I have enjoyed reading many of the Civ stories, and I figured I'd try my hand at one. Please, be gentle! :)

This game (the opening save is attached for those that might be interested) is being played by the following rules:

Strict OCC
Monarch level
Random map: HUGE, 60% water archipelago, normal/temperate/5B years old)
Sedentary barbs
AI aggression normal
15 opposing civs (random)

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177079

It had been a long day for the nomadic tribe that called themselves the Babylonians. The land nearby was barren, the hunters had returned with only a few small rabbits for dinner, and everyone's feet hurt. A young hunter named Hammurabi spoke to the tribe as it surrounded the campfire:

"Why don't we settle down? We could just stay in one place and that way we wouldn't have to walk so much."

The elders laughed at Hammurabi. "Child! Look around you. If we stay here, we would die. There is not enough food. There is no water. Our tribe has always wandered the plains. And so it shall always be."

Hammurabi sneered at the old men. "Well, then we should find a place where there is food, and water. Then we would never have to leave. It would be perfect."

The elders laughed. Except for one man, regarded by most of the tribe as slightly mad (and yet not to be trifled with), who hushed the tribe with his words. "Yes. This is good. My father spoke of a place where our tribe once roamed. There was a beautiful lake, with plentiful fish to eat. The soil nearby was fertile. There was even a view of a vast sea that stretched farther than the eye could ever see. Would it not be nice to live forever in such a place?"

A murmur rose up through the tribe. The elders tried to silence them, but it was quickly clear: everyone's feet hurt, they were hungry, and if such a perfect place could ever be found, well, they agreed: they would stay there forever.

Of course, there was the small matter of finding this mythical lake. Some of the hunters vaguely recalled seeing water to the south. And it was obvious from the hills rising in the northern horizon that no water lay in that direction. So, the tribe began a slow journey to the south--still hunting, still gathering, but moving with a purpose. Young Hammurabi smiled.

Shortly, the hunter tribesmen reported back with wonderful news! It came in the form of a long string of fish speared in the beautiful lake they had found. The crisp, cool water was safe to drink, and in the distance they could hear the sound of waves lapping against the shore from the sea beyond.

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Hammurabi said "This must be the place of which the ancestors spoke. We should rest near the lake, that we may gather the fish and enjoy the cooling breeze of the sea. We should gather some wood so we will be able to shelter ourselves from the weather." By now, the elders had been cowed by young Hammurabi's success, and agreed.

And so, in what would later come to be known as 3850 BC, the Babylonian city-state was founded.

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I'm following.

I have a feeling that this is going to be an interesting one. :)

The first years of the city of Utopia were simple ones. The people learned the lay of the land, and were able to gather some of nature's resources for their use. A crude barter system began to emerge.

Meanwhile, Hammurabi II (who had succeeded his father as the de facto leader of the tribe after his father's death ten years earlier) was an incredibly precocious lad with a fairly short temper. "Josiah!" he screamed one day. "Why do you not listen to me? I said get some fish from the lake and bring them back for dinner. Not sticks. We cannot eat sticks, can we?"

"Josiah, a young lad of barely nine years, was shaken at this comeuppance. "I'm sorry. I thought you said sticks. To make fire."

"Hammurabi caught himself. "Very well. Leave those here, then go, now, and get some fish. Please." And he began to think. Perhaps it was a simple mistake. Perhaps there would be a way to prevent these errors in the future. Like his father, he always sought better ways. So, he summoned his wise men and explained the problem.

"Perhaps something to make the boy hear more easily" said one wiseman. "With Josiah?" laughed another. "He is a fool. That boy cannot hear anything."

A third spoke. "And forgetful, too. If there were a way for him to carry the message with him, our problem would be solved."

"That is it!" cried Hammurabi. "Here, give me that rock and some goat's blood." And with it he drew a crude representation of a fish on the rock. "What do you think? Is this clear enough even for Josiah?"

The others giggled, and nodded. "Of course, we would need others as well. Unless you want the poor boy doing nothing but gathering fish his whole life."

"Of course!" replied Hammurabi II. "Get to work."

That night, the younger Hammurabi had a vision. His father spoke to him in his sleep, his voice a faint rasping whisper in the nocturnal breeze. "You are doing well, my son. You honor your father with your thoughts. Be careful to honor those around you as well. Make Utopia a place of which all can be proud."

The son rose the next morning, more determined than ever to lead his people. He immediately ordered a structure erected in the center of the village, to honor the deceased. A special place of honor was to be created for his father, the founder of the village--but this would be a place for all to gather to remember their own fathers and other loved ones. And so it was.

The Temple of Utopia took many centuries to construct, as each generation added its own personal touches to remember their forefathers and for their children to remember them. Moreover, it provided a common purpose to the citizenry. With the abundant food, the population multiplied, and some individuals wandered slightly from the city for a few days or even weeks at a time--but they always returned home. They reported on the surroundings as they traveled, and before long the citizenry of Utopia had gained a useful knowledge of more of the land around them.

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In 3150 BC, seven centuries after the construction of the temple began, Hammurabi XXVIII (as he would later be known--to his citizens, he was simply Hammurabi, which had become as much an honorific title as an actual name) declared the construction complete. The magnificent structure stood nearly fifty feet into the air and had three separate below-ground levels where some of the honored dead were interred.

