GBM-Epic 01 - Shaka the Jealous

Gingerbread Man

Dark Magus
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Jun 9, 2002
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Here goes a little experiment of mine.

I am attempting to give CivFanatics some epic games, like RealmsBeyond. These, however, will be (a little) easier, You just download the save, play the game, and post your results, with some kind of story. Please, dont read people's results before you play, unless you dont plan on posting results yourself.

I'm starting with an easy game, just to get people interested. It is in PTW, for a broader audience, plus I dont like the change in map trading, and communication trades.

So, for GBM-Epic 01 - Shaka the Jealous.
Shaka was a very jealous lord. He wanted it all, he wanted the best of everything. Nothing distressed him more than the thought that somebody had something better than him, that he didn't have the best.

One day, in his (then) glorious hut, with the best thatchings, the best mud-bricks, the best leapord-skin rugs good quality slaves could buy, he thought, "I want the best cities in the world. I will have five great cities that are greater than any other cities in the world. I want the biggest country in the world. Nobody, and I mean nobody, deserves more than me."

On one of his treks to other nations, seeking for things they have which were better than his, he saw these people creating mountains of stone, as tombs for their pharohs. Shaka was not to put up with this. Storming into the pharoh's palace, he said "I will give you 20,000 slaves if you give me those mountains of stone!"

The Pharoh promptly laughed. "You will never own my Pyramids. You dont deserve them. Only I will get the best tombs, you are but a savage, who deserves to die in a dirty ditch, to be forgotten forever."

Shaka remembered those words. "One day, I will own every tomb, every great monument of man. All these shrines of human acheivement will be mine." It was at those words that Shaka began his journey.

Rules
VICTORY - to win, you must:
A) Own, via conquering or building, all five of the top five cities.
B) Have the largest nation in the game (determined in the F11 screen, by land area)
C) Own every one of the great wonders that have been built, by any means necessary. So, in the F7 screen, all those wonders must be yellow. If a wonder hasn't been built yet, or is in the process of being built, you dont have to own it.
You win when all these objectives are satisfied. That means at the point of victory all of these objectives must be currently fulfilled.

Please, no exploiting, and that includes RoP raping, scout resource denial, etc. Generally, if it is the rules in the GOTM, it is the rules here.

Game Parameters
Large World
Pangaea 80% water
Restless Barbarians
Max opponents
Emporer Level
everything else random

(EDIT: fixed some missing details)

PEOPLE, REMEMBER TO PUT ***SPOILER*** AT THE TOP OF YOUR POST IF IT CONTAINS DETAILS OF THE GAME. DONT GIVE OTHER PEOPLE AN ADVANTAGE!!!!
Here is a Map:
 

Attachments

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And here is the save -
Enjoy!
Remember, there is no time limit, you can play this game anytime. You could post your story a year later.

Just remember that by posting your results here, you are saying that you have not read any of the other results here yet. In other words, you haven't read the spoilers.
 
Way cool idea! :cooool:

And I was the first to reply! :D

Gonna play this when I get time...:)
 
Emperor. :eek: Man, this won't be so easy... I've never beaten Monarch on my own... But I'm sure gonna give it a try...:)
 
I'm starting it now as soon as I dl the save. Let's see how this ends...:)
 
I have just entered the middle ages. After a warrior>swordsmen upgrade I took over most of china and japan. I am now the biggest civ becase of those cities. However, I left them with a few cities so I could get the techs off of them. Tech is the biggest issue this game. With all my time and energy devoted to getting shaka more toys, I have come close to neglecting science.

Did you make this map? You can get 6 luxs off the start if you expand fast. Makes happiness much nicer.
 
Affirmative - the map was random, but I kept regenerating the map until I saw a good start. I myself didn't know what the map would be like.

By the way, its ok to post general posts like the one above, which dont mention anything about the landform, or anything that would help people who just started get an advantage. But if you start mentioning specific things, like map features, strategic resource locations, etc, please put ***SPOILER*** or something obvious at the top of your post. We dont want to give people who start later a big advantage.
 
