Many Leaders Game 8 - Fall From Heaven

So we have got the 3 cities we wanted and now it is juts maximising research to Hunker down and run for Ashen veil and then Infernal Pact to release Hyborem.

This research is currently coming form the capitals towns abut as soon as an Adept is out to unlock the jungle gems this will be really accelerated.

I will keep the Geek hired in the capital to give me a chance of founding the Shrine before I abandon the empire. Obviously as I abandon and get reborn as Hyborem improving the Empire like this is a bit irrelevant but it feels in theme and will help me raise the AC.

Techs – Straight bee line to Infernal Pact no deviations so quite a boring set but as soon as Big red is released I will have fun

On turn 151 surprised to see we are doing well in size turns as I haven’t been concentrating on growth


In turn 162 get our adept out with the help of a couple of chops as with Palace Fire Mana an early adept will really help the economy

This nicely coincides with the start of the run to Ashen Veil, an expensive tech but my research rate will soon grow


And our Twisted Fire starter has been doing his stuff and by turn 170 we are close to being able to work the gems



Turn 191 a nice random event



And we finish the turn set b y founding Ashen Veil


This feels like a very early date so when Hyborem comes out the AI won’t be that advanced and should be tasty little morsels

There is plenty more pressing enter in store as we count down the turns to Bronze Working.

First thing of interest is meeting Hannah the Irin. A rather dangerous lady indeed.



The next turn Orthus enters.



He is somewhere to the west.

Now here is a great event for us.



I pick the Golden Age, cuts 9 turns off BW.

Finally we have BW.



I pick Exploration next so I can hook up Yggrasdil for extra happiness.



Braduk is immediately set to build Rantine and forests are being chopped in the process.

The situation after 150 looks like this. With one more forest to chop, the next 50 turns should see the start to hostilities.

The highland valley the Illians had called home was very different than the jungle low-lands the Calabim had always known. They were a dry land rich in metals and stone.

So, looking at Garduk, one thing becomes quite obvious. The city, without animal husbandry, has no food. Building an obelisk will let us farm the grassland for some food, but there’s a better way while we wait for animal husbandry.



The Calabim breeding pit in a unique building of the civilization. It grants food and cost the city health. I’m not sure what it represents from a RP angle exactly but I imagine something like a squalid shanty town where residents fight over rats to roast or something equally wretched.



Ivan Valus was a noble man and his glory and name lived long after his death. His image now graces Prespur plaza, an inspiration for all Calabim soldiers.

Lady Maria Valus petitions Alexis Prespur for governorship of the Illian highlands and Garduk city and is refused. Without its head, the family grows more and more dispirited. Its seems that most of the people only remember the Acaias’ march back into Prespur, the sword of Auric held aloft in victory. Finally, feeling alone and betrayed, Maria moves her family, servants and all her belongings to the coast, founding the city of Valas.

We found Valas with lots of overlap with our capital. They will be able to share food and later cottages.



The Calabim worldspell is called ‘River of Blood’. It adds two population to each city in your civilization and subtracts two from the population of every rival civilizations’ cities.



On turn 77 we complete research into education and adopt new civics. Education really helps us. The aggressive trait is well served by two extra experience, allowing us to get shock on our troops as they are produced while our sprawling empire is well served by the ‘city states’ civic which will drastically reduce penalties associated with horizontal empire growth.

“Alexis thereby decreed that Gorduk and the highland valley should become the duchy of the Acaia noble family while Valas city should become the protectorate of the Valas clan.”

With education complete, Calabim sages begin devising a means to pass on their knowledge and to share it. They are tasked with developing a written Calabim language. From a gaming perspective, writing does for the Calabim what mysticism does for most other civilizations. Alexis’ philosophical trait makes a library cost the same number of hammers (60) as an elder council (The Calabim cannot buid elder councils), while also allowing us to employ sage specialists, again gaining an advantage from the philosophical trait.




The extra population from the Calabim worldspell endangers the population of Garduk. Luckily, the breeding pit will soon be completed which will stabilize our population.



At the end of 100 turns, our empire appears like this:



We are building a warrior in Valas while growing to size five and building a settler in Prespur. It will be complete in one turn.



Here's our half-hearted nod to research and our economy, one cottage and one riverside hamlet... sort of pathetic so far right?



Garduk has completed it breeding pit and an obelisk and is now building a worker to help develop the surrounding lands.

