New African Civs

Kongo is finiched, first version released, download the mod here


Here comes some suggestions for three African Civs: Zulu, Swahili and Kongo. Three more, Ethiopia, Carthage and Morocco will follow. Please come with suggestions to make the ideas better and adjustments if anything is overpowered.




These civilizations, and city-states would make a lot of sense geographically to fill the empty continent of Africa you get if you play with true start locations


One of the most loved Civilizations through the series history, with a big impact on a large region of southern Africa during th early 1800's. wiki: Zulu kingdom


Trait: Mfecane: Mfecane is kiZulu for scattering, the conquests of Shaka Zulu lead to a large scale chaos and migration of nearby people .wiki: Mfecane +20% and +1 for all units during 3 turns after conquering a city.

UU: Impi: The mobile, numerous and well organized Zulu warriors were formidable warriors, and suprised the enemy with their bufffalo horn formation.
Replaces the pikeman. Its cheaper, faster and receives a greater flanking bonus. Cost: 33, 10, 3, Recives the unique promotion: "buffalo horns formation" = double flanking bonus.

UI: Kraal The Nguni cattle was the source for the Zulus wealth, and finding good grassland a important reason for conquest.
A unique tile improvement, +1 and +1 + additional +1 for each adjacent kraal (like the polynesan Mois). Can only be built on grass tiles in a city that has a improved recourse of cattle.

Swahili / Kilwa Sultanate / Sultanate of Zanziabar​

More then 50 million speak kiSwahili as their second language, wiki: Swahili language which is due to the Swahili people's history as great merchants. wiki: Kilwa Sultante, The dhows (ships) of the Swahilian city states such as Kilwa Kiswani, Zanziabar and Mombasa sailed as far as China and India!

Trait: Trade with the Khaffirs:The Swahili city states were so specialized that relied on trade with inland Bantu tribes for their food suply. +1 food for every non-coastal trading post

UU: Dhow The dhows dominated the Indian ocean and rid the monsoon wind to trade with faraway lands, the ship was so well designed that the Portuguese based their caravel on it. wiki: Dhow.
It's weaker then the Caravel that its replaces, but can be built earlier and conduct a weaker version of the great merchants trade mission. Cost:53, Required : Compass (instead of Astronomy for Caravel), 10 (instead of 15), 6 (instead of 7), Ability/Unique Promotion: Trade mission, gain 15 (compared to 30 for a great merchant) and 200 regardless of era (compared to 400 in classical era for great merchant and 650 in future era).

UB: Coral stone Harbour: The Swahilian trading cities acted as a cultural melting-pot between Indian, Arabic, Persian and Bantu culure, the cities were built of coral stone, decorated by imported Islamic tiles, the elite had a endless thirst for luxuries.
Replaces Harbour, gives +0,5 for every luxury recourse, and has two Merchant Specialist Slots.

Wene wa Kongo​

The Kingdom of Kongo were one of the most populous medieval African kingdoms with half a million citizens and a 100 000 in Mbanza-Kongo. A long-lived kingdom that defeated Portugal on the battlefield, and had control over a large area via their vassals. wiki: Kingdom of Kongo

Trait: Jalankuwo:The highly centralized power of the Mwene Kongo symolized by the Jalankuwo - The Judgment Tree- lead to a great growth in the capital and many vassal that helped to protect their borders. +40% growth in , receives units at double rate from allied militaristic city states.

UUombo: The Pombo were elite scouts that could keep the same pace as a horce and were used to hunt down fleeing enemy troops. They relied on agility and skill to dodge arrows and spears instead of armor. Wiki: Kongo military
Fast light infantry unit that ignores terrain movement cost and has a bonus aginst ranged attacs. New unit: Pombo, Required :Trapping, cost 60, 8 3, Special Abilities: Ignores terrain movement costs, and starts with the Unit Promotion: Cover I (+25% defense against ranged attacks)

UB: Raffia cloth Manufactor: The region of the seven kingdoms - Kongo dia Nlaza - produced more than 100,000 meters of cloth annually in the 1500's. The cloth were made from the fibers of the raffia palm and were often decorated with ellaborate artistic patterns, and also functioned as a currency.
Replaces the workshop, gives : +2 and, from each Jungle tile worked by the City ; +1 and +1 .


