[G&K] The Arabian Adventure

[blkbltchemie]

I've spent the last several months reading (and I must say, quite thoroughly enjoying) the posts in the Stories & Let's Plays--especially those of Heerlo, Fortunus, JFM2796, xnira, and IAmBecomeGandhi. Finally, I was persuaded to sign up and as a tribute to them, I wanted to make my first post as a story (which I hope may live up to some of those mentioned above). The real inspiration for the game I set up was the survivalism approach of "The Frozen City" although I wanted a much different setting...

Enjoy!

The Arabian Adventure​

Prologue:

The Arabian people find themselves in a harsh world with vast deserts, towering mountains, few resources, and roving bands of barbarians on all sides. Their very survival is at stake unless a wise leader can rise up to provide for his people and lead them to glory.

The Setup:

• Civ: Arabia, Harun al-Rashid
• Difficulty: Prince
• Pace: Epic
• Size: Standard

• 8 AI Civs (random)
• 0 City States

• All victory types enabled
• Map: Sandstorm

• World Age - 3 billion
• Landmass - Pangea
• Sea Level - High
• Resourses - Sparse
• Start - Ancient Era
• Complete Kills, Raging Barbarians

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Thoughts at the Outset:

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With no city states, diplomatic victory will be very difficult and the rough terrain will limit expansion (science) and impede conquest (domination)

• The goal is to aim for a cultural victory by keeping my empire small (3-4 cities) and hopefully utilizing the rough terrain for valuable defensive chokepoints.

• I’ll really want to put an emphasis on faith (desert folklore!) to boost culture.
• Petra is going to be very important.

• Unfortunately, this limits the benefits of the first part of the Arabian UA (+1 gold per domestic trade route) which favors wide empires.

Sparse resources should make for interesting gameplay, especially with minimal expansion.

• The second half of the Arabian UA provides double oil which I’m banking on for the modern era as it should give me a leg up over other civs especially given how much desert there is.
• With the Bazaar UB, I’ll get extra copies of luxury resources to trade so hopefully the gold from these trades will help make up for the gold lost from the UA by going tall.
• The Camel Archer UU requires horses and can move fast and move after attacking so it is probably best suited for offensive campaigns.

• With sparse resources, I may miss out on horses but it shouldn’t be that big of an issue since I’ll mostly be defending and the rough terrain will negate the extra movement.
• The Camel Archer has a slightly higher ranged attack than the crossbowman available at the same time (+3) so maybe I could use it as an advance guard to pick off invaders and retreat.

PART 1: Union of the Dunewalkers and Floodlanders

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While pursuing a herd of getswin down from the Ket Mountains, a starving band of nomadic hunters, known as the Dunewalkers, discovered a fertile delta where the River Usak emptied into the Gulf of Oledi after descending from the highlands and cutting across the vast Prew Desert. In the lowlands, the Dunewalkers met a native people who sustained themselves by gathering from the plants that grew along the banks of the Usak and had even begun to cultivate the plants throughout the river’s rich floodplain. The Floodlanders, as they were known, had been suffering because marwls, large beasts from the Kets, had migrated to the river in greater numbers in recent months in search of new sources of water. They had begun preying on the Floodlanders who had no means of defending themselves. The Dunewalkers, who had experience defending themselves from the marwls in the mountains, were able to drive the beasts away. The Dunewalkers and Floodlanders decided that their best hope for survival was to work together and they settled in the Usak River valley. The Floodlanders promised to share their foodstores that had been gathered along with their knowledge of agriculture. In return the Dunewalkers promised to protect the Floodlanders from future incursions of the marwls and other predators. Thus the city of Mecca was founded and together the Dunewalkers and Floodlanders became known as the Arabians.

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Here is the initial save if anyone want to give it a shot (sorry but it is after Mecca was founded).
View attachment Arabia-Initial Save.Civ5Save

 

[CELTICEMPIRE]

Looks promising and welcome to CFC!

 

[Heerlo]

Good start, and a very creative way to put the settlers and the warriors together.

Also welcome to the forums!

 

[JFM2796]

Glad to see what looks like it will be a good Arabian LP. They're one of my favorite civs.

