Is it really Rome -> Normans?

[dagriggstar]

Having actually visited the mausoleum of Theodoric in real life I’d say it strikes me as a poor “general” wonder but a good “Goth specific” wonder. Ravenna is a fantastic place to visit but the Mausoleum of Theodoric for me is behind the mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Basilica of San Vitale and Ravenna Cathedral in terms of being awe inspiring. The mausoleum of Theodoric is still very cool but you kinda have to go there and appreciate that you are looking at a building from a time period and people we don’t actually see a lot of buildings from. You need to know the history.

Goths into Spain yeah sure. Goths into Spain and Normans feels weird to me though, because Rome would have the same paths. Maybe there’s an Eastern European faction for Goths and Greece, giving us like a European triangle of choices…

 

[Voidwalkin]

I find myself less concerned with the paths as time goes on. It's probably a phenomenon similar to suspension of disbelief in a movie. Even if it doesn't make sense, buy-in is a prerequisite to enjoying it.

It's rational to ignore the irrational if it will prevent your enjoyment of media. I dunno how fair that is but I notice that I'm sorta starting to do it.

 

[CrackerJack45]

Goths into Spain yeah sure. Goths into Spain and Normans feels weird to me though, because Rome would have the same paths. Maybe there’s an Eastern European faction for Goths and Greece, giving us like a European triangle of choices…

Likely there will be some exploration era civ that links antiquity Goths and modern Germany/Prussia, though I'm not knowledgeable enough on european history to pick out anything specific.

 

[RedCourtJester]

Likely there will be some exploration era civ that links antiquity Goths and modern Germany/Prussia, though I'm not knowledgeable enough on european history to pick out anything specific.

I know you all are sick of my predictions, but I think Goths -> Carolingians/Franks -> Austria-Hungary establishes a pretty reasonable route for Maria Teresa (which I am pegging for Right to Rule, or whichever expansion also brings us Gaul and Carolingians). They have that Danubian connection that makes the Germanic period of Gothia feel more Austrian than Prussian.

And then, later down the road, we could get Theodoric leading Goths -> Spain -> Italy in a leader pack.

 

[Prester John 2]

Goths in Antiquity could lead to 1) Spain 2) Italy/Lombards/Venice 3) Teutons/Ottonians

 

[RedCourtJester]

Goths in Antiquity could lead to 1) Spain 2) Italy/Lombards/Venice 3) Teutons/Ottonians

Oh you're right I forgot about Teutons. Goths -> Carolingians/Teutons works just as well, albeit not as well for Maria Teresa specifically. I could definitely see a Goths -> Teutons -> Germany path featuring a German leader.

 

[Prester John 2]

Well, the Habsburgs were the latest dynasty in the HRE funded by Otto I. So Maria Theresa would fit perfectly. A DLC-Antiquity Vandal civ could morph into the Exploration Age Poles and then into Modern Age Prussia (which was, after all, a part of Poland).

 

[Mr Jon of Cheam]

I feel like Rome>Normans and various other pathways are easier to accept if you don't think of them in terms of the people, but rather in terms of the geographical location and of the infrastructure.

Civ has never really been about the people; they tried it a bit in IV, but otherwise it has never been concerned with ethnicity, migration, genealogy, etc. Civ has always been very simply about the placement of settlements, farms, roads, etc. on a world map. It's about building a footprint of your civilization in the fictional geographic location that you are given. All very macro, all very abstract.

If you think about switching & historical pathways in terms of the people, then I don't think it will ever make sense. But if you think about it in terms of a place in the world, a place in which different peoples come and go, where these different peoples build things, sometimes new things, sometimes on top of older things, where these people impact and shape the landscape around them, then I think it does make some sense.

If we take the Britain example again, last time I read anything about it, I think it was fairly well understood that the Romans had little to no impact on the gene pool of Britain, but they did have a lasting impact on the landscape, e.g. establishing Londinium.