Or who play slower...

I agree with that. If you tell anything specific from the game, put something on the top of the post so that we know not to read it unless we have played it already...
 
Congratulations, this game sounds like a real challenge... I've never won a Emperor game, but as soon as I have the time, I know I'll have fun with it...
 
Yes, it is a very exciting and fun game, and the best part: no time limit! :D I don't have to play it until the ned of the month or anything, I can play it when I have time and it's a very good thing. :yeah:
 
Got off to a pretty good start and expanded towards Babs and China. Secured horses and iron and built up for plenty o' warring. Japan and Babs were having at it for what seemed the entire ancient era and I poached one destroyed city site. When England came knocking and I had cash in my pocket I told her to stick it and when she declared. I brought in the Mongols to buffer me and then she brought in Babs. I took 3 cities including the capital leaving them with 1 city and then gave gpt for tech. When Japan killed them off I was off the hook. I then went after China, before they could get Riders and took Canton with the G Lighthouse and another north city. Got tech for GPT from them and then when he kept crossing my lands to get the mountainous north I kicked him out and he declared. Some how this partially messed my rep up for a while though it seems to be better now. I took his capital and another city and he is down to 4 core and 2 mountain cities. Japan through all their warring is only with 4 cities so they will be next when I get MT.
I'm a few turns from that and wanted to save it for tonight. I should be able to clear out China and Japan and then I will move on Arabia and the rest of the Eastern continent.
I forget the wonders I have but I know I have Bachs and I'm a few turns from Smiths, fingers crossed. I captured the G Light and will capture HG. I'm at #1 land and GNP. I will finish the game before infantry I hope. All infrastructure is complete and I'm pumping horsies now along with a musket or 2.
 
I have mine down to a 2 horse race with me 5 lengths ahead. I have knocked out Babylon, China, Arabia and thinking about Japan and Otto next. Persia is looking fairly good but when they recently declared I sic'ed Korea and Otto on him to keep his hands full. My calvary are whopping it up!
 
*********** SPOILER **************


I just finished and didn't have a write-up though once I got cavs I secured the Eastern continent. Tanks got me the balance. I won by domination in 1758. I included a couple screens. It was a really enjoyable game and I learned to be a bit more aggressive though I still feel I was tentative in the middle of the game. Persia was the toughest foe but once I had tanks researched before him by 2 techs it was over for him quickly. Thanks for the save GBM.


 
Great, somebody did it! Well, I've nearly finished, and there are already some interesting things to see. Persia is definitely my toughest foe so far, but it is nearly over for me.

Also, for those interested, GBM Epic 02 is going to be a training day game - with a difference. Hang around, you know you will like it.
 
I thought it was a great game. Tough all around, especially after Persia put thier war boots on and started kicking some tail on everyone but the great Zulu nation.
 
That's right, I won!

[By the way, XXXXXXes are where I am going to put pictures. Only half the story so far]

Shaka the Jealous

Shaka was a very Jealous Shaka. He wanted it all. Finding himself
in a small pocket of land surrounded by darkness, he did what every good shaka would do - build a city.

The year was 4000 Before Christ. (Shaka could predict the future,
therefore knew when Christ was going to be born.) He was alone in the world, with no-one to help him.

That all changed in 3850BC. One of his messengers, sent of to a
non-existant nation by shaka, in hope that the little dweeb would
never return, was sent down south. In a bizzarre twist of fate,
the (annoying) messenger actually did find this nation, owned by
the Chinese. From the start, they weren't very good friends.




Shaka was not pleased, that his inferior neighbour was cramping
him in so much. The problem compounded in 3400BC, when he
met TWO opposing kings in one turn - the mongols, and the
Japanese, who were even closer to him than the Chinese. This
was going to be a VERY cramped game.