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Hammurabi looked at the burgeoning population, and wondered how it would be possible to grow the town any further. Nearly fifty thousand people called Utopia their home, and at the present rate of growth could be expected to grow by half within a few generations. He called together his council of wisemen to discuss the situation.

"What shall we do? We keep growing and growing, and that is all well and good, but if we are not careful we will have so many people that it will be hard to feed them all."

"Then they must work harder" said one wiseman.

"It is not a matter of harder, you fool" said another. "Besides, I do not recall you chopping any wood or gathering and fish lately. We must expand our reach into more of the countryside. I suggest we send out a few brave souls as explorers. Perhaps, in time, a site where a second city might be created could be found..."

"No." Hammurabi silenced that thought with a single word. "This town was created by our ancestors so that others would not have to wander, would not have to search for food, would not have to worry about where to call home. I will not ask anyone to leave this city."

"That is all well and good, Hammurabi. But perhaps at least a few volunteers could be found to explore the countryside. We should arm them, of course, so that they might face the dangers of the unknown well prepared."

Hammurabi sighed. "Very well. Ask for volunteers. And train them well. But heed my words: nobody is to leave the city until we are totally confident that they can handle any situation."

And so, the training began. But Hammurabi (and later his children, their children, and their children's children) marked those words with extreme care. Until every possible danger could be faced, the warrior-explorers would not be allowed to leave. It was a badge of honor over those generations to even be selected for training. Finally, one hundred and fifty years later, Hammurabi XXXIII looked about him. As predicted, the population had grown to approximately 75,000 citizens. And this appeared to be an uncommonly strong and bright group of warriors. He called them into the town square, along with the rest of the citizenry.

"By my word, on this day, I declare that the Warriors of Hammurabi have met all challenges, and shall go forth to gather information about our surroundings."

The crowd cheered. And so, in 2950 BC (as it would later be known), the warriors began to set out beyond the far reaches of the Great North Road which had been built to assist in returning food from the early farms that had been set up. Meanwhile, Hammurabi XXXIII ordered the training of a second group of warriors as well.

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The warriors wound a circuitous route north along the mountains. For a long time. Generations had passed, in fact, but this group pressed on, caring for their children and raising them in the warrior tradition.

In 2753 BC, the warriors ascended the crest of what is today known as Twin Goldenpeaks, and spotted something they had not seen outside of their group in nearly one hundred fifty years: human life. A small settlement of perhaps fifty men and women sat around a campfire, gnawing on some sort of meat--it was hard to tell what.

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"Mausollos!" said Hamchichi, the leader of the warrior band at present. "What can you make out?" Mausollos had been gifted with uncommon eyesight and a sharp wit as well. "It look like... well, I am not sure. I do not see any axes nearby, and they do not appear to have noticed us, though. What shall we do?"

Hamchichi thought. "Let us see what they are up to. Be prepared to fight, warriors, as our forefathers prepared us."

And so the warriors approached the campfire. The people seated at the fire eyed the group warily, and some of them scurried off into the caverns in the nearby hillside. A few remained. "Hail!" said Mausollos, speaking well out of turn. "We are of the tribe of Babylon. And you?"

Relaxing somewhat, one of the elder men at the campfire rose. "I am Koruth, of the Bactrians. It has been a long time since we have seen another tribe. Please, sit, eat."

"I am sorry" said Mausollos solemnly. "We cannot. We have been sent on a sacred mission to explore the countryside."

"Really?" replied Koruth. "There is not much to explore, really. There are a number of fertile fields to the north in which various animals grow in great numbers. I think the strong wheats help them nicely. There is a river far to the north. We do not cross it though. I do not know what lies beyond."

Fascinated, Mausollos memorized each word as the man spoke. After a short while, the conversation ended, and the warriors moved past the Bactrian tribe. They were never seen again.

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Back in Utopia, the second group of warriors had been trained. And Hammurabi XXXIX looked at the town around him. The population had exploded to nearly 97,000 citizens by the latest count. Occasional food shortages ravaged the town, as the fish, though plentiful, were not enough to feed the burgeoning population. His father Hammurabi XXXVIII had ordered many of the citizens to work in the fields surrounding the city to increase productivity and gather enough food. This had angered some of the citizens, who had been taught from time immemorial that they would never have to leave the city. The Second Warrior Group had been forced to make a show of force on occasion, to remind the populace who was in charge. Hammurabi XXXIX was not a popular leader, to say the least.

The wise men approached him. "Oh Great Leader (Hammurabi XXXIX had been prone to calling himself the Great Leader--though the rest of the populace scoffed behind his back), the citizens are angry. They are upset that we are forcing so many into the fields and away from our precious Utopia. We must do something to appease them. If we do not, I fear that there will be trouble."

Hammurabi XXXIX scoffed. "What are they going to do? Fight our warriors? If you hear ANY trouble, you have them executed. Immediately."

"Oh Great Leader", one wiseman said from the back of the room. "That, I am afraid, will not do. Some of those that complain are our most productive people. Without them, this town would simply not function."

Hammurabi snarled. But beneath his rough exterior lay a brain that was every bit as sharp as those of his predecessors. "Very well. Here is what we will do. We shall erect an edifice so great that even those miles away from Utopia will be able to see it. This will remind them of their homes even when they are away." As he spoke, Hammurabi thought to himself "and it will keep them busy instead of fighting!"