 

[Pliped]

Subbed

 

[blkbltchemie]

A Couple of Things I Forgot:

• Game is set up with G&K and all DLC but no mods. As such the culture victory is based on filling 5 social policy trees and building the Utopia Project.
• Version is up to date through the early July 2013 patch.
• Mecca was founded on the starting location of the settler and no restarts were used to get a better starting position. Games will not be reloaded to previous saves. If there is interest (and provided I am not conquered), I may continue playing beyond victory/defeat.
• Part 2 consists of 3 posts: A narrative post, a summary and commentary post, and a post with a couple of extra pictures.
• Disclaimer: Pictures and events in the narrative post may not be sequential and are arranged to give the best flow to the story.

Enjoy!

PART 2: Exploration and Expansion (4000 B.C. to 1500 B.C.)
The most experienced fighters of the Dunewalkers were selected to form an elite cadre of warriors tasked with exploring the outskirts of Mecca into the sandy foothills of the Ket Mountains and the expanses of the Prew Desert. In the meantime, the Floodlanders began passing on their knowledge of agriculture to train a new generation of workers to farm the banks of the Usak River.

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The warriors first set their sights to the East where they came across an abandoned village. Crude paintings amid the ruins depicted how the former inhabitants had domesticated animals and enclosed them in pastures. A runner was sent to carry news of their discovery back to Mecca were it was received with gladness and the warriors were praised as heroes. Continuing East, the warriors found another ruin from which they collected gold pieces that had been hidden in one of the houses.

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From atop a sand dune, the warriors beheld a magnificent city and the owners invited them to rest and exchange stories from their travels. The warriors learned that this was the mighty capitol of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople. While visiting the court of the benevolent empress, Theodora, another band of travelers approached the city and the newcomers introduced themselves as emissaries and explorers of the nation of Korea led by their wise king, Sejong.

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In Mecca, many years of abundant harvests had led to a surplus of food, but the elders were faced with the problem of having nowhere to store their excess. After observing for centuries how the Usak cut valleys in the clay of the riverbank which hardened in the sun, the elders developed a way to reproduce this phenomenon. When the clay was wet from the spring rains, they gathered it in clumps and shaped it. They then heated it over a stone oven to make it harden. They called their new technology Pottery and the people celebrated in their surplus.

However, their happiness was short lived when sentries reported the approach of a band of wild men from the North. Messengers were sent to recall the warriors from the lands around Constantinople, but the citizens of Mecca knew their troops would not arrive in time and so they would need to prepare to defend themselves. The defenders threw stones and attacked the invaders with clubs ultimately killing the barbarians. Some survived and escaped back into the mountains, but for now peace reigns once again. Nevertheless, the people know that the desert is no longer their only enemy as they struggle to survive.

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Soon, life returned to normal and Mecca’s borders expanded to accommodate the growing population. A group of prospectors in the hills around Mecca discovered a reddish colored metal, copper, and they soon learned how to extract it from the ground and began to construct a mine to bring wealth and happiness to their fellow Arabians. At the worksite, a warband from France approached the workers, bringing greeting from their emperor, Napoleon.

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In the Eastern wilderness, the warriors returning from the lands of Byzantium entered a clearing where a band of raiders had established a camp. The warriors prepared to attack, but another band of barbarians from the nearby forest charged them and forced them to withdraw to the South towards and immense crater, which is the only evidence of the meteor that struck their world millennia before. The warriors continue Southwest to bypass the camp of the Eastern Raiders hoping to make it to the Southern pass in the Ket Mountains to return to Mecca. Alas, fate did not favor the brave warriors and upon entering marshlands three bands of savages attack and slaughter them. Only one warrior survived and managed to cross the mountains and bring news to the city of their defeat before he too succumbed to his wounds.

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As fear gripped the hearts of the people, they knew they would need to prepare stronger defenses than stones and clubs. An intrepid youth, while out hunting, discovered a way to affix sharpened stone tips to sticks which he called arrows. He taught the people how to use reeds from the river shallows to make bows with which to propel the arrows much further and with greater accuracy and damage than they could be thrown. A band trained in Archery tactics was recruited to defend Mecca and they were paid a month’s wages in advance for their service.

