BOTM 250: Boudica of Celtia.
March is Women's History Month, so you're playing Boudica of the Celts. You have only two full power rivals, who have also been chosen from among the women leaders in this game. However, since Women's History can not be considered detached from the struggle with the Patriachy, there are three other leaders appearing in the game as minor nations. As such, they will never do diplomacy and will always be at war with everyone. Just like the male chauvinists they are. These minor powers will not be conquered easily. To aid you in this task, I have enabled permanent alliances, in case you decide that sisterhood is powerful.
Game settings:
Playing as: Boudica of Celtia
Rivals: 5 AIs (3 of which are minor nations)
Difficulty: Monarch
Starting Era: Ancient
Speed: Normal
Options: Permanent alliances, no goody huts, no random events
Victory Conditions: All enabled. Espionage Cultural Victories count as Cultural Victories.
Map settings:
Map: Highlands
World Wrap: Cylindrical
Mapsize: Small
Climate: Temperate
Sea level: Medium
Map latitudes: -10°S to 85°N
Boudica is Charismatic and Aggressive, and you start with Mysticism and Hunting.
The Charismatic trait gives +1 happiness/city, and -25% experience required for unit promotions
The Aggressive trait gives free Combat I promotion for melee and gunpowder units and double production speed of Barracks and Drydock
Unique unit: Gallic Warrior (replaces Swordsman)
Perhaps one of the most derided unique units, the main benefit of the gallic warrior is that it can be built with either copper or iron - it doesn't specifically need iron. It also starts with the guerilla I promotion, which gives +20% hills defence, and unlocks the more powerful guerilla II (which gives faster movement in hills).
Unique Building: Dun (replaces Walls)
The dun gives a free guerilla I promotion to all units built in its city.
Starting screenshot
This is the start of the game (click for a bigger image):
Adventurer Class bonuses:
You play on Noble level, but the AI still have Monarch level starting units.
Challenger Class Equalizers:
You play on Immortal level, but the AI still have Monarch level starting units.
To Enter the Competition:
This competition will open at 00:01 am on 24 Mar 2023, server local time (UTC-6:00). From that date and time, you'll be able to get your chosen starting save >>>here<<<.
Submit the save after your victory (or defeat) here, by
Here is a link to a list of the differences between Vanilla, Warlords and BtS.
Software Versions
Windows: This game MUST be played in Beyond the Sword (NOT Civ4 Vanilla or Warlords), patched to version 3.19, and with the BUFFY mod version 3.19.005 installed. You can download the BUFFY mod here. Players using Windows Vista or Windows 7 are encouraged to read the notes on Vista fixes here.
Macintosh: This game MUST be played in Beyond the Sword (NOT Civ4 Vanilla or Warlords), patched to version 3.19, and with the Mac BUFFY mod version 3.19.003 installed. You can download the Mac BUFFY mod here.
While playing...
Remember - for your entry to be accepted, it MUST be your first attempt to play this game, and you MUST NOT replay any turns. If you make a mistake while playing, you have to live with it, learn from it, and carry on the game without replaying.
We will open 'spoiler' threads during the month for players to discuss what happens in their games. Do not discuss any details of your game outside those threads.
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