(E&E) Civilization VI - First Look: Ireland

TyrannusRex

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Brian Boru leads Ireland in Sid Meier's Civilization VI!


As High King of Ireland, Brian Boru ushered in a new and successful dynasty of Irish kings, unifying a land with over 150 individual rulers. He is also credited with ending the Viking occupation of Ireland, albeit at the cost of his life.

Brian Boru full.PNG
Brian Boru round.png

A rough depiction of how I imagine Brian's model and icon to look in-game, inspired by the above images. Of course, it's not exactly perfect, but unfortunately, I can't draw in Civ VI's art style.

Brian Boru's unique ability is called King of Tributes. All Trade Routes connecting Irish cities with those of friendly or allied civilizations yield +3 Gold. Additionally, all tribal villages or Barbarian outposts that you clear within 10 tiles of an Irish city provide 20 extra gold in addition to their normal yield. On top of that, whenever Brian becomes the suzerain of a city-state for the first time, they grant a bonus of 25 Gold.

Speaking of city-states, since Armagh is an Irish city now, how will we get our Monasteries? Hang tight, Civ fans - that's for another reveal!

Brian Boru's leader agenda is Great Liberator. He likes civilizations who stand up and defy the will of those stronger than them, such as not giving into demands and not surrendering in defensive wars. However, he also appreciates those who don't pick on the little folks, like weaker civilizations or city-states. If you're being an active warmonger, especially towards those less powerful than you, Brian will want to have a few words.

Ireland default.png

Ireland's unique civ ability is called Éirinn go Brách. Any Irish city that keeps its original Religion - or sticks with a Pantheon if Ireland didn't found a Religion - as well as those that remain undiscovered by other civs generates +20% bonus Culture. If an Irish city is captured by another civilization, it yields -10% Culture than normal until it is freed.

Hobelar.PNG
Hobelar icon.png

Mockups of an in-game Hobelar model and icon.

Ireland's unique unit is the Hobelar. This light cavalry unit replaces the Courser, and its creation and upgrade costs are less than those of the Courser. It has +1 movement, and its movement is unaffected by Hills or Rivers.

Ringfort.png

Mockup of an in-game Ringfort icon.

Ireland's unique infrastructure is the Ringfort. This tile improvement unlocks with Masonry and can be constructed around your Farms, Plantations, Camps, and Pastures, as well as any completed, non-defensible District to grant added protection against pillaging from enemies or environmental effects. The Ringfort must be destroyed before the tile beneath it can be pillaged, so your foes will have to wait twice as long to get away with your precious research, food, or gold!


Ireland's bonuses emphasize sticking to your own borders and building up a strong base of Culture and Religion, while Brian Boru's ability bolsters your economy once first contact is inevitably made. With Hobelars for fast raiding into enemy territory and Ringforts to protect your own tiles from pillaging, defending the Emerald Isle will be no issue while you strive for victory.
Will you drive out the invaders and unify your people? How will you lead Ireland in Sid Meier's Civilization VI?
 
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1. Hobilars are also used by Scotts and even English 'enemies' as well. and well into Early Modern Era until gunny pistoliers and harquebusiers (imported from continental Europe) superseded them.
2. Isn't +2 movements overkill? i'd say +1 is still well balanced when counting no obstacle penalties.
 
Ireland's unique civ ability is called Éirinn go Brách
Seems kind of boring to have the UA be “Ireland forever”. That would be like calling the US ability “Murica”. I think you could use a poetic name for Ireland as a UA like Inis Fail, but Eirinn go Brach just has the literal name of the civ in its own language nested inside the ability.
 
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Seems kind of boring to have the UA be “Ireland forever”. That would be like calling the US ability “Murica”. I think you could use a poetic name for Ireland as a UA like Inis Fail, but Eirinn go Brach just has the literal name of the civ in its own language nested inside the ability.
The Scottish ability is called Scottish Enlightenment.
I picked Éirinn go Brách because I thought it had a nice ring to it and fit the theme of Irish independence/cultural strength.
 
