A Mali Game

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A boring title as usual, this time I bring to you a Mali game! The game was played on Regent/Normal, 600 AD scenario, SVN revision 980.

Without further ado, let's review the historical goals for Mali:
1. The Great Hajj: Conduct a trade mission to your holy city by 1350 AD (Turn 75)
2. The Madrassah of Timbuktu: Build the University of Sankore and settle a great prophet in its city by 1500 AD (Turn 100)
3. Caravans of the Sahara: Have 5000 gold in 1500 AD and 15000 gold in 1700 AD (Turn 140)

I think the Mali games are a bit harder than before now tech trades require trade connection, because Mali doesn't start with Sailing(which IMO means you'd have to research Fishing and Sailing all by yourself). But Regent games are still quite managable.

More posts will come later.

 

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The Malinese start in Timbuktu, on the Niger river.



We have a long way to go to achieve our historical goals, but first we need the right civics. Theocracy+Organized Religion is what I prefer.



One turn later, after the anarchy, we are in place to found our capital, Gao. It works on a library to speed up our research toward Paper.



Timbuktu is our second city. It starts building a market right away because we'll get our first GM here.

You may argue this is not the best city placement for Mali, but I've won a game before using a similar city placement, so it works. In that game, I got the GM from Accra. But I don't think that's possible anymore after the change to tech trade requirement.



Another turn after, the flip happens and we have two additional impis. Remember they cannot enter desert though, not even our cities on desert.

You can see our Islamic missionary in consumed on Gao. Maybe I should build a monastery first instead of the library. Our cities will share a lot of tiles so be sure to do the micromanagement.



Our skirmisher to the northwest makes contact with the Moors. Due to a bug we cannot gift them 10 for OB agreement.



Our impi exploring the way to Congo finds some from a nearby village. The other impi, together with the skirmisher that contacted Moors, unreveal the map of the west African shore.



This is not the luckiest game, but we will win nonetheless.



Gao hurries the library, and Timbuktu works more floodplains. This is the micromanagement I'm talking about. I think you need to do some of these in a Mali game.

 

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Our skirmisher to the northeast meets the Arabs. After OB agreement we buy world map from them. They have Papar already but they are not interested in building the University of Sankore. Our main competitor is the Moors.



We have researched Sailing. Just look at all the possible trade opportunities enabled by trade connection!



We first found Accra on the coast. Since we won't get the GM there, I decide to settle it 1NE to the usual spot. In this way the city gets to work the two elephant camps, but has slower access to the crab.

Gao should build a monastery and train a missionary to spread the religion as early as possible. For that we need Meditation. I forgot we can't build monasteries just yet! Forget about what I said earlier about the library.



Doing some of the much needed tech trades.



And we are desperate for any health resources we can get. Unfortunately Arabia has no love for ivory.



Timbuktu hurries the market at 6 pop.



The next turn Islam automatically spreads in, lucky I'd say. Timbuktu hires 2 merchants and stay on 4 pop until the GM is born.

I think I had a mismicro here, 1 unworked floodplain was not assigned to Gao until a few turns later.



One turn can change a lot of things. One turn before the ivory was not even worth the wheat, but one turn after it's worth everything!

 

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Although we can't OB with Moors, I managed to contact Byzantium. Byzantium is a great tech trade partner.



The Berber camel archers are our biggest threat, we have no direct counter to the unit. We have the free wins for now.



The Islamic missionary from Gao spreads the religion to Accra. Accra hurries the library and builds a work boat to make better use of the crab.



Arabia is losing the war against Seljuks.



The impis do constant harassment too. Shock skirmishers can counter them, but for that we need barracks, which comes quite a while later.



Creating fishing boats. It's 10 turns later than in earlier game revisions.



My suggestion about the 1st UHV goal is to build a road across the Sahara desert to ensure it gets achieved in time. Cottaging the floodplains takes a lot of worker turns and can wait till later.

I used the slaves as scouting units, two of them got killed by barbs this game.

 

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Our GM Tunka Manin is born in Timbuktu. He has plenty of time to travel to Mecca and conduct a trade mission there. We can stop hiring merchants in Timbuktu now.



Our last of the 4 free wins against barbs is used on building the trans-Sahara road.



I don't think I'll be posting all the random events.



Jerusalem is taken by the Seljuks. There's no army though, our units can pass through safely.

 

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We have researched Paper! We won't sell it to the Moors because they are our main competitor for the University of Sankore. Plus they demand too much additional gold.



Stability is not a problem during a typical Mali game.



The Seljuks collapsed, leaving behind powerful independents this game.



You can see clearly the difference between Moorish and Byzantine research modifiers.



Tunka Manin conducts the trade mission to the holy city in 1290 AD. Our first historical goal is achieved.

Meanwhile Arabia cancels the deal with us. I fail to respond until several turns later, i.e. I forgot about it.



Gao has been working on the University of Sankore for a while. I've trained 3 more workers to improve our land. A settler is going to found Daloa on the gems. Staying on 3 cities is not going to win us the game.



Daloa is founded. The city doesn't have anything, but can still contribute to our empire.



We take constant losses fighting against the barbs.

 

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It's about time to start working on the great prophet(for the 2nd historical goal). Theocracy is necessary to hire two priests in Accra.



Renegotiating a deal with the Arabs.



Spreading Islam to Daloa. The +25% from Organized Religion applies to hurried production as well.



As I said, we have no direct counter to camel archers. The impi in jungle across the river almost gets killed.



We get to contact the Mughals from across the Persian gulf. The independent cities in the middle east have made it hard for us to contact the Europeans, especially the Vikings and Holy Romans.



To the south, we meet the Congolese. They are even more backward than us.