One of the miners returned from the hills with samples of copper and the people were amazed by the possible uses of the new material and celebrated the wealth it could bring. As Mecca continued to grow, farms were constructed along the banks of the Usak to take advantage of the natural irrigation from the spring swelling of the river each year. During this time of prosperity, the Arabian, Byzantine, and Korean courts declared a pact of mutual friendship and cooperation. Despite this, however, the Arabian people knew that the way to move forward was by remaining true to their own Traditions and not give in to the influence of foreign ways.

Six hundred years after the first barbarian assault on Mecca, brigands cross the Southwest Pass of the Ket Mountains and marched on Mecca. They destroyed the newly completed copper mine, but were repelled by the small company of archers who pursued the survivors through the pass. From the highlands, the archers discovered the camp of the Southling Barbarians and were able to fire the arrows into the troops assembled below. After withstanding many waves of attacks, a Byzantine warrior came to their aid and looted the camp, driving away the barbarians and freeing the Southwest Mountain Pass. While recovering their spent arrows, the archers freed some citizens who had been enslaved by the Southlings and the grateful workers give their allegiance to their Arabian liberators.

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With peace reigning once again, the workers set out to repair and expand the copper mines in the hills around the city. The citizens of Mecca attribute their victory to the guardianship of their ancestors and erect a sacred shrine to honor and worship them. With the advent of a formal Writing system, the leaders of Mecca codified the legal code and had it inscribed on an obelisk in the city center as a monument to Arabian Legalism. To best implement the new laws, the Aristocracy was given the power in Mecca to ensure justice, protection, and prosperity. Their first act was to send diplomats to establish an embassy in the English capitol of London after a group of travelers came to Mecca with greeting from their queen, Elizabeth. The fishermen along the coasts of the Gulf of Oledi informed the aristocrats of their desire to implement the newly discovered technology, Sailing, so that they could move to deeper waters to fish and explore and coastline. The leaders of Mecca refused to grant them permission to build a ship because they felt that the efforts of the Arabian people were better directed toward the construction of a great temple to Artemis, the goddess of the hunt who was worshipped by the ancestral Dunewalker tribes. With the help of Wheeled carts, construction of the temple was completed in 2025 BC.

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Knowing that Mecca would continue to grow and the citizens would soon desire new luxuries, the ruling elite ordered the archers to move from the Southwest Mountain Pass to prepare to assault the Eastern Raiders who had been encroaching on Arabian territory for some time. However, as soon as the archers were recalled, the unprotected pass provided an enticing target for the survivors of the Southlings who had taken refuge in the forests near the pass. They took advantage of the opening and destroyed a copper mine, but the leaders of Mecca acted quickly and enlisted a band of warriors who easily drove away the invaders. Learning for their mistake, the warriors were ordered to guard the Southwest Mountain Pass and were given many gifts of gold in gratitude for their actions. Meanwhile, the aristocrats expanded their power by redistributing the ownership of the lands around Mecca in such a way that all of the territory and power soon belonged to the Landed Elite.

To prepare for further expansion and to increase their own personal wealth, the rulers of Mecca sent diplomats to Constantinople and Seoul (where an embassy had been established) with offers to sell their surplus copper. Both empires agreed to provide gold and interest for the duration of the trade agreement. With these new funds, a band of mercenary warriors were hired to assist the archers in their assault on the Eastern Raiders’ camp which had come to a stalemate. The encampment was quickly overrun by the warriors thanks to covering fire from the archers. Byzantine civilians who had been captured by the barbarians offered their service to the Arabian governors and their service was graciously accepted.

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The leader of the warlike Mongolian clan sent an emissary to the rulers in Mecca with a warning that the great Genghis Khan would not hesitate to crush his neighbors if they did not assist in his conquest. In response, the aristocrats invited the French to establish an embassy in Mecca to forge stronger ties between their two peoples in the event of future hostilities with the Mongolians. Warriors from the nation of India entered Arabian territory from the Northwest Mountain Pass bearing greetings and gifts from their pious leader, Gandhi. They provided safe passage for a contingent of Arabian diplomats to set up an embassy in Delhi. In 1700 BC, a representative from the English embassy in Mecca invited the chief aristocrats to journey to London to visit a Great Library that had just been completed by English scholars. In recognition of their great work, the Arabian and English people enter a declaration of friendship with one another. That same year, word reaches Mecca from Korea that their people have formalized their religious beliefs in a faith they call Confucianism. All is not well, however, as storm clouds appear to be gathering in the West. The Indian ambassador requests Arabian aid to launch a combined attack on France. The aristocracy refuses this request but the growing power of the other nations has led them to begin considering ways in which they could defend their city and their people in the future.

