[R:I] [RI] The Armenians of Erkir D'kner

tdfriese

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This will be my second S&T here, the first having been the Native Americans who tried to build a classical empire on multiple continents but had it ripped apart by discontent and eventual revolution.

This time, I am trying out a fairly new post-3.1 SVN of Realism Invictus. For any who are not aware, the mod features highly customized units with small differences between civ-specific versions of almost every unit in the game. There is also a highly-developed tech tree and options for extra-slow marathon speeds as well as quicker speeds.

Today - monarch difficulty, huge perfectmongoose v321, random civ, random leader. I end up as the Armenians and a beautiful aquatic start - very far from the forested highlands of RL Armenia!

They name their beautiful lush peninsula Erkir D'kner - the Land of Fishes.

Spoiler :


Hard strategic decisions have to be made from the start. While rich in fish, pearls, and amber (and thus food and commerce), the limited forests offer only moderate resources for building.

During the ancient era, the coalition of tribal leaders meeting who meet annually in Yerevan turn inward, only sending explorers into Twnshogh (the Vast) - the huge continent off of which Erkir D'kner extends. However, they never truly contemplate attempting to settle it or getting involved in much in the way of wars and diplomacy with the many barbaric nations in far-off lands.

Instead, they use the riches they gain from the fisheries and pearl divers to race ahead in technology, developing excellent technologies to exploit the waters around them (sailing) and then progressively more-advanced ideas of writing, civics, politics, and military units (almost all ancient techs).

The tribal leaders, each more proud than the next, spend thousands of years placing progressively more ostentatious standing stones on the coast to announce to all visitors that they are entering Erkir D'kner - Armenian lands. They begin the Moai Statues (+1 :hammers: in water squares).

By 2300 BC, the Armenians have explored the Near Twnshogh, having found resources of copper, rice, and horses near Erkir D'kner, and the friendly Malinese to their immediate south. The peace and technology-loving tribes share their knowledge with all under open borders agreements. Meanwhile, the construction frenzy of the Moai Statues rushes ahead in Yerevan and the surrounding tribal lands.

Spoiler :


(I am google-translating from English to Armenian - my apologies to any Armenian-speakers out there!)
 
While the tribal chiefs of Yerevan and the rest of Erkir D'kner continue their quixotic construction projects, advanced scouts have managed to explore a considerable piece of Twnshogh. By 2300 BC, the Armenians are aware of their near neighbors the Malinese and far-off peoples such as the Americans, the Spanish, the Poles, the Celts, and the Romans. Meanwhile, they have explored much of the interior of Twnshogh. This is what they have found:

To the northeast of Erkir D'kner lies Vat Hoghery - a huge area of broad rocky deserts and dusty grasslands, interspersed with the occasional lusher areas consisting of rich wild grapes, wild ruminants, and the verdant floodplain of a large inland river far to the east.

Spoiler :


To the southeast of Erkir D'kner lies what is called Khonavut’yun by the few Armenian tribes to have ventured there - dark, damp forests and jungles where the Malinese live. The area is full of strange but delectable plants such as coffee, sugar, bananas, and all manner of spices. It is separated from Vat Hoghery to the north by a long thin bay.

Spoiler :


Of course, even while other civilized peoples are busy building ever-larger cities, new colonies, and modern armies, the Armenians are still a very inward-looking people. They have the one metropolis of Yerevan where they have large markets and where the tribal chiefs meet, and besides that very few Armenians venture beyond the rich waters of Erkir D'kner. They have never known war and they only interact with the occasional foreign merchant or wandering sage.
 
For thousands of years, the Armenians had a crude sort of paganism consisting of ancestor and spirit worship. However, by about 2300 BC things were starting to change. Their explorations and extensive trade dealings lead to rapidly changing ideas about religious matters. The Armenians are already aware that the Celts have a strange new codification of their polytheism into specific gods with different fields of influence, all with one great godforce behind it: Hinduism. Quickly developing storytelling and then mysticism via tech diffusion, the Armenians then head off towards Buddhism.

Spoiler :


(Realism Invictus note: by default, tech trading is off. Instead, there is 'tech diffusion': open borders agreements work to give bonuses when you research a tech that a civ that you have open borders with already has. The upside can be rapid teching for you; the downside can be leakage of your tech to your potential adversaries.)