The wisemen murmured. "This actually--Oh Great Leader, this might actually work. We would have to use a great deal of bronze, of course. Wood just would not be sturdy enough. I am still not sure that this will satisfy the people. This great edifice, this tower of Babyl--"

"Not a tower!" cried out a voice from the corner of the room. Hammurabi XL, as he would later be known, was barely eleven, but had shown exceptional promise and kindness. Secretly, even the wise men hoped for his rapid ascencion to the leadership--by any means possible.

"Excuse me, boy?" snarled Hammurabi XXXIX. "I do not believe you were invited."

"Oh Great Leader... let us hear what he has to say."

Hammurabi XXXIX scowled, then sighed. "Very well, boy, get on with it."

"Not a tower. A statue. We can make a huge, giant, colossal statue."

"A statue? Of me? Now you are thinking, child!"

"No, father." Hammurabi XV lowered his gaze. "I do not think the people would be pleased by that. A statue of our great ancestor. The first Hammurabi."

The wise men looked at each other, breathless. THIS, they could sell to the populace. "Brilliant" gushed one.

"Yes, it is. I am glad I thought of it" said Hammurabi XXXIX crisply. "Get the people to work."

I like the focus on story.

OCC Monarch is like playing on Emperor or even Demigod. Good luck with this, I'll be following.

The following centuries were quiet, peaceful ones in Utopia. The citizens worked the land and continued their seeming infinite toiling on the giant bronze homage to the first Hammurabi. The surrounding land was bountiful, and the sea provided what the land could not. The population grew exponentially. All was calm.

Meanwhile, the exploring band of warriors, long since forgotten by the citizenry of Utopia, continued their exploration. Trained to be vigilant before all else, they carefully noted each feature of the surrounding terrain.

A few generations after their previous encounter, the warrior band encountered a second nomadic tribe near the coast.

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Quietly, a young warrior named Solomon approached the tribe, arms raised in a gesture of peace. The tribe stared for a moment, then beckoned him over. Wordlessly, they sized each other up. One of the nomadic tribesmen pointed at the cape Solomon had draped over his shoulders to protect him from the wind. Puzzled, Solomon removed the garment and handed it to the wizened nomad--who examined the garment for a moment, smiled, and draped it over his own shoulders. "Hey, but--" Solomon began, then thought better of it as he realized he was greatly outnumbered, at least for the moment.

Two of the younger nomads approached Solomon. They handed him a conch shell filled with some very interesting looking stones. Giggling, they turned and ran, along with the rest of the nomads, into the surrounding forest. "Hey!" Solomon shouted after them, still holding the conch shell. "That's my cape!" But he was too dumbfounded to chase after the nomads, and his warrior mates were too busy trying not to collapse from laughter. One of the elders of the warrior tribe approached Solomon, taking the conch shell and pouring the stones onto the beach. "Pearls" he said. "How nice."

"Nice, my foot" whined Solomon. "Pearls won't keep me warm."

The warriors all thought this was very, very funny. Except, of course, Solomon.

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And, a couple hundred years after that encounter, the warrior band came upon another nomadic village. By now Mausollos IX was the leader of the warrior tribe. Emboldened by the successes of past generations, he approached the nomads himself, palms open in a gesture of peace. One of the older members of the nomads rose from the deer he was in the process of gutting. Mausollos smiled, nodded his head just so, and gestured politely (or so he thought) toward the deer.

Now, in modern times, much study has been made of the minutae of the Harappan body language, as well as their exceptionally violent ways. Mausollos IX knew none of these things, which it why it was a terrible surprise to him when the nomad suddenly lunged forward, plunging the crude knife he had been using on the deer directly into Mausollos' stomach. Likewise, it came as a great surprise to the other members of the warrior band when they suddenly found themselves surrounded by well over a hundred Harappans, each wielding a similar knife and a similarly angry expression.

A bloody fight ensued, with the warriors charging the nearest Harappans in unison, attempting to clear a path to their freedom. And many Harappans died that day, it is true. But sadly, the warriors were set upon, and but a few were able to escape with their lives.

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One young warrior named Marathon scooped up much of the tribe's critical items and hid in a nearby grove of trees, then set off in search of their long-forgotten home. For twelve days and twelve nights he walked through the grasslands, not stopping for food or water or sleep. On the twelfth night, he came over the crest of a small hill and spotted the reflection of the mooonlight off of... something. Something large he had never seen before. Hoping that this would be home, or at least a safe resting point, he approached the partially constructed statue. A sleepy guard called out to him, "Who goes there?"

"Marathon" he replied exhausted. "Of the Warriors of Hammurabi. Mausollos... dead. All... gone." And with that last breath, young Marathon collapsed beneath the weight of his burden, and did not rise again.

The Hammurabi (offically, Hammurabi LVIII, though the people of Utopia had long since given up the formal numbering system) was of course concerned. He ordered the warriors that had stayed home to be on the highest alert, ready to charge forth against the unknown attackers from the outside. And so they remained vigilant. And their sons remained vigilant, and their sons as well.

Finally, in 1723 BC, as the Colossus of Hammurabi was nearing actual completion after nearly a millenium of work, guard rushed into the chamber of the Hammurabi.

"Barbarians! Our citizens have spotted barbarians!"

"Where are they?" asked the Hammurabi, with grave concern.

"To the north, sir, near the North Forest."

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"Have they spotted our villages yet?"