A small group of citizens seeking new prosperity are sent forth by the leaders of Mecca to found a new settlement on the former site of the Eastern Raiders’ camp. Upon their arrival, they begin building the city of Medina which was founded in 1550 BC. That same year, Mathematicians in Mecca formalized the Arabian numeric system. The aristocracy heralds the expansion and scientific progress of their people as ushering in a new era in Arabian prosperity. The people look forward to the future with hope as their civilization enters the Classical Era.

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[blkbltchemie]

Summary and Commentary:

Demographics

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Points Standing

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Wow, this is setting up to be an interesting game. I have two cultural powerhouses in France and India who will be directly competing with me for my proposed victory. Then there is the militant Mongolia right next door. In all of the games I’ve played against Korea, they have run away with Science although England is ahead right now, probably thanks to the Great Library. Speaking of England, they are always a bit of a Jack-of-All-Trades in my experience—fairly well suited for any of the victories so they are going to be a bit unpredictable. Byzantium is usually a religion powerhouse but they seem to have had a slow start, not even having a pantheon yet. I’ve never really played against them so I’m not sure how they’ll play in this game either. Then there is the unknown player yet who we’ll hopefully meet in the next session. I really like having the Raging Barbarians as a check on expansion and I’m curious to see how Complete Kills plays out as I have not attempted that before. With the slower production, research, culture, and faith times on Epic (I usually play Standard), I’ve taken advantage of purchasing military units rather than training them since gold income is unaffected by game pace which is somewhat unusual but I quite like it.

I was hoping that the map would have been a somewhat more sparse and hostile environment with regards to terrain so I am a little disappointed but I’ll get over it. Nevertheless, Mecca’s placement is exactly what I hoped for with two 1-tile passes through the mountains and Medina guarding the wider passage to the East. I think I’ll place a third city right against the mountains to the south by the horses (also in range of the sugar near Mongolia which I may try to grab). I need a new scout to get a better feel for what is out there. I think the Temple of Artemis is great although it seems like it gets a bad rap on the forum, but I like it for having big cities.

I like starting with Tradition for playing culturally to get Legalism for the free monuments. Since I don’t have garrisoned units or trade routes yet, I may switch over to Liberty for the +1 culture per city and to go for the free settler for the 3rd city. I usually like to have 4 cities but with the terrain I have, I think I’ll try to go forward with only 3 this game.

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I feel like science is going forward well although I am nervous for when Korea starts running away. For now, I’m going to beeline Currency for Petra and then come back to get Construction for the Terra Cotta Army. After that I think I’ll focus on the techs in the top half which focus on culture building and wonders.

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I was disappointed Korea got desert folklore, but I think Ancestor Worship fits the story pretty nicely and it does give the small culture bonus for shrines. I should be able to found a religion with no problem, hopefully especially if after going for the two Liberty policies, I switch to Piety for a while.

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Diplomacy is going well so far with the only conflict in sight being India vs. France, possibly. I have a good trade with Korea and Byzantium (maybe I should drop Korea) although I did dip into unhappiness when I founded Medina. I need to connect the third copper and I can’t wait for the bazaar to unlock at Currency.

Here is a brief summary of my progress and a tentative overview of my plans:

Social Policies: Tradition -> Legalism -> Aristocracy -> Landed Elite -> Liberty -> Republic -> Collective Rule -> Piety -> …
Technologies: Agriculture -> Animal Husbandry (ruins) -> Pottery -> Mining -> Archery -> Writing -> Sailing -> The Wheel -> Mathematics -> Currency -> Masonry -> Construction -> Calendar -> Philosophy -> Drama&Poetry -> Engineering -> Theology -> …
Religion: Ancestor Worship -> Islam + Tithe/World Church + Mosques -> Choral Music/Religious Art + ? Enhancer
Wonders (aka my wishful thinking): Temple of Artemis (Mecca), Hanging Gardens (Mecca), Petra (Mecca), Terra Cotta Army (Mecca/Medina), Oracle (Mecca/Medina), Hagia Sophia (Mecca), Great Mosque (Medina), Great Wall (3rd City), …
Military Training: Scout, Trireme, 1-2 Archers

Thank you all for reading and thanks for the comments and feedback I’ve gotten so far! JFM2796, I hope I don’t let you down with one of your favorite civs—I’ve only played Arabia once, I think.