By 1172 BC, Armenian society has changed radically, adopting a much more classical flavor. Armenian elites have left their old isolationist ideology and are busy with plans to colonize Vat Hoghery, beginning with the nearest part - the seasonally-flooded valley of the Mets Get or Great River.

This change in outlook has been matched by changes in governance. While varying tribes built the Moai Statues in honor of their local leaders over the course of centuries, now one leader claims all of the Statues - the old tribal union has gradually been replaced by a more centralized and efficient despotism. This arrangement will lead to lower maintenance costs among the far-flung provinces as they are built. It also opens up a new source of happiness in the form of city walls, as the populace of a more militarily-inclined society will appreciate the value of defense perhaps even more than offense.

Even more importantly, Buddhism has completely taken hold of Armenia. What started as a few starving ascetic followers of the Buddha has now morphed into a complex, systematized, state-sanctioned religion. (Adopting Buddhism as the civil religion would alienate adherents of other religions but luckily there are none.) More importantly, it allows Buddhist cities to increase production by 25%, a crucial bonus for a low producing region like Erkir D'kner that is now attempting to project its power into Twnshogh.

Lastly, the formerly more egalitarian society is now firmly in the hands of a hereditary nobility. Their ranks include the Buddhist mystics who pray to the spirits of the Moai Statues, the merchant elites now running trading missions to the tiny villages of the Mets Get valley, the generals eager to build permanent forts in Twnshogh, the master artisans developing new mining techniques, and the wisemen who now ponder complex ideas such as new forms of trade and a permanent priesthood.

Spoiler :


I deliberately took the very slow Moai Statues strategy to start this game off, leading to several thousand years without that many interesting decisions to make. The next installment should bring expansion to the Mets Get and a lot of technological development. From here on out, I invite commentary and questions about anything you see in Realism Invictus. The Armenians' future is bright with a giant continent to settle, a religion of their own, a strong economy, and an extremely useful wonder in the bag. Thanks for reading!
 
A quick note about civics including post-3.1 changes. At least under the subversion I'm running (circa July 1st, 2012), there are some very big civics changes since 3.1.

One of the big ones is the choice between Agrarian Economy and Pastoral Nomadism. For the Armenians, Pastoral Nomadism is a total non-starter. It gives large bonuses to animal resources at the expense of farms. Since the Armenians have neither farms nor animals but are planning on settling the Mets Get valley soon, they are definitely sticking with an Agrarian Economy.

The one issue which really provoked debate was between Civil Religion and Pacifism. Pacifism has been bolstered by dropping its +1:gold:/unit penalty and replacing it with a production penalty. The :gp: bonus would have been awesome, but ultimately the production bonus won out. I admit this may be a mistake.

A strategy question: what should Yerevan do with the Great Prophet which is due out in 19 turns? I am torn between building the Buddhist holy building and settling the great prophet.

The advantage to the holy building would be +1 :gold: per Buddhist city, spreading Buddhism (thus more :gold: in the future), and an extra :gp: point.

The advantage to settling the great prophet would be an immediate +2 :hammers: and +5 :gold:. Those two immediate boosts would be nice, and they would greatly aid the colonization effort, but they would never increase in the future.

My first instinct is that the principle of momentum suggests getting the larger fixed bonus (the prophet) now and the incremental one (the holy building) later. Thoughts?
 
Subbed.
 
In 944 BC the great Buddhist mystic Georgios Gurdjieff was born in Yerevan. He settled in the growing metropolis and led a building boom by inspiring his devotees to build great monuments in addition to an economic expansion caused by Buddhist pilgrims coming to see his mausoleum.

Spoiler :


By 908 BC, occasional Armenian excursions into the desert areas of Vat Hoghery north of the Mets Get have led to a growing permanent population in the area, along with local Armenian-ethnicity nobles allied with the despot in Erkir D'kner. The area is now solidly Armenian and Armenian culture begins to diffuse with army patrols and merchant caravans. Hunter-gatherers and subsistence farmers from the countryside gradually adopt Armenian ways, learn to speak Armenian, and sometimes even move to the growing cities.

Spoiler :


By 824 BC, a new development has overtaken Armenia: the nobility has codified not only their own privileged role in society but almost all social functions via an elaborate caste system, justified by the nobles' maintaining peace and prosperity.

