Gotm22-Vikings Speculation Thread

[cracker]

As we again approach the end of the month for Gotm21, it is time to open the player speculation thread for Gotm22 and see what your best guesses will be as to how this game will take shape.

The playable civ is the Scandanavians/Vikings based on the PTW civ definitions and the UU is setup to be like the Berserker.

The game should be lots of fun!! What do you think you will see in terms of map characteristics and civ opponents?

 

[ControlFreak]

I predict lots of tundra and lots of water.

Hopefully there will be small continents or lots of islands to take advantage of the early marine capability of the berserker.

Celts, English, France, China, Japan would be good early opponents.

The tourney goal would be...um...domination?

GOTM18 was low commerce/research
GOTM19 was high commerce/reserach
GOTM20 was high food start
GOTM21 was (I'm guessing based on the bonus research, I haven't played past the QSC) high shield start

I'm guessing this will be a low food start and may be our regent level game due to the harder difficulty of growth.

 

[rabies]

I am certainly expecting to see an archipeligo map. Berserks are incredible in such a setting.

 

[hotrod0823]

I think ships are going to be key. Perhaps a Regent level game with the "new and improved" ship movement for the predator game and maybe even the Open game.

I suspect a standard map with at most 10 opponents but lots of island, some even 1 tile in size . I agree a domination game for the medley play. With all the islands it will be more difficult than it seems.

The vikes are militaristic and expansionist but I think the huts will be few and far between making the second trait useless. I suspect we will see some different opponents, perhaps England, Celts, Americans.

Terrain will be arid and small requireing early galleys and no real "settler factory" locations. Land and territory will be aquired with the . No peaceful expansion here. I haven't played a solo vikes game and look foward to next week .

Hotrod

 

[Sir Bugsy]

If I was going to set it up , I'd try to simulate the environment that the Vikings truly lived in. Cold, Mountainous. I'd try to simulate the North Atlantic some how, place them on the edge of a continent with another across the ocean with a 6 tile narrow strait (Greenland Strait - like) close by. Or maybe several small islands like Iceland and Britain to act as stepping stones. Since the Vikings were also a seafaring civ, I'd give their galley an extra movement point. That, combined with the Berserker, would make them a naval power early. I'd also try and isolate them a bit and make exploration and expansion very key elements.

I would expect that the minimum level would be Monarch with a lot of barbarians. Probably a min food start, with the potential of a lot of shields.

I would expect to see the English, Celts, Germans, French, and Russians nearby, and the Iroquois, Americans, and Aztecs across the pond.

Finally, I think Cracker might go for a smaller map this time, maybe standard, with a domination or conquest goal.

I think whatever Cracker comes up with will probably be very cool

 

[Moonsinger]

Time flies when we're having fun, doesn't it? I can't believe another month is almost over. Anyway, I think it will be at the Emperor level on a standard map.

 

[samildanach]

I think regent level, standard map (archipelago,young, cool,wet and hi water to land ratio). I think there will be less civs than the available land would normally dictate. All AI civs will have good start positions relative to our civs start.
I think since the naval unit mod was a red herring in the last game- it will probably play a big role in GoTM22. As for the civs Russians, Celts, English, French, Iroquois and perhaps a modded Scots civ.

 

[CruddyLeper]

I would predict some green field space in the initial expansion space - maybe only 2-3 cities worth, but enough for a settler factory. Most hills and mountains for the rest of the initial start, so I would not be surprised to see sheep and goats on it.

Certainly space for a few ports - fish, whales - and I would expect getting a city built early near them would be best done early.

Other civs; England, France, Spain, Rome, Russians, Ottomans, Aztecs, Chinese, maybe Indians or Greece as well.

Map size standard, but with more land than water tiles. Probably gems with one other luxury in initial start area.

Expect volanoes, suids and Fog to be pretty close to the start - probably more of it than recent GOTMs.

 

[Peanut]

To be historically reasonable, there will need to be lots of water for the longboats and beserks to paddle about in. I expect lots of mountains and coastline, fjords with grassland, fish, rivers and whales. A few cows and sheep scattered about. I hope for plenty of forests and deer. Lots of fog and probably some feral Squid to keep the sailing interesting.

We'll probably get two continents and a few large islands - the old & new worlds plus Britain & Ireland to invade and Greenland to settle. It will be easier for the Vikings planted in the far north of the old world to get to their Old World opponents by boat than by taking the l-o-n-g way around by land.

As for the other civs, well, based on the Vikings history we should have :

• The English on an island - to give someone handy to pillage, terrorise, overrun, conquer, and maybe trade with if we allow them to live.
• The Celts - someone else handy to pillage, terrorise, overrun, conquer, trade with for a while.
• The French - more scope to pillage, terrorise, overrun, conquer, etc.
• The Germans - even more opportunity to pillage, terrorise, overrun, conquer, etc.
• The Russians - some extra folk for pillaging, terrorising, overrunning, conquering, etc. but with no need for boats to reach them.
• The Greeks - a long way away, but still there ready to pillage, terrorise, overrun, maybe trade with occasionally.
• The Iroquois - in the New World, waiting for brave Viking explorers to find them, and then to pillage, terrorise, overrun, maybe trade with them occasionally.
• The Aztecs - same fate as the Iroquois
• The Chinese (maybe repackaged as the Incas) - thrown in with the new world civs for a bit of variety. Put there to pillage, conquer, etc as above.

That's probably enough to keep Ragnar, Erik, Lars, Hans and the rest of those ugly Norsemen busy for a month.

So strap on those horned helmets and into the longboats lads - its Victory or Valhalla for Erik Peanutsson in August!