I decided to just jump in with only the civilopedia to help me after minimal reading. More fun that way.

Right, my scout has the promotion Elven (also everything else I hve, and everything else I will have I assume), which gives it a lot of movement in forests--- I wonder if this stack with Woodsman 2?

I settle Evermore 1S of the Ivory and look at the techs- WOW, expensive.... I go with Agriculture and start a worker.

Then notice something... the Elven promotion says "Double Movement in Forests" but it doesn't workt he way I expect to.

Look at my civics op[tions- lesseeee...

Well, I'm not running any GP, so Nationhood for +10% millitary unit production?

Question 1: What is the point for the civic Fend for Themselves? (+1 unhealthy) Just no upkeep?


Turn 7 (7)

Meet Garrim Gyr.

A word on the geography: wierd as HELL. I'm surrounded by mountains...

Turn 10 (10)

Blinded by Ethne the White's blue borders. She's in Fend for Themselves :what:

Find Auriv Ulvin's evil blue borders.

Also find the Hanging Gardens. O Babylon!

sshg

Turn 13 (13)

I'm trapped. Garrim Gyr's borders mean I can't get out. I guess it's war this game.

Question 2: WHAT is with the mountains?

Turn 24 (24)

Okay, this is egtting stranger and stranger. My grass corn has turned into PLAINS corn and something else has turned into TUNDRA. What?

Turn 28 (28)

Agriculture comes in, start Crafting on the way to Mining. Revolt to Agriculture. My Grass Corn is back I suppose.

Turn 33 (33)

Astrologers go crazy. See a Griffon moving across the ocean. My grass corn is back to grass corn. Tundra is still tundra. Plains something mana is now grass something mana.

Turn 43 (43)

This Astrology crap is getting annoying.

Turn 100 (100)

Produce Settler 1. Wow, slow. Anyone care to tell me what I've done wrong and answer my questions and say why techs are so expensive? The elven power of being able to build stuff in forests is pretty cool... can you plant forests in this mod?

The turnset begins with Gibbon’s listing of the most cultured civilizations. Our two monuments put us sort of in the middle of the pack.

You’ll notice the research rate gain remain quite high because of our newly adopted ‘city states’ civic which allow us three cities for only 2 gpt upkeep. You’ll also notice that the recent gain of six population (two in each city) did wonders for our score, while the loss of two population from every rival civilizations’ cities cost them a piece of their score. I’ve never played this civilization before so I am quite pleased with the results of the worldspell. Lastly, the research is lacking. For comparative purposes, Ralph’s Os-Gabela is clocking over 36 :beakers:/turn. We need more cottages; but first, more horizontal growth.



The noble house of Nubia was not unaware of the successes of the Acaia and Valas houses. The valley to the south of Prespur was, to date, unihabited but rich in timber and agricultural wealth. A river even connected it to both the duchy of Acaia (Garduk) and the capital. The noble house of Nubia was not known for its marital prowess as was the Acaia and Valas clans, but they were successful businessmen and they saw opportunity on the southern slopes of the fertile valley. The house and its servants settled their new manor in a defensive position with its back to impassible mountain ranges. Within only a few short months, Empress Alexis Prespur makes their de-facto territorial claim a reality by naming the valley the ‘Duchy of Nubia’.

In the screenshot, you can see other sites that I would like to settle. To the west (Acaia Duchy) you can see the first barbarian arrivals.




Shortly (turn 113), Calabim wise men develop a written language (we finish researching writing) and their efforts are applied towards animal husbandry to help develop the pigs and sheep near Garduk and the pigs near Nubia.

Prosperity has come to the Valus clan. Their lands are rich and verdant. Mihail continues to serve the noble family, rising to an occasion above his station. Under his advisment, the clan is extremely successul but somehow lacks the heart and presence it had under Ivan. Maria Valas with the birth of a second sickly child (Vladimir Valas) has turned inwards and spends most of her time in seclusion. She has never ceased grieving for her lost husband Ivan, the man everyone thought was so honorable and strong, handsome and cunning. Her grief is so strong that she cannot stand the material success and activity surrounding her. She has a small raft constructed for her, and heading out into the seas abandons her noble house and three children forever. Finding her written letter of explanation, Mihail commissions the construction of a monument to the couple.

We make use of our free fishing technology (from a hut in the first turnset) to build an exploratory work boat) and order the construction of an obelisk.



On turn 125, our workboat makes contact with Hannah the Irin. Her city (apparently coastal) is located to the west of us.


