Eh
Can we sticky this?
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Unlike Tomoyo's archives, this archive is dedicated to those solo story reports that are well-written, engaging, and praised by their readers. I will not hold strict prerequisites for qualification, but here are the basic guidelines:
1) The story must be based on a Civilization 3 experience (or any of its expansions).
2) The story must be told and written as a form of entertainment for the reader in art form, told not as a game but as a story.
3) The story must be "well-written". This means, basically, the storywriter must display a basic knowledge of the English language.
4) The story must be popular, or it must have many people praising it or its writer.
5) In order for a story to qualify, it must reach at least 10,000 page views.
Note - All subjective judging will be based on the "reviews" that the story gets...not out of my own opinion.
If you see a story that is not listed here, please contact me or reply in this thread. If it qualifies on all five counts, it could be added.
~~~~~
What makes a legendary story?
Like a work of art, a legendary story adds to its craft. Once in a while, there comes a story so revolutionary that it receives acclaim. These stories not only are entertaining, but they are inspirational. New writers read these stories and they write their own. These writers draw influences from the classics. Some copy the great ones, and some just ignore them. But the ones that take elements from their precedents and add their own elements in a masterful and unique way that everyone remembers those are the stories that are legendary. They become classics themselves.
Simply put, a legendary story doesnt put the story in a game perspective. No, no, then itd be a legendary game. A legendary story is a story. They look past the game and see beyond it. They see personalities in the rulers, and their relationship with each other. They see disgruntled advisors. They see rivalries, and they see things that arent even in the game. They see the art of the story, and they make it their own. If you read a legendary story, you are not reading a report of a video game. You are reading, simply, a story.
Okay, so I just made all of the storywriters look like they have no life. That may be true for one of them, but
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Legendary Stories Archive
Pax Romana, by Vanadorn.
Amazingly written CivStory. No pictures (except for those Photoshopped by Vanadorn's wife), but the story doesn't need them. It is written purely in Short Story/Novel form, and tells its own story in a very unique way. Vanadorn is the modern-day zeeterus, and his stories are always entertaining. Once upon a time, there were many imitators. But Vanadorn is one of the few who persevered. His is probably the best story written this way, this day.
Out of the Rubble I The Byzantine Empire, by MSTK.
Out of the Rubble was one of those that took advantage of the Picture Reporting revolution to analyze Civ in a different way. What if all of that wasnt just a game? What if it was really history, in a history book? What if it was an FPS shooter? What if it was taught in school curriculum? These many viewpoints launched the successful Out of the Rubble stories. Every chapter is told in a new perspective. The series received acclaim and still lives on today.
Hail Caesar, by zeeterus
This is a classic, from before my time. Hail Caeser is a very long-running story about the Roman Empire. Written in a relatively simplistic form, it is a great novel that has captivated many readers. Hail Caeser helped start a trend of reporting stories instead of reporting the actual game. He influenced many stories later on, even if they did not know it.
The Celtic Peacekeepers, by Daftpanzer.
For months, this was THE story. Daftpanzer combined witty humor, amazing graphics, and ravaging, roaring, huge, zealot fanbase to create a masterpiece. After Chieftess closed the thread, he opened Part 2, which just wasnt the same.
Daftpanzer made enormous contributions to the story writing in Civ3. He and many other of these legendary writers lead a revolution in adding pictures into your story. They were one of the first to give their leaders personality.
World War I... in 2051 A.D.!?!?, by Coinich.
Coinich's story uses creative pictures, ingenious story-telling, and a captivating writing style to convey a Modern Era war -- not something you see alot these days. It reads like a true military novel, and there are illustrations. Coinich, I beilive, was one of the first (along with daftpanzer) to liberally use pictures to convey stories...but not only civ pictures, but pictures from outside sources, as well. The story is great read.
Theodora's Always War Sid Excellent Adventure, by handy900.
Not only an excellent story, but an excellent game. Sid Always War? Most of us will never get that far before CivIV comes out. But handy masterfully displays a control on the civ game. According to himself, his humor is "not suitable for those who have not entered fifth grade, or those who do not find fifth grade humor funny". And still, it can always bring a smile to your face.
~~~~
Potentials (Good, revolutionary stories with less than 10k pageviews, but more than 5k)
The Chronicles of Khan, by Sandman2003.
Sandman, like daftpanzer, revolutionized the way Civ stories were written. A wave of picture-intensive stories took hold. Sandman2003 was one of the first to actually edit his pictures with something other than Paint to make things clearer and sleeker. Sandman was the inspiration for many others, and helped start a trend of Picture Reporting.
Evil Game I Carthage, Regent, by Symphony D.
Symphony D was one of the first if not the first to use a story-writing technique such as Picture Reporting. That is, the pictures illustrate every event in the story, from barbarian tribes to trades to attack to war. Taking Sandmans methods a step further, he showed himself to be one of the most efficient graphics editors in the Story forums at the time, incorporating his witty dialogue and humorous situations with beautifully created campaign maps. Readers saw Civilization in a different way not like how zeeterus and Vanadorn changed things, but in a visually aesthetic masterpiece.
My First Diety Game, by BasketCase.
While in all technicality, it does not qualify for all of the requirements (it's written as a turnlog), it's a good, funny read. It is one of the only stories to turn a screenshot into a hilarious "caption competition". While it is not quite "legendary", it's definitely a great read about a great game.
~~~~
Well, thats all I can think of for now. Any other suggestions are welcome.