(The caste system-pacifism combo seems great - a :gp: bonus and penalty cancel out and we are left with +50% :gp: in Buddhist cities like Yerevan. The big kicker is the flat +1 happines in any Buddhist city.)

Spoiler :


In 692 BC, Armenia reaches another milestone in its expansion, this time with a permanent settlement in Artashat to allow portage for diplomats, merchants, and patrols between the Mets Get and the Malinese Strait. Already, Armenian merchants visit the pasture lands to the east with their famed horse resources.

Spoiler :


Within a century, however, occasional Armenian visits have done little to influence the east, and they now find clear traces of Spanish influence. While Armenia has been successfully converting the stone age tribes of Vat Hoghery to their way of life for centuries, they will either need to coexist with Spain or conquer them. The warrior caste, having previously emphasized its role in the rituals surrounding the annual re-purification of the Moai Statues, now talks more and more of the need to defend Armenian-ness against un-named foreign powers. The pacifist nature of Armenia is not destroyed, but it has already been weakened.

Luckily, the north of Vat Hoghery is still free of any large, organized states. Armenian nobles and merchants look there for grounds for expansion.

Spoiler :


By 174 BC, the Armenians have seen their second GP, this time building the Buddhist holy building, providing revenue from Buddhist pilgrims coming from all corners of the planet. Additionally, they have again expanded, this time settling the north of Vat Hoghery, beginning to harvest coastal clams, quarry fine stone, and domesticate the wild cattle of the area (north of this image).

Spoiler :


Meanwhile, Armenia's way of life continues to change. Millennia of peace and prosperity have allowed larger towns to grow up in the Mets Get valley, taking advantage of the brisk trade in the area and donating increasing taxes to Yerevan.

Additionally, Armenian craftsmen have begun to tap the rich copper resources of Armavir while Buddhist missionaries have spread Buddhism throughout Armenia and into Malinese lands, bringing larger and larger numbers of pilgrims to Yerevan.

Diplomats and spies have explored the Spanish lands and have inspired Armenian warriors' bloodlust by spreading stories of the tiny garrison of the Spanish heathens of Murcia - a green unit of archers and one lone battalion of crack spearmen. Armenian hawks know that the nation could easily take such a city if they ever chose to.

Spoiler :


In 132 BC Armenia undergoes a brief and peaceful revolution! Tired of the tyrant's whims, the nobles of the realm band together to depose and kill the last despot along with his extended family. In his place they institute Republican rule, sending representatives of all landholding men to Yerevan, where at first they meet in makeshift quarters in the old royal palace. Soon, they collect the money to build a true permanent Senate building, where they expect their sons and grandsons to sit for centuries to come.

(Republic and nobility are both new post-3.1. Picking republic allows me to dodge the +1 unhappiness in every city which I endured under tribal rule and despotism, republic offers a +1 :happiness: in my capital and the combination of republic and nobility allow the senate building in my capital, which gives a :culture: and :gp: bonus. I'm very happy with my civics right now!)

Spoiler :
 
You really need to work on pumping out cities earlier on, revolutions mean you can't go TOO quick but eh... Hopefully the AI will be torn apart by revolutions :D
 
I think the proper English transliteration for Fishes would be Dzkner not D'kner :old:. Land of Fishes should sound like Dzkneri Erkir in Eastern Armenian and very similar in Western :) Where you from originally, tdfriese, if you don't mind me asking?
 
You really need to work on pumping out cities earlier on, revolutions mean you can't go TOO quick but eh... Hopefully the AI will be torn apart by revolutions :D

Like just about every other Realism Invictus fan out there, I am anxiously awaiting the day that Rev and RI get merged. These Armenians, however, are being played just in R:I, meaning there will be no revolutions to speak of. Any that I mention are just flavor for civics or strategy changes.
 
I think the proper English transliteration for Fishes would be Dzkner not D'kner :old:. Land of Fishes should sound like Dzkneri Erkir in Eastern Armenian and very similar in Western :) Where you from originally, tdfriese, if you don't mind me asking?

WOW! Thanks for reading my S&T :) Like I said, the junk Armenian names are completely via google translate, so my apologies in advance. Even when they are not correct, I really think the S&T benefits from having names. Someday I'll write a S&T with names in a language I won't butcher.

