entire current population of Istanbul, even though only those determined worthy by Suleiman himself would be enshrined within, so that the Mausoleum would serve the empire for generations to come. His hope was that by building an eternal monument to the best and brightest of the empire, over time the Ottoman people would eventually have heroes to look up to other than the First Warriors, whose status among the people was giving them far greater power and influence at home than Suleiman himself would have liked.

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/358400521673947023/BA9B3F7039B68FF7E09596D3086950D19140472B/

Up north, the Scouting Party makes an incredible discovery. Buried in the ruins of a lost civilization are the secrets of domesticating wild animals! Suleiman is overjoyed at this revelation, and commends the Scouting Party for their discovery. The people are less enthused, though even they are swayed by the promise of a more reliable source of meat than hunting.

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/358400521673947255/21570946234DB0BD129671A21074FEEC9E9DF9AA/

Back home, the first settlers meant to establish Ottoman holdings outside of Istanbul finally set out on their journey, accompanied by none other than the First Warriors themselves. Trouble very quickly rears its head, however, as the settlers are almost immediately spotted by a horde of barbarians, driven into a frenzy by the aggressive actions of the Scouting Party. Rather than engage them directly and risk the lives of their charges, the First Warriors escort the settlers along the southern coast towards their destination in an attempt to avoid an unnecessary fight.

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/358400521673947663/CB4949BEE1037468152AC386D2EEDEDDCD7BD4AD/

The settlers themselves, eager to see the fabled Rock of Gibraltar, end up seeing their journey as some kind of sacred journey they must undertake, not only for Suleiman the Great, but as ordained by the gods themselves. This belief only intensifies as they approach their destination, to the point that by the time the Rock is in sight, the settlers are muttering prayers towards the white cliff-face, with some even going as far as to say that the Rock is the home of the gods themselves, one of which is the spirit of the First Warrior Gibraltar himself. Seeing the benefits of the deification of one of their own, the First Warriors do nothing to quell the religious fervor, and in fact end up encouraging it and ensuring it spreads back to Istanbul.

While Suleiman is not happy about the literal hero worship spreading to his city, there is not much he can do to stop it. Making matters 'worse' is that around the same time the myths of the Rock of Gibraltar begin to spread, the Scouting Party reports that they had been in contact with a seer in the north, who foretells of a Great Prophet being born in Istanbul that would lead the world closer to the heavens, something that most people interpret as a confirmation to their beliefs. Thus, the Ottoman people end up becoming One with Nature as they proceed to see the Rock of Gibraltar as a holy site every bit as important as Ulundi to the east, if not more so due to its connection to the First Warriors.

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/358400521673947529/DF722516AA02CDD2ED70FE4262F2BE0EB625A48F/

[OOC Note: Finally, we get a Pantheon! I almost chose Oral Tradition for the additional Culture, but if we're going to get a religion at all, we need all of the Faith generation we can get, and pretty much every other worthwhile one for us was already taken. That said, +4 faith once we found this next city is nothing to sneeze at. And if I ever get around to conquering Singapore, Ulundi will more than double it, since the bonus stacks with the default faith bonus it would already give us. Plus, a couple of turns later, this happened.]

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/358400521673948211/A6495DC202295890EDA7DD1346A1C58030193FA9/

[So yeah, we're well on our way. Pretty freaking sweet. :smallcool:]

As they left the seer, the Scouting Party noticed something very interesting in the horizon: smoke coming from a coastline across the sea. Taking a chance, the Scouting Party lit a fire of their own, and staggered the smoke in order to show that it was not natural. Soon, the smoke on the other side of the sea did something similar. On the spot, the Scouting Party started coming up with a way to communicate over long distances using the smoke of a fire, though with no way to relay the meanings to the people across the sea, it would not help them at the moment. Eventually, a small, lightweight container made its way across the sea. Only the head of the Scouting Party had any sort of literacy, but even he was confounded by the strange script before him. Eventually, they would receive a translation when a small group of soldiers made their way across the sea to investigate. Despite the complexity of the scrip, the message was simple: 'Greetings from the Chinese people! Are you friend or foe?'

