The Playground Mod: The Hall Monitors

Some of you people who actually go to the C&C forum might have seen the Playground Mod in the Completed Mods sections. It's basically a mod created my me and Bluemofia, that's based off of the wars that occured at my Elementary and middle school. As part of a propoganda program to make more people want to play it, and to advertise Playground Mod 2.0 (Coming sometime to a Civfanatics near you!), I'm going to make a story based on it. And I've decided, that for this story, I will betray all my loyalties to the kids, and play as the dreaded Teachers!!!! I'll be playing on the Playground (With Cities) map, which will lessen my chances of winning, as all the kid's civilizations will start with preplaced cities. The game will be on Kindergardener (Warlord) difficulty.

And now, story begins....

Part 1: Prolouge


The School was definitly an imposing building. Massive walls surrounded it, with gigantic Towers bristling with machine guns flanking the giant gates that marked the entrances. Outside one of those gates stood a middle aged man, dressed in all black, with dark brown hair, with some streaks of grey starting to show. Glancing nervously at the machine guns on the towers, he slowly walked towards the gate. A voice called down from the Towers.
"Halt! Identify yourself!"
The man in black looked up, and saw someone who looked like a Teacher, but dressed in military gear, with a metal helmet, and a rifle slung over his back.
"I'm Omega, the new principal!"
"Ah! You'll want to report at the office. Just go through the gate, and follow the road. The first room you see will be the Office. Watch out, though. The kid's have been slightly troublesome of late."
Omega took another look at the rifle the Teacher had.
"Exactly how troublesome?"
"Oh, don't worry. None of the Staff's been killed yet."
"Well, that really doesn't encourage me much, but I really don't have a choice...."
As The Omega advanced towards the giant gate, the huge doors swung open, revealing a hallway that extended farther than the eye could see. Omega walked down it for what seemed like hours, until he finally reached what looked like a giant fortress, with the words "Office" over the gate. The gate opened in front of him, and he entered.
"*Ahem* Hello? Anyone there?"
A man in what looked like a Napoleonic style uniform ran up to him, and started shaking his hand.
"Ah! You must be Omega, the new principal! I'm Principal Smith, or Ex-Principle Smith, haha! Oh, where are my manners? I must show you around!"
Smith began to drag Omega through the Office, and introducing him to the people there. The first person was someone dressed in a similar fashion to the person Omega met at the gate.
"This is Irene, the secretary. She answers the phone, schedules meetings, and she can put a bullet through a kids head from 100 yards away!"
"Oh.... Well, I guess that's a helpful skill...."
Before Omega continued, he was dragged over to a janitor looking guy, but he was carrying a giant ax instead of a broom.
"This here is Fred. He's our worker. He can also take on any kid who try's to pick a fight with him. Now, we're a bit understaffed at the moment, so he's the only worker we've got. So, that's the people of the Office. I'd show you around the rest of the school, but we haven't the time! You must get to your dutys!"
"Um, about that, no one actually told me what I was supposed to do.... The people at the Board seemed kinda desperate for a new principal, and when they heard that I'd served in the army, they instantly hired me and sent me here.... I thought they just wanted me because I'd learned discipline and all that stuff in the army, but now I'm starting to think it was for a different reason...."
"Well, let me begin. The kid's have formed many groups on the Playground, including The Boy Union, Freak Attack, The United Forces, The Rebs, Senso, The Girls, The Galaxy Wars Club, The Horse Group, and The Char Group. It is your job to make sure that no wars occur between these groups, and interfere in any that do. Once you have the sufficient means to do so, you must completely destroy these groups, as the kid's are spending more time playing soldier than they are doing homework. Also, there are many Barbarian groups throughout the Playground. You must destroy all barbarians you see, as they are the most unruly of the children. Now, as the Staff, we are Commercial and Scientific, and we'll need as much of that money as possible, as Teacher's require 10 gold per turn for support. Good luck. Your rifle's on your desk. Goodbye, and if you need me, I shall be in Australia."
And with that, he left. Omega looked helplessly around his new office.
"Well, this is going to be a unique experience...."

Well, good luck.

The teachers are one of the hardest to play as to begin with.

I've seen it! Good luck!

Part 2: The First Days





Omega: "So, Irene, how am I supposed to check up on the rest of the School? This place is huge!"
Irene: "Just use the computer at your desk. You can issue orders to everyone from there."