Next the godless heathen makes an appearance. He has teched cartography allowing open borders and a trade of world maps. Shortly thereafter, our short-lived workboat is destroyed by a griffin. This is the fist time in encounter one and I must say that they suck. But the wildlands in this mod are supposed to be tough; this certainly makes sure that it is.



We finished research writing on turn 130. At this point we had a few choices to make. Writing would increase our research rate (I intended to build libraries and assign sages in Prespur, Valas, and Nubia). It was time to start making use of our lands and that meant bronze working and sanitation. Research was set to crafting.

There is an excellent city site between Ethne and Garrim. We rush a settler to it before either of these rivals has a chance to claim it. I stack several shock-promoted warriors in this city to ensure it doesn’t provide a tempting target to either of these ‘goody-two-shoes’.

The Adonias noble house was the next to establish a duchy. There’s was in the east, nested between Elohim and dwarven lands. Some said that the Adonias clan was eager to prove their own martial worth and were hoping to use their new manor-house as a military launching point into Elohim or Luchirp lands.




Leaving the wretched hive of Illian scum behind, the nobles of Acaia moved their manor house to the south and sought peace from the masses.

We found another city in the Illian valley. This one is to make use of the gold. You can observe in the screenshot that we are researching mining. Once it is completed and we have built an obelisk to spread our borders, we will have access to a very valuable happiness resource.




At the end of turn 150, here’s a quick summary of the Calabim empire.

-a look at our starting valley. We have just completed a library in our capital and you can see that some of our farms have been replaced with cottages. Prespur is becoming a commercial center now that we have claimed a sizeable chunk of territory. Valas is also completing a library and has two well-developed cottage tiles.



We are employing a scientist in Prespur. We are also working three cottage tiles. You’ll note that we are recruiting another settler to continue our horizontal growth.



Valas has precious few hammers. Soon it will pop its borders and claim the horses tile to the east which should drastically increase its hammer output.



Our southern valleys are starting to get developed. Note that i decided against the settler orders in Nubia.



You can see that we’ve completed the obelisk in Nubia. Eventually we will chop down the forests around the city and build cottages. Also, we’re building a library here. I intend to make this a commerce city.



Poor Adonias is being pressured by the culture of the Elohim capital. We are building an obelisk to help us push back. The land doesn’t look great at first glance, but with 4-food (and later 5-food) farms and many hills, it should make an adequate production city.



In Acaia, we are focusing on the construction of an obelisk before all other concerns. I want to get that gold online and allow our more mature cities to grow bigger from the added happiness. Afterwards, and with the addition of another breeding pit (+2 food, -1 health), the city should make a fine production center.



Garduk has overcome its limited health now that sheep, pigs, corn and the fruit of Yddressil are available. It has sufficient food to feed many miners and will one day become an excellent production center. When bronze working becomes available, we will build a training yard here to build the next generation of soldiers for our army.



You can see that our foreign options are rather limited. We cannot open borders with anyone other than Cassiel. No one has trade and our trade routes do not connect with any rivals.



Here’s a look at the demographics at the end of the turnset.

Immaculate - Only warmonger so far, has destroyed Auric with some bloodpets. Aggressively settled 5 cities, blocking off the Grigori and Elohim. Only one to use their world spell as well.

Ozbenno - Hmmm, maybe I'm taking the thick orc aspect too far. The only one npt to have Mysticism or Education to boost research.

Ralph - Making the beeline to Infernal Compact well. 3 towns are powering along the research.

Vitek - Also chasing the Veil. Have you any plans to rush your neighbours?

kobo1d - Interested in why your second city is placed where it is, rather than 1 east! I love tasunke as a leader so definately interested in following this (my current SP game is Tasunke). Why are you headed for Bronze Working, rather than Horseback Riding?

Imhotep - Chasing some Order! I fear for the future of your agnostic neighbour but are you looking for conversion for the friendlier ones?

moverred - Glad you're going Octopus Overlords, I always think that's the best fit for Amurites. Should be the first to clear that jungle away.

It shows Immaculate's expansion has meant a clear advantage in area, population and production but Ralph's carefully manicured towns have lead to a technological advantage. And the orcs are somewhat thick.

Rantine is 18 turns away, so I'll be on the march sometime this set. Just have to figure out who to march on.

It was going to be Auric but this changes things somewhat.



Maybe a quick war against Ethne just taking that city and then onto Auric.

