The rule of 2
Before the world was able to count up to three, most everything existed in the form of two.
The Japanese beast riders moved twice.
Food produced by workers were all in twos
The largest size of any city was a multiple of two.
So it was when the despot KevSans advisor said to him: think not of higher multiples, for the world has decreed that two shall be the number kept. We all have two arms, two hands, two legs, two eyes, and two ears do we not? All of your wives have two breasts, though some may be nicer than others
For this reason, sir, I beg you not to look beyond this number by any means.
This had an affect upon KevSan for he was considering if his cities would not grow past the two multiple seen in his far-flung empire. He decided to abandon his plan of martial law and temples sure that his cities could not hold more than two regimens of soldiers in any case. Instead, he would populate the lands with settlers pulled from these cities and make the Japanese a shining example to the number two. He knocked two times on the ceiling of his palace to call his advisor back and told him his plans.
And so it was. He would have his cities grow to the multiple size of two and then with one group entertaining and another working he would be able to take the entertaining fools and let them fend for themselves in a new city. He would control all the land about him in two shakes of a yaks tail.
3050 (0): The plan is put into action.
3000 (1): The scouting of the land continues, and a warrior from Osaka is sent scouting as well as it has no affect on the happiness of the people.
2950 (2): Edo joins the Power of Two and begins working on its settling population in earnest.
2900 (3): Word reaches the overlord KevSan that the Indian civilization has destroyed the Chinese civilization. At this point, Monarchy is discovered as well, and the wise men begin the task of discovering a method of writing the number 2 so it can be put on banners and hung about his cities. Good things happen in twos they say!
2850 (4): With the advent of Monarchy across the land, the newly crowned King KevSan calls on his newly-appointed Major Domo. The king has had his first taste of three as he sees that now many workers are bringing three bushels of food to his cities when it used to be only two. The Major Domo tried to stutter out an explanation, but the king was having none of it. His mind began to wander
During this year, a hut was found containing a group of coastal villagers called the Naranese, and these fine villagers founded the city of Nara for the King who they liked so much.
Also in this year, the cities of Satsuma and Kyoto joined the Power of Two, but the King began to think that there could be more for this.
2800 (5): With excellent scouting, it is discovered that Kagoshima has fish nearby and that Nara is an excellent spot for whaling. Knowing that these fish (well, they didnt realize whales were mammals at this stage in civilization) were good for the brains, KevSan ordered that workers work these areas to help the science.
Another hut produces round disks of gold 50 of them to be sure. His major-domo pointed out that this is worth twice 25 so a multiple of two. The king scoffed and sacked his major-domo. Domo Aregato Major Domo but no, no!
The temple being built in Kyoto is rushed by giving some discs to the men building. They were captivated by the shiny gold, and since currency was well established in the Japanese world, the monetary value helped as well.
2750 (6): With a temple in Kyoto, two black-hatted groups of citizens still roamed the city. Hmpf. If the King were going to strive for the number three in his land, there would have to be something wondrous made to get them there. He pictured gardens, hanging from walls with waterfalls flowing. He started the people of Kyoto on a large metal giant, confident that it could be change-ordered into something nicer.
2700 (7): More scouting, nothing from Spain told us to not press our luck. They seem to be moving units south, so we may wish to look for another city or two there.
2650 (8): Kagoshima joins the Power of Two and sets to work on gathering settlers.
2600 (9): The king grows weary and regales his sons and daughters about the mystery of three hoping they will search out this elusive number.
2550 (10): The kind king KevSan perished this day at the age of 99 a multiple of three and not of two. His children are enthralled by this and vow to carry out his dreams of seeing threes within the kingdom.
Notes:
1. Not much in the way of excitement. I figured with horrible martial law and apparently not so useful temples right now (they get better with mysticism, no?), that making units and temples would not help us in the immediate short run. I figure what WOULD help us would be to get the cities to size 2 and let them produce settlers with their one good worker. At least we could litter the land with many small cities that could generate the science and production we need overall. However, settlers take a while, so it is slow going for now.
2. Looking at the land, there is not a great deal that would give us a ton of shield production (think Tsingtao from the last game). There are some hills and a buffalo to the north of Kyoto, so Im thinking that a city based on the plains just south of the buffalo could provide a city with at least some shield production.
3. Our horsie to the north is next to a hut on a swamp. Up to the next person to decide what to do, though our luck is still holding with huts quite nicely!
4. You may have inferred from the storyline that Id like to hit Hanging Gardens. It may be the only way to get a city above size two short of bumping luxuries big time now or going Republic very quickly and tweak luxuries there. Thought it was worth getting Kyoto started on a wonder now anyway. If there is a sense of urgency with this, one could always build units in the nearby cities and send them to Kyoto to disband. If not, forget about trying to be first to Philosophy and go for trade and/or pottery on our own.
Thats about it. Looks like things will be interesting. I think restarts are on so perhaps well see a different cyan civ later on
Also, let me know if theres any problem with the file I seemed to have trouble zipping it.
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