Role Play Challenge: The Crusades!

Welcome to my next RPC game, Justinian and the Holy Crusades! These games are meant to be entertaining and educational. In this case we get a good dose of some religious warfare as Justinian looks to rid the world of heathens, heretics, and assorted non-believers! I chose a Hemispheres map as I want to bring those Crusades to another continent. Intercontinental warfare shall be strongly encouraged here, in fact it is mandatory!

What starting tale can we state? None really, you all know why and how this one will proceed! Justinian is a devout and holy man, and needs to spread to true faith to all the world. Not by the olive branch as with Charlemagne, but by the sword! JIHAD! In fact, those withgout a State religion shall not be spared Justinian's raging fanatacism!

So the settings

Standard 2 Hemisphere's map with completely random continents
Monarch difficulty, Marathon Speed

Rules:

1) Justinian must declare the first religion spread to any of his cities, and he has to option of founding his own. However, he cannot found one if he already has a state religion.

2) He cannot trade or open borders with anyone NOT of the true faith.

3) He must gear up for war and eventually destroy all heathens in the world. In addition, those in FR are considered heathens. Once they convert to the true faith peace can be considered.

4) Heathen holy cities MUST be razed!

5) Justinian is fanatical in his religion, so he can ask for a "brother" to help in those crusades. If refused, that brother "May" be a target. In another words, none is safe from the Fanatics sword!

6) Victory cannot be achieved until all heathens are destroyed or members of the true faith.

7) NO Vassals may be accepted because of the danger of them "converting" to a heathen faith!

8) Did I mention that the heathens, heretics, and non-believers MUST be destroyed!

A look at our leader



And the start



Justinian is one of those leaders with rather poor starting techs, the wheel and Mysticism. Looks to me like a beeline to AH is the first item of issue. I say Hunting/AH/Archery and start getting down to business!

It's understandable to disallow vassals in order to add challenge, but do note that you can force them into your religion constantly no matter what...and if you spread the faith they'll stick in it if they don't like FR.

Anyway, I'll shadow again . You can go for and probably get an early religion, and that might make things easier, but it might also hamper development you'd otherwise have.

1S looks plausible, btw. Coastal and no resource loss. SW gets another cow but the expense of a turn and either coastal or fresh water is too great.

I also think that 1S is coastal. Settle 1S.

i wouldn't worry about getting to archery too early; its only monarch, so you will have plenty of time to tech it if there are no horses nor bronze in sight.

This is going to turn into a warmonger nightmare, I have a feeling. Unable to trade or open borders w/ non faith means NO missionary spreading of religion! Gah! The only way would be spies then if they have at least one city in the religion.

However, should we found an early religion, we have to delay CoL and Phil. until someone else gets them...and if it's our brothers in the faith, they have to be COMPLETELY WIPED OUT for founding the religion...at least it probably won't be their capitol .

Indeed, this one might be challenging...which is nice after that cowardly china blowout which was almost won after the GW was up .

@madscientist

What if you capture a double (or triple) holy city that contains both your state religion and another religion-do you raze or keep? I am thinking about Isabella who frequently gets a couple of religions in Madrid.

Also, isn't there a UN resolution to open borders between all members? If so, I assume that you must defy ('Never') that resolution

Unless you plan to build scouts, hunting isn't a priority: go Agg first for AH, then Mining and BW. I'd move the warrior 1SE before moving the settler. If there's seafood, 1S should be good. Otherwise, I'd go 1W. You lose a turn, but keep fresh water, and gain a grassland cow, which in my experience is a very strong early tile.

nbcman said:

@madscientist

What if you capture a double (or triple) holy city that contains both your state religion and another religion-do you raze or keep? I am thinking about Isabella who frequently gets a couple of religions in Madrid.

Click to expand...

If it's our religion it has to stay, otherwise razing a triple holy city with 3 false faithes is within the plan!

Also, isn't there a UN resolution to open borders between all members? If so, I assume that you must defy ('Never') that resolution

Click to expand...

Hey, I have defied resolutions before (7 in the Liz game if I remember!)

Shadow round!

Switched speed to epic and color to black, all other settings identical.

205 AD:

I think you should immediatly try to found hinduism (usually easier then buddhism), instead of hunting, AH and arch. I think you should settle in place, even though that means your capitol won't be coastal. Those hills in the north will be lost if you go 1S.

settle 1S for the ?coastal or 1 W to get all the resources in your BFC

Long term strategy - I'd try to beeline guilds. Cataphracts are complete pwnage. You can take longbow garrisoned cities without seige and almost no losses. This looks like a fun game. I might try a shadow.

@TMIT

Don't forget Theocracy. I don't recall if it's in the rules, but it will certainly limit your vulnerability to AP cheeze, in case somebody builds the AP with a religion you don't have. You could even burn all their cities to prevent acquiring that religion! No Monty Diplo wins! Bwahaha!

Ideally he gets the AP himself as it would fit the theme very nicely (and the hammers are welcome in a game like this).

The trouble is that you're unlikely to be able to get it easily - you'd have to tech to theology, wait until someone else actually found christianity (unless nobody has spread you religion, but then you're going against the world with no open borders, ever)...and then try to out-race them to the AP.

Getting it after the fact to prevent non-state religious spread and fuel war is certainly viable though.

Theocracy is a given in this game! No need for an actual rule for a Crusades game.

As far as the Ap and the home of the Holy See, well seams Appropriate for Justinian to burn the thing to the ground

Unless you build it, or it's in your religion, of course.

Hm, with the ALC's postponed for awhile, i've wanted to improve my warmonger skills. Thxs for the thread mad!

Shadow round and I went deep into this one:

To 1635 AD

How about settling on the plains hill....you will get 2 cows and a pig in BFC...

You will get a religion to spread one way or another....so focus on development.....having propably to avoid COL is good since you can go feudalism way and make use of siritual by using serfdom and vassalage...and you stay on the way to guilds..

Go west, young man! You don't have enough food to support those hills, and another 6 yield tile is too good to pass up. You get grasslands, keep fresh water, and there might even be horses on the empty plains tile.