I'm 7th largest civ.



Exploration has arrived and we may as well start to get the semblance of an economy going, so Ancient Chants is selected.



Rantine has arrived. Let the fun begin.



Decide to go Education before Mysticism.



Time to rock.



Well 2 warriors doesn't stand up to a hero at any stage.



It appears she has cities close by in the east so let's keep going that way shall we.

Well having an early hero of strength 4 sucks when confronted by an archer on a hill with 45% cultural defense. We are no chance here.



She won't accept peace so let's keep going further inside her territory.

At turn 200 things aren't going that well really.



The archer on a hill was a problem. I'll have to see if another promotion and some sacrificial orcs will help out. If I can take that city, hopefully I can get peace, swing back around to Auric, wipe him and then start on the Luchirup and Ethne again.

On the domestic front, the first cottages will be appearing and Mysticism will be coming in. I'm not sure whether to go Hunting, Sanitation, Fishing or Warfare next.

As my victory goal is Conquest by means of Vassalization I fear the neighbors will only live if they acknowledge the superiority of the Order, no matter how friendly they are...

The round begins with a ranking of the most cultured civilizations. Not surprisingly, our creative rival Ethne is in first place while we are somewhere in the middle. Poor Garrim is near last. Score-wise we are doing well, but you can see that our multiple cities have forced us to reduce our research rate to a piddling 60%.
On turn 153, we complete the mining tech and begin researching bronze working to clear some forests. The copper is nearby but still, oh-so-far. The mouse-over sums it up. Impassable peaks prevent our overland access to the only source of copper we can see on the map.
Once Valas has its library completed, we can employ a second sage. Our first sage from Prespur should be arriving soon thanks to our philosophical trait. You can see that our worker situation needs a little help. We seem to have some unimproved horse tiles.
Not long afterwards, Nubia also employs a sage at its newly built library. You can see that we are building a worker to help cut down those forests (and hook up those horses).
Something truly beautiful happens next. We complete bronze working and on the same time, the great sage Luciaqua is born in Prespur. I was going to build an academy but first I checked what he would bulb. Sanitation? I thought that sages only bulbed knowledge of the aether and alteration and arcane lore and all those fancy magicky-type techs… I refer to Xienwolf’s manual and sure enough, if you are lacking the mysticism tech, a great sage will bulb sanitation.
I press the button and we suddenly learn how to clear jungle. Sometimes its better to be lucky than good.
None-the-less, this is a very useful trick to know for jungle-heavy maps; it makes writing that much more important.
Now we start researching mysticism.

Next, we continue to REX as best we can and commission the founding of ‘Highland Gate’ at the entrance to the Duchy of Acaia (Acaia, Garduk and Highland Gate). It, like Garduk and Acaia will be a production city.
The monument built in Adonias is helping to push back Ethne’s sizeable cultural presence. Also in this picture you can see that Garrim Gyr is helping to fog-bust out valleys with a pair of trapped scouts.
Then I make a major mistake
I wanted to pump out some culture from my new border city and I just assumed that all wonders would produce at least 4-8 culture per turn so I ordered the construction of the aquae sucellus in Adonias. Later I learned that this wonder does not produce any culture. Oh well, it may help us if we are ever attacked by letting our troops heal faster after their battles.
Also, Garrim Gyr produces the edward-scissor-hands.
We finish researching mysticism and begin researching sailing. I want to claim that copper and that means we need a galley.

Our dedicated workers finally get our gems online. I’m saying that the gems near Prespur are rubies and the ones to the south (being mined in the picture by the second worker) are jade deposits. Seems appropriate for vampires in the jungle.
Either way, this allows us to push the happy-cap and grow our cities. A vampire encrusted with rubies and bright shiny stones is a happy vampire.
Next we found two more commerce cities, Prespur Jade to make use of the gems being mined in the last screenshot, and Nubia pass to claim some good lands and use the mountains to spy into Elohim lands (which didn’t give as much visibility as I had hoped for some reason).
Sailing completes and we begin researching knowledge of the aether for some adepts.