I am from the US, and speak English, Arabic, Hebrew, and Spanish. However, I have never learned a word of Armenian. I visited Armenia once in 2010 but only learned a few words of Russian as the friend I was visiting generally spoke Russian while in Armenia. Mainly I recall going to the grocery store and fruit markets and asking for pol kilo of things...

Thanks for reading!

I support the full expansion of Armenia into Vat Hogery. :D

I'm glad to hear that the bellicose Armenian nobles have some support. You will like the results of the next session when I have a chance to play in a few days... thanks for reading and thanks for the strategy advice!
 
In 8 AD, all of Armenian history took a sharp turn when the prophet Mkrtich Khrimyan is born. Invoking the sacred Statues of Yerevan, he works the normally pacifist Armenian people, nobles and commoners alike, into a xenophobic Spanish-hating frenzy.

Spoiler :


He builds the new Pha That Lung in Yerevan, which quickly becomes a center for a new school of Armenian-supremacist Buddhism, where the outwardly-pious generals meet with the inwardly-pompous priests and plotted the expansion of Armenia and of Buddhism. With the huge happiness bonus from Pha That Lung, Yerevan grows to be a true metropolis among the fishes.

Spoiler :


Over the next two decades, the border heats up tremendously. Peasants belonging to the lay Order of Pha That Lung begin acts of economic sabotage against their Spanish neighbors. They roll boulders onto roads, set fire to offices of the post and the police, poison livestock, and clog up irrigation ditches. By 29 AD, a routine Spanish patrol arrests several members of the Royal Guard who were terrorizing Spanish peasants while off duty. On the flimsiest of pretexts - a violation of Armenian sovereignty - a moderately-sized Armenian army marches east to Murcia. Using skirmisher scouts to track Spanish patrols and a well-trained infantry core with high morale, the Armenians quickly take Murcia, although the curfews of Armenian martial law can hardly calm the city consumed in total anarchy.

Spoiler :


It is 64 AD and a generation has passed. Buddhism now coexists tensely with Judaism in Murcia and the surrounding lands think of themselves as more Armenian than ever. However, years of Spanish sabotage have taken their toll, and the once-esteemed horses of Murcia are now barely utilized. The ever-alert patrols around Murcia spot a Spanish incursion north of the city and a member of the Royal Guard is sent out to comb the desert and kill the intruders.

Spoiler :


The search lasted days, and it might have been fruitless were it not for one young Armenian officer who marched with his 12 men 72 hours straight tracking the Spanish through the cacti and sand of the local desert. His name was Kevork Chavush and soon after his victory he became the subject of epics that rapidly circulated through all Armenian lands extolling the great war hero. With this great boost to the Royal Guard's prestige, soon every strong intelligent Armenian boy wanted to join the Guard to kill Spanish. Those who couldn't would sit by roadsides to bring water and snacks to the wounded and fatigued Guardsmen returning to the Spanish border.

Spoiler :


This growing cult of the Royal Guard is Doctrine: Imperial Glory. It will offer 3 main bonuses: a straight % strength bonus, a city attack bonus, and, at high levels, a per-turn healing bonus.

(Realism Invictus note: Doctrines are an option for what to do with GG's. They are world wonders that a GG can found. Each one offers a specific upgrade path for a certain type of units. Imperial Glory is one of the strongest (unbalanced IMHO) and offers bonuses to melee units.)

Spoiler :


A mixed group of swordsmen, axemen, and skirmishers have taken an extremely defensible position in the rugged hills and forests east of Murcia. However, the crack skirmishers of Armenia are able to effectively move with recon, infantry, and archer cover to exploit weaknesses in the Spanish positions.

(Realism Invictus note: One of the strongest pieces of Realism Invictus is the radically reworked combat system. In this system, units give aid bonuses to other units in their stack, depending on unit type. Their are bonuses for melee units, archery units, recon units, cavalry units, etc. These vary thematically with the kind of units - melee and siege bonuses are key to taking cities, while archery, recon, and mobility bonuses can give first strikes and, in the last case, withdraw bonuses.)

Spoiler :


After very few losses, the entire Spanish force is defeated! Armenians take back the wild hills of Murcia and mercilessly murder the Spanish peasants they find in the area that must have given aid to the Spanish liberators / invaders.

