All Roads Lead to Rome[RFC Synthesis]

This is my first story, if you haven't noticed. I plan on playing as Rome with my own goals, not aiming at any specific victory.

Goals:
-No classical or ancient civs alive in the Mediterranean and Middle East('sides India) before Byzantines spawn.
-Nail the IRL height of the Roman Empire at any given time(preferably before Byzantine spawn)
-Crush every Rebellion in my Empire!(France, England, Spain, Portugal....Pretty much every Western civ. Including Byzantine and Arabia.)

Cool things I'm not aiming for but would be awesome:
-Build the Roman wonders(Parthenon, Coliseum, and Apostolic Palace [not sure if Leaning Tower is in Synthesis] Preferably in Rome.)
-Perhaps win domination victory.
-Destroy Ethiopia!(Vassalizing is cool too)
-Found Catholicism.

Will be playing on Marathon speed and Monarch difficulty.

Wish me luck!

Welcome to the subforum!

We won't eat you, of course.

If anyone tells you that they are more epic than I am, they are lying. Especially if the person's name is Tambien.

Anyway, subbed.

Looks good - good luck reaching the Roman Empire under Trajan! I've never been able to do it without worldbuilder help (well, as Spain I conquered 60% of the world, but that doesn't count, and it took me until the 2300s. )

Subbed, and good luck!

another Rome story, thats like 5 or 6 now, right?

i'll forgive you if you never give a city to a civ spawn

I will be following this story. More Epic, I am more than less than more than epic thsn you!

Have fun with it. Welcome to your first story

MoreEpicThanYou said:

Welcome to the subforum!

We won't eat you, of course.

If anyone tells you that they are more epic than I am, they are lying. Especially if the person's name is Tambien.

Anyway, subbed.

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Thanks and noted, lol.

Mosher said:

Looks good - good luck reaching the Roman Empire under Trajan! I've never been able to do it without worldbuilder help (well, as Spain I conquered 60% of the world, but that doesn't count, and it took me until the 2300s. )

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Ha, I almost did it before Byzantines spawned, just missing east Iberia and England. I mean, I missed some other parts, but they were a trivial 3-5 tiles.

trexeric said:

Subbed, and good luck!

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Thanks!

inohotep said:

another Rome story, thats like 5 or 6 now, right?

i'll forgive you if you never give u a city to a civ spawn

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Dunno if I could do that, ha. Facing the entire western world+Byzantines and Arabia without ceding cities would be catastrophic to my armies .

JamesCaesar said:

I will be following this story. More Epic, I am more than less than more than epic thsn you!

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Okay, hope you enjoy xD.

Now, on with it!

The People of Rome rise as the latest-and soon to be most powerful-nation in the classical world. Their first order of business: build a forge!


A wild Phoenician appears! Rome uses open borders agreement!


The Roman people, as busy as they are, cannot afford to waste more time on visitors, but the Greeks of the west decide to harass them anyways. Though the Romans are busy, they decide it best to sign another open borders to help relations with these less-technically-advanced men, for now.


Seeking knowledge of how to make the things some of their warriors are already using, the Romans send emissaries to the Phoenician leader...But wait! Elishat is afraid the mighty Rome is becoming to advanced to learn more, and is therefore keeping their technology that should rightfully be taught to Rome! Angered, the mighty Romans declare war on the knowledge hoarder.


As the Romans prepare their spears and swords for impaling the Phoenicians, a city decides it wants to join the might of Rome, unifying the Italian peninsula along with the newly-founded city Pompeii.


Just as the Romans start plans in their new city of Mediolanium, a scout from the Empire of Babylon appears and gives an honorable greeting. Immediately, they share knowledge that the soon-to-be dead Phoenician wouldn't. The Romans teach the Babylonian how to count and how to fish, while the Babylonian gives Rome knowledge of the bow and how to garden.


With an advisers....well, advice, the Roman Emperor decides to get his priests to learn how to meditate. Mostly because everyone else were idiots who would take forever to learn something new themselves. The shamans however kept pestering the Emperor to fund them many, many "Great Prophets", but Rome lacked the influence, regrettably.


Off in a close but unknown land, Roman sympathizers took to arms against the Phoenician occupiers of Sur.