"We don't think so sir. But it's only a matter of time. We need to assemble a larger force. There's no telling how many we are dealing with."

"No" said the Hammurabi. "We are very nearly finished with our tribute to our founder. And finish it we shall. Call in the farmers into the city. Give them shelter. But I will not see fifty generations of work delayed by those subhuman swine!"

And so it was ordered. And so it came to pass that in 1709 BC, exactly one thousand years after its commencement, the Colossus of Hammurabi was, finally, complete.

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After the completion of the Colossus, it was apparent to all that the barbarian menace had to be dealt with once and for all. A few additional warrior bands were formed, and learning from the past tragedies of others, they dispatched the barbarians without much trouble.

Late one stormy night, Hammurabi had a vision. Or at least, he thought he did. It was probably just a reflection from the distant lightning against the sea. But he was certain he saw... something... on the horizon. Could it be more land? Was it possible that the world was more than mere warriors could explore?

Hammurabi called together his advisors to tell them about the vision. Most of them giggled.

"Silly! Of course there is nothing beyond the sea. How could there be?"

"Even if there is, what should we do, walk on water? Who cares? It is over there, far from where we live and shall live. It can have nothing of value!"

A few advisors, however, thought that perhaps it might be worth exploring the area immediately around the island, just in case there was something worth gathering from the seas. They didn't necessarily think it was that great an idea, but if it would get Hammurabi to leave them alone, they were all for it.

And so, experiments began. The first was a simple platform made of bundled wood, and pushed along by poles. Though effective enough, it was too hard to maneuver. A few other failed experiments followed. Eventually, though, they got it right, and before long the people of Utopia had produced three very water-worthy vessels. One sat out along the northern coast, one along the southern coast, and one prepared for an arduous journey across the sea itself.

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As the brave, if slightly foolish, curragh prepared to traverse the Great Sea, two advisors rushed into Hammurabi's bath. "We've done it!" they exclaimed. "We've finally done it!"

"Done what?" shouted Hammurabi, grabbing at a nearby leaf and placing it strategically in the water. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

"We've figured out a system of communication. It's much better than the picture-drawings. We call it 'writing'. We can use it to describe just about anything."

"Can you use it to describe 'get out of my bath, you idiots', by chance?"

"Of course."

"Then teach me how to write that, and then do it. Okay?"

"Okay, Hammurabi. What should we do now?"

"Why don't you think about why it's a bad idea to come rushing into someone's bath and startle them for a few hundred years, and then come tell me about it." Hammurabi was of course being sarcastic. But his advisors, well.. they were not the type to understand sarcasm.

"You got it, boss."

I definitely like you writing style DWetzel. This part seems espeically good... I especially like the story behind wonder building, the conch shell, and the bath. I usually play OCC's on a standard sized map. In the last one I finally made it to the modern era in one, with a slight tech lead on Monarch (lots of trading... reseraching tech the AI probably won't for trades... which I didn't do much of before). I wonder how you'll do tech-wise after Education and in the Industrial age. Also, the ancient to medieval changeover might work out rough with that much open space around. Props to you for not restarting and going to find a spot for Utopia. Unfortuantely, you don't have many shields there.

Sadly, the first naval expedition was never heard from again. The other curraghs exploring the coastlines had had little difficulty. It was presumed that some sort of sea monster had claimed the expedition. Undeterred, the citizens of Utopia created a second vessel to travel across the Great Sea. What they found was something for which they were completely unprepared.

"Land Ho!" shouted the scout. "Land! That way!"

He pointed. And sure enough, well into the distance, a pristine beach with a few tall oaks peeked out from the vast horizon. The oarsmen were revitalized, and rowed with great vigor to the shore. As they approached, though, they saw something they were not prepared for.

"People?" the scout said. "There are people there? Have we turned around in the ocean?"

But indeed they had not, though it took a while to be sure. The terrain was just too different--the most notable absence being the massive bronze statue. These people seemed very organized, and greeted the curragh with some equanimity as it approached the shoreline.

"Hail!" shouted the scout. "Who goes there?"

"We ******* t** *****************, who are ******". The wind made it nearly impossible to hear.

But this much was clear: they were not alone. And the world had changed forever.

Wow your start looks so nice. Silly karma that this had to be a OCC.

Do your people like building big shiny things, or do they prefer building pointy sticks?

And while I'm posting: you may wish to consider using SPOILER tags for some of the larger pictures. It doesn't bother me (all my monitors have large resolution), but it may help others.

Good luck !

Struggling to reach the shore, the brave Utopian mariners managed at last to beach their curragh. Preparing for the worst, they immediately assumed a defensive position. However, two things became apparent: First, the strangers peeking down from the land were in no hurry to attack. Second, as more and more heads (it seemed like thousands) rose from behind the hill, it was clear that, if they decided to attack, the battle would be brutally quick.

Hoping not to provoke any trouble, a few of the sailors put down their crude knives and approached the group.

"Hail, um, friends."

A few of the heads turned towards each other, then looked back. "Hail." They didn't seem to fully understand it, but seemed to understand that it was some sort of greeting.

"We, um, are explorers from the city-state of Utopia. We mean you no harm."

"After some hand gesturing back and forth, one of the foreigners smiled, and pointed at the group. "Utopia?" then pointed (well, gestured, in a large sweeping motion) at the vast gathering behind them. "Korea."

