Transplanted Leaders #1: Ragnar of Rome

Some background here: I've been a CF member for a while, but have been more of a lurker. However, I'm actually a writer by trade (sportswriter, actually), and I'm always on the lookout for pursuits like this, so I've decided to chronicle a couple of my games (well, assuming this takes off!).

The focus here is moreso on the story than anything else. I'm not a spectacular player by any stretch, though I'd like to think I'm no slouch. Hopefully, this is entertaining, and I'm open to any and all suggestions by the community.

Here are some of the specs of this game.

Leader: Ragnar
Civ: Rome
Map: Pangaea, Small
AI Civs: Six (so seven Civs altogether)
Difficulty: Warlord
Era: Ancient
Speed: Epic

Other options clicked: No city flipping from culture, unrestricted leaders (duh), no vassal states, no espionage.

And away we go...

Our scene opens today at a large banquet hall, where men of large beards, larger girths, and largest alcohol tolerances are eating, drinking, and being merry. We're in the ninth century, and it's pretty clear that we've stumbled upon a Viking victory feast after a battle.

At the head of the table sits the leader, Ragnar, sipping on mead and feasting on the meat in front of him. His eyes are bloodshot, he's bobbing back and forth in his seat, and it's pretty clear that he's HAMMERED drunk.

We see him stand up and begin stumbling away from the table.

Nameless foot soldier: “Where are you going?”

Ragnar: “I, uh...I think I left something out there on the boat. I'll be right back.”

Ragnar walks out the door, revealing a harbor full of ships outfitted with the latest military technologies. He walks to one in the center and staggers up the steps, only to realize that he's not alone.

Voice: “Are we ready to go?”

Ragnar: “Who are...”

ZAP!

The boat suddenly disappears, and nobody in the mead hall has even noticed their fearless leader is gone.

SPLASH!

The boat comes down near a shore. Ragnar, having zero idea where he's at, is incredulous, and standing next to him is a mystical-looking man whose voice we heard moments ago.

Ragnar: “What IS this place?”

Man: “Whatever you make it.”

Ragnar: “And WHO are you?”

Man: “That's not important. But what I CAN do is tell you why you're here.

“I have the power to travel through time, and I have been commissioned by several people to bring glory back to a civilization whose best times came several hundred years before you were born.”

Ragnar, who already had a headache prior to his adventure, is incredulous.

Man: “You have been chosen to lead the Roman Empire to glory in a new world. One where other empires have also been given the chance to pick any leader of their choosing to take on similar quests. The weight of this new world lies squarely on your shoulders.

In other words...don't blow it.”

WHOOSH.

The man is gone. Ragnar is still trying to wrap his head around the entire situation, and believes he's alone until we see a man of average height and stocky build join the frame.

Man: “Hello, Ragnar. My name is Claudius, and I will serve as your primary advisor.”

Ragnar: “Who says I need an advisor?!”

Man: “Trust me, it's for your own benefit. Everyone here has one, and some of them have even begun assembling their own teams.”

Ragnar: “Well, let's get on it, then! Hang on, I've got some gold in my pockets!”

The transplanted leader goes into his torn clothing, but Claudius holds his hand up.

Claudius: “Um. That's not really going to work. See, your currency holds no value here.”

Ragnar: “WHAT?!”

Claudius sadly nods.

Ragnar: “So who do I have to work with?”

Claudius: “Well, I've got some good news, and I've got some bad news. The good news is I found two guys. The bad news is, well...”

Claudius motions off-screen, and we see two familiar-looking guys waddle in.



Claudius: “Meet Statler and Waldorf.”

Ragnar: “I'm supposed to lead the Roman Empire to glory with THESE guys! Where did you get THESE guys from?"

Claudius: "Some theater somewhere. They said something about a female pig going nuts on a regular basis, which I imagine holds SOME weight in the diplomacy you'll need to conduct."

Ragnar: “I'm going to lie down and mull this over. You guys...well, find something useful to do until I come back.”

Ragnar storms off, shaking his head.

Statler: “You know, I think I've seen him before.”

Waldorf: “Oh, really? Where?”

Statler: “Minnesota.”

Both: “BOHHHHHH HO HO HO HO HO HO!”

Claudius stifles a giggle, but can't help but be concerned at the current state of affairs. All the while, he's hoping his anointed leader can lead Rome to its proper place in history...once he sleeps off his hangover.

I'll be watching to see where this goes. Nice Job

Morning. Ragnar has come to his senses, and he, Claudius, Statler, and Waldorf are standing next to the river his boat had been dropped in on the previous day. Here's what we're seeing.



Ragnar: “Why, this is perfect! I envision our first city going right here, where we're standing. Townsfolk will live right here by the river, and money will come pouring in by the bucket load!”

Claudius: “Once we're able to MAKE buckets.”

Ragnar: “Nonsense. If you're going to start a civilization, you cannot do better than what we have in front of us.

“Minions! I give you...the city of Rome!”