Just before Rome launched her offensive against the selfish Phoenicians, the Babylonian king came and offered a trade agreement of open borders, which the Romans accepted kindly.


The Roman Legions landed on a beach south of the capital of their enemy, what the Romans called Carthago. They didn't call it by it's actual name, mostly because the average Roman could hardly pronounce it. Foolishly, the Phoenician mercenaries initially guarding the city decided to cross a river, leaving a loyalist bowmen squad to face the legion alone.


Against the Emperor's wishes, the legion burned the city to the ground, killing everyone and pillaging everything. The Phoenician Queen was...humiliated, for want of a nicer word, and executed. At the Phoenician outpost, what was believed to be their last, the Roman supporters bombarded and captured the city with relative ease. Settlers from Rome were sent to the ruins of the burned capital and founded Carthago.


With the Phoenicians destroyed, Rome grew that much larger. The legions soon realized what their next conquest was. Greek lands were ripe for pillaging.

Mmm, Elishat. Poor, mmm, Elishat. Anyways, good story, Suprised it was Elishat and not Dido for a Phoencian female leader.

You should build harbors, libraries, and granaries before forges... forges should only go in developed and mature production cities, at least initially.

Mosher said:

You should build harbors, libraries, and granaries before forges... forges should only go in developed and mature production cities, at least initially.

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If Harbours in this mod act like Lighthouses in the regular game, in that they give +1 Food to Coast and Ocean squares, then I agree with Mosher.


It is a shame that you took the sword to the only attractive leader that you have met.

Dhoomstriker said:

It is a shame that you took the sword to the only attractive leader that you have met.

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Yah, next you should kill Hammy. I like havng Open Borders with Elishat.

Dhoomstriker said:

If Harbours in this mod act like Lighthouses in the regular game, in that they give +1 Food to Coast and Ocean squares, then I agree with Mosher.


It is a shame that you took the sword to the only attractive leader that you have met.

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In RFC lighthouses and harbors are switched, so yeah, +1 food to water tiles.


I prefer Izzy or Cathy over Elishat, aesthetically speaking.

Will be reading this.

with Mosher

The writing style is like a historical-style version of Eternal Empire or DoH.

JamesCaesar said:

Mmm, Elishat. Poor, mmm, Elishat. Anyways, good story, Suprised it was Elishat and not Dido for a Phoencian female leader.

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Indeed .

Mosher said:

You should build harbors, libraries, and granaries before forges... forges should only go in developed and mature production cities, at least initially.

Click to expand...

Dhoomstriker said:

If Harbours in this mod act like Lighthouses in the regular game, in that they give +1 Food to Coast and Ocean squares, then I agree with Mosher.

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I'm building forges(and will build harbors) in order to make settlers and archers. I'll build health buildings only when I need to. The reason I'm doing that is because I need to mass produce them if I hope to get a historic Roman Empire. Libraries are out of the question for cities that will make settlers and archers, at least until I have enough.

Dhoomstriker said:

It is a shame that you took the sword to the only attractive leader that you have met.

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She is the easiest to kill, sorry to say .

JamesCaesar said:

Yah, next you should kill Hammy. I like havng Open Borders with Elishat.

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Sadly, like I said, it's easiest to get rid of the Phoenicians/Carthaginians early as they are just about the weakest civ in the era. Carthago always has only two archers defending and it's so easy to reach. Too bad it seems to auto-raze, it'd make my game a bit easier.

Mosher said:

I prefer Izzy or Cathy over Elishat, aesthetically speaking.

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Lol.

Red_Spy said:

Will be reading this.

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Hope you enjoy!

MoreEpicThanYou said:

with Mosher

The writing style is like a historical-style version of Eternal Empire or DoH.

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I should look at those then.

Next update will be sometime today. Might even get two in.

The Harbours and Granaries are to help grow your Cities quicker, so that the Cities will either have enough people to work production-based squares in order to pump out Forges or else to be able to grow large enough to whip Forges.

The Libraries are to help with expanding your Cultural Borders--you could also build Monuments instead. Either way, the purpose is to allow your Cities to work more squares, so that they can once again either grow faster or have access to more production squares, both with the purpose of being able to speed up the construction of Forges.


