woodman6035
Chieftain
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2009
- Messages
- 60
wow, two quests in one game. I'm lucky to get one every 8-10 games. Is there a way to increase one's odds of getting them?
King of the World #16: Julius Caesar
- Thread starter Neal
- Start date
Caesar reclined on his couch, deep in thought, occasionally nibbling on a peeled grape offered to him by the... apprentice at his side. Rome was massive- by far, the greatest empire of the known world. And yet the gods frowned upon him, and smiled on the inferior city-states that surrounded him. It took Roman scientists twice the effort to make the same breakthroughs as neighboring civilizations. Ceaseless delays and squandered resources led production to be similarly stymied, even as the rest of the world enoyed unheard-of efficiency. The only advantage Rome had was in its Legions. Caesar had no choice but to leverage that advantage for all it was worth.
As maintenance costs threatened to spiral out of control, Julius knew that Courthouses would be a necessity to extend his will to the far-off provinces. After a single turn of research, though, the mysterious, hostile Mali of Africa apparently finished it, founding Confucianism in the process. Mansa Musa, though, unfriendly as he was, was a pragmatic man, and he saw the value in sharing discoveries:
The adoption of the new Imperial Code and the building of courts to enforce it slowed the introduction of new materiel to the front, but the long-term benefits were well worth it.
As the people of Rome turned their attention to Feudalism (for what better way to afford an army than by shunting off its upkeep to local petty lords?), the horsemen of Iberia and Gaul brought forth a plan to rule the world not through infantry, but by way of cavalry:
Caesar, seeing the power of his Legions, scoffed at this idea of total conversion, but he was nevertheless intrigued by the prospect of combined arms, envisioning early Knights forming the vanguard of a Roman juggernaut.
To facilitate this, after Feudalism, the horsemen were permitted to extend their craft to Horseback Riding, and a new, feudal society of local lords was established across Europe:
This brought the cost of our Legions down considerably, and also promised better-trained troops down the road.
By 335 B.C., the time for war with Greece had come:
"Noble Alexander," the missive from Caesar read, "together we have shared many adventures and you know that I consider you one of my dearest friends. Sadly, I have come to realize that, in your love of excitement and exploration, you have neglected your people. The Greeks are a proud nation, and would be better served as members of te Roman empire, with all of the benefits enjoyed by our citizens. It is with a heavy heart that I inform you that you have no role in the glorious days to come for your people. If you abdicate your throne and flee to the east, my men will not follow you. But if you are found by my Praetorians, their orders are to slay you in full view of your townsfolk. Be well."
Sparta fell quickly:
And was renamed as a provincial capital. It bore a full array of infrastructure, and made a fine prize for the Roman general Cassius, who was appointed as its baron. Cassius was a fine soldier, as skilled in guile as he was with the sword, but his ambitions troubled Caesar. Spalatum was near enough that the baron's movements could be tracked.
Seeing the ease with which Sparta fell, Alexander sent a desperate letter to Rome:
"Hail Caesar, Lord of All That He Surveys. Your military might and statecraft were both made evident in the siege of Sparta. Let there be no further bloodshed. If you would but spare my life and those of my people, Athens will submit to your rule and pay you tribute. I will accept your dictates in all matters of foreign policy, and your enemies will become my enemies. I will rule Greece in your stead, and our people will be bound together as one."
And the bleating continued. Caesar read about half the message before casting it into a brazier. Had the brave Alexander truly been unmanned so easily? Was his cavalier braggadocio so flimsy a ruse? Any thoughts of mercy were cast from the Roman emperor's mind. Greece would fall, and Alexander's name would be stricken from the history books.
As the war continued, Alexander made the dreaful mistake of drydocking all of his ships in Athens:
They burned along with the Greeks' vainglorious Monuments, and a simple Roman cairn was raised in its place.
At this point Rome's army split, with half travelling north along the Black Sea coast to Argos, and the others pushing east into Anatolia:
Argos was renamed Odessus, and was a bastion of the Confucian mystery cult. If we go for a Cultural victory, it could prove most useful.
In Caledonia, far from the fighting, the Picts continued to pursue their own obscure directives, building Forges and Temples and generally contributing little to the war effort. One Pict, though, arrived in London, seeking transport to the mainland. He had cut his wild mane, washed off his blue facepaint, and promised to make Rome rich:
I haven't yet figured out what to do with this peculiar character, beyond shuttling him to Parisiorum.
