My name is Lord Lodbrok. I am the king of the Vikings:viking:. After years of nomadically sailing the seas I have found a island which I believe is suitable to settle. My loyal citizens were spread around me I commanded my scouts to travel north where they meet a friendly tribe who gave me a tribute of 25 gold. I ordered my citizens to settle by the sea. Trondheim had been founded. From my palace window I could watch the whales in the sea. South of are village was a large forest plentiful of at least 3 herds of hunting game. I immediately sent my scouts into the woods where they fund another friendly tribe and another 25 gold. To my dread my scouts had discovered that we had inhabited a small island:sad:and half of it was covered in a desert of snow:mad:, a frozen tundra:mad:, a barren wasteland of snow and ice:wallbash:. My scouts later found cows North of the little village that was my kingdom. But they also found shallows full of fish and the shallows led to another island a gift from the gods of Valhalla:worship:. I soon realized that we would live a crowded lifestyle unless we could reach that island. I sent a settler West so he could build a new village near the game. Then another South into the forest. And a third to a small peninsula. Now my small kingdom was composed of only four cities Trondheim, Bergen, Copenhagen, and Reykjavik. I then instructed my workers to connect all the towms with roads, clear the forests, and herd the game. My brilliant scientists had then discovered bronze working and are now starting a written language for are kingdom there are no rivers or lakes on my island making irrigation impossible. Riots broke out in Bergen so i sent them entertainers. Then the rioting spread to Copenhagen so I sent more entertainers. Then Reykjavik broke out in riots so more entertainers were sent out to cheer up my people. All the riots were do to how crowded it was. I new unrest would come because of the small landmass we called home. I forced my laborers to start a great project "The Colossus". Spearmen were then trained to protect my villages. My scientists had then informed me that they had formed an alphabet and started work on spelling for are words. I sent out archers to keep my workers in line and to clean up their messes. I ordered warriors to keep the peace and police my citizens. As my archers patrolled the coast they saw another civ across the shallows. I was then informed someone had beat me to the colossus:mad:. And that someone was the Zulu. I decided that someday in the future those Zulu would pay for finishing the Colossus first. My scientists informed me that they had completed are written language and were going to start a system which would allow them to map out are land and other land we discovered. And they told me they could then build an invention that they called a boat. They said was cheap, simply made of wood, and could travel across the sea. ‘Finally’, I thought, ‘now my small kingdom could become a large, powerful empire’ I ordered them to go to it 100% and that I didn’t care how much gold we would lose. Than to my surprise Joan d’arc contacted me by proposing a deal. They would teach us ceremonial building if I gave them 25 gold. My advisors informed me they were much smarter than us, and they knew other civs. I accepted there deal and the next thing I knew I was talking with Tokugawa of the Japanese:confused:. Their proposal was they would teach me Mysticism in turn for 50 gold. They were just as advanced as the French, and new all the same people. So I agreed. Then China proposed that we would exchange territory maps but I had to throw in 40 gold. They were the same as the Japs technology wise and new the same people. I thought it was pricey but I agreed anyway. I had been cowed by three other civs who were stronger, larger, smarter, and if I refused or threatened them they had friends who would back them up. Are treasury was running low so I cut spending by 30% and increased taxes by 30%. This added time to my project of researching map making. My archers were now being used as sentries and they saw another civ across the sea and noted the first civ that became visible was the Japanese. I had to cut spending by another 20% and increased taxes by 20% hoping to help our treasury. My great scientists had finished map making and I sent them out to teach the kingdom to read and write. Even with increased taxes we were losing gold so once again I decreased science by 20% and raised taxes by 20%. Japanese boats began to sail in are seas and I considered this movement of troops to be an act of violence or a threat to my kingdom. Thankfully after praying to the gods and worshiping Valhalla:worship: our treasury began to grow.

o and i did everything random and got islands large or huge and most likely the age were there are few mountains and 60% water and the Scandanavians as you can see

Nice Story! :thumbsup:

May I recomend though, get the great Library.

It is good to see you got PTW joey! :D

someone already got the great library

As I watched Chinese boats sail around me and teh Japs I was contacted by the Zulu. Shaka there leader offered to teach my kingdom the secrets of masonry if we taught them map making. They were more advanced than me but not as advanced as the others. I accepted there offer and asked for there world map. But they refused to give it to me. So I asked for their territory map and got it. Now I would be able to take out there six puny cities. I ordered by troops to start a navy consisting of only galleys hoping there would be a safe sea route to the Zulu. That night I invisioned many galleys approaching the beach of a beutiful city. The citizens looked in awe as the boats approached and the strong sailors as they lowered large wooden ramps and rope ladders of the boat. Then men marched down the ramps in many neat rows as they fired arrows at the fleaing citizens:mwaha:. Then troops with axes at there backs climbed down the ladders and hacked at the buildings:mwaha:. Then a row of flames came firing out of the block of archers. The flamed arrows hit the wooden buildings and the straw huts ingulffing them with flames:mwaha:. That was how I pictured the fall of Zimbabwe to be:mwaha:. When I awoke the next morning I was informed that science spending was cut another 20%. I was enraged:aargh:. I killed three citizens hurrying millitary production:whipped:. Still i thought it was taking to long so I killed four more hoping that would speed things up:whipped:. As I was whipping:whipped:my workers I was told science spending was cut completly because we were still losing money and that are scout was disbanned because of the shortage of money. That only made me madder:aargh:. So I killed three more citizens:whipped:. Are treasury was still shrinking and a galley had to be disbanned. I decided the best thing would to produce wealth in all my cities. A warrior was then disbanned. Then another warrior. And then another.Finally my citizens were producing enough wealth that we were making surplus gold. T ordered my workers to finish what htey were doing than to cover my kingdom in roads hoping thiis increase the amount of commerce was produced in my cities. Then finnaly with a high tax rate, many roads, and all my cities producing wealth we started to make alot of gold again.

Just for your own reference... Larger cities pull in much more commerce than smaller ones, so even if they have more unhappiness, this is easily balanced out by the higher number of tiles being worked and overall commerce produced. Even if a size 3 city with no luxury tax and a size 6 with 20% luxuries are breaking even on money, the larger city pulls many more shields/turn than the smaller one. In short, you probably would never, ever want to whip your cities in order to get out of debt; it's not going to happen. That's only going to put you further in debt, since your smaller cities produce less commerce. Just a head's up for future games. :)

i didnt do it to produce commerce i did it to hurry production

This morning a messenger approached me and told me Cathrine of the Russians had asked for a territory and 24 gold I asked "what do we get" "a map" replied the peasent the russians were the smartest yer but almost as small as the Zulu. I decided to take them out with the remaining forces from my war with the Zulu that is soon to come. We finally had enough gold to start science spending again which pleased me. Even though the Russians were advanced the Chinese were still by far the best civ. I finally got the Iroquis to teach my men how to use wheels and some wild horses were tamed and trained so they could pull chariots. Some people were even trying to sit on the backs of horses so I asked my scientists to devolp a way to ride on the backs of horses.