leaderhead background text

[davidlallen]

This thread is for creation and discussion of the leaderhead background text in the pedia.

 

[davidlallen]

As of version 0.8, there are 16 LH, of which 3 have "good" background text in the pedia: Halloween Jane, Christopher Lehman, and Stein.

I have a spreadsheet at this link which gives the names, pictures and statistics for the leaders. It is up to date for the 0.8 release.

If you are interested, you could help me by writing more backgrounds. It may be possible to add new graphics, but this is challenging; so it is better to come up with a background that matches one of the existing graphics.

In addition to the background, a capitol city name, 20 other city names following the theme, a first contact quote or two, and a suggestion for a flag would make the whole thing come together.

EDIT: oh, and unique units too. Forgot about that, but it's one of the main points for having fewer leaderheads.

 

[KillerClowns]

I've fallen in love with Hopeville; both the flavor and the civ itself. As often happens when I play civ at night, a background for Brandi and her people formed in my mind. If it's a bit long, I might trim it.

Spoiler :

Jack had been wandering for five days now. How he had survived the Apocolypse was beyond him; his family lay dead, and the basement of his house had barely survived. Even then, only by a miracle. If his radio was to be believed, the once-civilized world was now infested with lunatics. He had heard the lamentations of those who believed the world damned, the testosterone-fueled rantings of men turned into savages, and the insane babblings of would-be prophets.

But in all this terrible mess, a single voice had called out. The voice of an angel. "I am Brandi, of Hopeville. Any who need shelter, food, a warm bed, come to Hopeville. We have all that, and more. None will be turned away." And she had even given directions to reach this wonderful place. Jack had laughed. He had suspected this dreamer's paradise would be overrun by the lunatics infesting the rest of the airwaves. Perhaps it already was. Perhaps it was merely a trap, some murderous siren as bad as the rest. That was a risk he was willing to take. He had nothing to lose. If things turned sour, he figured, he had his six-shooter. Kill five of them, then end it all.

***

At first, Jack thought it a mirage, or a delusion. But as he approached, the settlement seemed perfectly real. It was remarkably clean, although outside its barricades were strewn with the remnants of countless motorbikes. The soldiers in the watchtower eyed him warily. Jack put his hands in the air to signal his intents. The soldiers nodded their understanding and flipped a light. Yellow. It was then Jack spotted a figure dashing out of the settlement. He wasn't sure how to react, so he kept his hands up. He assumed the young woman coming for him was going to check him for weapons. But she continued running, before giving Jack what seemed a combination of a tackle and an embrace. This was his first human contact since the Apocolypse, and he wasn't sure how to react. "Do I... know you?" The woman smiled sweetly and shook his hand before speaking. "I'm Brandi. I take it you found your way here from our radio transmission? Come on in, you must be exhausted!" With that, Brandi grabbed his hands and practically dragged him into camp.

As soon as Jack passed through the settlement's gates, a tall, grim man wearing scrap metal armor over the remnants of a butler's uniform grabbed him. "Hello stranger." "You don't have to be so rude, Mortimer," Brandi insisted to the man. Mortimer looked at Brandi with a weary smile. "And you don't have to personally greet every poor fool who wanders into this camp. He could've killed you..." Brandi ignored him pointedly and bustled off to a soup kitchen. Mortimer examined Jack. "I'll be having that gun..." Jack slowly pulled it out and handed it, pointing towards himself, to Mortimer. "Smart move." Mortimer said, and then softened. "Sorry, security, you understand. We weren't exactly prepared for this... none of us."