~~~~
Unlike Tomoyo's archives, this archive is dedicated to those solo story reports that are well-written, engaging, and praised by their readers. I will not hold strict prerequisites for qualification, but here are the basic guidelines:
1) The story must be based on a Civilization 3 experience (or any of its expansions).
2) The story must be told and written as a form of entertainment for the reader in art form, told not as a game but as a story.
3) The story must be "well-written". This means, basically, the storywriter must display a basic knowledge of the English language.
4) The story must be popular, or it must have many people praising it or its writer.
5) In order for a story to qualify, it must reach at least 10,000 page views.
Note - All subjective judging will be based on the "reviews" that the story gets...not out of my own opinion.
If you see a story that is not listed here, please contact me or reply in this thread. If it qualifies on all five counts, it could be added.
~~~~~
What makes a legendary story?
Like a work of art, a legendary story adds to its craft. Once in a while, there comes a story so revolutionary that it receives acclaim. These stories not only are entertaining, but they are inspirational. New writers read these stories and they write their own. These writers draw influences from the classics. Some copy the great ones, and some just ignore them. But the ones that take elements from their precedents and add their own elements in a masterful and unique way that everyone remembers those are the stories that are legendary. They become classics themselves.
Simply put, a legendary story doesnt put the story in a game perspective. No, no, then itd be a legendary game. A legendary story is a story. They look past the game and see beyond it. They see personalities in the rulers, and their relationship with each other. They see disgruntled advisors. They see rivalries, and they see things that arent even in the game. They see the art of the story, and they make it their own. If you read a legendary story, you are not reading a report of a video game. You are reading, simply, a story.
Okay, so I just made all of the storywriters look like they have no life. That may be true for one of them, but
~~~~
Legendary Stories Archive
Pax Romana, by Vanadorn.
Amazingly written CivStory. No pictures (except for those Photoshopped by Vanadorn's wife), but the story doesn't need them. It is written purely in Short Story/Novel form, and tells its own story in a very unique way. Vanadorn is the modern-day zeeterus, and his stories are always entertaining. Once upon a time, there were many imitators. But Vanadorn is one of the few who persevered. His is probably the best story written this way, this day.
Out of the Rubble I The Byzantine Empire, by MSTK.
Out of the Rubble was one of those that took advantage of the Picture Reporting revolution to analyze Civ in a different way. What if all of that wasnt just a game? What if it was really history, in a history book? What if it was an FPS shooter? What if it was taught in school curriculum? These many viewpoints launched the successful Out of the Rubble stories. Every chapter is told in a new perspective. The series received acclaim and still lives on today.
Hail Caesar, by zeeterus
This is a classic, from before my time. Hail Caeser is a very long-running story about the Roman Empire. Written in a relatively simplistic form, it is a great novel that has captivated many readers. Hail Caeser helped start a trend of reporting stories instead of reporting the actual game. He influenced many stories later on, even if they did not know it.
The Celtic Peacekeepers, by Daftpanzer.
For months, this was THE story. Daftpanzer combined witty humor, amazing graphics, and ravaging, roaring, huge, zealot fanbase to create a masterpiece. After Chieftess closed the thread, he opened Part 2, which just wasnt the same.
Daftpanzer made enormous contributions to the story writing in Civ3. He and many other of these legendary writers lead a revolution in adding pictures into your story. They were one of the first to give their leaders personality.
World War I... in 2051 A.D.!?!?, by Coinich.
Coinich's story uses creative pictures, ingenious story-telling, and a captivating writing style to convey a Modern Era war -- not something you see alot these days. It reads like a true military novel, and there are illustrations. Coinich, I beilive, was one of the first (along with daftpanzer) to liberally use pictures to convey stories...but not only civ pictures, but pictures from outside sources, as well. The story is great read.
Theodora's Always War Sid Excellent Adventure, by handy900.
Not only an excellent story, but an excellent game. Sid Always War? Most of us will never get that far before CivIV comes out. But handy masterfully displays a control on the civ game. According to himself, his humor is "not suitable for those who have not entered fifth grade, or those who do not find fifth grade humor funny". And still, it can always bring a smile to your face.
~~~~
Potentials (Good, revolutionary stories with less than 10k pageviews, but more than 5k)
The Chronicles of Khan, by Sandman2003.
Sandman, like daftpanzer, revolutionized the way Civ stories were written. A wave of picture-intensive stories took hold. Sandman2003 was one of the first to actually edit his pictures with something other than Paint to make things clearer and sleeker. Sandman was the inspiration for many others, and helped start a trend of Picture Reporting.
Evil Game I Carthage, Regent, by Symphony D.
Symphony D was one of the first if not the first to use a story-writing technique such as Picture Reporting. That is, the pictures illustrate every event in the story, from barbarian tribes to trades to attack to war. Taking Sandmans methods a step further, he showed himself to be one of the most efficient graphics editors in the Story forums at the time, incorporating his witty dialogue and humorous situations with beautifully created campaign maps. Readers saw Civilization in a different way not like how zeeterus and Vanadorn changed things, but in a visually aesthetic masterpiece.
My First Diety Game, by BasketCase.
While in all technicality, it does not qualify for all of the requirements (it's written as a turnlog), it's a good, funny read. It is one of the only stories to turn a screenshot into a hilarious "caption competition". While it is not quite "legendary", it's definitely a great read about a great game.
~~~~
Well, thats all I can think of for now. Any other suggestions are welcome.
MSTK!
I realized that 1000 is very easy to get. Legendary stories have to be "history".
