While testing the new BarbarianCiv changes for Revolution 1.2, I simulated a game which was about as crazy and full of the new features of this mod as can be.
One of the more interesting ways to play with this mod is to play a Terra map with only a few civs to start. This kind of map gives plenty of space for BarbarianCiv to create new civs all over the map and for early rebels to form long lasting empires as well. Here's how one such game on a Standard map at Epic speed played out:
My initial civ was the English on a peninsula at the bottom left corner of the "Old World" (the large, left landmass). I started up the simulation and let the AI take control. At around 500 BC, one of those BTS massive barbarian uprisings struck and spearmen marched on London. The English were caught totally unprepared, and the barbarians captured the city with ease.
With the capture of one of the most influential cities in the world at the time, Napoleon organized the barbarians and formed the French Warriors. Whenever barbarians capture a city, there's a good chance BarbarianCiv will quickly turn them into a full civ ... when formed this way, the new civ will most often continue the march of destruction, which happened here. York fell quickly and the English were completely subjugated by their new French masters. Normally, the game would have ended for me here, but AIAutoPlay noticed my civ was destroyed and gave the option to pick a new one or end the game. I assumed control of the new French Empire and restarted automation.
The French Warriors next target was the Dutch, who they declared war on upon meeting them ... all militaristic BarbCivs will attack the first civ they meet for ~30 turns after forming, and having destroyed the English the French had no other targets. Just as the French Warriors were marching off towards the Dutch Empire, Pacal II organized the Maya Warriors in nearby Nubian into a real fighting force. A fierce battle of former barbarian armies ensued, and both sides managed to capture one of the other's cities. Eventually peace was declared, the Maya converted to the French religion and the two became allies despite their closely conflicting cultural borders.
At the end of the Classical Era, the Dutch city of Utrecht finally boiled over into open revolt. This city had seen a lot of strife over the years and had problems with happiness but the rich Dutch Kingdom had succeeded in bribing the city for quite a while. After Islam was founded here (Choose Religions was on), the situation quickly deteriorated. The Dutch refused to switch from Christianity when Utrecht asked nicely, so in 640 the Portuguese rebels took to arms. The Dutch had been focusing on expansion and fighting roving barbarians, and the defenses of Utrecht were quickly overwhelmed. The civil war lasted for a thousand years with the Portuguese defenses in Utrecht holding for a very long time. The Portuguese managed to expand to a nearby island and found a new cultural homeland which was vital to their survival as Utrecht eventually fell to the superior Dutch forces in 1410. Peace was eventually declared in the 1700's, and Portugal would eventually forgive the Dutch and become a faithful vassal of their stronger brethren.
In 1100 the first civ appeared in the 'New World' and Arabian City State was formed. For this game, the BarbarianCiv config option FreeNewWorld was set to off. However, there was lots of space and barbarian cities in the old world until about this time. When barbarian cities exist in both old and new world situations, BarbarianCiv will usually cause the old world cities to settle down first (unless there is a large difference in quality). The idea is that pressure from nearby civs would cause the old world barbs to settle more quickly.
Back in the 'Old World', Shaka had led an unfortunately zealous campaign of over-expansion. By far largest civ in the world in 800 AD, the Zulu Republic's economy was in complete ruin. Shaka refused to face an election in 920 AD, fueling the revolutionary spirit. When the Republic's slaves threatened a massive revolt in 1020 AD, Shaka wisely ended slavery and switched back to Tribalism which bought him some time. However, Shaka unwisely consolidated power into a monarchy and in 1180 AD, with the economy still in ruin, the citizens of the Kingdom took up arms to demand a new leader. Shaka clung to power and faced open revolt in all 12 of his cities, led by Mansa Musa of the upstart Malinese Rebels. Having had to previously disband many troops in a futile attempt to right his economy, Shaka was unable to attack the rebels and had to play defense. Mansa Musa made several early gains, and in 1255 AD gave Shaka an ultimatum: surrender control of all but your capital and a few minor cities, or face destruction. Shaka, being an Aggressive ruler, outright refused to consider this extortion and more rebel troops swelled Mansa Musa's ranks. This launched a Golden Age for the Malinese Rebels, who quickly owned 60% of the formerly Zulu territory. Mansa Musa decided to consolidate his gains instead of push for more territory, and rebel groups in several Zulu cities, seeing no Malinese units in sight, lost heart by 1300 AD.