In the march on Alexander's final outpost, unfortunately, our army was attacked by a fanatical Greek Phalanx. Overcome with his own courage, the Great General Sun Tzu pushed ahead of his escorts and offered to fight them off himself:
He failed. The skirmishers were quickly eliminated, but the damage was done. Sun Tzu, master of Roman medicine, lay dead on the battlefield.
Overcome with rage, and absent the normally cautious restraint of their fallen general, the Roman soldiers broke into a mob and swarmed over Alexander's final city. By the time order was restored, the city was renamed Helenopontus:
Alexander was found hiding in a wine cellar, bedecked in women's clothing. As Caesar had promised, the Greek leader was struck down in full view of the assembled Greeks in the city's Forum. The citizens forgot their Greek ancestry and pledged vows to consider themselves Romans in all things.
With our dirty work done, I decided to call a stop to the round. Here's a look at Rome as we know it:
We are close to finishing the Horse Whisperer quest. What should we take as a reward? Sentry for our Mounted Units? +1 Food for Stables? I don't think a band of Horse Archers would do us much good at this point, though we could quickly upgrade them to Knights...
Here's a look at the Tech situation:
Only Egypt is truly even close to being our equal. I should probably do a few junk tech for cash trades, though, huh?
The Foreign Advisor:
Asoka's taking the brunt of things, I'm afraid. He's usually better-liked than that.
And, finally, our Military Advisor:
I know, I know. We ended up losing a Worker in our war with Greece! But, at this point, do we really need more? I'll build'em if they're necessary, but it sure seems like everything that needs improving is improved.
So here we stand. As so many others have said, Greece needed to die. The question is, what comes next? I think that Knights might just give us the mobility needed to roll through Russia, and they're right around the corner. Of course, sweeping through Arabia into Egypt before Hattie gets guns online is also tempting. What do you all think? And what of our new Great General? Is a new Supermedic worth promoting, or should he simply settle in Rome?
The save is a few posts up.
As maintenance costs threatened to spiral out of control, Julius knew that Courthouses would be a necessity to extend his will to the far-off provinces. After a single turn of research, though, the mysterious, hostile Mali of Africa apparently finished it, founding Confucianism in the process. Mansa Musa, though, unfriendly as he was, was a pragmatic man, and he saw the value in sharing discoveries:
The adoption of the new Imperial Code and the building of courts to enforce it slowed the introduction of new materiel to the front, but the long-term benefits were well worth it.
As the people of Rome turned their attention to Feudalism (for what better way to afford an army than by shunting off its upkeep to local petty lords?), the horsemen of Iberia and Gaul brought forth a plan to rule the world not through infantry, but by way of cavalry:
Caesar, seeing the power of his Legions, scoffed at this idea of total conversion, but he was nevertheless intrigued by the prospect of combined arms, envisioning early Knights forming the vanguard of a Roman juggernaut.
To facilitate this, after Feudalism, the horsemen were permitted to extend their craft to Horseback Riding, and a new, feudal society of local lords was established across Europe:
This brought the cost of our Legions down considerably, and also promised better-trained troops down the road.
By 335 B.C., the time for war with Greece had come:
"Noble Alexander," the missive from Caesar read, "together we have shared many adventures and you know that I consider you one of my dearest friends. Sadly, I have come to realize that, in your love of excitement and exploration, you have neglected your people. The Greeks are a proud nation, and would be better served as members of te Roman empire, with all of the benefits enjoyed by our citizens. It is with a heavy heart that I inform you that you have no role in the glorious days to come for your people. If you abdicate your throne and flee to the east, my men will not follow you. But if you are found by my Praetorians, their orders are to slay you in full view of your townsfolk. Be well."
Sparta fell quickly:
And was renamed as a provincial capital. It bore a full array of infrastructure, and made a fine prize for the Roman general Cassius, who was appointed as its baron. Cassius was a fine soldier, as skilled in guile as he was with the sword, but his ambitions troubled Caesar. Spalatum was near enough that the baron's movements could be tracked.
Seeing the ease with which Sparta fell, Alexander sent a desperate letter to Rome:
"Hail Caesar, Lord of All That He Surveys. Your military might and statecraft were both made evident in the siege of Sparta. Let there be no further bloodshed. If you would but spare my life and those of my people, Athens will submit to your rule and pay you tribute. I will accept your dictates in all matters of foreign policy, and your enemies will become my enemies. I will rule Greece in your stead, and our people will be bound together as one."