Mortimer showed Jack to a large building that, at one time, had been a beautiful mansion. "We've set up cots here. Find yourself one. East wing is medical, so stay out of there unless you're sick." "Thank you..." Jack said, but Mortimer didn't seem to hear. "It's funny," Mortimer said, more to himself then Jack. "She's so much like her father... but she got the best parts of her mother as well. Her father knew this was coming. He didn't care... he'd helped cause it, and he was willing to die in it. Ever since his wife died, Brandi was all he lived for. When he knew the time had come, he told me to get Brandi in the bunker, then went off into the woods. I suggested Brandi should invite her friends over for a party in the bunker, but she figured out what was happening. She got practically the entire town, from the noblest old men to the worst criminals, in that bunker. Men, women, children. Twice as many as the bunker was meant to hold, but she made it work... and she managed the entire town afterwards. Spearheaded the rebuilding. That's her father's smarts. But she also got her mother's compassion. Always held out hope for even the worst among us. And it's contagious; common criminals, who I was sure would be looting by now, have turned into model citizens. Brandi can't stand fighting, even though she masterminded our defensive plan. Always cries about the raiders that attack... insists we bury the scum. I don't know how long we can keep on like this. But if we fall to some raiding party that's a bit tougher then the rest... at least we tried. Maybe it's better to die like this, as men rebuilding what was lost, then to live like savages..." With that, Mortimer walked off, leaving Jack to begin his new life.

Anyways, as to Hopeville. I cannot help but think that while the color scheme is perfect for them, if a unicorn flag could be found, that'd be all too fitting. Unicorns are essentially the very tasty symbols of naive love for the world in general. Or rainbows. A smiley face might be a bit too cheesy. I'm not so sure about the UU. I'm thinking of modified calvary, for some reason. (Horsies!) Or, of course, you could go the India path with improved workers... but I feel like that'd be taking the easy way out. Then again, I'm not sure what an appropriate Calvary UU would be, in terms of abilities...

 

[davidlallen]

That fits what I was thinking, and it's very atmospheric. I will try to make a lipstick pink unicorn flag. (There are too many civs in the purple/blue family, and I freed up pink from Chen.)

 

[Jabie]

See post #6 of http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=283206 for background to an Aboriginal culture.

I'll paste up another background shortly.

 

[Jabie]

This is the Civilization background for the Army of the New Dawn, a survivalist cult.

**************

ASIO #21546/RD-1

Last Updated: 04/07/2072
Group Name: The Army of the New Dawn
Sub-classifications: Cult, Survivalists
Threat Assessment: Low
Suggested Action: Watch-list only; review in six months

The Army of the New Dawn is a small cult operating primarily in the Western Territories. Ostensibly a survivalist movement, the Army claims that it provides training holidays for stressed city executives and other AB professionals. The focus of such holidays is a mixture of survival studies and low level combat skills. A fair, if somewhat derogatory criticism, is that the group is little more than paint-ballers and boy scouts.

To add verisimilitude to the experience, a number of scenarios are often presented in very black and white terms. Teams must evade capture, infiltrate enemy bases, forage for food, repair machinery, often within a limited time-span with one or more assailants bearing down on their position.

Each evening, the group’s founder gives a series of lectures. Whilst primarily focused on survivalist techniques, these lectures are often nihilistic in tone. Drenched in religious imagery, the subtext is that mankind has been abandoned by God and must make his own way in the world.

The group follows a hierarchical structure. New attendees are known as First Rays. Those that continue to return to the group are elevated to the status Dawn Flecks. Sufficient expertise and financial support brings the member to Burning Cloud status. The most trusted lieutenants of the cult are called Wide Horizons, whilst the leader is known as Bright Light. (Reference: ASIO #21546/PD-1)

The group has recently been stockpiling automatic weapons and food supplies and has recently undertaken a project to build Another Tomorrow, a small underground facility which the Bright Light claims will have the capacity to withstand a nuclear strike.

 

[Jabie]

This is the background for the leader of the survivalist cult, Bright Light.The suggested intro (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=281483) is meant to have been said by him.

Bright light is very loosely modelled on Jim Jones. Again, I've written it as though it's an AISO (http://www.asio.gov.au/) report

************

ASIO #21546/PD-1

Last Updated: 05/07/2072
Group Name: John James
Myers-Briggs Evaluation: ENFP
DoB: 04/10/2041
Threat Assessment: Low to Medium
Suggested Action: Watch-list only; review in six months

John James was born into the suburbs of Auckland to middle-class parents. His school record was modest, if uninspired, with the only captaincy of the school’s Aussie Rules Football differentiating him from the average pupil.

