Its been very inspirational reading everyone else's stories, so I decided to make one myself. To make things interesting I decided to beef up my game little.... World is "large", world type is "Ice age", Raging barbarians is on, along with no tech trading and Aggressive AI. All victory conditions are on except time.

I also decided to add a few first... like this is my first time playing on Monarch, my first time using Romans, and my first time playing under the Epic speed.

So without Further adieu: Iced Earth: The Roman Saga!

dedicated to all the great civ storytellers who came before me.




Chapter 1:

In The Beginning!

The cold wind blows while armies march! On this Earth there is no paradise.

This is a world thrown into an Ice age, A time where the land is unforgiving and only those able to adapt survive! In this world Barbarians Rage uncontrollably, forcing their enemies to be as ruthless and as militaristic as themselves! In this world 18 mighty nations will vie for control of the earth, All aggressive due to their planets harsh environment! In this world, time will not define victory, one must emerge as true master of the Earth! In this world... There is no mercy!

The year is 4000 BC and near the northern shores of an unmapped continent a group of settlers have emerged only know by local barbarian tribes as the Romans. The Romans have gathered enough knowledge, skills, and people to take part in a movement that will become known to men a thousand generations from now as the neolithic revolution. Among their ranks a young Tribesman turned Warrior chief has arisen to lead his people and start a legacy that will last until the end of time, his name is Julius Caesar! With fishing, a skill used to harvest food from the waters, and mining, a skill used to harvest rich's from the earth, he set's out to lead his people to prosperity and forge an empire that will propel his dynasty!


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/Oldschool1369/IERS-1.jpg


And so the mighty City of Rome is formed near a lake that has nurtured its founders for hundreds of years prior. To the north lay a stock of animals that will help feed Rome & aid in her expansion, while to the south-east lay the natural resources to an advanced craft that will come to be known as incense. But even more significant perhaps, is a resource in her north-eastern plot that is not yet known to her inhabitants... But its eventual discovery will change the face of the Earth forever.


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/Oldschool1369/IERS-2.jpg


Caesar immediately begins military operations under his newly controlled territory and sends the mighty warrior band to "invite" other surrounding tribes to join in the glory of Rome. Of the 2 tribes in his immediate vicinity 1 provides him with the skill of agriculture while the other provides him with skill of sailing.


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/Oldschool1369/IERS-3.jpg


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/Oldschool1369/IERS-4.jpg


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/Oldschool1369/IERS-5.jpg


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/Oldschool1369/IERS-6.jpg


With addition's to their already extensive knowledge of land & sea things look good for the fledgling civilization of Rome. Yet unbeknown to her are the rise of other empires, similar to her own in infrastructure and progress. They have begun to spread out all across her continent and even across her own sea line. Cities are growing, commerce is expanding, and combat is evolving...

And on the face of this cold and lawless planet, Rome's legacy has begun!

Looks pretty good so far. Keep it up! Plentiful screenshots are good.
You got two technologies from two goodie huts using warriors? Are you one of those save/reload people? Not that that's bad or anything... I do that sometimes, just not when popping huts.

Nice start. Only complaint is the fact that the screenshots are a little big that is hard to get the full picture.

Nice start. Only complaint is the fact that the screenshots are a little big that is hard to get the full picture.
I'm having no problem seing the picture, they're full screen to me.

Nice start, I'm gonna watch this one.

This looks good :)

Funny you mention Romans in Ice Age.

Late last night I finally finished with a diplomatic victory by 1600 something AD playing Romans, small map, Ice Age, all defaults, marathon speed, deity level for a score of 50K+.

Ironically being a warmonger and destroying French and Germans, I have made Mansa Musa my best buddy (2nd largest civ in the game after me). Despite trailing in tech, I had 45% of pop and only needed Malinese vote to win.

Looks pretty good so far. Keep it up! Plentiful screenshots are good.
You got two technologies from two goodie huts using warriors? Are you one of those save/reload people? Not that that's bad or anything... I do that sometimes, just not when popping huts.

I am not one of these save/reload people, although I was just as startled by getting 2 techs! Makes for some good twist!

Nice start. Only complaint is the fact that the screenshots are a little big that is hard to get the full picture.

Are you refering to the actual Screen shot size or the scope of the pics? becasue looking back on them now (im nearing 1000AD in the game) i wish 'd taken more far away pics...

Live and learn I guess! Look for an update tonight!

Chapter 2:

The Savage lands

Rome had begun her expansion, and in her haste she sent out 3 warrior bands to explore the unknown continent. yet this would be no easy task, because this was a time when animals still ruled the Earth; when animals were large, fierce and a real threat to civilization, and to kill one with mans primitive weapons usually took great skill and strength. So although the warrior bands would succeed in establishing diplomacy with the outlying civilizations, none would return to see the glories of Rome...

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/Oldschool1369/IERS-7.jpg

To the south lay India, while to the south west lay the Russian empire, beyond them the Spanish Empire and to the South east lay the oriental Empires of Japan, and China. While across the ocean, on a distant shore, other civilizations began to emerge, the Greeks, the Aztecs, then eventually in due time, the Egyptians, French, and the Arabs.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/Oldschool1369/IERS-8.jpg

A new threat also began to appear with the rise of civilization... rebel states! barbarian nations began to run rampart. To the east of Rome they appeared seemingly out of the sea, while to the south an alarming numbered filed out of the unknown. Romes expansion faltered.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/Oldschool1369/IERS-9.jpg

Over 2000 years after the founding of Rome, A second city is erected: Antium. Slowed by barbarian activity, Rome is falling behind the other great Empires of the earth. Yet relations are good, there is peace and trade... but for how long the great Caesar would ask himself?

