The History of Great Persia

[eMarkM]

Regent, standard map, continents, 8 Civs.

The History of Great Persia

Persian-Zulu War

The great empire of Persia started many thousands of years ago when a small nomadic tribe settled down and founded their first permanent dwelling. From this capitol they branched out and founded several more villages on the west coast of a great continent. Soon the Persians ran into the Zulu tribe and began friendly relations. Each learned of the others territory and the Persians, who wanted to expand their fledgling civilization, found that the Zulus possessed the entire east half of the continent with the newly discovered Babylonian tribe taking a long, thin penisula that sprut out of the north. A natural border developed between Persia and Zulu in the form of a long mountain range. However, the aggressively expansionist Zulus founded the city of Hlobane in what Persia thought rightfully to be their territory and soon tensions between the tribes grew.

It was tough for the Persians as the Zulus had the mighty Impi, whose quickness and defensive capabilities were no match for the Persian Warriors. Soon Shaka of the Zulus grew bold and attacked Persia and took on of its great cities. The people of Persia trembled at the thought of the Zulus sweeping through and pillaging their homeland.

But, fortune changed in favor of Persia when they discovered iron. Persia found a fine supply of the susbstance very near their capitol and also saw another fine supply right outside the Zulu territory in unclaimed land. Xerxes, the great Persian leader, knew immediately that the iron source needed to be secured lest it fall into the hands of the blood thirsty Zulus, who otherwise had no other source available to them. Even though the site was far from the Persian territory and would be difficult to defend, the site had to be taken. This proved to be a pivotal point in Persian history as the site was settled and Persia increased its supply of the precious ore.

Securing the ore also enabled the Persians to upgrade militarily and the great Immortal was born. These fierce fighters were a terror to those who stood against them and soon they gathered to retake the city they had lost to the Zulus. The Immortals proved worthy in combat, taking back their city, but also taking two of the Zulus cities, including Hlobane that was at the crossroads between the Zulu, Babylonian and Persian empire. The Zulus sued for peace and the Persians happily accepted for they had grew tired of the war.

But the peace was not to last. This time it wasn't the Zulus, but the Babylonians who struck in a sneak attack. They laid siege to the crossroad city of Hlobane and was able to wrest it from the Persians. The Persians got it back, but soon was met with a force of 15-20 Babylonian Archer divisions. Rushing in a handful of spearmen and Immortals to the city, the mighty Persians valantly defended their city and destroyed the entire attacking Babylonian army. The Babylonians were never the same after that battle and never did a Babylonian soldier set foot within their borders again.

A long time of peace ensued after the defeat of the Babylonians at Hlobane. The Perisans discovered Monarchy and prospered. They built up their defenses with a wall of fortresses in the mountain range that buffered they and the Zulus. Though at peace, Xerxes was plotting revenge. In order for Persia to be a mighty empire it had to expand. And that expansion would have to come at the expense of the treacherous Zulus. Xerxes knew time was short. The Zulus didn't have iron, but it might not be long before they find some, perhaps by trade. Persia would have to strike soon. So Xerxes ordered the majority of his 10 city empire to produce and train the mighty Immortals and soon they had over 20 divisions. Xerxes also saw that there was a tiny spot on the other side of the Perisa-Zulu mountains that was unclaimed and would make a perfect staging point for an invasion. It was very close to the Zulu capitol that held the coveted Pyramids. So the Persians founded a city in the area and began mobilizing their Immortals there. They were a very short march to the objective--Zimbabwe.

Xerxes gave Babyloians some Persian tech as a bribe to keep them out of the coming invasion. Meanwhile, Xerxes demanded tribute from Zulus in an attempt to goad them into declaring war. But Shaka was shrewd and didn't take the bait. He knew he was outmatched. Finally, Xerxes decided the time was right and moved his mighty Immortals around Zimbabwe and attacked.

The siege of Zimbabwe went much better than expected and soon Immortals held the great city with very few casualties. The city did have an uprising that briefly gave the city back to the Zulus, but in the end the Immortals were too much and Zimbabwe passed to the Persians for good. Xerxes accomplished his goal of wiping out the Zulu capitol and was able to extend his power from coast to coast, thus splitting the Zulu empire in two.