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/358400521673948050/6FDF2ADE6D607F4DBF610F357B99E93BBD4E80C5/

[OOC Note: Fun fact. If their spearman had not been standing on that single hill at the exact moment I popped the ruin, I wouldn't have met China at all until much later. See for yourself.]

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/358400521673948356/966EFEFFD9880DB53E062BE711118DF540E83BA4/

[Whether this early meeting ultimately is lucky or unlucky remains to be seen.]

In 1720 BC, the settlers and the First Warriors reach the intended settling spot, at the foot of a large mountain by the coast. The people unanimously decide to name the new city after the the Rock, which itself was named after the famous First Warrior Gibraltar. The people immediately focus on the Rock itself, in the process making a tidy profit off of sending pieces of the limestone face back to Istanbul as religious souvenirs, a practice that, while eventually halted to preserve the sacred site's integrity, draws tourists from Istanbul to boost the new city's economy even further. Even with the ban, however, the limestone is permitted to be used to build both a monument to Gibraltar himself and a holy shrine for the citizens to properly worship in.

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/358400521673948547/E49303C2D791A487ECDE3B1BD78C44FA2E6BD5DB/

The First Warriors, meanwhile, prepare to face off against the barbarian horde that had been following them ever since they left the borders of Istanbul. Now that the settlers were protected within the new city of Gibraltar, the First Warriors were ready to fight the barbarians head on. With support from the local garrison, who had been personally trained by the First Warriors during the journey, they charged into combat.

The battle was incredibly one-sided, only serving to boost the First Warrior's legacy even further.

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/358400521673948766/D735C72A01C28EA6CEB59D49D4AE17702793697F/

In 1600 BC, Bronze Working is discovered, finally giving smiths the ability to make the spears that had for so long been the exclusive property of the First Warriors. This, of course, pleased Suleiman greatly, as did the discovery that the massive amounts of iron ore just outside of Gibraltar could potentially be used to create weapons even stronger than that.

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/358400521673949006/EFC7F357F966A3785696665693610C2AB4851E8E/

[OOC Note: Mother of God, look at all of that iron! What luck that it's so close to where I settled! Suleiman's not the only one who's ecstatic about this. :smallbiggrin:]

The First Warriors, after regrouping in Gibraltar and training some new recruits, decide that now is the time to take the fight up north and disperse the encampment where the barbarians originated. As the begin to travel, they instruct the local garrison to fire on any barbarian ships they might see, something they do happily and immediately.

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/358400521673949301/96EBA13C0CFAA534BEA78D17291696C831C34697/

Once they arrive, the First Warriors see a group of barbarians twice their number. Undeterred, they begin their attack as Chinese spearmen watch from the sea with interest.

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/358400521673949525/1B8426C64AEAA05755C9C32BF33984DF1042486E/

The barbarian hordes are swiftly routed, being unable to deal with the advanced weapons and techniques of the First Warriors. Those that are not killed either flee further north or surrender and are taken to Gibraltar to become integrated into the empire, by force if necessary.

As the Warriors disperse the encampment and take what they can, they find evidence of the Scouting Party's actions years prior that incited the barbarian's rage in the first place. Word swiftly reaches the people of both Istanbul and Gibraltar, who are quick to denounce the Scouting Party for starting an unnecessary fight. From this point forward, the Scouting party are seen by the Ottoman people as a group of shameless cowards, composed of those who use dishonorable tactics and run at the first signs of a real fight. They also begin blaming the Party for any and all barbarian attacks on their lands, even the ones originating in the Eastern Desert.

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/358400521673950000/4E3C035CD04DE506F216FD6AFBD9DE4129AA8636/

The scouting party, desperate to prove themselves to the Ottoman people, manage to find a cache of artifacts from a lost civilization. While this does capture the interest of the elite back home, including Suleiman himself, it also enrages the nearby tribespeople, who saw the ruins as a holy site.