I studie at a art school when I dont play civ, and have drawn a map of Africa how it would look whiteout Europe's intervention as a art project, which can be viewed here. And have been very inspired by African Civilizations. When you play TSL World-maps are Africa south and east of the Songhai totally empty and it's just not enough if the only ad the Zules later on. It would be great if the released at least two African Civs as a DLC. If not /until then would some mods be great. I really good at graphics, but not the rest, and would love to cooperate with someone.

What do you think?

looks good, zulu trait seems kind of underpowered though... i'd say give the same benefits to any unit within say 2 or 3 tiles of enemy city. i would also say add carthage.

Hukkak Extra Civs Pack (Revised) http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=411274 includes Zulu, Ethiopia, and Mali.

Good idea to include Carthage, could be a interesting scenario with the Punic war and Hannibals war elephants are awesome.
[EDITED:] Found a super nice Carthage civ here. but a pity they dont have war elephants.

Maybe the Trait for Zulus should be like the total war policy - +33% - and also +1 in enemy terretory?

I have tried to download The Hukka Civs Pack earlier but then i didn't work, now however it does, which is great, good job!

I guess that I want to make a modpack with a few african civs, make it compatible with existing Civ V civs and DLCs ( exlude Mali becuse their historical closeness to Songhai for example), and hopefully persue Firaxis to incude some African Civs in coming DLCs.

I like Ethiopia's Stele as UB, but I think their trait should be something like Eternal Empire of Ethiopia which would give a great defensive bonus either in friendly territory or cities, thats increases with time, since thy were the only African kingdom that didn't get occupied of the Europeans.

Hi, I have done all the art for the new civ: Kingdom of Kongo, which can be viewd here
Thout it would be better in a separate thread.

Please visit the link and comment.

Cyon you should recreate Carthage with the war elephants. Have them replace the horse chariot, which is what happened in history. They won a battle against the Greeks who were using chariots, by stampeding the chariots with elephants effecticvely neutalizing them, ever since then Carthage trained more an more elephants until at least three hundred elephants were present at all times in and around the city.

hi cyon, i really like the kongo civ you made! you put a lot of thoughts into it and the graphics are just awesome!

i just created my first own civ the jamaicans. you can download it in the ingame mod browser. maybe you find some time to check it out and if you like it maybe we could work on the other civs you suggested. i would love to have more african civs.

well i'm not really good at programming since this is the first thing i ever did but i think i did not do too bad^^ but i really suck when it comes to graphics.

so if you are interested in working out some new civs just let me know!
and thanks for the kongos!!!

traits for the last two are way overpowered

Jag kommer bidra med benin.

Cyon said:

It's weaker then the Caravel that its replaces, but can be built earlier and conduct a weaker version of the great merchants trade mission. ... Ability/Unique Promotion: Trade mission, gain 15 (compared to 30 for a great merchant)

Click to expand...

I really like this idea- have you actually implemented it in the mod yet, and if so how did you manage it? I can't find any promotion or ability you can tag onto a unit.

Hey Cyon, you might need to release a new version of Kongo to be in line with latest patch updates

I'd love to see all this get done

nice well done

Ney man, can you tell me where/how you have fone the artes for the Kongo.
Ps.: Congratulations for the arts, they are really well done.

Hi, I know this thread is somewhat dead, but for those interested in new African civs I just released a mod for Benin / Edo (link to my civs in my signature):



I'm not the best at icon or unit art so I'm borrowing your Pombo icon till I can make my own (or find someone to make one), and also as the zulu impi is like the only spear/pike African unit model available I had to use that for the Isienmwenro.