Oh, BTW, the settler Hammond was not a reference to
Top Gear, but to General Hammond from
Stargate SG-1. The joke was that the Stargate Program was run out of Cheyenne Mountain.
I decide to milk my Aztec allies for some cash. I trade Meditation for a tidy 400 gold.
Invented by scholars at MIT, the compass uses a magnetized needle to determine which way is north. It quickly found use among sailors and explorers, making navigation easier and safer.
I have developed the Compass, allowing me to train Explorers and build Harbors. It is also a prerequisite for Optics. I order the research of Machinery, the second prereq for Optics.
I have also ordered Phil and SouthernKing to work on clearing out the Florida jungles, with the intent of founding the city of Miami. The new Longbowman, Joe DiMaggio, is en route to guard the new location.
I see that Confucianism has been founded.
I also note that the Aztecs have taken the square that would have become Dallas. I cancel plans for the city.
I have trained an Explorer for my future explorations of the Old World. I decide to name her Sacagawea, in honor of Lewis and Clarks guide.
The city of Miami was founded on the southern edge of the Florida peninsula. While it never achieved true greatness, it did become a rather popular tourist destination.
I have founded Miami. Even with the Workshops I am building, I know it wont ever do much, but it will give me access to Spices once its influence expands to include Cuba.
Montezuma offers me 500 gold for Construction. I agree.
A machine is a complex device that transforms one kind of energy into another. The first American machines harnessed wind and water power to grind wheat into flower. As technology advanced, machines would be built for virtually every task imaginable.
I have developed Machinery. I can now build Windmills and Watermills, and train Macemen and Crossbowmen. I begin work on Optics next.
While most nations adopted a uniform currency, each nation had its own separate coinage, with different values and weights. An American gold dollar usually weighed less than an Aztec peso, but more than an Incan sol. It was the role of moneychangers to trade one currency for another. The city of New York was known for these moneychangers. The strong American tradition of fair trade enforced by the law made them reliable, and the sheer volume of commerce in New York meant that a moneychanger always had enough of the right coinage on hand.
I begin plans for a new city to the north: Calgary. I send my Longbowman, Lou Gehrig, up to guard the site.
I begin building the Moai Statues in Seattle. This lovely little National Wonder enables the water tiles within a citys borders to produce one hammer each. As Seattle has a lot of water tiles (13, counting Lake Washington), it seems like a good choice.
The first working spyglass was created in 920 AD. It enabled individuals to better observe things at a distance, and soon joined the compass among the items used by explorers. With these tools, Americans looked beyond the sea
I have researched Optics. Now I can build Caravels to cross the ocean. A new world awaits.
Huayna Capac demands that I convert to Buddhism. I refuse.
While plays have formed a part of the American storytelling tradition for millennia, they were usually crude affairs meant to act out tales from American mythology. It is only in the 900s that theater as we know it came to be, with stories written specifically for the stage. Some were adaptations of the old folk tales, while others were original stories, comparable to works of literature. Theater proved immensely popular, to say the least.
I have researched Drama. I can now build Theaters. I next focus on Philosophy.
In 965, the USS Endeavor
, Americas first ocean-going ship, set sail from Boston and into the Atlantic. Carrying the great explorer Sacagawea, the Endeavor
would change forever the way the Americans thought about the world.
I have build a Caravel, and named it the USS
Endeavor.
What Galileo did for physics, Darwin did for biology. In 965, Darwin left his city of New Orleans to found the University of Washington in Seattle, where he promulgated his theory of natural selection.
Darwin has been born! I send him to Seattle. Why Seattle? Because its my home city, and Im biased.
In 990, the Endeavor
discovered the island of Azore. Though uninhabited, its mere existence indicated that there might be more land beyond the sea. Sure enough, in 995, they discovered Spain, and made first contact with Queen Isabella.
I have encounted the Spanish. I swiftly negotiate an Open Borders agreement with Queen Isabella, so I can drop off Sacagawea and explore the new land.