Such was the success of the campaign that Xerxes decided to press his advantage. Initially only looking to take the capitol and a coastal city, it appeared to Persia that the entire Zulu empire had been broken asunder and was ripe for the taking. Xerxes decided to take out the entire Zulu empire.

The fearsome Immortals were up to the task. In the years that followed were many great Persian victories. The mighty Immortals were no match for the wimpy Impi and before long the entire Zulu nation was swept off the map. They were left with a single island off the coast before the Persian relented and signed a peace treaty. They were no longer a factor on the continent.

Through it all the Babylonians were mere spectators. But soon the growing might of the Persian empire would look northward, toward Babylon.

Next: Persian quest for continental dominance.

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[The Splang]

Nice!!!

 

[eMarkM]

So the Persians were successful in vanquishing the Zulus and limiting them to a single city island culture. They were now the dominant force on the continent, having control of the great bulk of its southern half. The Babylonians were the only other ones left and had a very long, thin piece of land. But with the Zulus 20+ cities strong, they were no threat to Persian power.

In the war with the Zulus a great leader, Darius, emerged. With his inspiration a fantastic second palace, dubbed the Forbidden Palace, was built in Zimbabwe to try and placate the conquered Zulu people. This helped a great deal with the rampant corruption the Persians found in their conquered lands. After this, a long peaceful time ensued as the Persians consolidated their gains and built up their magnificent culture. Temples, markets, colleseums and much more infrastructure were built as any immediate military threat was now gone. The many Zulu slaves captured in the war were put to work to improve the great Persian landscape.

Soon, a strange galley appeared on Persian shores and the English were discovered. World maps were traded, as was contact with the French and Iroquois. Contact with the French gave way to contact to the Chinese and Japanese and soon the Persians were aware of every major power on earth. The Persians found that the English, French were major powers sharing a continent, with the Iroquois a definite minor power. The Chinese shared a land mass with the Japanese and the Chinese were indeed powerful, dominating 2/3 of their continent. A great period of technology trading came between the powers and the Persians were able to switch to a representative government called the Republic. Than Democracy. This led to yet greater productivitiy than ever.

But being a continental power wasn't enough now seeing that the Chinese and even England and France gave the Persians a run for most mighty empire. The Persians were often a step or two behind in the tech race. It was out of the question for Persia to get involved in any kind of an overseas war. The only way to expand was on their continent. And that meant the Babylonians had to go.

Now Xerxes had a dillema. He could spend a lot of resources invading a weak Babylon knowing that the cities that were taken would probably not be very productive, being that they were so far from his capitol. But Babylon itself had many great wonders that Persia coveted. That and Babylon was sure to be rich in strategic resources Xerxes knew would be needed in the coming global age. So Persia declared war with the idea of destroying the Babylonian empire. The sneak attack at Hlobane was never forgotten and now, many centuries later, revenge would be finally coming.

The war went very well for Persia. With Knights and than Cavalry, it was easy for Persia to sweep away Babylonian spearmen, Archers and the odd musketman. There were casualties to be sure, but it was easy for the Persian war machine to crank out additional units. The Babylonians stood no chance.

Since many cities were not going to be useful, the Persians went on policy of razing small cities. They took Babylon and held Sun Szu and other great wonders, but leveled many of the cities. This would be a policy that would come back to haunt Persia later. Finally, the last Babylonian city fell and Persia achieved it's long desired goal of continental hegemony.

With continental dominance assured now it came time to play to global politics game. And a dangerous game it would be as Persia would soon find itself in the middle of a World War.

next: World at War

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[Malys Faisent]

Gotta love that immortaling rush! Good luck on the world stage...

 

[eMarkM]

The great Persian continent now flourished with no threat to their security. Sure, the conquered Babylonian cities were throughly corrupt, but the heart of the Persian empire remained mighty. The only mistake that was made was in razing Babylonian cities. This left open land and it was not long before the French, Chinese and Japanese each established new cities in the Persian continent! Persia lived with this for the time being as its people wanted peace after the long war with Babylon.