And the bleating continued. Caesar read about half the message before casting it into a brazier. Had the brave Alexander truly been unmanned so easily? Was his cavalier braggadocio so flimsy a ruse? Any thoughts of mercy were cast from the Roman emperor's mind. Greece would fall, and Alexander's name would be stricken from the history books.
As the war continued, Alexander made the dreaful mistake of drydocking all of his ships in Athens:
They burned along with the Greeks' vainglorious Monuments, and a simple Roman cairn was raised in its place.
At this point Rome's army split, with half travelling north along the Black Sea coast to Argos, and the others pushing east into Anatolia:
Argos was renamed Odessus, and was a bastion of the Confucian mystery cult. If we go for a Cultural victory, it could prove most useful.
In Caledonia, far from the fighting, the Picts continued to pursue their own obscure directives, building Forges and Temples and generally contributing little to the war effort. One Pict, though, arrived in London, seeking transport to the mainland. He had cut his wild mane, washed off his blue facepaint, and promised to make Rome rich:
I haven't yet figured out what to do with this peculiar character, beyond shuttling him to Parisiorum.
In the march on Alexander's final outpost, unfortunately, our army was attacked by a fanatical Greek Phalanx. Overcome with his own courage, the Great General Sun Tzu pushed ahead of his escorts and offered to fight them off himself:
He failed. The skirmishers were quickly eliminated, but the damage was done. Sun Tzu, master of Roman medicine, lay dead on the battlefield.
Overcome with rage, and absent the normally cautious restraint of their fallen general, the Roman soldiers broke into a mob and swarmed over Alexander's final city. By the time order was restored, the city was renamed Helenopontus:
Alexander was found hiding in a wine cellar, bedecked in women's clothing. As Caesar had promised, the Greek leader was struck down in full view of the assembled Greeks in the city's Forum. The citizens forgot their Greek ancestry and pledged vows to consider themselves Romans in all things.
With our dirty work done, I decided to call a stop to the round. Here's a look at Rome as we know it:
We are close to finishing the Horse Whisperer quest. What should we take as a reward? Sentry for our Mounted Units? +1 Food for Stables? I don't think a band of Horse Archers would do us much good at this point, though we could quickly upgrade them to Knights...
Here's a look at the Tech situation:
Only Egypt is truly even close to being our equal. I should probably do a few junk tech for cash trades, though, huh?
The Foreign Advisor:
Asoka's taking the brunt of things, I'm afraid. He's usually better-liked than that.
And, finally, our Military Advisor:
I know, I know. We ended up losing a Worker in our war with Greece! But, at this point, do we really need more? I'll build'em if they're necessary, but it sure seems like everything that needs improving is improved.
So here we stand. As so many others have said, Greece needed to die. The question is, what comes next? I think that Knights might just give us the mobility needed to roll through Russia, and they're right around the corner. Of course, sweeping through Arabia into Egypt before Hattie gets guns online is also tempting. What do you all think? And what of our new Great General? Is a new Supermedic worth promoting, or should he simply settle in Rome?
The save is a few posts up.
Jaaboo
Prince
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2008
- Messages
- 485
A very solid war of conquest. The Bear is a tempting target but I think Catherine is best served as a vassal to hold Russia and the Urals for you, and to be a buffer against any Asian adventurers. I would work towards her submission with a longer eye cast on taking on Saladin and Hattie.
bioelectricclam
Warlord
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2006
- Messages
- 244
I'll go patch right away. Thanks!
By the way, that is one powerful forum Avatar you got there. It both inspires competence in your leadership as well as your ability to do what is best for the pack.
Now that I got that silliness out of me and have read the new post, I have some thoughts:
1. Mediterranean should be a Roman lake.
2. Take out Russia completely. Siberia is basically uninhabitable so you likely won't have too many problems with Asian encroachment in the region, and you shouldn't have to use boats to move troops to the Scandinavian Peninsula. Besides, Catherine is a pretty worthless Vassal.
3. Vassalize Mali, after taking over the Confucian shrine city.
4. All this warring will of course slow down your research, but I think you could rebound with a GP Economy quickly enough once you get Forums online. Those are my thoughts, as silly as they probably are.
weekend_warrior
Warlord
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2008
- Messages
- 122
As long as your economy can handle it, keep attacking. You really need to build a spy and send him to Russia to determine their defenses. Team your Praets up with trebuchets. Build kinghts and send them far away to pillage.
huerfanista
Emperor
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2006
- Messages
- 1,276
Russia and Persia are your only serious rivals. Hattie's a wimp, you'll be able to roll over her whenever you please. Given the religious situation, I would dow Cath and vassal Russia ASAP, gifting back her cities. She'll be friendly in no time. Then take out Peria, and it'll be game over. Impressive game so far.