A great deal of talking, hand-waving, and smiling ensued. For days, the Koreans (as they called themselves) and Utopians gathered. It seemed that their language did have some things in common, and they quickly were able to communicate. Which was just as well, as the gathering of Koreans became ever more numerous. They carried all manner of interesting objects with them, none of which the sailors had ever seen or understood.

After a full week of sitting, talking, and so forth, a small delegation of very well-dressed Koreans, accompanied by a few of the first Koreans to greet them, approached the mariners. The delegation spoke, and the other Koreans attempted to interpret for them.

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"His High Master Wang Kon, leader of the Koreans, sends greetings. We understand that you are explorers from the nation of Utopia. We welcome you, but must ask that you leave soon. Your presence disturbs us as we plan to create a new city."

The concept of "nation" was a bit hard to understand. "Oh, of course" the sailors said. "We'll be on our way soon enough. We already have a city."

The delegation had the sailors words interpreted for them, and looked puzzled. They spoke, and the response was "One city? Have you not a whole nation? Korea has many cities. We hope to create more."

At first the sailors thought there was some confusion about what was meant by a "city". But, apparently, these Koreans had at present five different locations in which they gathered. They called them "Seoul", "Pyongyang", "Pusan", "Wonsan", and "Nampo". One of the sailors, trying his best to record everything, drew a piece of paper from his pocket and began to write.

The Koreans stopped talking, and looked puzzled.

"What are you doing?" one asked.

The sailor looked puzzled. "I am writing down the names. Is that all right?"

The Koreans looked even more puzzled.

"You are... what? We do not understand."

"I'm writing down the names. How do you spell Pongying?"

The Koreans looked even more puzzled. At this point, they were reaching a new world record for puzzledness.

"We really do not understand. Show us please?"

And so the sailors did. The Koreans thought this was like the most amazing thing ever. One of their delegation whispered to the interepreters. "Will you stay for a while, and teach us this? We have many things that we could perhaps teach you. You stay. We help."

And so the sailors did. There were certainly a LOT of different things these Koreans had to offer. They had massive clay pots in which they carried food and water with them. Some of them had begun to build modest structures out of stone and mud in which to live at the location of their new city. Most amazing of all to the travelers were the carts on which the Koreans carried these items--rather than drag them, they seemed to glide across the ground with minimal effort. Some of these carts were even hooked up to strange beasts the Koreans called "horses". The Utopians recalled hearing tales of similar beasts on their homeland. The sailors were also amazed to test out some of the knives and weapons the Koreans carried. Made of a substance called "iron", these seemed much harder and stronger than the bronzeware that the sailors carried with them. The handles of these weapons were also strong, made of a pure white substance the Koreans said they harvested from mythical-sounding creatures they called "elephants".

But the sailors were most taken of all with the ceremonies that the Koreans held each day at sunrise. Almost to a man, they rose, faced the rising sun, and sat in quiet meditation for nearly a half hour. Refreshed and of one purpose, this simple ceremony seemed to give them new vigor each day. The sailors asked if they could learn this ceremony--and the Koreans agreed.

The sailors' stay in the land of Korea extended nearly four months. As agreed, they taught the Koreans their system of writing. The Koreans, in turn, agreed to fully teach the Utopians the way of their meditations.

Finally, as it was time for the sailors to attempt the journey back across the seas, the Koreans came with a gift. Various gemstones, jewelry (some of it made of the iron and elephantium), and ceremonial items were loaded into a box and tightly secured to the two curraghs (one of which the Koreans helped them to assemble--these Koreans seemed familiar with the basic principles of the watercraft).

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"We must tell the Hammurabi at once of these Koreans" said the sailors on the new curragh.

Those on the other replied "And we shall continue to explore these shores. By the sound of it, these Koreans know of other tribes as well. Perhaps they know of even more secrets."

"Godspeed, friends."

"Godspeed."

And so the two boats sailed, one back the way it had came, as the other made its way slowly along the coast to the south. As they departed, the throng of Koreans gathered as one, and waved.

Wow your start looks so nice. Silly karma that this had to be a OCC.

Do your people like building big shiny things, or do they prefer building pointy sticks?

And while I'm posting: you may wish to consider using SPOILER tags for some of the larger pictures. It doesn't bother me (all my monitors have large resolution), but it may help others.

Good luck !


Hehe.... this start does have some interesting features (both positive and negative to it), many of which will be revealed over the course of the game.

My intent for this game at the start was to go for a 20k culture win or a diplomatic win. You'll have to stay tuned to see how that went. ;)

And good call on the spoiler tags. I'm still learning the features that are available; I'll try to stick to those in the future.

The curragh made its way quickly back across the sea (it seemed that the Koreans had some experience with these boats, and the prevailing trade winds were at their backs, so the trip home was a pleasure compared to the harrowing journey across the seas) and into the makeshift port at Utopia.

"Hammurabi... there are others."

"What do you mean, others?"

"There is another group across the seas. They call themselves Korea."

"Korea? That's a strange name."

"That's what they said about ours, too. But that isn't the point. They have all manner of interesting objects. Very valuable ones. Here, they gave us some interesting trinkets--look at the materials. But that isn't the more amazing part."

Hammurabi raised his eyebrows. "Really. Because that is pretty amazing."