Persia continued to trade with the other powers for many years. They found that China and England were the chief rivals. England especially was pulling ahead in tech and had a huge war chest of gold. So Persia entered mutual protection pacts with the Iroquois and French in an attempt to stem English power. This eventually led to a chain of events that would drag Persia into the first worldwide war.

It started when the French declared war on the Iroquois. Now Persia was forced into a war with the French! This is not what Persia wanted at all since the French were up to that point the most gracious towards Persia and chief trading partner! Not only that, but in the process the Chinese MPP with the French caused China to declare war on Persia and finally the Japanese joined in the battle to.

So it was the French/Chinese/Japanese vs Persia/Iroquois. The Iroquois were very weak, so the Persians were up against it. Luckily, this was the early industrial age with only galleons and with oceans separating Persia from its foes, the threat to the Persian homeland was minimal. In fact, this afforded the Persias the opportunity to rid his land of the villages these powers had established within his continent and they were easily taken. The war dragged on for many years, but most of it was coastal bombardment by ironclads and there were no real invasions to speak of. Surely, Persias enemies knew an invasion of its land was pure folly. Soon all the powers grew weary of the war and peace was made with the Persians able to finally come away with their entire continent again. With the war over, England appeared to be the winner. They were able to stay out of the conflict and now were stronger tech-wise and gold-wise than ever.

Now in the late industrial age and oil has been discovered. It was a good thing the Persians conquered the Babylonians because in the extreme tip of the continent, way up in the frozen tundra, was the only oil resource on the whole continent. With it Persia was able to produce the world's first tanks. Xerxes long range planning had paid off as a precious resource was Persias that might otherwise not have been.

But the mighty, and increasingly snotty, English did not have oil and were looking desparately to procur it. They're very weak neighbors--and vassal of the Persians--the Iroquois had a huge desert swath of 3 oils all within a city radius. This would lead to the next major global conflict.

next: Battle for Iroquois Oil

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[Machi]

wicked game! can't wait to read the next chapter

 

[eMarkM]

The world was entering the modern age. Xerxes had to consider many things in global diplomacy in this era. First, he was aware that the planet was moving toward world government and that in order to be in the running for the spot of World Leader, he would need friends whose votes he could count on. But this would be tricky. The Iroquois, he believed, could be counted on. The other candidate would be Mao of the Chinese with the next biggest empire. If it came to a diplomatic vote, Xerxes could very well lose. The British could vote for the Chinese, leaving the French the deciding vote.

Damn those French. Xerxes and Joan had such a great friendship for such a long time that was ripped asunder in the world war. The French had fought with the Chinese in that war, so it was probable that they would vote with Mao if it came to it. Xerxes knew the only way to assure himself was to control the instrument by which the vote would take place. So that meant that Xerxes would have to build the UN. Persia raced toward Fission and knew once that was accomplished it would be built quickly under the inspiration of the great leader that emerged in the long ago Babylonian conflict. Persia was able to get to Fission before anyone else and thus built the UN. As Sec-Gen, Xerxes wisely turned down every motion to call a vote.

Meanwhile, the tension on the Euro-Indian continent was growing. England needed oil or they would be left in the dust. The invasion of the Iroquois oil fields was inevitable. Britain was still ahead in tech slightly, so they were a threat to Persian dominance. Persia had been anticipating this conflict for some time and was building up Tanks, infantry and several transports for a possible invasion of England. Xerxes renewed his MPP with Iroquois in anticipation of defending their oil fields and in the process seriously hampering England. Poor backward Iroquois, Xerxes thought, they probably don't even know they have the priceless crude.

The inevitable came in the 18th century when England declared war on the hapless Iroquois. Persia was ready with an armada of four transports fully packed with armor, infantry and artillary. It was Persia's first overseas war. They landed on their southeast shores with the plan to take their coastal city and drive toward the capitol. Persia took the first city and was pleasantly surprised when their old friends the French joined in the fray against the English. They helped the cause immensely by cutting off their rubber supply in the northeast, thus depriving them of creating the very defensively capable infantry.