Here is the 100 Turn save file for anyone who may be interested:View attachment Arabia-Turn 100.Civ5Save

 

[blkbltchemie]

Here are a couple of other pictures that didn’t really fit in the story, but I thought were worth sharing.

Caption: “How did I miss those ruins right in my backyard! Face wall; apply forehead!”

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And our first request for a military alliance this game came from your friendly neighborhood warmonger……

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Until next time!

 

[Heerlo]

Looks like you've really put alot of work into this. Good job so far.

And how did you make the world events thing?

 

[blkbltchemie]

Thanks Heerlo. I am enjoying reading your "Into the Future" story as well. I haven't played more than a couple turns beyond the end of a game in Civ 5 yet, but it would be great to try and replicate the Civ2 story.

I actually made the world timeline in PowerPoint just using textboxes and formatting. After you have all the pieces how you want them, select everything, and then right click and about 2/3 of the way down is an option to "Save as a Picture."

 

[Inawordyes]

Just wanted to say that I am keeping up with your story, and I really enjoy how it is coming along so far. I look forward to whatever is coming next.

 

[blkbltchemie]

I want to thank everyone who has been reading this story and wanted to acknowledge Inawordyes for letting me incorporate some of the formatting from his ongoing story, Viking Supremacy.

As always, enjoy!

PART 3: A Wondrous Double Millennium (1500 BC to 415 AD)

To embody the importance of the Usak River in their lives, the citizens of Mecca made plans to divert some of the water using the newly developed principles of mathematics to begin the construction of a magnificent garden. In Medina, the new generation of citizens purchased materials from Mecca to build a shrine to worship their ancestors who founded their city and to pray for guidance as they work to establish their home. Scholars in that city, emulating their English counterparts, build the first Arabian library setting up Medina as the seat of Arabian scientific inquiry. During this time of peace, ambassadors were sent to establish embassies in Constantinople and Karakorum while Arabian and Indian diplomats in Delhi declare a desire for friendly cooperation in pursuing the common goals of the two peoples.

The only conflicts during this time of prosperity were occasional pirate raids on the coastal settlements around Mecca and Medina but the encroachments amounted to little and the city defenders easily repulsed the raiders who, it turned out, were allied with barbarian clans to the Northwest of Arabian territory. A more serious blow came when the brutes feigned an attack on the Northwest Mountain Pass leading to a reassignment of the warrior guarding the Southwest Mountain Pass to provide protection for workers expanding the copper mines in the Northwest. This diversion allowed another band of brutes to loot the Southern copper mines, but their victory was crushed by the enraged warriors who counterattacked with the assistance of a newly recruited troop of archers from Mecca. Meanwhile, in the East, barbarians approached the sentries guarding Medina, but retreated before coming into range of the Arabian archers stationed there. The invaders retreated and were pursued by the archers and a warband who swiftly defeated them and destroyed their camp near the Barringer Crater.