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/Oldschool1369/IERS-10.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/Oldschool1369/IERS-11.jpg

At last the mystery to the barbarian activity to the south is revealed... Yet stricken by expansion and defensive problems, Rome had to choose to either expand or raise an army to crush the barbarian state!

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/Oldschool1369/IERS-12.jpg

Alarmed by the growing size of rival civs Caesar decides it best to expand and a third city is erected: Cumae. So in 920 BC the Roman Empire stands at 3 cities.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/Oldschool1369/IERS-13.jpg

yet things begin to look bleak for the Roman Empire, most of the other great nations had expanded over the continent, foreign religions began to poison the minds of her neighbors and turn them against her, and worst of all her military did not even rank among the 8 greatest! It seemed as if the sun was setting on Rome all to soon...

Then something happened that would change all of that... One day a group of engineers approached Caesar and told him that they had found a metal in the north eastern region of Rome unlike any they had ever seen before, one they called Iron! When they showed a sample sword to Caesar he immediately passed it off as a bronze weapon, the force that had dominated the battlefield thus far, but when the engineers broke a bronze axe clean in two with the sword Caesar began to change his mind.

With the growing threat of Barbarians and rival Empires he immediately set the excavation in motion, stocking up on the precious Iron.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/Oldschool1369/IERS-14.jpg

Something else was also happening in Rome about the same time that iron was discovered, a military innovation that was changing the face of warfare. Up till this time, it was bold tactics and glory that won the day, the warrior chief with the favor of the gods would undoubtedly win any conflict he was blessed in. But the new Generals in Rome thought otherwise, and they had begun to devise a type of warfare based on Formations, timing and coordinated force, They believed that wars in the years to come would be won by discipline, not divine intervention.

Seeing the opportunity before him, Caesar married his precious Iron with this new military philosophy... From its bond came a word that would change the face of the earth forever, a word that would dominate the battlefield for over a thousand years, that word being... Legion!

Formed by armies of Paretorian's, Legionaries were without a shadow of a doubt the greatest military force on earth at that time. Caesar mobilized his small nation, and before long they began to amass across the Roman border...

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/Oldschool1369/IERS-15.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/Oldschool1369/IERS-16.jpg

During the years that Rome formed her army it became known in all the high courts of the other empires that a great military revolution was taking place in the tiny nation of Rome...

Yet most were too blinded by their own plans to heed any warning; Spain had begun to draw up plans to invade Russia, China had amassed a great army in which to invade India with, while Japan stayed behind its wall of isolation to build a mighty army. Across the sea's Alexander prepared his conquest of France while Arabia eyed them both.

War seemed inevitable and inescapable in these times, yet none believed that Rome would have any effect, she would just be effected. Only the Aztecs thought anything of Rome, for when the witch doctors reported to their warrior overlord's in that savage empire they told them that on the winds which blew from Rome there carried the scent of death...

Take out those Russians; they look too close for comfort. Make use of your early unique unit. :ar15:
What difficulty level are you playing at?

nice story telling

What difficulty level are you playing at?

Monarch... and I'm starting to feel the pain, this one is deffintly gonna be close!

To much school work tonight... look for an update tommorow!

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b280/Abaddon001/civ.jpg

How do you turn these resource labels on?!?! Are they visible when zoomed out?

I have real difficulty relocating stuff I found while exploring.

*edit*

Great Narrative by the way!

How do you turn these resource labels on?!?! Are they visible when zoomed out?

I have real difficulty relocating stuff I found while exploring.


One of the buttons located above the minimap turns the resource labels on. And they are visible when zoomed out.

Or you can hit Control + R.

Wow, this is great so far.
Nice work!

Interesting, I have never played a 'Ice Age' game, You gave me a bit of inspiration...... I'll see how it goes.

you could have expanded and destroyed the barbs. by waiting for thier city to reach size two

Great storytelling! I agree with He-Who-Hunts that the images are big. You must be running 1280 resolution. At 1024 they're too big for the screen. I await chapter 3.

Great storytelling! I agree with He-Who-Hunts that the images are big. You must be running 1280 resolution. At 1024 they're too big for the screen. I await chapter 3.

1280 is todays norm right? ;)

1280 is todays norm right? ;)

I have to say "it depends." My users usually run 800x600 b/c they say they can't see their icons and such. 1024 is what I usually run b/c it's closer to what they run, and I get more real estate on my screen than them at 8x6. I've been runnning 1280 since my post, and have gotten used to it somewhat. I think my eyes aren't as good as they used to be.

:scan:

The saga continues?

ack... sorry to everyone whos been following... schools just been hiting me like a ton of bricks... damn tech thesis!

I promise an update soon (with smaller pics) part 3 is half way done...

I guess with ice age cottage spamming is OUT. Not a fan of that 3rd city site at all.

I guess with ice age cottage spamming is OUT. Not a fan of that 3rd city site at all.

Agreed. A city further south to take advantage of the copper and incense(?) would have been more to my liking. That would curb the Russian expansion in your direction, and give you a staging point to get rid of the barb city.