Omega sat down, and stared at the computer for a few minutes. Things didn't look good for the Teacher's. The Playground wasn't even mapped out, except for a small part where the Portables were. And his army was practically a joke. Only a handful of his classes were staffed by Teacher's. Most of them, including the Portables, were guarded by some kids who had been given guns and told to fight for the Teacher's. The Science Room didn't even have any kind of guard! And according to the computer's reports, while the school's walls would stop most kids from coming through, the Barbarians had a strange skill at getting through the walls and striking at any undefended rooms. But the worst part of it was the complete lack of workers. Fred was the only one in the whole school.

Omega: "Irene, draft orders to send to every room that they are to start producing workers immediantly. Oh, and sir, we've heard rumors that some barbarians have camped out in front of the main entrance."
Omega: "Do we have any soldiers who we can spare to send over and take care of them?"
Irene: "No sir."
Omega: "Fine, I'll take care of them myself. Before I go, I want you to send orders to the kids in the Portables to send a few people to scout out the area. Also tell all the men at the Towers to shoot any barbarians they see. I'll be taking a radio, so call me if anything important happens."
Omega took his rifle, and marched out of the Office, towards the entrance. As you left through the gates, his radio crackled to life.
Irene: "Sir, the towers on all the entrances to the Playground have spotted and eliminated barbarians. We believe that the camps are within range of the towers, so they'll stay under bombardment for the time being."
Omega: "Good. Once we have the adequate reserves, we'll send someone to clear the camps out. I'm at the gate, but the suns going down. I'm gonna rest until tomarow."

The Next Day

Omega woke with a start as his radio began to speak.
Irene: "Sir, our towers at the eastern entrance have reported making contact with Freak Attack troops."
Omega: "The east? Isn't that the Bus Pick-Up-Drop-Off place?"
Irene: "Yes sir. We belive Freak Attack has a base in the muddy area near there."
Omega: "Well, organize a meeting with their leader. I'll meet him when I get back."
"Oh, I'm sure we can meet sooner."
Omega spun around and pulled out his rifle in one smooth motion. Directly in front of him was a little 1st grader kid.
Kid: "Hello. I'm S, leader of Freak Attack."
Omega: "What kind of a name is that?"
S shrugged. "It's what my men call me. Now, I belive I have something to offer you."
Omega: "What?"
S: "I'll tell you when you stop pointing that rifle at my face."
Omega cautiosly lowered the rifle. The kid didn't seem like he was going to go crazy and kill him or anything.
S: "There, that's better. Now, I can organize a meeting between you and Alexi, the leader of Char. In exchane, I want 170 gold."


Omega: "170!!!!!! Are you crazy?!?!?!? That's almost our entire treasury!"
S: "Well, how about you supply us with fresh fruit from your cafeteria?"
Omega: "Okay, that I can live with. I'll get the Cafeteria lady's to begin shipping it over to you."
S: "Thank you. Alexi, you can come out now!"
Another 1st grade kid came out from the school.
Alexi: "Good morning. How may I help you?"
Omega: "Can you provide me with contact with any other group?"
Alexi: "No, but I can offer my world map. I'll give it to you for your world map and 8 gold."
Omega: "Deal."


Alexi: "Here you go sir. Goodbye."
And then the two kids left. Omega looked at the map. It didn't really add much, just some land in the middle of the Playground. Omega took the new map over to one of the towers.
Omega: "Send someone to take this to the Office. I'm going kid-hunting...."

Part 3: Test of Combat


The day's after Principal Omega's meeting with the two leaders were relatively peaceful. A few barbarian attacks on the portables were repulsed by concentrated machine gun fire from the towers. Omega himself found a group of soccer players skipping class by the entrance. After a stern scolding, and confiscating their map of the area, they peacefully returned to class. But his encounter with another barbarian group turned out to be much less peaceful.

Omega: "Okay kids, I know you're having fun out here, but it's time for school. Now get back to class or I'll shoot you."
Barbarian Kid: "Screw you teacher! We're staying here!"
Omega: "Why, that's a very pointy ax you have there.... Now why don't we all remain calm, and stop waving those axes around...."
Barbarian: "Stupid Teacher! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"
Omega: "Now, violence isn't the answer..... Ah, whatever."
Omega aimed his rifle and fired it at the Barbarians face. He collapsed on the ground.
Other Barbarian Kid: "Hey, he killed Tony! We must revenge Tony! Charge!!!!!!"
Omega: "Oh, god...."
Omega fired four quick shots into the charging group. All four of the barbarians fell over, dead. Omega then turned his attention to the second of the three barbarian groups.
Omega: "Okay, get back to class, or you'll end up like those people."
Barbarian Kid: "Hey, you can't do that to us, there's laws and stuff against that, I'm I'm gonna tell my mommy, and she's gonna...."
Bang.
The barbarian fell over dead.
Omega: "Now go back to class."
Survivors: "Y-y-yes sir!"
Omega: "Good. Only one group left."