Spoiler :


After the Second Battle of Murcia, Armenian leaders face a question. Murcia is still only tenuously in Armenian culture, and certainly the large garrison helps to pacify a hostile populace. Likewise, Armenian leaders are convinced that a second Spanish attack is coming, and they fear the day they face Spanish iron swords again. However, the pacifist wing of the Buddhist clergy wins out, and Armenia takes a break from active warring while continuing to harass the Spanish border. In the mean time, they focus their energies on building up the Armenian military. They start a second branch of the Royal Guard of elite axemen trained to obliterate enemy infantry and city defenders. These new units are eager to fight Spanish infantry side by side with the centuries-old units of the old Royal Guard.

Spoiler :


What is the situation in 120 AD? The Armenians have expanded north and east and now face a long, largely desert border with the Spanish. A century after the conquest of Murcia they are more secure, with more culture, a larger army, and better-developed technology. They still lack iron although the inspirational value of the Royal Guard's prestige more than makes up for their disadvantageous resources. They now understand long-distance irrigation and are rapidly working to exploit resources of hemp and lemons.

Well, Armenians, what will it be? Do the pacifists win out and push a peace agreement with the Spanish? Do the pacifist monks win out and the state puts all of its energies toward spreading the faith? Or do the militaristic monks of Pha That Lung win out and push toward the desert grasslands of Salamanca, deep in Spanish territory? Or alternatively do they leave Murcia relatively unguarded and push towards the rich Spanish vineyards in the middle of Vat Hoghery (not pictured)?
 
Still a long hard fight to go before the spanish will even speak to you I bet!
 
Where did we leave off? Armenia has had a very successful war with the Spaniards, taking Murcia and the Spanish source of horses. Pictured above is Salamanca which was identified as one of the main targets, but Armenian generals also long to taste the wine from the Spanish vineyards of Valencia, nestled along small fertile river valleys among the desert plains of Vat Hoghery.

Spoiler :


Over the last century, Armenian settlers have also been moving north. They founded Vagharshapat which in 120 AD is poised to heavily exploit the rich river valley to its south and amber off its coast. Meanwhile, Armenian merchants are eager to build larger trading posts off of what some call 'Little Erkir D'kner' or Little Land of Fishes, a rough, scrubby peninsula with some clams and amber.

Spoiler :


Enough economy, back to the war! By 169 AD, Armenian units have pushed all the way to the gates of Salamanca, which they are battering down. However, one of the great generals of his day, Smbat Bagratuni (son of Kevork Bagratuni and a member of the famed noble family who maintain a shrine at one of the largest of the Moai Statues) has just heard the pacifist preachings of St. Isaac, another Great Prophet from Yerevan.

Spoiler :

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Smbat combines pity for the Spanish and shrewd tactical sense. Realizing that the rush to besiege Salamanca left Murcia vulnerable, he orders a tactical retreat, reinforcing some of the vishaps who were defending Murcia against a Spanish counterattack. More importantly, he uses his influence in the Senate to request consultations with Isabella, leading to a ceasefire which the Armenians considered slightly in their favor. Murcia's economy has been greatly rebuilt since the Armenian conquest and saw very little of the fighting. Meanwhile, Spanish infrastructure suffered and their military suffered many bloody defeats before the ceasefire was called. Most importantly, he saved Murcia from a likely defeat at the hands of the Spanish cavalry who were besieging it.

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However, even the merciful Smbat is a warrior at heart. He immediately orders the generals to redouble their recruitment and build a world-class army. In 309 AD, after years of a cold steely peace with the Spaniards, a Bagratuni general, inspired by his ancestor's caution but also his bravery, convinces the Senate to restart the conquest of Spain.

Spoiler :


In a matter of years, Spain has once again lost territory. Armenian troops have a strong hold on Salamanca and quickly spread Buddhism. Moreover, Armenians win battles killing 3-5 Spaniards for every Armenian lost, and thus the tide continues to turn.