Tanks and artillery battered the English countryside for many years. A war of attrition at first as English infantry slowed down the assault, but once these unit were used up the tanks sliced through English riflemen. Soon London was in Persian hands and the English were done for. There after followed many years of mop up and taking out the outlying cities. Persia, in its blood thirsty ways, did to the English what they had done to the Zulus and Babylonians before. They eliminated them forever. In the process, Persia's empire grew as they took nearly every English city. The tanks that won the war stayed on to keep the peace.

So the English threat was gone and now Persia's dominance was not questioned. French and Chinese armies (China had taken its whole continent, eliminating Japan) combined were larger than Persia, but not by much. Persia now had a good lead in tech and was now ready to start space exploration. They had half their space ship built before France and China even got started.

Now all Persia had to do is keep the peace, build the ship, maintain military parity with China and France and victory was assured. Persia built a large navy in the Persia-China Ocean to counter China's large presence there. Transports were ready for invasion, if needed. The Chinese built the Manhatten Project, but it was Persia's great production capacity that put them in lead in the arms race as they quickly produced ICBM and tactical nukes. Bombers were ready and waiting off Chinese shores to destroy China oil fields if it came to war.

The Chinese and French had a MPP. If both attacked, despite Persia's preparedness, they could inflict a lot of damage. So Xerxes shrewdly made a MPP with France, giving up quite a lot in luxuries in the process. The idea was if the very powerful Chinese intiated war, Xerxes wouldn't have to worry about France siding with them. Yes, everything looked great for Persian glory. It would be an easy Space Race win as Xerxes had all the bases covered.

All the bases were covered that is, until Persia ran out of oil.

next: Persian chances in threat from lack of oil

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[eMarkM]

Yeah, Persia had all the bases covered. But they had grown all too dependent on that one source of oil they had way up in the tundra of the former Babylonian empire. Now it was exhausted and suddenly the most powerful unit Persia could build was Infantry! No modern tanks, no mech infantry. Suddenly vulnerable, Persia desparately contacted the other powers with hat in hand.

French said "no way", there was nothing Xerxes could give her to get the crude. Next they went to China. China would gladly deal. Trouble is, they wanted the entire Persian treasury, all the tech they didn't have and even an annual stipend. Mao knew he had Xerxes over a barrel. Too high a price as China would be right back in the game if Persia accepted that deal.

So Persia went to its trusted friend the Iroquois. It's great ally in all this. The people that Persia went so far to protect from England, the one that dragged Persia into World War against their former ally, the French. Surely they would make a fair deal. Xerxes would gladly give them much tech and coin for the oil.

Imagine Xerxes' shock when the answer was "no". No way could a deal be made. "Why those no good, treacherous, dirty rotten scoundrals" said Xerxes, "After all we've done for you". The Iroquois had badly miscalculated. If they thought they could get away with this outrage, they were badly mistaken.

Persia summoned up all the tanks that it left in Euro-Indian from the English war and turned them against the very oil fields they had helped defend so many years ago. It was sad, Xerxes thought, to have to wipe this puny little civilization from the face of the planet. But no one stands in the way of Persia!

The ensuing conflict was a joke. Persia suffered not one casualty in the four year war that completely wiped out the Iroquois. Iroquois had only a few infantry and mostly riflemen. The oil was taken and Persia was back in business. They only had to fear that the Chinese would take advantage of the situation by declaring war. Persia was lucky it had a MPP with France or they both may have joined together to topple Persia.

So as with the Zulu, Babylonians and English, Iroquois joined them as a conquered nation. Another great leader emerged from the conflict. Persia now might even contemplate domination of the world, but with the space ship so close is was best to remain at peace, especially in a messy nuclear age with a pretty powerful China and France.

Persia discovered the Laser, began the last piece of the space ship and had the great leader rush build it and the craft was complete. The Persians successfully launched the space ship on its way to Alpha Centauri, thus completing their long journey through history as the greatest civilization in the world!