We meet Spain, Christian nations aren't so friendly to us.



Fighting more barbs.

 

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We meet the Italians. They are also very religious people.



Arabia has collapsed.



Another Berber camel archer is approaching. I'm doing a S/L here because the single skirmisher cannot hold the city of Gao. I'm maneuvering another skirmisher to Gao.



We meet the Ottomans. They are stubborn and won't OB with us.



The University of Sankore is finished in Gao.



Checking the victory conditions. Everything looks good.



We hire an additional engineer in Accra to speed up the GP.



The camel archer withdrew from battle and we kill it the next turn. I'm thinking about building some catapults, depending on the situation, to capture some cities. Alternatively, I can just settle south Africa for the 15000 goal in 1700 AD.

 

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We can either go for Guilds or stay on the current tech level. Banking is certainly not worth it. Since this game is on Regent I decide to go for Guilds. I wouldn't do it on a Paragon game though.

To do that we need Feudalism first. We have enough spare gold to spend on buying Feudalism from Portugal.



And we do some much needed resource trades with France.



More barbs.



Doesn't look like Congo is the right target to conquer.



Selling maps for gold.



Potugal has capitulated to Spain.



And we get Civil Service from Congo. We still can't build farm on the plain tile 2E to Accra because there's no fresh water.

 

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Congo converted to Catholicism before I could spread Islam to their city.



Songhai Farari joins the party. I upgrade a skirmisher to longbowman.



Our GP Wali Keita is born in Accra. We aren't in a hurry for the Golden Age. Let him wait at Gao for now.



A war elephant or two is what Mali needs.



With the settler in Gao almost done, we settle the GP.



This should trigger a golden age next turn.

 

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Golden age is a good time to hire merchants for points. But I'm too fixiated on training new settlers instead. I'm only going to get one extra GM this game, while potentially you can get another.

We research toward Guilds during the golden age. I repeat that Guilds is not necessary for the historical victory.



Circumnavigation done in 1505 AD. I don't know who did it.



Montezuma, as a vassal of Spain, won't trade us any of his slaves.



Barbs keep coming.



We lost 2 skirmishers to the impis. Luckily the war elephant held off the camel archer. With the formaton promotion, our war elephant finally can counter the camel archers effectively. I only have 1 war elephant, I think to be safe your should get two of them.



We change to Absolutism+Guilds civcs as soon as we finish researching Guilds. The golden age won't count down during anarchy.

 

[ales_]

Wow! An unexpected choice of civ.

 

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We meet Iran.



Wadan is founded on the plain hill. I prefer this spot because it has faster access to the crab, and we don't know Drama or Music yet.

We are on full gold slider to reach the 15000 goal.



Deals get cancelled all the time, and we get new ones.



It's not a fair trade but at least we get something out of it.



Taodeni is founded. I should mention again Impis can't enter desert or attack units on desert. So your civilian units can sometimes move without escort. Pombos are different though.



Another barb invasion. We can most certainly hold it off, but I hope they won't do any pillaging because all my workers got shipped to south Africa. We have 3 galleys.



I should've bought Optics instead from hindsight.



Our GM Abubakari is born in Gao.

 

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Wow! An unexpected choice.

I hope you like it. I'm pretty familiar with Mali so this game was not a problem. The only problem was my fragmented play time.

 

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Byzantium is still alive! But is that Lulea?



More barbs.



The quest of the master blacksmith. Hey! Don't you know we are just about to found our 7th city?



City founding in 3,2,1... now! Ngazargumu is the last city we settle this game.



We are doint pretty well with our income still growing.

There's a plague around 1600 AD which didn't happen this game. I'm confident of winning even if it were to happen, because of the extra 3 south African cities we have settled.



I'm choosing the copper as the reward of the 1-turn-long quest. But I have no workers at homeland so it makes very little difference.

 

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Sell Paper for .



Resource too.



Is iron that worthless? Sir you must be blind methinks.



Finally we meet Holy Rome. It's too late.



Abubakari conducts the trade mission to Konstantinoupolis for 2000.



We meet the sneaky but advanced dutch.



The lack of foreign trade routes limits our income. There' a bug in the display.

 

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An overview of our cities.



Meet the Kingdom of Sweden.



Native pombos approaching! I'll upgrade the skirmisher to crossbowman.



Did I mention Moors collapsed before? I forgot to. Now they have revived. Revived civs have significantly less techs now, or is it because I'm one of their neighbors and I'm too backward?

 

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I've been waiting for several hundred years to sell these slaves...



Protestantism founded in 1640 AD. This is really late.



I think I have enough gold for the 3rd historical goal, so I'm buying Optics from the dutch.



The Ottomans cancelled our original deal, only to agree to pay 1 additional per turn for the same ivory.



With Optics we can make use of the whale.



And of course, don't forget to fight more barbs.



Experience negative event.



And fight natives too!

 

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Our caravel finds the Thai civilization and we buy map from them.



Independents is the first to discover Liberalism in 1685 AD! I wonder if they circumnavigated first too?

Really, what are the other civilizations doing? The two independents are high up the scoreboard!



Doing a bit of trading with Iran.



Meeting Japan. China, Mongolia, Korea and Indonesia are all dead.



On the final turn, we can spend some spare money to buy Philosophy. The final score wouldn't look good, of that I'm sure.

 

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An overview of our cities. All non-core cities except Daloa have courthouses in them to reduce instability. Courthouses in core cities don't help stability at all.



The interior advisor screen.



Victory conditions all satisfied.



Mali has won a Historical Victory!



A world of independents. They are so strong that the Mughals and Ottomans are mostly stuck in their cores.

Thanks for reading! Did you enjoy the game? What's your suggestion for the next civ?