On turn 196, we reach a million loyal subjects.
Here is an overview of our lands at turn 150.
You can see that Prespur has begun to work on a wonder and that Valas is making a galley for us to explore the valleys beyond the towering mountain ranges. Prespur Jade is raking in some excellent cash from our jade mines, while Prespur is working several cottages and two ruby mines of its own.
Here’s a look inside our capital. You can see that we stopped assigning a sage for now.In the southern valleys, the cities of Acaia, Garduk and Highland Gate are focusing on production and the production of some defense, while Nubia and Nubia Pass are our commerce cities but haven’t really begun to produce too much commerce (except for one sage in Nubia). Lastly, Adonias is also being groomed into a production city. Its worth mentioning that each of those grassland farms are producing five food (two for grasslands, 1 for the farm, 1 for the agriculture civic, and 1 for the sanitation tech) which is letting cities like Adonias and Highland Gate grow very quickly.
Here’s a look at the domestic advisor. Prespur and Valas are producing all our beakers so far, while Garduk is producing all our hammers (and using them on a military thankfully).
Diplomacy, so far, has not been too active and the foreign advisor screen adequately displays that. I don’t really know what the Lanun’s problem with us is.


Lastly, the all-important demographics screen. You can see that someone else has been REXing too (land area of 10500: that’s still quite a bit. Also, the GNP is reflecting the gold and gem mines (four in total) that our people are working rather than an abundance of cottages or anything else. Not that I am complaining- that’s very good. Lastly, our vertical growth has been good also. We have nearly four times more people in our empire than any of our rivals.
I am pleased with these numbers.


Strategy for the next set:

• colonize the western valley and claim some copper
• build some moroi and adepts
• decide on either sorcery and mages or a religion

The next part begins with me founding Hyll next to the Lemons:



And switching research to Ancient Chants.

Then some time later (113) Orthus a big mean Barb is born.



Then sometime after that (120) we get a tech! You all know what's next. God I love these elf guys. I tried a game earlier (nver playing epic again), and Bronze Working took AAAGGGESSSS.



I found city 3, Bruti, near the Hanging Gardens. A better place is 1NE to get whatever magicy stuff that is, but I'd rather be on the river. Eh.



Then the last significant event comes late as it should, on turn 148. I discover Education.



Research is set to Mysticism to make way for The Fellowship of Leaves which I think is the thing that lets me forest everything, and gives 2 more food to the lemons. I also decide to revolt to City States and Agriculture.

Oh, by the way, I looked at the top 5 cities screen and saw Pact of the Nilhorn has the Barracks model. Well, Auric Ulvin who seems pretty mean has a barracks model in his capital... that's bad right?

When we left our surging Bannor people they were on the way to religious enlightenment while waiting for their commerce to get stronger. Not too surprisingly we are not THAT cultured:



A scouting Warrior discovers there is an entrance to Dwarven and Elohim lands. Didn't notice this before though most players had. This explains why I didn't pop techs from huts at all...



I'd rather have a closed vally, this is one more potential front to defend.

The Elohim get a nice event. Still, as I rarely use Archers this won't help too much ...



A ridiculous event. Torture is unlawful and therefore totally out for the Bannor. The right decision story-wise would have been to dismiss the unit, but I can't do that as every unit is precious at this stage...



And another bad event. Hey Junil, send some good ones, will you ?



Philosopy comes in. Now I have only Code of Laws and Way of the Wise to research to open Orders from Heaven and thus Order. Will be doable I guess. Now for Elementalism and some burning...



Two early heroes appear...



Trinity is founded.



An overview shot of the Bannor lands.



And the demographics.



I have ten turns to go on Elementalism, the Mage Guild in my capital will finish in 7. Then it's time to burn some djungle and get the gems online. Right now I'm starving my capital at size 7 as I hit the happy cap, the city is employing a sage instead. My second city is running a sage and a priest, I'll get my first GP in 10. If it is a sage, I'll get an academy at my Capital. If it is a priest, he'll be saved for the Code of Junil. Things will pick up in the next set definitely...

That is tough luck on the Archer. The map is not in favor of the Clan too as there ain't too much barbs close. If there had been you could have converted barb cities to your own cause with Rantine, and used your world spell effectively. one thing I always wondered: Can you get the 4 Horsemen using your worldspell if you cast it at the time they appear ? I guess not, but it would be fun ... Did you build Warrens in your cities already?

Wow. Simply wow. Your game looks great, and I think you are far ahead of us others at turn 200. Rushing Auric worked great for you, and everything fell into place after that (aka bulbing Sanitation). I'm curious how fast you can finish...

Looks good as well, I think getting Hyborem is in the bag for you. The map is ideal for such a purpose - it's just enough land to squeeze sufficient commerce out of it while after switching it will leave a weak AI...