An economics student at the University of Sydney, James would have passed with satisfactory results and gone into a well-paid career in one of Sydney’s financial institutions, had it not been for psychotic episode. It was believed that this episode was probably drug-induced. Circumstantial evidence points to heavy use of both Ecstasy and LSD.

Following his recovery, James used his business skills to found the Army of the New Dawn, nominally a survivalist holiday resort for stressed city executives, but it secretly a cover for a nascent cult of personality based on James’ own paranoid delusions.

Studies of James’ financial and tax records show that he has been embezzling funds. It is suspected that these may be being used to supplement a drug habit, and it is suggested that this is probably the best course of entry to infiltrate this group and keep and eye on it’s movements.

 

[Jabie]

Army of the New Dawn. Suggested Traits: Financial, Aggressive

Army of the New Dawn Cities

1. Another Tomorrow
2. Sunrise
3. Dusk End
4. Sky's Call
5. Hearth
6. Fire Ridge
7. Solar Plains
8. Summer's Breath
9. Burn
10. Growth Valley
11. Orange Vale
12. Horizon's Cry
13. Stratus
14. Nimbus
15. Cumulus
16. Pale Shroud
17. Twylight's Gloom
18. Crisp
19. Palm Seeds
20. New Dawn

 

[davidlallen]

@jabie: I saw your post about Durrgim a while back. I like your other ones, but Durrgim's struck me as more "mystical" and less "apocalyptic". Just an opinion, of course, but that one didn't seem to match the tone as well as the others.

I like the two Army ones. I had never really planned to allow mixing civs and leaders, which has the side benefit of only needing 14 writeups (now down to 14 civs) instead of 28. I will probably put your two writeups together for the LH art "Viktor of Phoenix Army". The ASIO format makes sense for a military unit, but don't feel obligated to do any future ones that way.

Thanks! Want to take a crack at a more violent biker type? The writeups so far are on the "good" and "neutral" side mostly, even Stein doesn't seem like such a bad guy. We need a Humongous or a Toecutter, with little redeeming qualities.

 

[Jabie]

A challenge, eh?

*************

“Y’see the thing is, four-eyes, the thing ya gotta understand, the thing you geeks never got, is that this aint the world you made any more, this is the world the way it oughta be. Back in the day, man used to have to be a fighter. Man like me would have hisself whatever he wanted. Wine, p*ssy, food... if yer wanted it, you took it. Nature’s way of killing off the weak, but I guess yer type turned it’s back on nature. ‘Parrently it weren’t civilised, ‘parrently man’s not meant to stand up for himself no more, ‘parrently it was wrong.

“Oh. You musta thought you were so clever, with yer bean-counting and yer penny-pinching and yer fancy new-age bullsh*t foods and yer foreign holidays. Bet it made yer feel real good getting up every day and wakin’ up to yer beautiful wife and yer photos of Jocasta and Cuthbert and wonderin’ if you gonna get some of her sweet ass tonight.

“Yeah, you mus’ be real proud of all what you gone and did. When them nukes went up, you musta took yer hat off and throwed it up in the air and whooped and hollered at how powerful you woz. All them kids beatin’ on you in the playground and you woz the biggest one after all. Yep, all them burnt out husks and raging fires and dead kiddies in the street, you sure showed ‘em.

“Course, maybe I got you figgered wrong. Maybe yer still got some smarts where it counts. Maybe yer got what it takes to make out now, so I’m gonna give yer the same chance I got. This here’s mah old cell-block. You got a real perdy view. Aint it bootiful? I think it’s bootiful. I figgered you was one for art appreciation, and that’s got to be the most bootiful thing I ever done see. I love the way the smoke lingers in the air. You know, on a good day you can still smell the flesh. Smells like roast pork. And if’n yer gets hungry nuff, ye’d swear yer could almost taste it.

“So I’m givin’ yer the same chance me and the boys got. ‘f yer can work out how me and the boys got out of the jail they forgot to nuke, jes maybe there might be a place for yer at Dry County.”

 

[davidlallen]

Sounds good! Maybe, famous jail names for the cities, Alcatraz, etc?

