King of the World #4: Mansa Musa

Round 0: Welcome to Africa!
Round 1: Humble Beginnings (4000 B.C. - 1320 B.C.)
Round 2: And He's Off! (1320 B.C. - 200 B.C.)
Round 3: Expansion and Conversion (200 B.C. - 325 A.D.)
Round 4: Holy War! (325 A.D. - 820 A.D.)
Round 5: Rebuilding Mali (820 A.D. - 1160 A.D.)
Round 6: Building the Mali-tary (1160 A.D. - 1470 A.D.)
Round 7: No More Mr. Nice Mansa (1470 A.D. - 1630 A.D.)
Round 8: Can't We All Just Get Along? (1630 A.D. - 1740 A.D.)
Round 9: American Empire (1740 A.D. - 1830 A.D.)
Round 10: Housecleaning (1830 A.D. - 1850 A.D.)
Round 11: Mali.com (1850 A.D. - 1917 A.D.)
Round 12: Getting the #@$^ Out of Dodge (1917 A.D. - 1954 A.D..)

The King of the World series focuses on the Earth18Civs map, highlighting the unique challenges and opportunities presented to the various Civilizations in their real-life contexts. In this game, we will be playing as Mansa Musa of Mali:



Mansa Musa is normally a powerhouse leader, with both Financial and Spiritual traits. His Unique Building, the Mint, gives him yet another boost to his cash flow attached to a building that usually ends up getting built, anyway. His Unique Unit is a beefed-up Archer that helps him to defend, allowing him to focus on infrastructure and expansion with significantly less worry about a rush early on.

On Earth, though, Mali's starting location is no great shakes:



In fact, it's downright perplexing. I have no clue where to put the capital, much less later cities. I'd love to see some dotmaps.

In addition, we're fairly isolated, sharing the continent with Egypt and Barbarians. Spain is also nearby, cut off by the Strait of Gibraltar. So strategy is also a concern, both long- and short-term. Short-term, should we rush Hattie? Should we REX toward and around her, cutting her off? Should we rush northward, making for Isabella's inevitable shrine?

Long-term, I kind of like the idea of trying to expand at least mostly peacefully, maybe even forming spin-off states in Madagascar, Australia and South America. Then, since the last game focused on Communism and Total War, maybe focusing on Corporations and taking over the world through economics. Maybe even go for a Cultural Victory. This is likely the last KotW on Monarch, so it'd be fun to try a strategy that's a little suboptimal.

So welcome, all! I look forward to a fun, engaging game and lively conversation to match.

Like I said before , I think the best idea is to rush hatty , to assure most of Africa for you......

About settling, maybe 2 S of starting position ?

Mansa's major limiting factor is food. A bunch of the jungle in your area is plains jungle (oxymoron, but whatever ;p ). So I think you need to resign yourself to West Africa being more of a production/resource area instead of GP farm/cottage farm area.

I therefore suggest getting Iron Working fairly quickly and beating Hatty to the Congo. If you don't conquer her, you at least need to cut her off from sub-Saharan Africa. I like the idea of leaving her alive to act as a buffer against Saladin, Alex, Cyrus, and even Cathy believe it or not. Frankly, once you REX enough Hatty might just vassalize herself to you anyway.

Getting cottages and mints going early will be key to fueling a REX of Africa. Also be aware that Saladin will attempt to settle east Africa at some point.

Finally, don't neglect the Morocco and Carthage areas. There are two or three decent city sites up there, and that will help contain Julius and Isabella.

You should even consider to take Izzy down... after she gets her uber lucrative shrine, that is

I'd go 2S 1E to keep most of your floodplains at spawn location, and gain the ability to work gems with IW. Actually, that's the only way I can envision even remotely decent early game production for MM here. It's actually a decent capitol then, even though most of the surrounding land is hard to use especially pre-IW.

This makes IW a BIG priority.

I'd actually advise AGAINST rushing Hatty. She's really far away for a rush, you'll have barbs to deal with, and the potential issue of maintenance if you keep her capitol or other AIs settling there if you don't. I'd advise aggressively REXing out while Izzy makes a shrine for you. Hatty or Izzy are viable targets with construction due to elephants/cats.

Also note that even if you wipe out Hatty Sal will still beat you to some sites along the east coast unless you're really quick.

I just read ALL of the other King of the world threads, and while I was in the middle of reading one, all of the sudden your avatar changed to Mansa. I was like... I wonder why he did that (I was reading Fredrick at the time) and then it hit me! He is always the leader he is currently playing! He must have started a new one!

I will be reading along in real time now. I am very excited.

How about moving the settler S2 near the lake. You keep most of the floodplain, and then get 2 elephants on the first pop. City will be really unhealthy though...

Why all the suggestions for 2S Instead of 2S 1E? 1E gives up like 2 peaks for gems/another flood plain...........

Virtual Alex said:

I just read ALL of the other King of the world threads, and while I was in the middle of reading one, all of the sudden your avatar changed to Mansa. I was like... I wonder why he did that (I was reading Fredrick at the time) and then it hit me! He is always the leader he is currently playing! He must have started a new one!

Click to expand...

(And the globe in the Leaders setting screen always focuses on the starting location)

I'm also digging the S-SE start. It allows extra development of Western Africa. Anyone feel like doing a proper dotmap?

What if you settled 1 E of your current settler? That would allow for 9 cottageable flood plains and two desert hills to mine (and hope for a random resource to pop from one of the worked mines). All of those cottages would speed the teching to IW to allow the settling of the other locations nearby.

Capital SSE as mentioned. Another city 3E of the capital(claims the gems and can work some floodplains /some plain titles(although only one of the floodplains are not in the capital as well). Another one 3S1W of the capital for the crabs. To the east we don't see all of the land so i am not sure where are the best sites(same to the north). Although if there are some seafood out of the coast it might change the dotmap...

subscribed.

why not 2S2E getting you gems(?) in the cap bfc and making your cap riverside.

You miss an elephant(which count as a hill that can be mined with hunting) for a desert.

you can get this phant in the city claiming clams or whatever it is swimming in the sea.

S-SE gives 8 FPs and 5 Jungles in the BFC, for 13*0.4 = 5(.2) unhealth. Fresh water is +2, plus the standard 3 gives 5 for starting health, right? You won't be able to grow without becoming immediately unhealthy. That seems like a showstopper.

SSE has 8*0.4+5*0.25 = 4.45 -> 4
SESE has 6*0.4+6*0.25 = 3.9 -> 3

You can't get it better than SESE

Without the Jungle it's still 3 for SSE, 2 for SESE.

2 S is floor[( 8*0,4 ) + ( 3*0,25 )] = floor [ 3.2 + 0,75 ]= 3

Dang, you can get closer to 4 without reaching it...

However you'll still have 3 after the jungles are cleared.

Cut off the continent from Hatty with a directly horizontal rex. Get IW and use that food capital to build an army of workers to deforest the congo and start Global warming a few centuries earlier. You will win the game though if you accomplish Cutting off Hatty and Conquering the jungle of the Congo.

No tips here just a Noob watching, your past threads have been awsome!
Also what do you mean bu last game on Monarch,will you move up a difficulty from now on?

Oh and SESE seems the best one in my opinion and as for Hatty, Cut her off, she ussualy makes it to south africa when left alone, and use her as buffer from Saladin, hes got a preety good UU early on with horses I belive.

Does a -1 health penalty (still with fresh water, mind you) really DQ the 2s1e spot? You WILL still be able to grow and with the cottaged flood plains the sickness won't hurt horribly...is it worth giving up the ability to have gems in a bureaucracy capitol with financial?! Although 2s2e is also viable IMO.