1. Hobilars are also used by Scotts and even English 'enemies' as well. and well into Early Modern Era until gunny pistoliers and harquebusiers (imported from continental Europe) superseded them.
2. Isn't +2 movements overkill? i'd say +1 is still well balanced when counting no obstacle penalties.
1. I'm sure, by extension, there were Conquistadors from Portugal and Berserkers & Longships from Sweden or Denmark. I didn't want to use, say, a Gallowglass because they were Norse or Hiberno-Norse and I don't know if Brian Boru would have been happy with me. : P
2. I honestly wasn't sure how much movement was too much to give (I'd never given much thought to actual unit balance before) but I'll take that into consideration! Thank you.
 
Any Irish city that keeps its original Religion - or sticks with a Pantheon if Ireland didn't found a Religion - as well as those that remain undiscovered by other civs
The thing that really stands out to me about this nice concept is this conditional. It’s such a simple and concise way of implying cultural influence with our existing mechanics.Also, very smart to make it so that discovered cities can still get the bonus Culture as long they keep their religion/pantheon. That makes Ireland one of the only Civs where you really care about not getting concerted.
 
Yeah it’s weird there too
They were the most literate people in British Isles due to Christian schooling systems (Particularly of the Protestantism of any sects) there intended EVERYONE to know to read and write so everyone can read The Bible. And this refers to Earlymodern era where concepts of government schooling system is in infancy.
In case of New England Colony of the same time. Colonial law that dictates compulsory education is called 'Anti-Satan Law'. Literacy is by 17th Century tied to religious affairs (to be a good adherent to the Church one belongs to).
 
I’m aware of what the Scottish renaissance is. It’s Still weird to have the name of the civ nested inside the name of the UA. At least the Scottish one is a historical phenomenon, not just a slogan for a vague call to patriotism. As if patriotism is unique to Ireland.

I’m not going to pretend to have a good enough grip on Irish history to offer a strong counter proposal, but it seems like in the breadth of Irish culture there must be a better option.

As for the effect itself, it reminds me of vanilla civ 5’s French UA, ancien regime, which gave 2 culture per city until steam power. Same bonus here with a different conditional disabler. In civ 6 it would have a ULA to round it out but it doesn’t strike me as particularly interesting.
 
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The Scottish ability is called Scottish Enlightenment.
I picked Éirinn go Brách because I thought it had a nice ring to it and fit the theme of Irish independence/cultural strength.
Does the name Emerald Isle also work?
Much of the countryside is covered in green rolling hills and plains, particularly from the sheer amounts of shamrocks growing. And of course, the shamrock is a cultural and religious symbol of St. Patrick. :)
 
If I were to stake out some UA for Ireland, with my vague knowledge of their history, it would be how they expanded and colonized the Scottish highlands (Dal Riata) and spread Gaelic culture through a rich tradition of religious writing, scholarship, and missionary work as far as the court of Charlemagne. The Gaels were instrumental in converting all of Britain to Christianity (the Hiberno-Scottish mission), and the Frankish empire, and had a lasting impression on the Western Christianity as a result. Until the clearances, the Scottish highlands were Gaelic, even though Ireland didn’t exert any political influence there.

So maybe I would try design a UA around using religious pressure to double as loyalty, or as extra cultural pressure? Or stronger missionaries/bonuses to religious combat? I don’t have a good handle on civ 6 mechanics since I went running back to civ 5 pretty fast. And then I stayed there once it became clear Firaxis was never going to release the DLL so people could fix their mess. Civ 6 is a kinda garbage, imo, especially the theological combat crap, so that’s as much as I dare say.
 
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If I were to stake out some UA for Ireland, with my vague knowledge of their history, it would be how they culturally expanded and colonized the Scottish highlands and spread Gaelic culture through a rich tradition of religious writing and scholarship as far as the court of Charlemagne. The gaels were also instrumental in converting Britain to Christianity, and the Frankish empire. until the clearances, the Scottish highlands were Gaelic, even though Ireland didn’t exert any political influence there. So maybe I would try design a UA around using religious pressure to double as loyalty, or as extra cultural pressure? I don’t have a good handle on civ 6 mechanics since I went running back to civ5 pretty fast. Civ 6 is a huge mess, especially the spread mechanics, so that’s as much as I dare say.
I agree. An Irish civ needs a much stronger emphasis on scriptoria and insular art. They really need a much stronger emphasis on faith and culture. I also completely disagree with Hellenism Salesman; there's no need to hobble the civ to founding its own religion, especially for as small a temptation as +2 Culture that is going to be meaningless by the Medieval Era.
 