 

[KillerClowns]

My idea for the Centurions went through several incarnations. All consisted of people obsessed with Roman history and/or Italians, from a Rome-obsessed businessman to its final form, which is as follows. I figured that Ares should be the last guy you'd expect to step up and lead, but at the same time be the kind of person who loves pomp and granduer.

Spoiler :

Me and Travis couldn't believe the old bunker had stood up. Some long-dead eccentric had built it expecting the end of the world would be in his lifetime. He might've been wrong, but turns out he hadn't been off by that much. Travis' brother-in-law, some well-placed bureaucrat, warned him a bunker might be a smart place to spend a few days. Of course, Travis couldn't keep his mouth shut, so damn near everyone is trying to get themselves in this thing. The military had vanished earlier, presumably to help the government, leaving us to nothing but mob rule.

Until Ares Giovanni showed up. Yeah, that was his legal name. Italian fellow. He was a bit arrogant, and had a total obsession with the Roman Empire, but he was the one who stepped up to become leader. He clearly knew how to organize people, and was used to giving orders. We'd not seen much of him before, but I suppose the impending Apocolypse brought the leader out in him.

Since nobody else had any better ideas, we followed him, no matter how weird it got. We weren't a bunch of survivors, we were a "Legion." He had color schemes for each survivor group, fancy names for them. Gave out all sorts of colorful titles to people. Tom the Grocer became "High Minister of Rations and Supplies." Edward, captain of the local rugby team, became "Supreme Legion Commander." Even Bill, the crazy old bum who'd been ranting about this for years, was declared "Grand Prophet of the Temple of Mercury." His knowledge of actual Roman history was questionable, but he gave the impression of being the next Caesar. And everyone loved getting fancy titles. Made them feel important. I always wondered where his commanding talent came from, until Travis figured it out.

[Original Ending]
"Dude, I told you I'd seen him somewhere before! Ares, I mean. Can't believe I didn't recognize him before." Travis had just gotten done scouring the video store, so I had a wild guess. "He's an actor, isn't he?" Travis nodded. "Not just any actor. I had a huge collection of his stuff. 'Climax of the Roman Empire.' 'The Baths of Pompeii.' He even directed 'The Rise of Caligula.' That's a classic, man. Probably explains why he's so good at giving orders." I laughed. "I thought the only videos you owned were porn." When I said this, Travis simply smiled. "Wait," I said, contemplating the names of the movies he'd listed. "Do you mean to say all this time, we've been following a man who's sole knowledge of Roman history comes from acting in and directing Rome-flavored pornography?" Travis grinned impishly at my shocked stare. "Exactly. I don't think we should mention this, though. I'd say Ares is our best hope for leadership in this dump. I mean, think about it. He's used to bossing people around. He knows how to work with a small budget. He's got the sort of style and flair that inspires confidence in people. And trust me, he's got balls, literally and figuratively. So, let's just keep this between you and me, eh?"

[Alternate ending]
"Dude, I told you I'd seen him somewhere before! Ares, I mean. Can't believe I didn't recognize him before." Travis had just gotten done scouring the video store, so I had a wild guess. "He's an actor, isn't he?" Travis nodded. "Not just any actor. I had a huge collection of his stuff. 'Triumph of the Roman Empire.' 'The Destruction of Pompeii.' He even directed 'The Fall of Caligula.' That's a classic, man. Probably explains why he's so good at giving orders." I laughed. "I thought the only videos you owned were porn." Travis chuckled. "Naw, man. I've got a taste for really campy b-movies as well. The cheesier the better. And when it comes to being campy, ol' Ares takes the cake. He knows it to, that's what I love about him." I couldn't help but snicker. "So, we're taking orders from a guy who directs straight-to-video movies about the Roman Empire?" Travis smiled impishly. "Pretty much. But I still say Ares is our best hope for leadership in this dump. I mean, think about it. He's used to bossing people around. He knows how to work with a small budget. He's got the sort of style and flair that inspires confidence in people. And worst case scenario, it'll be a wild ride."