If it were any compensation, that turn he was able to acquire
both Ceremonial Burial, and Masonry.

But It was to get worse again. In 3200BC, he spotted yet
another nearby set of borders, this time Babylonian. They let him
acquire Bronze Working, because his scientists were too smart to
discover it themselves.

In 3000BC, Lord McCauley investigated the world, looking for
those who where most advanced. Shaka was.... (Drum roll)

2nd place. 2ND PLACE!!!! Shaka could not stand being second, let
alone to his nearest rivals, the CHINESE. This made him sick.

Here is a picture of Shaka's domains, as of 2750BC:



In 2630BC, Shaka's messenger, by which this time he really
wanted dead, met the nation of Islam, a.k.a Arabia.

For about a millenium, Shaka was closed out in his small little
world. But that was all about to change. Sometime around
1500BC, the Mongolians decided they would capitalise on the
chokepoint they owned. They would force people to pay if they
wanted to contact a civilization on the other side. It was at that point that four new rivals of Shaka appeared. Four new rivals.

Not to be out-done, the Ottomans sold their contacts to greece
around the world.

On one grey morning 1150BC, The babylonians discovered how to make maps. It was then that Shaka took the opportunity, and
did some serious trading. He could now see all eleven of his rivals:



The first city on Shaka's list was written down in 1050BC -
Karokum. It boasted the biggest statue in the world, but only
Shaka could have the biggest.

Next came the Pyraminds - built in London. It was 1025BC

In 1000AD, the Persians built the Oracle in Persepolis.

In 850 BC, Seoul built the Great Lighthouse. This was getting
worse as the years went by.

After a five-hundred year calm, the English city of Hastings built the Great Library. (350BC)

Mecca then completed the Great Wall in 330BC. That same year
the mystical Hanging Gardens in Babylon were built.

At around 300BC, The Zimbabwian nation revolted. It lasted until 210BC and at the other end, Shaka was a king.

Finally, shaka couldn't stand it anymore. he declared war on the
Chinese. It was a stupid decision. He wasn't prepared for it at all,
he had only a dozen horsemen, which were all lost at the 'seige' of Beijing.

And things turned on him even more. within the space of maybe
three turns, both Arabia AND Japan declared war on him. He
rallied the Ottomans against Arabia, and Babylon and Mongolia
against Japan, just to take off the heat. But shaka was not going
to stop. Not until he owned all of China, and all of Arabia. His
reputation may have been shot, but he still had a chance. Finally,
in 300AD, China was reduced to one city. He sued for peace in
exchange for technology, which nobody would give to him
normally.



In 340AD Shaka's assualt on Arabia started, and with a bang.
Two great leaders in one turn! One rushed a Forbidden palace in
Tsingtao, the other awaited an opportunity.

380AD - the indians are destroyed by the persians.


390AD - Shaka finally claims his first wonder - the Great wall of
Mecca! His dreams are ever so slightly closer to reality.

With the capture of Medina came quite a booty. Nine slave
workers, to be exact. He then decided to call it quits, and sue for
peace, for 7gpt + 19g.

The silence lasted only long enough to build some much needed
marketplaces and banks. Shaka saw thousands of ottoman
troops approaching his newly captured cities in Arabia, and even
more english troops approaching his homeland.



Shaka made gpt deals with them just before they declared war
(well, a little expliotive, but this time it is their fault, right?). He
Acquired Theology off the ottomans giving him the Sistine chapel.
He then took the opportunity to take Chivalry and chemistry off
the english. These were the best days Shaka had ever come
across. Not only was he given a chance to expand his domains, he was given technology to do it!

The war started with him losing Medina, and Intombe. Ulundi was
a cliffhanger - he held onto it by the skin of his impis. but 11 turns later, 610AD, Shaka finally broke the struggle. He was now capable of building an offensive force.

After a very small territorial gain, Shaka gave up, unil this -



He destroyed the entire nation that very turn.
 
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