Ragnar: “Now do I get a palace?”

Claudius: “Being constructed right now.”

Ragnar: “Excellent!”

Statler: “Whoa, what are those things?”

Statler and Waldorf point into the distance, but into different directions. Two small villages are seen on the horizon, and neither appears to be affiliated with any rival civilization.

Ragnar: “Who else do I have?”

Claudius: “You have one brave warrior who has already volunteered for anything you ask him to do.”

Ragnar: “Wonderful. Send him to investigate. Hopefully, he comes back with things we can use. And if not, well, tell him to pillage everything in sight!”

Claudius: “Whoa. Sire, it might be a little early for such measures.”

Ragnar: “Nonsense! Do you have any idea who I am and what you were getting? You're either proving vastly superior to everyone else, or dying trying.”

A pause.

Ragnar: “Now, you guys do...whatever it is you do. Oh, and try and find another warrior we can use.”

Claudius: “That will take time.”

Ragnar: “We have time. Let's not sit on our hands.”

Ragnar storms off, and Claudius, looking overwhelmed, looks at his two fellow advisors.

Statler: “It's OK, we've dealt with death before.”

Claudius: “How?”

Waldorf: “You ever see Fozzy Bear on the Muppet stage?”

Claudius: “Sure.”

Waldorf: “He died every night!”

Statler/Waldorf: “BOHHHHHH HO HO HO HO HO HO!”

OUT OF CHARACTER DROP-IN (TURN 0, 4000 B.C.)

From time to time, I'll drop in and provide some notes on important game events as the player, not as the scribe writing the story. It won't be often, but sometimes, when things merit commentary and/or explanations, this is how I'll handle it.

I legitimately don't think I could've asked for a much better start, and it was rolled as the first one I saw. For now, the plan is to build a warrior to start to defend the capital and use the other warrior to investigate the huts and the surrounding area. With a little luck, maybe we'll pop a few things that could be useful.

Given Rome's unique unit, it shouldn't be a shock that I'm researching what I am. My early plan is Bronze Working -> Iron Working, then Pottery to be able to start cottaging all the flood plains when we can start cranking out a worker or two. The second part could change if we pop a tech or two from the huts, but for now, that's where I'm going.

From a schedule standpoint, expect one, maybe two, updates a day. Nothing to oversaturate the thread, but enough to keep it going with some consistent momentum. I'm on the East Coast of the U.S. and usually work afternoons and evenings, so expect most of them to come in the morning hours locally. Also, if you've got any questions, comments, or suggestions, feel free to message me. I'm doing this for entertainment purposes, and if my audience has anything they want to see, I'm certainly receptive to it.

Welcome, Young writer, to the land where the strong control all and the weak "cultured" people burn, where the advanced destroy the primitive, where the UN is a tool for world domination, where democracy is just a means of building things quicker while communism is the most effective economy for large empires more often than not, where those who conquer the quickest and than keep control of their spoils are the most respected, where men love to start as cavemen on their trip 2 the cosmos, the heavens fall twice with incantations of unbelievable power, where the ultimate religious authority is a white, radioactive rock that can burst forth sometimes with the radiance of a thousand suns[1], where the forecast is continued war in a hell-hole of eternal war against EurasiaEastAsia with a 100% chance of mushroom clouds, or have been forced to abandon their own home due to thermonuclear warfare for the stars. All at the dance of those voyaging writers, who place with the lives of trillions for the purposes of their game.

This is Civfanatics. Only The the strong will flourish under its members iron rule and titanium fists. The weak will be perished, the strong ganged on, the cunning survive.
Do you have what it takes, Oh maybe wise and definately greedy writer?
__________________
Interesting. Keep up the good work.
Yes, the best thing to do would be BW-->IW. Make sure you have a settler ready to go with a worker when you get IW.

You- you took Daedwartin's welcoming message.
But really, good job and good luck.

baseballpie said:

You- you took Daedwartin's welcoming message.
But really, good job and good luck.

Click to expand...

It's a tradition. Constantinople stole it for me, I steal it for him.

Welcome to the United Stories and Tales of Civilization IV (USTC4), achampa1! Definitely subbing.

Afternoon. Ragnar sits comfortably in his now-completed palace, admiring his recently-expanded city of Rome and waiting for his advisors to bring news. Some days, news doesn't come, but this is not one of them, as Claudius comes barreling into Ragnar's room!

Claudius: “Sire! There have been several developments!”

Ragnar: “Get on with it! What have we found?”

Claudius: “Our warrior has returned with some knowledge that could be of great use to us.”



Ragnar: “This came from one of those villages?”

Claudius: “Yes, sir.”

Ragnar: “What about the second one?”

Suddenly, Claudius's expression sours.

Claudius: “Someone beat us to it. And he's here now to introduce himself.”

Morning. Ragnar walks into a study inside his palace, and he sits down behind a desk to analyze the latest reports from around the Roman Empire. Only a few seconds later, though, Claudius runs in.