A City will auto-raze unless it at one point in time was at Size 2 or greater (even if it reached Size 2 for only a single turn and then whipped down to Size 1 immediately, it would count as having grown to Size 2). Unlike in Civ 3, expanded Cultural Borders are not an exception to this rule (i.e. a City bombed with a Great Artist that never reaches Size 2 will still be auto-razed upon capture).

Dhoomstriker said:

The Harbours and Granaries are to help grow your Cities quicker, so that the Cities will either have enough people to work production-based squares in order to pump out Forges or else to be able to grow large enough to whip Forges.

The Libraries are to help with expanding your Cultural Borders--you could also build Monuments instead. Either way, the purpose is to allow your Cities to work more squares, so that they can once again either grow faster or have access to more production squares, both with the purpose of being able to speed up the construction of Forges.


A City will auto-raze unless it at one point in time was at Size 2 or greater (even if it reached Size 2 for only a single turn and then whipped down to Size 1 immediately, it would count as having grown to Size 2). Unlike in Civ 3, expanded Cultural Borders are not an exception to this rule (i.e. a City bombed with a Great Artist that never reaches Size 2 will still be auto-razed upon capture).

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Noted, thank you.

Now, for the update:

The Roman world, now expanded to the old Phoenician territories, looked westward to their Greek neighbors. Those blue tiles would look great in red.


Now that the Romans were more settled after winning the war, they saw that setting up serfs and their own religious system worked to their advantage. Modern Historians today say that the Romans simply adopted Greek Gods and Roman-ized them. But Roman Gods were way super-cooler.


Anyways the predictable war between the Romans and the Greeks erupted. Roman legions already landed on Greek plains before any Greek could react. Hardened by the previous war, Roman victory was foreseeable. Already the Romans destroyed the scout party sent to investigate the huge army right outside a small greek town near Athenai.


The Romans then laid siege to the Greek town. Greek chariot-riders, even with the advantage, stood no chance. The city was burned by the legion. Though the Emperor didn't order it, the city was in a terrible place anyways.


Roman supporters took to arms in a legion of men that fought in Byzantium. The city had many warriors in it, but like all enemies they were no match for Rome's might. Byzantium was renamed Constantinopolis in honor of a Roman Emperor who had not been born yet.


Finally, the main army with support from siege engines broke the line of the Greek capital of Athenai, guarded by elite Greek Hoplites. Though the Greeks put up a fight, the Roman legion destroyed the great Greek warriors and renamed Athenai to fit Roman tongue, by changing the "i" to an "e".


Just as the newly-Roman cities received new governors, the desert people of Egypt arrive to greet their new neighbors that would soon own all their base. The Roman priests also finally discovered how to meditate properly, but were then put to work on a new radical study called monotheism. Again, due to everyone else in Rome being too stupid to figure things out on their own.


The Romans then met the Persian ruler, who was quite mad because Rome had traded with Babylon.


Disaster strikes. A hurricane slammed Constantinopolis, destroying the harbor(RAGEEEE). The Roman governance was determined to rebuild the important area of the city, but decided building a granary would help more. In Rome, the forge was built due to surplus wood along with iron and stone being mined outside of the city. Work began on a harbor.


Persian Zoroastrianism was becoming popular. No doubt the study of Monotheism was affecting the populous. It didn't matter. The teachings were Roman-ized and started to spread Rome's influence.


An unexpected army of Celts arrived at Rome's border. Attempting to fortify Mediolanium, archers left Rome. The Celtic army split, however, and the archers were slaughtered. The other part tried to invade Mediolanium, but the city stood firm, killing the invaders. But now there is a celtic warrior at the gates of an undefended Rome....


Will Rome be captured by these barbaric people? Do the Romans realize Constantinopolis shouldn't be Constantinopolis? Well, one thing's for sure, I will update later today!

Ooh, update! Nice! Also what is wrong with your research??? Also, defending Roma is easy. You have two archers in Mediolanem, right? Attack the Celtic dude with them!

trexeric said:

Ooh, update! Nice! Also what is wrong with your research??? Also, defending Roma is easy. You have two archers in Mediolanem, right? Attack the Celtic dude with them!

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My guess, lack of libraries and 20% research xD. Will fix that soon enough. It's okay though, I'm still decades ahead of any Mediterranean civ.

As for that celt, he's got 5.6/6 health and +10% strength ! Don't worry though, the story will continue whether I lose Roma or not! No promises I won't cry though .