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[Suvorov]

Great story.

 

[Zulu Fodder]

This is by far the coolest Civ 3 Story I've read on this board. As soon as the "Civ 3 is the first Civ I've played" newbieness wears off, I'm hoping to post stories that could live up to that.

 

[SpacemasterDK]

Super story! I like the way the game changed course due to conflict and resources. Have you thought of replaying from the point of where you decided to do the space ship and try for domination? I like to play my end game part for more than one outcome.

 

[xRamsesx]

It was a pleasure reading your story!

 

[eMarkM]

I like to play my end game part for more than one outcome.

Yeah, I tried to do that in this game. Leave several win scenarios open. To do that you must have a lot of territory. For domination, obviously you have to control a lot of territory, so taking control of your whole continent is a must on the way to that kind of victory. But controlling a lot of territory is essential for cultural (ie, more cities, more temples, cathedrals, etc) as well. Same with a diplomatic victory. You have to have 25% under your control to build UN or be considered for vote. Space ship, too. More cities (up to the corruption point) mean more science. Being passive doesn't pay in this game.

I suppose you can still win with a small, perfectionist civ, but you just don't have many options this way. You have to have the ability to change gears depending on circumstances. E.g., at first I made MPP with France and Iroquois so that they may vote for me in a Diplo victory option. When France went to war with me, that option went out and I made a bee-line for the UN to prevent it being used against me.

This story illustrates my basic strategy, which is to at least take out the closest, weakest civ to you. The Zulus were marked for death from the beginning. Than build the Forbidden Palace in the vanquished civ's ex-capitol. This gives a you a great base of 20+ productive cities and I probably could have still won a space race without taking out the Babylonians, English and Iroquois. All of their cities did very little with all the corruption. I could have just weakened the English enough to limit their chances instead of genocide, but I had such an overwhelming force once they were resource deprived, so I took them out.

I might still replay the end and try for domination, but China and France both had mech infantry in every city and that would have been difficult since I'll have to fight them both. Maybe I'll see what happens and lob a few ICBMs at 'em, hehehe.

Resources are the whole game. Period. This isn't just a little addition they threw on to spice things up, it completely changes the complexion of the game. The key to winning the game in the story was depriving the Zulus of iron early on. Than it was easy to employ my strategy to take out a civ early. Taking out Babylon was also useful, if just for that single oil resource. Without that, I would have had no oil, or would had to have fought them for it later, when they may have been better prepared. Later, when England had no oil, continuing to deprive them of it was a clear goal to staying ahead of them. The whole game revolves around strategic resources. Who's got them and who doesn't.

In my new game as Persians on Monarch I made a terrible blunder of under defending an all-jungle-except-for-one-iron city. The only iron on the continent as it turns out and right on the Babylonian border. Had a couple of spearmen and an Immortal guarding it. Thought it'd be enough since I was at peace--that and just laziness on my part. I should have made it priority one and stopped all Temple and settler building and concentrate on cranking out military to protect it. Should have rush built 10 units to garrison, with units in a fortress on the iron mountain to hold it at all costs. Zulus and Babylon sign alliance against me and send everything they got at it. Now it's in Zulu hands and I can't build Immortals I'm depending on for an early military conquest. I guess I still have Civ2 residue on my brain thinking this outlying, non-producing jungle city isn't so important, when, in fact, it's more important than my capitol and most of my other cities combined. Every resource should have been spared to protect it.

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[Xibex]

Excellent post eMarkM! Insightful, detailed, inspired and most importantly... it was an interesting story to read.

Also, noticeably absent were the frequent spelling and grammar errors that seem to be all too prevalent on discussion board posts. While, this may seem a bit picky to some people, the most efficient way to make yourself look like someone not worth listening to is by "mispellng every othr word". If you want your ideas to be taken seriously, you got to put a little effort into it.

EMarkM, I hope I'll see plenty of posts from you detailing the rise of your civilizations in the future. Keep up the good work!

____________________________________
Cry Havoc! And let slip loose the dogs of war!

 

[Cybernut]

... made me smile ...