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During the peace that followed, the Arabian people celebrated numerous scientific discoveries and the expansion of their culture which culminated with the completion of the Hanging Gardens in Mecca in 850 BC. That year, a new road to facilitate trade between the people of Mecca and Medina was begun and then mathematicians in Medina developed a new system of Currency to make it easier for people to purchase goods at the bazaars that quickly sprang up in the city centers. The outside world prospered during this time as well. Delegates from the court of William of Orange arrived in Medina with a trade caravan from Constantinople and brought greetings and friendship from their leader. Diplomats were hastily sent to establish an embassy in Amsterdam to commence trade with the people of The Netherlands. They quickly sent word of a great Stonehenge built by the Dutch in their capitol. Throughout the world, other wonders were built as a testament to the greatness of their people. The Byzantines completed a massive Statue to their ancestral god Zeus, although their people were still divided in their beliefs and did not share a unified pantheon. The English built a Great Lighthouse for ships to safely enter the bay London was built on. Inspired by the ability of the Dutch to determine the seasons with Stonehenge, the Arabian scholars devised their own Calendar system based on the coastal tides of the Gulf of Oledi and the annual swelling of the Usak River. In the forests near Medina, the citizens discovered beautiful dyes which they learned to extract. The quickly felled the trees and used the lumber to build a plantation to prepare the dyes to sell in the city. The surplus of goods in the city bazaars allowed the Arabians to renew their copper exports to Korea and Byzantium and to commence new trades with England, France, and The Netherlands. To explore the lands beyond the borders of Medina, an intrepid band of scouts, skilled in pathfinding, were recruited and sent East to visit Constantinople, Seoul, and London. However, shortly they reached the Byzantine city of Adrianople, their reports unexpectedly ceased. Word was sent from the Arabian ambassador in Constantinople via some traders that the scouts had been slain by barbarians who had been plaguing the hills between the Byzantine cities. Some comfort was taken knowing that the Byzantines quickly drove out the barbarians and gave the Arabian scouts a respectful burial. Nevertheless, their loss was a foreshadowing of conflict, not from bands of barbarians but from ruthless Mongolians to the South of the Ket Mountains.

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In 600 BC, sentries posted at the Southwest Mountain Pass sent word to Mecca that a long column of three companies of Mongolian warriors were marching on their position. A messenger from the Mongol hoard rode forward and announced that he was claiming the pass for the Empire and that the sentries were required to withdraw. Upon the refusal of the captain of archers, the Mongolian messenger announced that the two nations were now at WAR! Thankfully, sympathizers in Karakorum helped the Arabian ambassadors to escape the city before the embassy was raided. The Mongolian warriors feigned several assaults on the Arabian position but seldom came within range of the archers before they ultimately withdrew from the pass knowing it was unassailable. In preparation for a counterattack, Arabian warriors guarding the Northwest Mountain Pass, moved South along the Western side of the Ket Mountains, but were waylaid by barbarians who, it turned out, had allied with the Mongols. While preoccupied with the encampment, the Mongols finally attacked, but after a brief skirmish with few Arabian casualties, they were repelled and the Arabian warriors were able to loot the barbarian camp and disperse the few who survived.

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Meanwhile, after the failure of peace negotiations in 260 BC, a Mongolian force attempted to attack Medina in the East but were repelled by the archers and warriors stationed in the hills outside the city. They pursued the attackers to the gates of Beshbalik, the Northeasternmost Mongolian city, but safely withdrew to Medina upon foiling an ambush set in place by several Mongolian regiments. The archers defending the Southwest Pass and the hills around Medina exchanged their simple reed bows for new composite bows which allowed them to shoot further and with greater accuracy inflicting more damage on their targets.

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Despite the ongoing war, life in Mecca and Medina, far from the front lines, continued in a state of relative normalcy. In 320 BC, an amphitheater hewn out of the very rock in the hills surrounding Mecca was constructed. The Petra as it was called gave a tremendous boost to citizens of Mecca and that same year the road connecting Mecca and Medina was completed bringing new wealth and opportunities to both cities.

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In 65 BC, the tide of the war changed in favor of the Arabians, when England declared war on Mongolia. Faced with war on two fronts, Mongolian emissaries were sent to Medina offering a white peace which was accepted by the Arabian diplomats present at the negotiations. And so in 10 AD after centuries of minor skirmishing, the Arab-Mongol War ended. In 100 AD, Mongolia ceded the cities of Turfan and Beshbalik to England to obtain peace. The Mongol Empire was effectively crippled and with the return of peace, the Arabian ambassadors returned to Karakorum. Hostilities threatened to break out again in 325 AD when England requested an alliance to overthrow the Mongols permanently, but the Arabian commanders declined. A brief war was also fought during that time from 275 BC to 55 AD between India and France but Arabian diplomats were not informed of the outcome, just that a treaty was in place.

