Been refurbishing this somewhat.
I'm using a different map now. It has no South-East Asia (sadly), but this also means that it has no China, and thus the scope of the scenario more accurately reflects its Indian nature. India itself is now bigger, and it will stretch West to roughly Mesopotamia.
The list of civs has also changed. Several civs have been removed (the Dahae will be represented via units available to the Scythians/Saka. The Xiong-Nu will be represented through Kangju units. The Vietnamese have been removed completely). Here's a low-down on the "who's who" of this scenario:
The Greeks
The Indo-Greeks have now been split into three factions -
Pachanada is the most powerful, with their capital at Taxilas.
Patalene comes next with their capital down south in Demetrias. Then lastly there is
Arachosia based in the Eastern Persian region of the same name.
To the North, and sharing every aspect of the tech-tree and most units with them are the Greek state of
Bactria and the small mountainous Greek state of
Dayuan.
Bactria starts out at the height of its power, and is easily the most powerful Greek kingdom of the region - but this power will be short lived as it finds itself facing the brunt of Persian and Steppe Forces.
Lastly, there are the
Seleucids and
Egypt.
The
Seleucids are in a much-weakened state, starting out in the midst of the civil war against Parthia. They lack sufficient resources and are "blocked off" from the Bactrian/Indian Greek states. Though their Hellenic kinship makes them for a natural early trader, other Greek states should be warned - they have rather ulterior motives; if they capture the capitals of Parthia, Bactria, Dayuan, and the three Indo-Greek civs, then they can build a wonder allowing Diplomatic Victory. In the late-game, they turn into
Romans, with much the same goals.
Egypt start as a two-city trading hub close to the edge of the map, surrounded by sea. A very rich civ whose primary purpose is to trade. In the later game, they too turn into
Romans. Be warned - the Egyptians take their trading very seriously and may resort to protectionalism and colonisation to sustain their needs.
The Indians
The North of India is witnessing the aftermath of the Mauryan Empire. Fanatical Hindu
Sungas dominate the former Mauryan heartland - and by retaining much of the Mauryan strength, they aren't much to be messed with.
Other powerful kingdoms in the area include
Mathura to the North-West, the
Avanti kingdom based on Ujjain to the West,
Kalinga to the East, Kuninda to the North, and the
Satavahana kingdom to the South (who have considerable potential as the game progresses). Also in the region are the smaller kingdoms of
Kashmir,
Uddyana, and the
Ror.
Southern India has its fair share of powerful kingdoms - rich in resources and wealth. They include the
Chola and
Pandyan in the South Deccan (with units representing the Chera too), and
Tamraparni over on Sri Lanka.
The Nomads
This scenario will also include the bulk of the
Indo-Scythian period which succeeded the Indo-Greek period. As such, there are two Scythian civilizations -
Scythia and
Sakastan who start up in the Steppes but will soon reign havoc as far as the eye can see, as well as the
Kangju and
Kushan civilizations. These nomadic civs share a simplistic tech tree designed to facilitate their rise as a threat.
Along with the true nomadic factions, there are also the
Parthians. These guys start out in them midst of their historic rebellion against the Selecuids, and already control much of Persia. These guys have the potential to be the big, bad, bully of the scenario - though securing their borders against the threats of the Selecuids, the Nomads, and the Bactrian Kingdom will be a tough prerequisite.
The last semi-nomadic civs are the
Tarim Basin, who form a useful trading bloc for the two Bactrian entities, and the
Tibetans up in the Himalayas.
Other Civs
The
Chinese are still represented in this scenario. They only control a small cluster of cities now, and through most of their game their primary importance will be their access to the valuable
silk resource. Very rich and very powerful, they can and will resort to protectionalism and colonialism similar to that of Egypt, with Tibet and the Bactrians often being the primary sufferers of their ire.
The
Pyu city-states also retain their role in Burma. They can trade and pack a small punch, but largely their importance is limited.
Arabia and
Ethiopia are the last two civs. Their role is rather similar - trade of luxuries primarily. Though they tend not to have the sort of forces capable of taking and holding significant ground overseas, they are something of masters at piracy. Arabia itself is open to colonisation - though on the Peninsular, the Arabs will put up much more of a fight. The Ethiopians occupy a couple of cities in the far-West of the map surrounded by sea much like the Egyptians, and are centred around the trading hub of Adulis.
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The tech tree is going to be three eras long, with varying levels of Flavouring throughout. These eras represent the Rise of the Indo-Greeks, the Later Indo-Greek Era, and the Indo-Scythian Era - a sort of "what if?" era for the Greeks of the region.
The true Nomadic civs (Scythians/Saka/Kushans/Kangju) will also have their own simplistic tech-tree. Generally linear, it will gear them up to be a nigh-unstoppable force!