"We know. But these Koreans... they have many cities. They have, essentially, five Utopias. Theirs are a bit smaller, but they are spread out all over the landscape. And they were in the process of creating a sixth when we left them."

"Why would they need to do that?" mused Hammurabi. "If one place does not have everything it needs, why not move everyone?"

"Well, they have various trade networks set up, and each city produces a few different things and trades it with the others."

"Hmm. I don't like it. We have everything we need right here. Keep an eye on those Koreans."

"Yes, Hammurabi. We are going to go pray now, for a very long time."

"Okay...."

"Ah, yes. They taught us some very interesting techniques for clearing the mind and body to start the day."

"Hmmph."

"And right now, after this conversation... we need to go do that."

"Hmmph!"

The year which would later be known as 1000 BC was a VERY eventful one for the Utopians.

First and foremost, the curragh traveling to the south met with another tribe. A beautiful (if somewhat weathered) town sat directly on the coast. The curragh landed, half expecting another group of Koreans--but it was not to be. But this new group was every bit as polite as the last.

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These new people called themselves the Dutch. They had everything the Koreans to the north had (in fact, it seemed that these two civilizations had been in trade with each other for some time), except that the Dutch didn't seem to have the hang of the whole "meditation" trick that the Utopians had learned earlier.

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Generously, the sailors agreed to teach the Dutch how to write (as they had the Koreans), and in addition taught them the meditation. In exchange, the Dutch agreed to teach the sailors the secrets of creating the mystical iron substance (including how to hunt for the iron ore required to make it). As a parting gift, the Dutch also supplied the sailors with some very warm (if somewhat funny looking) woolen hats, and enough wooden shoes to keep the feet of every Utopian floating in even the wettest of conditions.

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As before, the sailors split up, aided by the Dutch in making a new boat (they seemed even more adept than the Koreans at this), and split up again to return to Utopia and to continue exploring.




Meanwhile, a warrior band, already bloodied and exhausted from a previous battle (of which history knows very little) with another barbarian tribe, was exploring the wind-swept deserts of the west came upon a large settlement. Prepared for the worst, the rag-tag band eyed the settlement carefully.

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They waved, and beckoned the group over. Shouting in a voice that was nearly identical to the Utopian language, they shouted "We are saved! We are saved! Help us!"

Puzzled, the warriors approached. The settlement was made up of a group of malnourished, tired, dirty, and desperate people.

"Thank goodness! Our people have been lost in this infernal desert for what seems like forever. We can't take it any more. Please... take us to your tribe. We will do anything you want! Anything! Please, help us!"

The warriors were of course willing to help. They had a question, though. "Who are you? How did you get here?"

One of the elders of the settlement approached. "A thousand years ago, more or less, there was a great schism amongst our tribe. There had been a vast fight in our homeland, in which some invaders were repelled, captured, and enslaved. Over time, some of us began to talk with these slaves. They spoke of a mythical land with green pastures, a beautiful sea, and plentiful fish. Some of our tribe, fools that they were, agreed to assist the slaves in escaping and accompany them to this land. But in all our travels, we never found anything like that of which they spoke. Over the generations, the directions and the description of that mythical land have been distorted and changed, and we have wandered all along the edge of this sea, hoping to find that land. But it seems that, no matter how we travel, things just get worse for us. Our forefathers directed us to cross this infernal desert in the thought that we would find that land across it, but instead all we have found is sand, heat, and misery. We have given up. We don't care any more. We just want to go home. But we don't know where home is any more."

The warriors looked at each other, the words of the elder slowly sinking in. "I think we may be able to help."

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Great story! I have to wonder about your tactics a bit though. I can understand trading for Mysticism to either build the Oracle or use it as a pre-build for say the Great Library or something else. But, *in a 20k game*, I'd advise you to always think carefully before trading tech... especially a OCC 20k game. Why? Trading tech speeds up the tech pace, and you don't want this in a 20k game or an OCC game. The AI getting nukes doesn't serve you well in a 20k game or an OCC game, since one nuke could kill your 20k city, or your only city. I haven't had that happen, but still. Of course, you'll probably want to trade tech at some point to keep up in research or for some wonder you want or something like that... but you'll want to do so much more carefully than usual. Fortunately, you have an archipelago Monarch game here so maybe it didn't end up mattering all that much. Perhaps the huge map setting also played to your advantage... or maybe it destroyed your ability to research much at all. I'll stay tuned.

Yup... interesting developments afoot.

Strategy wise, the intent was to get the Oracle available (you'll note I was a wee bit lacking on wonder prebuilds), then get Philosophy hopefully first, and then maybe get lucky and get a Monarchy (or Republic) slingshot. To give a brief bit of foreshadowing... that's not quite how it worked out. ;)

Bleh, sorry for the delay folks!


Over the following years, the city-state of Utopia grew steadily, aided (eventually) by the influx of the Harappan tribesmen. The Utopian citizens had completed the giant Colossus, then a barracks for the training of future generations of warriors to combat the unknown barbarians that might come from across the sea--they then started work on a massive structure, known as the Oracle, which they hoped would allow them to divine the future.

The workers of Utopia managed to capture and harness some of the wild horses surrounding the city, and put them to good use in the fields.

The brave sailors exploring the unknown seas had encountered additional tribes: the Persians (who, driving a hard bargain, were granted knowledge of Writing and Mysticism in exchange for knowledge of The Wheel) and the Chinese (who, stubbornly, refused to part with any of their secrets in exchange for gold).