EDIT:
Idea for Ares' UU: Imperial Chariot. Calvary replacement, starts with Road Warrior I.
His flag and color schemes are fine as is. But if you're insistent upon changing his flag for the sake of uniqueness, I'd say go with the old Roman symbol of virility and manliness, the cock rooster.
EDIT 2: On another note, an idea for the Hopeville UU. Peacekeeper, Guardian replacement with a bonus against Utes and wheeled vehicles. It's not all that flavorful, but it makes sense for Hopeville to have a defensive UU to stop fast-moving raiders.
EDIT 3: Provided an "alternate ending." I leave the modmaster to choose. I like the original, but if you find my suprise ending... too suprising...

 

[davidlallen]

Er, a porn star? I was with you up till the last paragraph. I have to think about that one. I am not sure I want to know what city names you were thinking of

I like the idea of the Centurion UU. For Hopeville UU, I like the name Peacekeeper, but I also like your previous idea of "horsies!". So I would think about some kind of cavalry mod.

I did research a set of 20 famous jail names for Ironhead, so that background is "in".

 

[KillerClowns]

Er, a porn star? I was with you up till the last paragraph. I have to think about that one. I am not sure I want to know what city names you were thinking of ...

Actually, I was thinking they'd be in Italian...
I personally couldn't resist, but if you like, I can modify it to go with the other idea I had. (Actually, there was yet another idea I abandoned that makes the pornstar route seem tame...) He was originally going to be a washed up B-movie actor/director. But then I said, "screw it, if he's going to be an actor in third-rate movies, why not go all the way? Let him have some fun! Besides, who else would get a name like Ares?"
Anyways, I editted in an alternate ending. Your choice. Besides, there's always good odds some modmodder will decide to put in the "unrated director's cut" even if you don't. And I had fun writing that.

 

[davidlallen]

Thanks, I will go with the alternate ending. I have found that having non-vanilla city names adds more flavor than I realized, so can you suggest city names which are not real Roman cities / not in the existing Rome city list? Maybe, names of cities from real b-movies? Those might be too obscure though.

 

[KillerClowns]

For city names, I got nothing.
But I do have an idea for a calvary-based Hopeville UU. Two, actually. Use one, neither, or both.
First idea: is it possible for a unit to specifically have a bonus against Barbarians? It'd be of limited use, but considering the ferocity of this game's barbs...
Second idea: I find myself often posting sentries to make sure barbs can't spawn. And they're often calvary, in the early game. What about calvary with a longer line of sight, to make it harder for barbs to spawn?

 

[davidlallen]

Second idea: I find myself often posting sentries to make sure barbs can't spawn. And they're often calvary, in the early game. What about calvary with a longer line of sight, to make it harder for barbs to spawn?

Excellent.

In related news, this one should be a cakewalk: Stevie of the Aquarians (that's a girl, and a pretty one too). City names: Harmony, Saffron, Ashram, Haight, Woodstock, Starbright, Chakra, Isis, Crystal City, Purple Haze, Revelation, Garcia, Radiance, Destiny, Lotus, Nimbin, Lennon, Ashbury, Eclipse, Bright Eyes

Flag:

 

[KillerClowns]

Can't help you with the Aquarians; one of the other brilliant minds lurking around should be able to.

But I got to thinking about the Nighthawks. They're a bit vanilla right now...

Spoiler :

Brian set up his camera. It was a bulky thing, and a real pain to haul around. But obviously, the suit-wearing idiots who were paying him wanted a TV show, not a journal. Without their money, he'd never be able to pay off all that he owed. So the camera came with him wherever he went, along with his trusty knife and the few other survival necessities. That was the thing about civilization, though. Always making things more complicated then they had to be. His audience doubtless loved living vicariously through him, pretending they were learning about survival... things they'd bring up at fancy cocktail parties, if they remembered them at all. "Idiots, all of them," Brian grumbled to himself. Then he remembered. "You gotta smile all pretty-like for the camera." So he did, and flipped it on.