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Peace once again reigned throughout the world though for how long, no one could know. As borders contained to expand, new conflicts would certainly arise between the nations of the land, but for now there was peace. Having seen the horrors of war, the Arabian people knew that although preserving their traditions was crucial to maintaining their cultural heritage, they would need to develop policies for dealing respectfully with that of their neighbors. To ensure the continued independence, growth, and prosperity of the Arabian civilization, they revised their legal code to grant Liberty and citizenship to anyone of any nation who chose to emigrate to their glorious cities or the surrounding countryside. Soldiers returning from the war were appalled by the corruption, internal bickering, and neglect of the aristocracy and persuaded the peasants to rise up and oust the aristocrats from power and redistribute the land equally amongst all of the free people. Inspired by the principles espoused by a new branch of scholars called the Philosophers, they established a Republic centered on the idea of Collective Rule by all people of Arabia.

Meanwhile, the workers of the new republic developed new techniques to work rocks from the foothills of the Ket Mountains and soon magnificent new buildings were erected by the builders skilled in Masonry. A short while later, their techniques were further refined and schools of Construction were formed to train new workers. In 115 AD, Bi Sheng who would go on to pioneer the field of Engineering, was born in Mecca. That same year, an array of Terracotta Soldiers built from the clay of the Usak riverbanks was build in Mecca as a tribute to the warriors who defended Arabia from the Mongol invaders. So that their skills would not fade, the soldiers began competing in athletic games held in a wide colosseum on the outskirts of Mecca. To support the rapidly growing population of the city a watermill and granary to store surplus food were built and an aqueduct was constructed to provide fresh water to the citizens who lived further from the river.

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Such rapid growth led to the formation of a group of settlers, led by the great engineer Bi Sheng and some retired soldiers and their families. They settled in the foothills of the Ket Mountains to the South of Mecca near a pasture recently completed by ranchers from Medina and founded a new city in 10 AD. They called their home Damascus and it would become the seat of Arabian military power and training. Inspired by the Ket Mountains looming over them and the safety they provided against invaders, the people of Damascus built a Great Wall through the mountains that encompassed all of the lands of Arabia. Thanks to the techniques and guidance of Bi Sheng, they were able to complete the wall in only 15 years. People throughout Arabia celebrated knowing that this wall would help them deter future invasions by the Mongols and other potential foes jealous of the Arabian culture and prosperity of her people.

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During this time, word came from London that the wealth pouring into the city from sea trade allowed the people to purchase materials to build a Colossal statue in the bay which would announce their wealth to anyone coming to that city by sea. In the Northeast, the Dutch built a Mausoleum for one of their former kings on the site of the ruins of the ancient city Halicarnassus where the original Dutch settlers claim to have come from. 60 years prior, in 50 BC, the Dutch proclaimed the birth of a great prophet who laid out the tenets of their faith, Christianity. In India, massive Pyramids were built to forever entomb their ancestors and carry them into the afterlife. To facilitate, the Arabian republic agreed to open borders and allow free movement within their lands for citizens from the French and Indian empires.

In the year 265 AD, a Great Prophet came to Mecca and called on the citizens to not be bound by earthly wealth but to turn to faith. His teachings laid the foundation of Islam, and the people readily shared their wealth through Tithes to support the construction of a temple in Mecca. These small places of worship would later grow into beautiful Mosques as more people accepted the teachings of Islam. While Mecca prospered and the citizens of Damascus set out to make their home the third great Arabic city, the people of Medina were beset by 200 years of famine following the end of the Arab-Mongol War. On the verge of succumbing to their woes, they consulted an Oracle in 415 AD. He advised them to adhere to the teachings of the prophet in Mecca. They did so and the famine miraculously ended with a bountiful harvest of wheat for the first time in two centuries. In their Piety, they built a temple fashioned after the one in Mecca.

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Numerous plays and poems were composed during the years following the Arab-Mongol War celebrating the Arabian victory and the birth of Islam marking the birth of Arabic Drama and Poetry. Despite war and hardship, the numerous wonders built in that time gave hope to the Arabian people and they once again looked forward to how their culture would continue to grow and spread through the world in the centuries to come. Some even sensed that great change was on the horizon and believed that their Classical Era was drawing to a close as they progressed into a new and unknown future.