Spoiler :


In 372 AD, Armenian politics changes for good. The son of the Bagratuni who led Spanish forces into battle in 309 is now an influential leader in the Senate and occasional general. Annoyed by the constant consultations to make any strategic decision on the front, he makes his move to consolidate power under himself: a hereditary monarchy. He uses the base of support he has from years of directing pieces of the civil service to push through land reforms in which huge tracks of land occupied by subsistence farmers are sold to great merchant families from the cities. To appease the now enslaved peasantry, he opens up military service outside of the traditional warrior caste, basically breaking the ancient caste system in two. The old noble families still hold great power, but now they increasingly have to work in the state or in large trading houses to maintain their status.

(What do I get out of this? I lose a happiness bonus from caste system but then gain the option to have one from walls under monarchy. Meanwhile, I get a lot of commerce via slavery and also guild monopoly. Whipping will also be useful as new, unhappy, under-improved Spanish cities are brought online.)

Spoiler :


The empire's reforms are effective. Before Bagratuni I dies and passes power to the II, Spanish armies have finally overrun Valencia, facing scant resistance. Where are the Spanish cavalry of centuries past? Did they squander them in another war? Did they never have a large force? In any case, the Armenians trick the Spanish into accepting a punitive ceasefire in which they will be able to establish order in Valencia and rebuild their depleted ranks.

Spoiler :


Spanish military strategy never fails to astound. In 450 AD it is an open secret in Armenia that Bagratuni III is an old and senile man. The Spanish seize upon what they think is their moment to retake Spanish Salamanca. They launch a sneak attack, violating the generation-old peace. However, choosing the southeastern plains to approach the city from is a giant mistake. They are spotted early by Armenian patrols, and then well-trained Armenian mixed-forces move out to cut off and then exterminate Spanish units. By the time they flee to the forests to the north, the Spanish ranks are already thin and morale is low. It is rumored that only tens of men ever made it back to Spanish territory, and that they were executed upon arrival.

Spoiler :


Armenian warriors are never satiated! Under the leadership of the Great General Narses and with the first-ever Armenian cavalry, the Aspets, they press on to the gates of Toledo, which, with its sister-city Santiago, presides over the beautiful inland lake and the rich urban centers along the area's large rivers. However, the walls of Toledo soon come down like the walls of Valencia and Salamanca before them.

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Don't let the thought of all this warring in Spanish lands get you down; these are great years in Yerevan. The populace now drinks water from aqueducts that bring fresh water from the surrounding hills. The last jungles in the Armenian heartland have been chopped down and replaced with local trading entrepots and great slave estates. The elite of Yerevan feast on Spanish styles of jerky and drink out of great casks of Spanish-style wine. They import live clams from Little Erkir D'kner and lemons and oranges from the Armenian colonies on the small sliver of Khonavut’yun where the peasants speak Armenian and swear allegiance to the Bagratunis. Huge troves of Spanish booty help to pay for the hefty administrative costs involved in running an empire that is several the times the size it was just two centuries before. Yerevan itself continues to grow, and some say it may be the largest city on the planet. In 455 AD, a local noble and lemon and hemp-breeder named Armen Takhtajan starts the Yerevan College of Botany which soon becomes simply Yerevan University.

Spoiler :


Where do we stand? After taking Toledo, Armenian generals need no time to regroup. They are quite certain they have plenty of forces to hold Toledo while they take Santiago. Their other short-term goal is to squash the Spanish forces in Barcelona, finally gaining iron!

In terms of foreign relations, the Malinese of Khonavut’yun are close allies of Yerevan as they too come to worship the spirits of the Statues and the many Buddhist saints who died and were buried at their feet. Buddhist monks have also been slowly spreading their faith both within Armenia and in Zulu lands, and rumor has it that Zulu leaders now follow a kind of Hindu-Buddhist hybrid.

The Americans are angry with Armenia over their many wars with the Spanish and the Armenians now come close to a border with the Americans in the northeast. If the Armenians continue conquering Spanish lands, they may have to contend with a militarized American border someday. International travelers mostly agree that the Americans have the largest and most-advanced military in Twnshogh.

All the while, the Celts have never much-liked the Armenians. They make absurd threats periodically under the threat of force that Armenians do not believe they can bring to bear over a distance of thousands of miles.

(What do the fanatics think? It seems that the Spanish don't have a military to defend the rump of their empire with, and conquering it may stretch the Armenian economy but probably won't break it. I think I'm going to try to quickly take more territory and then improve it all as fast as possible. Thoughts?)
 
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