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/358400521673950158/4C1BB6A36CF37FCC417F416823E57516FCB49505/

In 1180 BC, shortly after the Ottoman Empire develops its own written language, the grand Mausoleum is finally completed. Suleiman immediately decrees that three people posthumously receive the honor of having their bodies enshrined in the tomb: the First Warrior Gibraltar, the smith Bulut of Gibraltar, who initially discovered the process for working bronze, and Halicarnassus, the architect who dedicated most of his life to the construction and design of the Mausoleum, who tragically died in a construction accident shortly before its completion. As an additional honor, Suleiman decided that the Mausoleum would be named after the architect himself as a reward for a lifetime of service to the Empire. He also rewarded a large sum of gold to Halicarnassus' widow and children, beginning a tradition of doing so for every family who had one of their own earn the honor of being enshrined in the Mausoleum.

Just as Suleiman had hoped, Halicarnassus was revered by the people as the architect of the Ottoman Empire's first Wonder, which would be the envy of the known world for generations to come.

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/358400521673950328/5E30BA4CCBBC8B5E7522B41A5A3F180795350A68/

Well, I think that's a perfect place to stop for now. This update wasn't as big as the last one, but there was still a lot of stuff to go through, so hopefully it wasn't too noticeable.

As before, here is our current standings.

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/358400521673950548/00882EC5CFBE2635CC9278B224BD8A6E7A862EE1/

The glorious capital of Istanbul. I'm hoping I can get lucky and snag the Statue of Zeus as well, but those barbarians aren't going to make it easy. When I get Archery next turn, I plan to buy a group of archers to try and deal with them, or at least drive them out of my lands so that my workers can fix what they ruined.

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/358400521673950785/02A2BBE4D7CA19BC6430891A2EFD55D23F23BABA/

Our second city, Gibraltar. Obviously, I locked the Rock itself for the amazing benefits. I also swapped the Shrine out of the queue in favor of getting a Trireme to deal with nearby barbarian ships (and hopefully recruit a few of them to our side).

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/358400521673951031/70919762C6A7FC16163B34DD04F7EE01B34DD32D/

Our tech tree. As you can see, I've spread myself pretty wide, which is great for diversity, but means we're still in the Ancient Era while a lot of our contemporaries are in the Classical Era already. Hopefully, that will change soon, since my plan is to start building up my defenses (and eventually offense) by getting Composite Bowman and Swordsmen, since the First Warriors can't deal with everything alone forever, despite what the local legends might say. :smalltongue:

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/358400521673951211/E08F0F67ED706432C1085AACDEBCE54192B71BD7/

Our policies. As you can see, I could have actually chose one last turn, but given how I was going to end the session on the completion of the Mausoleum one turn later, I figured I'd hold off so I could get input on what I should take. While I could continue down the Honor tree, I feel like we need to grab something else to boost our Culture gain somewhat. However, I'm not sure whether to go Tradition or Liberty, as while I want to eventually go wide, we're not really in a position to do so for a while. Then again, taking Liberty and going the path of the Zulu might help us reach that point sooner. There's also Piety, which while it wouldn't help us get Culture might be useful to help establish and maintain a religion, which we are quickly on the path to doing. What do you guys think I should take here?

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/358400521673951422/FD558AA953024A365598610A1F0F441B8438966D/

Finally, the demographics sheet, which I forgot to show you all last time. Thankfully, we aren't the worst in everything (in fact, we have the best GNP in the world!), but we're well below the average overall, with the lowest population and soldier count in the world, which doesn't bode well if the Zulu decide that they're interested in our lands.

[Illven]

Personally I would vote for going tradition.

Also, turn tile yields on. :smalltongue:

[Narkis]

Seconding Ilven. We need a strong core from which to conquer the world.

Also, get a National College ASAP. Being tied for last place on tech is not a good place to be in.

[DodgerH2O]

Seconding Ilven. We need a strong core from which to conquer the world.

Also, get a National College ASAP. Being tied for last place on tech is not a good place to be in.

Thirded and seconded respectively. Tradition will help you build up your first few cities and even warriors need the newest and shiniest weaponry.