Violence is the answer! Yay!

Fun Mod. This looks interesting.

Part 4: New "Friends"


Throughout the Playground, the Teacher's war on the Barbarians continued. By the entrance, Omega dispersed a camp of Barbarians, and confiscated 25 gold from another group of kids. By the Portables, two kid's accidently angered a large group of Barbarians, and it was only a bombardment from the nearby Tower's MGs that saved the Portables from being overrun.



Also happening around this time was the Teacher's gaining contact with the remaining groups on the Playground. It began with Omega suddenly finding a note addressed to him lying on the ground, offering a deal from Senso. This confused Omega, as no Senso soldiers had been spotted anywhere in the Playground.


The note also told where to find the leaders of ever group in the Playground, and asked Omega for 280 gold in exchange for this info. Omega promptly called Irene and told her about the new info, and to send the gold to Senso's capital.


(Contacted the Next turn were the Girls and Horse)

Part 5: Death to Barbarians!


Irene was at her desk, stareing at a computer. Her rifle's leaning against a wall. Occasionally, she will type something into the computer's keyboard. A message appears on the screen, and she reaches for her radio.

Irene: "Principal Omega, most of our cities have reported that they have completed recruiting workers, and the one's that have not yet completed are almost done."
Omega: "Good, tell them to get to work."
Irene: "Oh, and sir? Why is the PE Coach by Freak Attack Outpost #14, by the eastern exit?"
Omega: "Oh, Coach Sheard? I sent him there to investigate the Freak Attack presence there. I've got one of the kid's to guard the Gym."
Irene: "Aren't you worried about him being on his own out there?"
Omega: "He's a Teacher. He should be fine."



Meanwhile, by Freak Attack Outpost #14....

Coach Sheard: "I'm so screwed...."



Coach Sheard: "Ummm.... Omega? There's alot of Barbarians here...."
Omega: "Well, you're a Teacher! You've got a freakin gun! Shoot them or something!"
Coach Sheard: "Wait..... You're giving me authorization to shoot them?"
Omega: "Yes! Kill them all!"

And thus, Coach began shooting the Barbarians. And the barbarians charged at Coach. And Coach shot some more of them. And the Barbarians, having only a 2nd grade education, didn't form a connection between the two, and continued charging, and being shot. A few days' later, All the Barbarians that had tried to kill Coach were dead, and two barbarian camps had been dispersed.

A few days later....

Omega: "Irene, I've cleared the main entrance of Barbarians. I'm coming back to the Office."

Hmm, 22 turns in the game, and the front entrance is all nice and cleared. Good job so far. Hope you advance fast enough to stop the kids from taking over everything.

And you might consider getting that inspiration hooked up, and then once you get armored warfare, get time tunnels everywhere.

Well, I'm just surprised by how little the kid's have expanded. I was thinking that this far in, they'd have alot more cities than they do....

I wouldn't say a lot, because 22 turns is enough for a decent sized city to get 1 or 2 settlers.

But the AI has no decent sized cities to begin with, so it'll be a while.

Meh, I'm just too used to playing with accelerated production on.

Part 6: War!!!!111!!!!11


Coach Sheard: "Omega, I've eliminated most barbarians nearby. What do you want me to do now?"
Omega: "Well, our deal with Freak Attack has ended, so destroy that outpost they have by you."
Coach: "Yes sir!"
With no warning, MGs from the Tower's opened fire on Freak Attack Outpost #14. Many soldiers were killed. Then, to finish the job, Coach killed the last soldier, and burned the outpost to the ground.


Omega: "Very good. Irene, what's our closest military unit to the Freak Attack heartland?"
Irene: "A kid named Ethan. He should be stronger than the Freak Attack soldiers in the forest, but he's no where near as strong as our Teacher's."
Omega: "Send him into the heartland and have him cause as much trouble as he can."
Irene: "Very good sir. Oh, and by the way, most of our cities are receiving government funding now, and the Office is now getting supplies from Office Max."


Omega: "Very good.... Very good..... MWUHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"

Well. Hope the Tratorious kid survives the hordes...

I played a few turns ahead, and the hordes your worried about him facing consist of two Boy Warriors.

That's it? Now how advanced are they?

Well, I can't really tell since I can't check their tech progress in the trade screen, but I'm assuming that they're either early or middle 2nd grade.

33 turns did pass from the beginning of the game.

Yeah, but the techs are more expensive in the with cities mode. And I'd know if someone advanced an age, cause than a barbarian uprising would occur, and I'd be desperately trying to survive.