Introduction
Welcome to stMinionNES1. This is actually something around my 7th attempt at modding an NES, but due to a slight variation of the name, and my determination to make this my first classic style NES to get past the birth of Christ, I've decided to make this the #1 in a series. I've planned this for a while now and have implemented new rules, determined to make this fun, realistic, playable, and lasting. So please join and if you want to, read the rules (Nowhere near as complicated as they seem, the first few are mainly to help keep this realistic). Hopefully this can become one of the greats.
Nation
The first and most simple thing you have to decide on, is waht nation you will play as. You can start as anyone want, under two conditions. First, it must be a people or civilization present on the world at or before and slightly after 2500 B.C.E., when this NES starts. So for example, acceptable nations would be the Greeks, Romans (yes I know they came a bit later), Persians, Phoenicians, Hebrews, Egyptians, Arabs, Ethiopes, Zulu, Chinese, Koreans, Indians, and everything similar to them. However, you can't play as the European Union, the United States, or even things like England. However, when it comes to nations like England or France for example, you could just be the Franks, or Anglo-Saxons instead, and develop into those cultures as time goes on. The other requierment is that you don't start in the Americas. In my opinion, the technological level that the Europeans found the natives in upon their arrival was destinied to happen when you're so isolated from the rest of the world. Therefore, no Incas or Aztecs in this NES, at least not until someone discovers them. I think this should be easy enough to understand.
Ruler
Your ruler is just the in game name for yourself, the ruler of your people. If you wish, it can change over time. The only requirement is that you choose something that goes along with whatever civilization you chose. So you would not be allowed to be King Peter if you ruled the Zulu. Maybe if you ruled the Goths/Germani, but not the Zulu or Chinese. It should be relatively easy to figure out, but if you don't know a name for a ruler of the country you wish to be, just ask me and I'll find something appropriate.
Goverment
Your goverment has no direct effect on your nations prosperity. The only thing it does is create differences between other nations, and determines your way of ruling your subjects. Hence, a tribal order goverment would have trouble come it's way in the form of renegaede clans, while medieval monarchies would have to worry about unloyal nobles. You see? Also, like the nations, keep them appropriate to the time. Acceptable goverments would be things such as Monarchy, Theocracy, Tribal Order, Republic, Empire, and so forth. You won't have democracy or socialism until they are developed over the duration of the game.
Capital
Capital is simple enough; it's where you rule your subjects from. Choose the name and site, and watch it grow. No tricky improvements or anything, just a population that grows and has it's troubles. Of course, once your population gets too large for your age, you'll want to build a new city somewhere else. However, don't excpect a sucesful empire if you build your city in the middle of the desert.
Population
Your population is what drives your empires armies. There's no complicated system of growth or anything. It's just, the better and more common your civilization's cities are, along with living conditions, the more people there will be. Your population doesn't impose any limit onto your armies or the people you can recruit. However, your population wouldn't like too great of their percentage fighting, and might protest if 10% of them are manning the walls every time an enemy is spotted.
Religion
The effects of your religion are the same as your goverment. They establish what side you are on later, and they determine what kind of troubles you may face. Your early religion cannot be christianity, or islam, or anything like that, nor do I want you to be following Judaism in the middle of China. Choose a religion that fits the time. If you can't think of anything, just put "civilization name - mythology" (i.e. Greek Mythology).