"It's me third day out 'ere in the Outback, mates." He milked his accent for all it was worth. Americans did love those accents. "I'm settin' up a fire out of some dry brush to cook this 'ere rabbit I caught in me trap." With that, Brian demonstrated how to make a fire for people who probably assumed cavemen had used matches. "Bein' able to make a fire is really important, becuase..."

It was then Brian heard the explosion. He turned around to see, on the distant horizon, a mushroom cloud billowing up. "What the?!" Several more followed, in what he reckoned by his compass and his knowledge of the local geography to be the locations of various cities, military bases, towns, universities... For a few moments, Brian stared in shock as the clouds grew. Civilization. All of mankind's hard work, gone. Brian thought about it, and then realized something. He was free. His debts had been erased by nuclear fire. His harpy of an ex-wife was now ash. He didn't have to stand through one more party, sign autographs for one more armchair explorer.

More then that. Once he had been something of a freak. The wild man, to be displayed occasionally. A lunatic who would surrender the comforts of home to pit his wits against nature. But now... all those fat cats would need someone to give them orders. Someone who could save their pathetic little lives, since all their college degrees and "culture" meant nothing now. That's when Brian made his decision. He could imagine it. Beautiful women offering him anything if he'd protect them... once powerful men reduced to kissing his toes... all those hippies who complained about him learning what Mother Nature was really like... all his fairweather fans discovering that remembering a few neat tricks isn't enough in the real world... this world was his world, and he was going to take it.

He began seeking followers, others who had survived. Those like him were given rank, and power, while others were reduced to humiliation and pleading in exchange for their best chance for survival. And those who refused to grovel before him faced death. Perhaps by his hand. Perhaps by one of his lieutenants. Perhaps by the cruel whims of nature. It didn't matter to Brian. All that mattered that the world was as it was meant to be.

So, long story short. Passive-aggressive TV survival expert deciding to take out his vengence upon civilization and become king of the world. I know the Pheonix Army are technically a survivalist group as well, but that's about all they have in common with Brian and his ragtag band of survivors.
I've noticed something of a pattern, between my own 'pedia of Stein, Jabie's Ironhead, and possibly the Pheonix Army, that continues here. Most of the "evil" civs (the ones you wouldn't want to meet in the middle of the badlands) are either survivalists or others who are basically social Darwinists, embracing the destruction of civilization as their chance for power. The possible exception is the House of Usher, but they're only arguably evil; there's a good argument to be had that they're more Chaotic Neutral. They might invite you in for a party, or they might loot you. But I'm thinking there should be more "evil" civs that doesn't follow this pattern, that didn't benefit from the apocolypse and was doing fine with the status quo. Sadly, I'm presently out of ideas for what this should be...

 

[Rasma]

This one actually seems like a bit of a challenge from the spread sheet lol
organized and financial with state property and the merchant guild as vision.
But here is a shot.

Not much is known about Stevie from before the end but I don't think I would be here if she had not been there for us.
It started well we were gathering supplies when we heard a yell.
"We must work together to bring a brighter future!"
Those were the words she said to us as we looked up to her
"If we do not work together we are doomed to die alone."
"This day those of you who wish to follow the vision of public gain follow with me, we will share the fruits of our gain with you."
That is how many of the gatherings went, we were joined by more and more, until we came to the ruins of an old town that looked abandoned, she spoke again.
"Today we will begin our new lives for the betterment of us all."
And with those words we set about to fix up the town.
And now, look at us we are thriving and not fighting about who gets what we all work together.

 

[davidlallen]

@KillerClowns: I agree with your comments about the "alignments" of the existing writeups: Ironhead is the only one who might be considered on the "evil" side, Usher on the "chaos" side.

I can think of several possibilities for the evil or chaos side. Several of the LH I have removed had the short description "XXX biker gang", like "Japanese biker gang" or "Viking biker gang". Not much to go on, I know. But existing biker gangs would be highly likely to survive. Also criminal organizations like a black market / gun runner type. I was thinking of Brian as more of a "Conan" type, a good fighter who -- as it turns out -- is also a ruthless but effective leader. I was thinking of Mick, maybe, as a gun runner or some other illegal organization who now has an opportunity to own cities too.