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[blkbltchemie]

[SIZE="4”]Summary and Commentary[/SIZE]:

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We have moved up two ranks in score, primarily thanks to the slew of wonders that were built. I don’t think that I’ve built that many wonders since I moved up from Warlord and started playing on Prince about a year ago. I guess it is time to step up the challenge to King! In any case, don’t let the score fool you; the demographics tell a different story. I’ve really fallen behind in science to 7th place and 6 opponents have advanced to Medieval (we have 8 turns to go yet). Mostly it’s because I’ve been bee-lining wonders so it will help to backfill some that I’ve skipped, such as Bronze Working (seriously, my most advanced melee unit is still the warrior)! So yeah, definitely need to kickstart my research in the next part, but after Damascus builds a library, I’ll get the National College underway which will certainly help. Here’s the plan for science (still bee-lining a bit to hopefully get Angkor-Wat before grabbing the military techs):

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Technologies: Drama&Poetry -> Theology -> Horseback Riding -> Civil Service -> Education -> Bronze Working -> Iron Working -> Metal Casting -> Physics -> Guilds -> Chivalry -> Banking -> …

All in all it seems like England is running away with their tech lead and huge army plus I am sure the Mongolian cities they took helped along with the wonders they’ve been building. I had expected Korea to be the runaway but the game is still young. As hoped, we met our last opponent, The Netherlands. I went diplomatic when I played them, but I haven’t had them as an AI opponent in many games so they are uncharted territory like the Byzantines who are apparently really struggling. Not sure what is going on in France and India. I really need to get a scout out and not have it get killed in less than 10 turns. A trireme would be helpful too. As for Mongolia, they seem pretty much crippled. (That was one of the most boring wars I have ever had in Civ 5; I don’t think any units went lower than yellow in health. But I made the summary interesting at least!) Hmm, I just noticed the settler in the world map that they are sending towards the SW Mountain Pass. That could make things interesting…

Now that I’ve built Damascus, I think I’m set for a while. Given the defensible position I have, I’m not planning on building any more cities so hopefully my culture will pick up as I unlock new buildings and wonders. It’s a shame Korea enhanced Confucianism with Religious Art (+8 culture for Hermitage). I’ll have to go for Choral Music (+2 culture per temple = 6) if The Netherlands (Christianity) don’t take it first or the Indians (only other pantheon up to this point). Not really sure what to choose for my enhancer belief, but I’ll probably try for Defender of the Faith.

I got all the wonders that I have wanted so far. I think the plan in that regards is to try and get Hagia Sophia in Mecca, Mosque of Djinne in Medina, and then head for Angkor-Wat.

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Mecca – Palace, Temple of Artemis, Hanging Gardens, Petra, Terracotta Army
Medina – The Oracle
Damascus – Great Wall

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So from the outset you may recall that I’ve been aiming for Cultural Victory, but having seen the most progressive people list on turn 148, we were dead last with 5. France led with 9 but they have an early era culture bonus as I recall. It got me thinking of in the past when I’ve one culture victories, I’ve really utilized the bonuses from City States in order to scrape through. However, with them turned off in this game, I’m not sure how things are going to turn out. (In case you’re curious, I turned them off to try for the We Are Family-religion in all capitols-achievement, but have since discovered it is bugged but can be unlocked in hotseat mode which I finally did succeed with. Incidentally, that is also why I went with a Pangaea which is one of my least favorite map types.) Anyway, sorry to digress…where was I. Oh so for victory we may need to look for other options. My primary goal is still Cultural Victory, but my backup tentatively is Diplomatic I think. Everyone is pretty friendly with me (sans Mongolia) so that may be possible. I’ll have to check how many votes I’d need. However, by my count I am now at 8 SPs tied with 3 other civs and only France is ahead with 10. Anyway, we will see where things go in the next few posts, I suppose.

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Social Policies: Piety -> Mandate of Heaven -> Organized Religion -> Reformation -> Religious Tolerance -> …
(These are the cultural policies in Piety, but I may go back and forth between them and the rest of the ones in Tradition and Liberty. My long range plan is to add commerce and freedom.)

Thanks for reading! And of course, feel free to comment with suggestions on either writing or game strategy and I am happy to look at requests for other screenshots or whatever else you can think of that I can’t at the moment!

Here is the save file at the end of Turn 201: View attachment Arabia-Turn 201.Civ5Save

Until next time…