In 1005, Sacagawea made landfall in Spain. There, she encountered a strange creature a horse, ridden by a man. This particular man hailed from far-off Persia, and greeted Sacagawea peacefully.
I have encountered Darius of Persia, and negotiated an Open Borders Agreement with him as well. This will be my policy with regards to every civilization I meet, so that I may explore their lands without impediment. I wont be posting more screenshots of new leaders, though I will mention them.
I have now encountered Louis XIV of France and Elizabeth of England. Negotiations went well.
And after them, Saladin of Arabia, Julius Caesar of Rome, and Frederick of Germany.
And now Mansa Musa of Mali.
Philosophy is one of those things that has been with us forever, but took some time to be recognized. Men have often created principles to guide their lives indeed, most religions could be considered philosophies. In the 11th century, new philosophies emerged, often inspired by recent discoveries. One such philosophy that gained many adherents was that of pacifism. Inspired by the peaceful encounters with the new civilizations to the east, pacifists believed in violence only when necessary, and even then they did not like it. Pacifists instead advocated quiet contemplation.
I have discovered Philosophy. I can now use the Pacifism civic, which doubles the rate at which I produce Great People. However, I wont, as while it has no upkeep of its own, I do have one soldier in every city, and Pacifism charges an extra gold for each military unit. I next research Paper.
Oh, and I met Catherine of Russia. She hit on me.
Jeanne DArc (Joan of Arc, for us Anglophones) has been born in Paris. Rather appropriate, I think.
I trade Drama for Literature with the Russians.
(7 Literature)
While theater was a great way to bring stories to the masses, those who created them generally preferred the written word. The body of American literature contained many great works, from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
to A Song of Fire and Ice
.
Literature allows me to build the Heroic Epic, the National Epic, and the Great Library.
Founded in 1045 at the edge of the northern wilderness, Calgary would surprise many and become a great city in its own right.
I have founded Calgary. I have high hopes. Probably has to do with the local Iron and Deer, not to mention all the trees.
I plant Hank Aaron on the spot of a future city in Quebec, to be called Montreal.
Hatshupshet offers me Code of Laws and 320 gold for Compass. I accept, more for the gold as it would take me only a few turns to research Code of Laws.
While America had an ancient legal system, it did not have a written set of laws until 1050, when the concept of written law was introduced from Egypt. Soon, many statutes were codified, particularly complex ones involving commerce and taxation.
I have acquired Code Of Laws. I can now build Courthouses and use the Caste System. I decline the latter.
The Seattle Moai are a series of stone sculptures built overlooking Puget Sound. While not as renowned worldwide, they did become a symbol of Seattles maritime commerce, just as the Colossus did for Boston. By official city ordinance, Should a Citizen of Seattle be asked by a Visitor to the City who the Seattle Moai are modeled after, he shall give the Name or Names of prominent local Citizens. If he is asked this question by two or more different Visitors in the same Day, he may not give the same answer to any. This will serve to provide Amusement to the Citizens of Seattle.
I wish that this ordinance was based off of a real one. Anyway, the Moai are finished. I begin work on a Caravel to explore the Pacific. I have Denver start training an Explorer to go with the ship.
I have made contact with Asoka of India.
Proper paper for writing on was developed by MIT scholars in 1070 AD. Rather than papyrus or cloth, they made paper out of wood pulp, which was much cheaper and stronger. While books remained expensive, maps became much cheaper. The development of wood paper also paved the way for the printing press.
I have researched Paper. I can now trade maps. I can also build the University of Sankore wonder, but as I plan to go for Free Religion, I wont. I next research Music.
I have made contact with Genghis Khan of Mongolia.
Music has been around since men pounded bones together and liked the sound, but musical theory and notation took a while to develop. Previously, the sound of songs could not be recorded. But with the development of musical notation in 1110, songs, like books and plays, could be preserved for eternity.
I have developed Music. I can build Cathedrals. I now begin work on Animal Husbandry, more because its a one-turn technology.
And on that musical note, I end this chapter!