Claudius: "Sire! We have news!"

Ragnar: "Don't you ever knock?"

Claudius: "Doors haven't been invented yet."

Ragnar: "Oh. Continue."

Claudius: "Well, our warrior has met representatives from two neighboring civilizations! Those representatives are here in the lobby, and they want private audiences."

Ragnar: "Send the first ones in."

Claudius: "OK. Guys, come on in!"



Ragnar: "OK, Claudius, send in the next one. I can only IMAGINE the weirdness that's about to ensue."

Claudius obliges, and in walks...

Looks great

Evening. The sun has set on the city of Rome, and it's been quite a productive day for Ragnar's empire. The Romans had made a crucial discovery, and had adopted slavery as a result.



Ragnar closes the blinds on the window in his study, but like most workers, he's about to be hit with a late-day surprise right as he's about to leave.

Indeed, Claudius rushes in.

Claudius: “Sire! I'm happy you're still here.”

Ragnar (annoyed): “That makes one of us.”

Claudius: “Our warrior has discovered another civilization. And their representative is, um...INSISTING you meet with her right away.”

Ragnar: “Her?”

Ragnar looks in the doorway.



Statler: “I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't watched it.”

Waldorf: “Believed what?”

Statler: “I don't know. I wasn't watching.”

Both: “BOHHHHHH HO HO HO HO HO HO!!!”

[/IMG]

Evening. Once again, Ragnar has spent another day overseeing the growth of his empire. Rome's population is rising, and the military has nearly finished training the start of a force that will defend the city from any early invasions. Furthermore, the empire is coming closer to a huge scientific breakthrough, one that could give the Romans unimaginable military power at this stage of mankind.

Much like yesterday, though, Claudius rushes in.

Claudius: “Sire!”

Ragnar: “You're trying my patience. All I'm trying to do is get out of here and get some sleep.”

Claudius: “Yes, I know. Once we invent watches, I'll be able to work on my timing more. Anyway, we've met another civilization.”

Ragnar: “Please tell me this one has a normal representative.”

Claudius: “Well...”

“BOHHHHHH HO HO HO HO HO HO!!!”

Great!

Subbed. I would've founded the capital 1 NE.

constantinople said:

Subbed. I would've founded the capital 1 NE.

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Knowing what I know now, which is much more than at the start, that's probably right. I'd have lost the ability to work two flood plain tiles in my current capital (one where the capital would have gone and the current western-most flood plain), but would have gained the two at the mouth of the river to the north and the one north of the gold resource.

Down the line, I'd have also been able to work a plantation two tiles north of the gold resource for even more commerce. The downsides would have been having to deal with the useless desert tiles and losing a couple tiles of choppable forests and access to the ivory resource (not like I'd be able to work the tile with the capital, but I will have access to it when my borders expand again). Still, a very valid point, and depending on where iron is on this map, maybe expansion that way is the right way to go.

Thanks for subbing; new update coming tomorrow!

Afternoon. Unlike the last few times we've popped into Ragnar's palace, he's actually expecting Claudius when he runs into the study.

Claudius: "Hello, sire. Are you ready for your military briefing?"

Ragnar: "Anything I should know about?"

Claudius: "Yes, actually. Some good news. We have a small force that is dedicated to protecting the city of Rome."

Ragnar: "Fantastic. Lord knows what kind of barbaric forces are out there."

Claudius: "Our brave warrior has actually encountered several to our west."

Ragnar: "Is he..."

Claudius: "He's survived, and is better for it. He's discovered healing techniques that will be of great use to any future military personnel we train."

Ragnar: "Splendid!"

Claudius: "He's also sent back a report from the west. Apparently, he's discovered the Portuguese civilization."



Ragnar: "Good to know. Anything else?"

Claudius: "Surprisingly, no. You should probably head home..."

Ragnar: "Before any of those maniacs from other countries decide to pay me a visit? Absolutely!"

We've never seen an overweight man run as fast as Ragnar does. Claudius smiles and eventually follows suit.

constantinople said:

Subbed. I would've founded the capital 1 NE.

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Considering you'd kill a floodplain, lose two forests in the BFC and gain two desert tiles, probably not a great idea. Don't forget that plains towns (if you'd build towns on plains, which is pretty dubious) provide about as much commerce late-game as incense plantations, and an extra hammer and food (which are worth much, much more than commerce) on top of that.

Morning. Our scene opens today with Ragnar surveying his empire below a majestic sunrise. The city's population is booming, and the Romans are reportedly looking to expand their civilization.

Ragnar has met representatives from five of the six other civilizations in this strange new world. That, though, is about to change.

Claudius: “Sire!”

Ragnar: “Yes, Claudius?”

Claudius: “Our warrior has made contact with the final of our six fellow civilizations! Their representative is here.”

Ragnar: (under his breath) “Please be normal, please be normal...”

Claudius: (under his breath) “Don't get your hopes up.”