 

[Sir Bugsy]

Eric Peanutsson,
I hope you're right. That sounds like a blast.

 

[samildanach]

I had no idea peanuts could be so violent. This is long way from the humble peanut who was washed up onto the shores of GoTM land not so long ago.

 

[Yeti]

Peanut - you crack me up! Keep up the well themed insanity please

I'm looking forward to my second GoTM, the upcoming #22. But I think it will be a difficult one for me. I've always been strongly land based with minimal naval and air activities, so I think my ship use skills will be lacking.

I guess it's time to learn

I definitely agree with the guesses of lots of water and lots of islands.

I hope it's a standard sized map as those play out faster.

I expect lots of mountains too in an attempt to recreate the Scandinavian environment. I'm expecting the starting location to be near water with some decent terrain, but with high mountains on the sides, with other civs in similar valleys - perhaps with rivers or fjords in the valleys.

 

[DaviddesJ]

Originally posted by hotrod0823
Terrain will be arid and small requireing early galleys and no real "settler factory" locations. Land and territory will be aquired with the . No peaceful expansion here.

This all seems very unlikely to me. Perhaps I'm overgeneralizing from my limited experience, but I feel that cracker is always going to give us games with plenty of room, and good food production and fresh water available near the start. This is his way of building participation, by avoiding difficult starts.

(I'm hoping that the non-GOTM tournament games may have some more difficult starts, perhaps only at the higher levels.)

 

[sourboy]

Well I'm cramming GOTM21 down in the last 10 days of July (as a test run) to get a taste of what GOTM is all about & to prepare for the anticipated GOTM22.

From what it sounds like, this one should be a blast! I have never played a seafaring type game :fish:, so it will definately be a nice change of pace & ultimately, a great learning experience. :grad:

I just pray the difficulty isn't harder then Regent, as GOTM21 is my first ever experience on Regent, and though I'll live - I won't get the victory...

 

[LKendter]

1) Emperor Level
I think the pattern is Mon, Emp, Reg, Mon, Emp, Deity

2) Islands and ocean travel will play a big factor. Ships will be needed to get to most civs. However, I expect a short hop. I doubt we will see the massive ocean from a few GOTM back.

3) Definite civs -
England with there own island?
Russia - the Vikings did hit them.
Germany could be there for the various Germanic tribes of that period.
Greece - continues the trend of recently played civs to show up in the game.
France and Celts are good bets as more northern part of Europe.

4) At most 10 civs - I doubt we will get back to back large maps.

5) Tundra overload with limited quality land to the north.

 

[Svar]

Originally posted by sourboy
harder then Regent, as GOTM21 is my first ever experience on Regent, and though I'll live - I won't get the victory...

You can relax Gotm 21 was a Monarch level game.

 

[Peanut]

The Greeks should be there, as well as the Russians. The Greek Byzantine emperors of the 10th to 12th centuries had their elite Varangian Guard, who were Viking mercenaries. They arrived in Constantinople through the Byzantine links with Russia, particularly when Russia was dominated by the Vikings.

If I recall correctly from my reading, Viking raiding parties sailed down the Russian rivers and some even had a go at attacking Constantinople. Although they were unsuccessful (Constantinople's massive fortifications needed a lot more than Berserks to be overcome), they did indulge in a lot of pillaging in the area as was their wont. I think that a healthy bribe or two from the emperor assisted their return to the North.

So ... watch out Catherine and Alexander ... Erik Peanutsson and the savage Norsemen are coming your way soon !

 

[sourboy]

Originally posted by Svar


You can relax Gotm 21 was a Monarch level game.

I know! well, as of a few minutes before I saw this. That brings hope, considering I'm not in jeopardy of dying in GOTM21 still - and how horribly I started....

GOTM22 is going to be good. I guess I should say "I hope it's not harder then Monarch" cuz the seafaring thing is not my area. If it is harder, hopefully we will be twinked somewhat in our naval abilities, at least to start off.

 

[DaveShack]

Time for the monthly shot in the dark.

I think it will be a standard map # of land tiles, but maybe on a physically larger map with more water distance. I'd expect a modified continents layout, with more islands than a normally generated continents map has. Cold and wet, maybe with a somewhat artificial land mass which is mostly tundra, hills, and mountains with a grassland border, to represent Greenland. A much smaller island which is all grass and hills except for some mountains and volcanos, to represent Iceland. Expect hills/mountains with the new resources from the goats family, and coastal rocks.

For opponents, Celts, England, Germany, France, Russia, Greece, and America are musts. Given the past couple of months, it is reasonable to expect one or more civs to be boosted or ******** in some way.

It would be interesting if the Tournament (medal play) objective was conquest. That would fit in with the ancient Viking image of looting and pillaging. There should also be workers available to enslave, maybe a repeat of the workers hidden in mountains thing, or the barb camps with workers. Speaking of barbs, probably restless if not raging.

Game level may be regent if the land is really bad, or maybe another Monarch but with different Conquest bonuses and Predator handicaps.

It will be interesting to see what percentage of players choose the designated victory condition for the medal play series. This time around it might be something hard to achieve from this start. Or something ironic, like culture as a counterpoint to the Vikings' militaristic tendencies.

 

[worlddomination]

Wouldn't it be nice with some "authentic" viking resources? it would be a welcome change from the incessant bleating in gotm 21 (I'm still giggling after having read spoiler thread 4 for gotm 21 ). Perhaps there will be salted herring, smoked eel , Swedish meatballs and the works. Jokes aside, perhaps there will be some other hunting-and fishing resources, like salmon, reindeer and elk, even berry-rich forest tiles (lingonberries, blueberries). As for luxuries, amber would almost be a given, no?