Meanwhile, having completed the study of Writing, the Utopian scientists began their pursuit of a way of thinking about life's great mysteries. It would come to be known as Philosophy. And it is here that we pick up our story.

The scientists of Utopia had long answered a number of very deep questions posed to the by the citizenry. They had determined that one hand clapping sounds much like two hands clapping, only quieter; that a tree falling in the forest did in fact make a sound even if nobody was there to hear it; and that, no matter what anyone said, the sky was just sort of blue for no particular reason. As they sat in the town square one fateful day, a young boy, scarcely nine years old, approached them.

"I have a question-can you help me?" the boy quavered.

"Of course, child" chortled one of the wise men. "What is it, so that we may continue our contemplations in peace."

"What is the purpose of our existence? Why are we here?"

The wise men guffawed for a moment. But the boy continued.

"And what is the purpose of our studies? Is it merely to attain knowledge, for our own gain, or is it to truly advance the lives of our fellow citizens, and indeed that of the other tribes of the world?"

The wise men murmured. They had hoped for a simpler question, such as how the wheel worked.

"Indeed, given that we have discovered to date four different tribes, each possessing various types of knowledge which we have not, why can we not benefit from the knowledge of these tribes in a meaningful way? Is it not a failure of our very being that we have not been able to be educated by these tribes in the various arts? Or is it merely a failure of the teachers?"

One of the wise men snorted. "We have not learned because they have not been willing to teach, child."

"I see. And is this because, perhaps, we have not presented ourselves as willing students?"

"No" one of the wise men said gruffly. "Now, go away."

But the child's words echoed in their heads. And a few weeks later, one of the more reasonable wise men was walking through the market one day, and spotted the boy, in quiet contemplation, with a quill and paper in his hand, writing and drawing furiously. This was quite remarkable for the time, when only the most educated of Utopia's citizenry had learned the art of Writing.

"Where did you learn to write like that, child?" asked the wise man. "I taught myself" replied the boy, matter-of-factly.

"Really? Impressive." said the wise man. "What is your name, child?"

"My parents named me Hammurabi, after our great leaders."

"Well, young Hammurabi, we have had quite a lively discussion after your visit to us a few weeks ago. But tell me, what do YOU think the answer is to your question?"

The boy turned deathly serious. "I think that those other tribes would be more than willing to teach us, teach us everything, if it were presented to them properly. Given the ability to record all sorts of information using the written word, it should be possible to keep the answers to virtually every question stored in a vast place where the questions, and answers could be written down."

"Hmm!" grunted the wise man approvingly. "An exquisitely practical idea. But what of the tribes that have not yet learned to write?"

"Then we send those that can write to talk to them, and record their words as correctly as possible."

"But why should they grant us this knowledge for nothing?"

"It will not be for nothing. Those other tribes--indeed, anyone who asks-would be allowed to look at the information written down. After all, what is the purpose of writing it down if nobody can read it?"

"Indeed. Indeed..."


Over the next few years, young Hammurabi inserted himself into the circle of wise men, who accepted him grudgingly at first, but quickly became impressed (and, truth be told, a bit jealous) with the depth of the young man's mind. And in time, young Hammurabi became the closest advisor to the city's leaders, and they (in time) became convinced of the merit of his ideas. But the citizens of Utopia had spent a great deal of time on the creation of the Oracle. How to explain to them that the building would be used for other than its intended purpose? That too would be left to Hammurabi.

"Citizens of Utopia, we have spent many centuries creating the magnificent structure known as The Oracle, in hopes that the powers of the skies and the earth would grant us insight into the future. But today I come to you with an urgent plea--that before we can fully embrace the future, we must first come to honor our past. And so it is with the full blessing of our great leader that I request that we dedicate the magnificent structure behind us to the great heroes of our past. Though it will honor many, we have determined that it is best to honor one brave soul from our past, whose tale reminds us daily that we are nothing if not for the sacrifices of our forefathers, and that we live to sacrifice ourselves to improve the lives of our children. We shall convert the beautiful structure you have completed to date into a mausoleum, to honor the great Mausllos The Brave, and the other heroes of our past."

The crowd murmured. At first it was not clear what their reception would be... then, slowly at first, then building into a crescendo, cheers, and applause erupted from the masses.

And so it was made to be.

Hammurabi sent forth emissaries to all the known tribes, explaining the purpose of their visit as a gathering of all mankind's combined knowledge for the purpose of advancing all mankind. The other tribes loved the idea, and were more than willing to contribute. Given the great success of these emissaries, it was decided that all future diplomats, sailors, and others who might contact foreign tribes would have the ability to record, in detail, the various ideas of others, and would share with them (if requested) the reason for their gathering. And the citizens, encouraged by the vast wealth of information and ideas entering Utopia from all the foreign lands, hastened to build a structure (thrice expanded in its first five years, before the Utopians realized what a wild success this would be) to house the accumulated knowledge. And so, as Hammurabi The Wise (as he was later known) was in his 83rd year, he was honored to preside over the opening of the Great Library of Utopia, housing tens of thousands of drawings, scrolls, mechanical schematics, and other documents--most of which survive to this day. The major topics of these items can be seen in the following two pictures, depicting the Utopian knowledge before and after construction:

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A smaller, more informal structure was completed as well over the next generation, allowing for the distribution of stories and tales, both fictional and not. This smaller library was deorated with numerous carvings of the face of Hammurabi The Wise. It, too, survives to this day.

