Sisiutil
All Leader Challenger
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Game #21 - Zulus/Shaka
Game #21 - Zulus/Shaka
In the next ALC game, I'll be playing as Shaka, leader of the Zulus. The purpose of this thread is to discuss, before the game, how to best exploit that particular leader's characteristics, which is the main feature and purpose of the ALC series. Just so we're clear, I'm playing with the Beyond the Sword expansion pack with its most recent official patch (3.13) and with Bhruic's unofficial patches as well. The difficulty level will be Emperor and the speed is Epic. Here's the fact sheet:
- Traits: Expansive (+2 health per city. Double production speed of granary, harbor, and +25% production speed for Workers.) and Aggressive (Free Combat I promotion of melee and gunpowder units. Double production speed of Barracks and Drydock.).
- Starting Techs: Hunting and Agriculture
- Unique Unit: Impi (Replaces Spearman; Strength: 4, Movement: 2, Cost: 35; Unique Characteristics: Starts with the Mobility promotion)
- Unique Building: Ikhanda (Replaces Barracks; Cost: 40(?); Unique Characteristics: -20% city maintenance cost, costs 10 more hammers to build than baracks)
- No Tech Brokering
- Aggressive AI
- Choose Religions
As for the map, I'm thinking of going with Big & Small, but I'm open to other suggestions. I'd rather not go with Pangaea or anything like it; I think that for Shaka, that would be stacking the deck, and we saw how unfair a map tailored to the leader/civ can be in the Ragnar game. At the same time, I'd rather not end up isolated, since I want to have some fun with the Impis. I may have the map checked to ensure I'm not isolated, but only for that.
So on to Shaka's characteristics.
Shaka is clearly designed to be a warmonger. He's Aggressive, after all, so free Combat I promotions all around (well, to melee and gunpowder units, anyway) and cheap barracks and drydocks to boot. Speaking of barracks--the UB, the Ikhanda, also reduces city maintenance, which makes early conquests cheaper and therefore more attractive. BTW, I wasn't sure about the hammer cost for Shaka's UB--it's 10 hammers more than barracks, but barracks are built at double speed for an Aggressive leader; is the +10 cost also subject to that discount or not? It's only 5 hammers difference either way, but we Civvers have nit-pickiness in our blood.
Expansive doesn't lend itself to warmongering as clearly as Aggressive does, unless you remember that cheap Granaries make whipping units easier. I don't think I'll take too much advantage of the cheap Workers--I expect to capture more of them than I'll build--but it's nice nevertheless, as is the extra health, though that's not an issue until later in the game.
Having Agriculture to start is also useful for whipping and to fill the cheap granaries so I can whip again. Hunting means I have one of two techs required for the UU; I can also use the Scouts to reveal more territory and maybe pop more goody huts. All of this, I think, points to Mining and Bronze Working as the first techs to research (to find copper for the UU and for the Slavery civic), and Pottery will be another early priority. I'll cross my fingers and hope for both a grain resource in the BFC and if the RNG gods are really nice, a camp resource there too, or at least nearby. Pretty please?
Once I've got a source of copper or, if I'm less fortunate, iron, it's time to spawn Impis. They're weaker than Axemen or Swordsmen, but they have that wonderful Mobility promotion, so they can swoop in on an unsuspecting nearby civ before they know what's happening. I'll just have to build more of them. They also have that automatic Combat I, and they can earn City Raider promotions, too.
As with Berserkers, the veteran Impis will carry with them a terrific promotion that's not usually available that easily to later-era units. As I recall, Spearmen upgrade to Pikemen, then to Riflemen, then to Infantry. (can they upgrade to Grenadiers or not? I can't remember.) I may skip most of the Pikemen upgrades--they're a good unit for "active defense" against mounted pillagers, but weak otherwise. Mobility Riflemen, though, would totally rock. (EDIT: No they won't; other posters have corrected my erroneous understanding of the Mobility promotion, below.)
Having 2-move Infantry, by the way, makes late-game wars a blast (the Canada mod has a 2-move Infantry UU, which is where I've acquired experience with them). They can keep up with Tanks, and once you get Flight and Radio for Fighters and Bombers, you can blitzkrieg your ever-lovin' heart out.
In summary, Shaka strikes me as a top-notch warmonger; practically off his unique characteristics have synergy in that regard. He starts off strong and stays that way, with a UB that keeps paying dividends all game and a UU that brings its inherent advantage into upgrades. I anticipate winning by either domination or conquest. Maybe the latter--it's been ages since I had a conquest win. Not since the Alexander game!
What do you think?