I agree. An Irish civ needs a much stronger emphasis on scriptoria and insular art. They really need a much stronger emphasis on faith and culture. I also completely disagree with Hellenism Salesman; there's no need to hobble the civ to founding its own religion, especially for as small a temptation as +2 Culture that is going to be meaningless by the Medieval Era.
I suppose the bonus could increase with certain civic discoveries, Reformed Church especially making sense. I suppose a Great Writer-and-Artist bonus would also make sense in light of your comments, perhaps with Holy Site buildings having extra Great Work slots and providing equivalent GP points.
 
Brian Boru leads Ireland in Sid Meier's Civilization VI!


As High King of Ireland, Brian Boru ushered in a new and successful dynasty of Irish kings, unifying a land with over 150 individual rulers. He is also credited with ending the Viking occupation of Ireland, albeit at the cost of his life.

View attachment 651085View attachment 651088

A rough depiction of how I imagine Brian's model and icon to look in-game, inspired by the above images. Of course, it's not exactly perfect, but unfortunately, I can't draw in Civ VI's art style.

Brian Boru's unique ability is called King of Tributes. All Trade Routes connecting Irish cities with those of friendly or allied civilizations yield +3 Gold. Additionally, all tribal villages or Barbarian outposts that you clear within 10 tiles of an Irish city provide 20 extra gold in addition to their normal yield. On top of that, whenever Brian becomes the suzerain of a city-state for the first time, they grant a bonus of 25 Gold.

Speaking of city-states, since Armagh is an Irish city now, how will we get our Monasteries? Hang tight, Civ fans - that's for another reveal!

Brian Boru's leader agenda is Great Liberator. He likes civilizations who stand up and defy the will of those stronger than them, such as not giving into demands and not surrendering in defensive wars. However, he also appreciates those who don't pick on the little folks, like weaker civilizations or city-states. If you're being an active warmonger, especially towards those less powerful than you, Brian will want to have a few words.

View attachment 651145

Ireland's unique civ ability is called Éirinn go Brách. Any Irish city that keeps its original Religion - or sticks with a Pantheon if Ireland didn't found a Religion - as well as those that remain undiscovered by other civs generates +2 bonus Culture. If an Irish city is captured by another civilization, it yields -1 Culture than normal until it is freed.

View attachment 651150View attachment 651147
Mockups of an in-game Hobelar model and icon.

Ireland's unique unit is the Hobelar. This light cavalry unit replaces the Courser, and its creation and upgrade costs are less than those of the Courser. It has +1 movement, and its movement is unaffected by Hills or Rivers.

View attachment 651149
Mockup of an in-game Ringfort icon.

Ireland's unique infrastructure is the Ringfort. This tile improvement unlocks with Masonry and can be constructed around your Farms, Plantations, Camps, and Pastures, as well as any completed, non-defensible District to grant added protection against pillaging from enemies or environmental effects. The Ringfort must be destroyed before the tile beneath it can be pillaged, so your foes will have to wait twice as long to get away with your precious research, food, or gold!


Ireland's bonuses emphasize sticking to your own borders and building up a strong base of Culture and Religion, while Brian Boru's ability bolsters your economy once first contact is inevitably made. With Hobelars for fast raiding into enemy territory and Ringforts to protect your own tiles from pillaging, defending the Emerald Isle will be no issue while you strive for victory.
Will you drive out the invaders and unify your people? How will you lead Ireland in Sid Meier's Civilization VI?
I love this Ireland and would hope that it one day becomes a playable nation in Civilization. Thanks and I can't wait for your next posts on E&E!
 
My suggestion to be Ireland leader could be St. Patrick
In America, we have a holiday dedicated to him! But still, he's more of a prophet to me. Brian Boru, however, was the high king of Ireland, and had practically united Ireland. As part-Irish, I am happy that the Emerald Isle is featured.
 
In America, we have a holiday dedicated to him!
In Haiti, the main god of Voodoo religion, the Damallah Wedo is sycretized as St. Patrick.
if you don't know what sycretized is, at the time of slavery was forbiden for the Africans worship the African gods, so they use christian images to worship their gods, so in Haiti they choice St. Patrick to represent Damballah Wedo.
 
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