In 1305, slaves in the outlying Zulu city of Khangela demanded an end to institutionalized slavery. Though he considered their plea because of his weakened state, Shaka eventually decided against it since only one city was considering revolt. This proved an unwise move, as the disorganized slaves (ie, barbarian units) managed to defeat his troops and claim the city. After several years of chaotic rule, Roosevelt rose to power and the peaceful American City State of Khangela was formed. Given their beginnings in a slave revolt against the Zulu, there was a good chance the Americans would have attacked Shaka but instead they settled as peaceful builders with a Great Artist symbolizing their unifying leader. Shaka, however, had learned his lesson, and in 1310 agreed to abolish slavery in his remaining cities.
In 1555, fresh from driving the Portuguese Rebels off of the mainland, the Dutch were the top civ in the world. However, they faced a new round of religious unrest and they clung to their Christian Theocracy for the military benefit in the fight against the Portuguese. After the Dutch refused their request for a change to Pacificism, and then demands of a change of state religions, German Confucian Rebels gathered outside several cities and managed to capture one. In 1600, Spanish Buddhist Rebels also attempted to breakaway in the North and were briefly successful. The Dutch troops, hardened by the long fight against the Portuguese, were eventually able to destroy both rebel groups and bring the cities back into the fold. The Germans would rise up a second time, again for religious reasons, only to be violently put down again. Eventually, in 1822 with religious pressure mounting yet again, Willem van Oranje could now finally switch to Free Religion and the internal strife in the Dutch Kingdom ended.
During the mid to late Middle Ages, the Sumerians, Aztecs, and Babylonians settled as new BarbCiv powers in the New World, fighting with the Arabs for space. The Babylonians eventually conquered the formerly Arab lands with their wave of initial military units which outclassed the Arabs in tech. The New World would remain largely in native hands as the main potential colonizing powers were occupied with internal strife at the crucial time in history. The Maya managed to start and hold a colony in the new world well into the 20th century, and the Malinese formed colonies on islands in the new world.
The former rebel leader Mansa Musa's steady rise in power hit two obstacles when both Egyptian and Carthagian groups decided to break away from the growing Malinese Republic. Controlling most of the former Zulu Empire was also too much of a task for Mansa Musa, and ironically he refused to face elections over tax and religious issues in 1580 and again 1620 which precipitated the Egyptian revolt. Hatshepsut managed to gain the support of most of the Malinese cities just as Mansa Musa had against the Zulu just a few centuries earlier. However, the Malinese army was much better prepared than Shaka's had been and the Egyptians found victories much harder to come by. The Jewish Carthaginians revolted in 1722 but only managed to pull one city to their cause. Again echoing the failings of his former adversary Shaka, Mansa Musa consolidated power into a Monarchy. Faced with further revolts in 1728, he decided to cede power to his more popular heir Mansa Musa II. Since Mali only has one leader, Revolution will create a fake second leader for all demands for ceding power or elections. The original leaderhead is used, and just the name changes in this circumstance. After this transfer of power order was slowly restored to this corner of the globe and Mansa Musa II eventually defeated the various breakaway groups and formed a formidable force by the dawn of the Industrial Era.
Shaka continued his obstinate ways, even though his domain was now just a tiny icy town. Again facing open revolt over his tax policy, Shaka refused to face elections for the last time in 1936, he was finally removed from power by the Incan Rebels a few years later.
In an interesting twist, my original civ the English re-emerged nearly 2500 years after their conquest by the French as a front group for Mayan rebels in 1955. The tight land and strong culture on the peninsula occupied by the French and Maya caused a lot of tension as the years rolled on. Facing several French revolts in some of their cities, the Maya could not risk open war with their allies when the citizens of Paris approached them and asked to join their Socialist Republic. The rebels instead rose up as the English with the quiet backing of the Maya. When a city wants to break free of one empire and join another, the owner is first given the opportunity to let the city go. If they refuse, then the cultural owner is given the option of declaring war. If they don't wish to or can't, then a rebel front group is created. These rebels, if they succeed in capturing any cities, will most often ask again to assimilate into their cultural owner later. When picking rebel civ types in this circumstance, Revolution will always reincarnate a civ with culture in the city or nearby before producing a completely new civ. The English were not successful as the French Kingdom was in a good state and the army was not otherwise occupied.
In the end, Mansa Musa II won a space race victory in the 21st century, narrowly beating Willem van Oranje who was going for culture. Willem would have won if it weren't for the long Portuguese rebellion so many years before, which cost him vital culture accumulation time in Utrecht which proved to be his 3rd culture city.
Had I just simulated straight through, the game would have taken around an hour to autoplay on my computer. I stopped the automation regularly to check on things and played around a bit in the later stages trying to reclaim some land for France from the Mayans and things like that.
Wouldn't it be better to also randomise traits for 'fake' leaders?
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