OCC with a huge map. Interesting concept, and I love OCCs, but I doubt I'd go for anything but a cultural victory for that one. Maybe one could limp into the diplomatic victory.

I agree (as you will see) that cultural almost has to be the way to go, mainly because of the tech issues. Even with all the infrastructure one can possibly have, it's just not possible (IMO) to keep up a useful tech pace.

I've actually played this game to its conclusion, but of course I won't spoil all the suspense. At this point I thought I had it relatively well in hand... things change.

The Great Library yielded additional teachings. In 550 BC, the Germans and Byzantines taught the wonders of Polytheism. In 510 BC, the Koreans, Chinese, and Persians all delivered the wonders of Mapmaking. And with this, the people of Utopia got another clever idea, cleverer still than the Oracle (which they has started again). As the ancients had constructed the Colossus to guide terran travelers home, so would a vast lighthouse be constructed to guide sailors home. Travelers from other lands also appreciated the thought, as Utopia itself was somewhat secluded from view from the open seas.

And, in 290 BC...

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Within a few short years, travelers from all the known civilizations of the world (at this point, the Persians, English, Koreans, Byzantines, Dutch, Germans, Japanese, and Chinese; the Greeks, Sumerians, and Mongols would follow within 150 years) descended upon the city. It was quickly determined that a harbor would need to be built to accomodate the increase in ship traffic--and it was made so. Occasional expansions of the harbor continued throughout the centuries.

In 91 BC, a crudely dressed Persian emissary sailed boldly up to the gates of Utopia, striding up the stairs of the Great Library, pushing his way past the long line of people waiting to gain access.

"May I help you?" asked the doorman at the Library.

"I represent Lord Xerxes of Persia. I demand immediate access to your library."

"I see sir. And do you have an appointment?"

"Lord Xerxes does not make appointments. Now direct me to the information on the various gods at once or there will be trouble!!!"

"I'm sorry sir, but you will have to wait in line, like the others. You should be able to be escorted to that section within a few hours."

"Lord Xerxes waits for nobody! Now, direct me at once!"

"I'm sorry sir. You'll have to speak to my supervisor. Unfortunately, he's very busy at the moment. Frankly it'll be faster if you just wait in line."

"GNARRRRRRR!!!!! :mad::mad::mad:" screamed the Persian. "THIS IS RIDICULOUS! LORD XERXES WILL DESTROY YOU ALL!!!!" And with that, the emissary stormed back to his boat, and sailed off past the horizon.

The doorman looked at the first man in line. "Did he, um, just declare war on us?"

The man shrugged. "I think so. I wasn't really listening. Now, do you think you could direct me to your section on Polytheism?"

"Certainly, sir. Right this way."

The war with Persia was one of the least fought wars in the history of the world. The people of Utopia had no desire to go conquering far-off lands (in fact, the Utopians had never actually set foot on Persian soil), and the people of Persia--well, it seemed that they lacked the ability to get anywhere near the island.

Meanwhile, in 10 AD, word came that the Sumerians, Germans, and Chinese, smitten with the idea of polytheism, had come to believe that their lords and rulers and their faimiles were, in fact, ordained by the gods to rule over them. It seemed a silly idea at first, but quickly began to make sense. How else could the long lineage of Hammurabis have guided Utopia so skillfully through the last 4,000 years, if not for the guidance of the gods? How could such a place so perfect as Utopia have been found by those ancient nomads, but for divine intervention? Quickly, the people convened, and (after some occasionally heated discussion) by 50 AD Lord Hammurabi had become known to all as King Hammurabi I. He was a largely benevolent ruler (which is probably why the very idea met with success in the first place), and the people felt a little more content with the state of things. In turn, they worked harder than ever, and in particular the bounties of the sea and lake were harvested in increasing numbers.

A few of the wise men (who had largely been put on duty of gathering and assimilating the information in the Great Library), disenchanted with this turn of events, began meeting secretly to devise yet another new form of government, one in which the people would have an actual say in the way things were run.

To commemorate the occasion of King Hammurabi I being officially crowned, the vast under-construction temple to Artemis, the sea god, was converted to an equally vast system of tunnels and gardens. However, in 194 AD, a messenger ran up to the construction.

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"Stop everything! Take down the plants!!!"

The workers looked at him blankly. "What?"

The messenger looked plaitively up at the workers. "It's been done. The Germans have built the same damn thing as us. They sent drawings and everything."

"So? Why can't we just finish ours?"

"His Majesty doesn't want to look like a copycat."

"That's it? Really? So, uh, what are we supposed to do with the building?"

"Well, we've been thinking about that..." the messenger said, gesturing outside, where a vast quantity of bricks was being delivered to the site. "It would take too much work to tear it down, so, uh..."

"What?" cried the workers, almost in unison.

"Uh, we need to wall it off. The whole thing. We've drawn up some plans. We think we could maybe make it into some sort of maze or something. Plus, of course, His Majesty it could prove useful as a *giggle* military barricade if the *guffaw* Persians ever show up..." *snicker*.

The workers sighed. But they did as they were told, and in 210 AD...

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Don't you just love how the AI declares on you when they can't even land a unit near your city?

I love this. I really like the story. It makes it seem really ancient and well damn decent, lol.