EDIT: I'd also set some backwater city to spamming buddhist missionaries to Mansa's cities. Convert him and he'll become a voluntary vassal and your only trouble will be having enough techs to trade for all the things he'll research for you.
silentounce
Chieftain
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2008
- Messages
- 83
Send Corny to Sinia! That should fund your economy for several turns.
IAM
Emperor
Vassal Cathy. Nice set. Your game I mean... not Cathy.
Rubbaduck
Artificial waterfowl
Both.
Send the Praetorians to Mesopotamia while preparing a more mobile cavalry force to fight Russia on the steppe, then merge the stacks, do some upgrading and reinforcing, go through India to China. If the Middle east campaign finishes considerably earlier than the Russian one some extra liberation can be done in Africa.
After China falls Japan and Mongolia are easy to pick along with Mansa, at that point you can win diplo or you can go take on Monty.
Send the Praetorians to Mesopotamia while preparing a more mobile cavalry force to fight Russia on the steppe, then merge the stacks, do some upgrading and reinforcing, go through India to China. If the Middle east campaign finishes considerably earlier than the Russian one some extra liberation can be done in Africa.
After China falls Japan and Mongolia are easy to pick along with Mansa, at that point you can win diplo or you can go take on Monty.
Brian Shanahan
Permanoob
I've had a look at the save, and it looks very good indeed, finances relatively strong, empire strong, tech good. There is only one thing I would mention, watch the AI management of specialists, I've seen a number of cities running a spy specialist and nothing else, which is probably a bit of AI 
. Anyway thanks once again, I am currently in the process of moving up to Noble on my own Civ, and your series was a big help.
. Anyway thanks once again, I am currently in the process of moving up to Noble on my own Civ, and your series was a big help.
madscientist
RPC Supergenius
There are 2 ways I would rpefer to see you go on this
1) First is to let Rome rule the world, securing the Russian fronteir then proceeding into the mdille east/India before hitting Africa and China.
2) Consolidate what you have and see at Diety if all of Europe is enough to get a SPace race win.
1) First is to let Rome rule the world, securing the Russian fronteir then proceeding into the mdille east/India before hitting Africa and China.
2) Consolidate what you have and see at Diety if all of Europe is enough to get a SPace race win.
I would take the +1 food from the stables. This bonus lasts the whole game while a band of HA are just meh. Unless you can keep it off untill guilds and then you get a band of knights if I am not mistaken.
Incredible good game so far. Cheers.
Incredible good game so far. Cheers.
SillyGoat
Warlord
Guilds will advance to the Renaissance Era, causing the Horse Whispering quest to fail if it hasn't been completed already. 
Brian Shanahan
Permanoob
Guilds will advance to the Renaissance Era, causing the Horse Whispering quest to fail if it hasn't been completed already.
It didn't in my game where I got the master blacksmith quest, BTS 3.19. According to the chart it is one of the last level medieval era techs, so he should be all right as long as he doesn't go Press, Gpwdr, Mil Trad, Lib, Edu or Nat right after it.
r_rolo1
King of myself
Code:
Quest3:
Horse Whispering
Prereq: ANIMAL_HUSBANDRY AND Horse resource
Obsolete: NATIONALISM or PRINTING_PRESS or EDUCATION or GUNPOWDER or ASTRONOMY
Active/Weight: 25/500
Aim:
Build default number of players for this world size stables (7 for standard)
Result:
1.you get default number of players for this world size Horse Archers (6 for standard)
2.All mounted units get the Sentry promotion
3.All stables provide +1 foodIt'd be nice if it gave you knights instead of horse archers. I'd go with the +1 food. Sentry is nice, but you really only need a handful of sentry mounted units at the best of times. If it was like flanking 1 for all mounted units, then that'd be something much better.
re: The Quest- Yeah, Sentry's far from ideal. But I'm pretty bad about fogbusting, anyway, so the prospect of a fleet of supervisionary horses roaming through Russia makes me giddy. Though +1 Food per city also sounds nice. And, well, if I can upgrade the Horse Archers to Knights, that might be worth it, too.
re: The big plan- I'm feeling Guilds-Engineering-Gunpowder in terms of techs, and maybe vassalize Russia-head south into Africa for a military strategy?
re: The big plan- I'm feeling Guilds-Engineering-Gunpowder in terms of techs, and maybe vassalize Russia-head south into Africa for a military strategy?
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