Nobles' Club 378: Shaka of the Zulu

[AcaMetis]

The Nobles' Club series started out as a way for Noble-level (and below) players to improve their game. Most of the original participants now play at much higher levels, so this has become a way for advanced players to help others learn to play better. You can play your own game at any level and with any mod, but it would be nice to comment on the games of other players and give them advice.

Our next leader is Shaka of the Zulu, whom we last played in NC 326. The Zulu start with Agriculture and Hunting.

• Traits: Shaka is Aggressive and Expansive. Aggressive gives all Melee and Gunpowder units a free Combat I promotion, and gives a +100% bonus to Barracks and Drydocks. Expansive adds +2 to all cities, gives a +100% bonus to Granaries and Harbors, and a +25% bonus to Workers (note that the worker bonus doesn't apply to excess directly converted to ).
• The UB: The Ikhanda, a Barracks with -20% Maintenance. Little under half the effect of a Courthouses at a quarter of the price, and that from turn 0 on a building that's genuinely useful in it's own right, Ikhandas are fantastic buildings to shave off some costs while building up for the inevitable conflicts that are bound to happen.
• The UU: The Impi, a Spearman with 2 and a free Mobility promotion. A very fast and manoeuvrable unit, but one that relies on the same to shine as it's still a 4 Spear at the end of the day. Still, if you're going for an attack with Mounted units it's a better stack defender against enemy spears than another horse, and short of asking the Celts for a Guerilla II Archer this is definitely the most defensive, best scout you're going to get in the Ancient era. Sure, spears die horribly to axes, but Scouts do so even more so, and barring multiple promotions archers can't move onto a forested plains hill (or just leave) whenever they spend a turn moving into trouble.

And the start:

Spoiler map details :

Inland Sea, Temperate climate, Medium sealevel, +1 AI to balance the board.

Spoiler edits :

One strategic resource swap.

The WB-saves are attached (zipped; they are bigger than standard saves). To play, simply download and unzip it into your BTS/Saves/WorldBuilder folder. Start the game, and load your favorite MOD (if you use one, if not, check out the BUG MOD), select "Play Scenario", and look for "NC 378 Shaka Noble" (or Monarch, etc., for higher levels). You can play with your favorite MOD at the Level and Speed of your choice. From Quick-Warlord to Marathon-Deity, all are welcome! We stuck with the name "Nobles Club" because it has a cool ring to it.

Spoiler what's up with specific difficulties :

In each scenario file you can select your level of difficulty, but that doesn't give the AI the right bonus techs by itself. Use the Noble save for all levels at and below Prince. The Monarch save gives all the AI Archery. Emperor adds Hunting; Immortal adds Agriculture; Deity adds The Wheel.

Spoiler what is demigod :

The difference between Immortal and Deity difficulty is akin to the difference between Noble and Immortal. Players eventually reached a point where Immortal was too easy, but Deity was still out of reach, and so neither difficulty provided a fun experience. "Demigod" is an otherwise standard Deity game where the AIs are only given their Immortal level starting units, in an attempt to bridge the gap.

Spoiler for players on Monarch or above :

You should add archery as a tech for the barbarians (if you don't, the AI will capture their cities very early). This cannot be done in the WB save file and must be done in Worldbuilder as follows:

Spoiler how to add techs to the barbarians :

1. Zoom in all the way so you can't see the rest of the map.
2. Use the CTRL-W key (or the menu) to enter the worldbuilder. Avoid looking at the mini-map in the lower right corner.
3. By default you're in "player" mode (look in the box in the upper right; the icon that looks like a person should be selected). You'll get a drop down menu labeled with your leader's name. Barbarians are at the bottom, so cover the rest of the list with your hand if you don't want to see who else is on the map. Select "Barbarians".
4. Select the "Technologies" tab in the box on the left.
5. Find Archery (the arrow head icon; 8th row, 3rd column from the right) and click it.
6. Exit the worldbuilder.
7. Zoom out again after the map fades, and start playing.

If you're playing at higher level than Monarch, consider also giving them Hunting at Emperor, Agriculture at Immortal, and The Wheel at Deity.

Spoiler huts and events :

Note: The standard saves have no huts and have events turned off. If you want tribal villages and random events, choose the saves with "Huts" in their names. If you want huts but no events, select the Huts saves and use Custom Scenario to turn on the option that suppresses events.

 

[Fish Man]

Posted 4 minutes ago, huh? I don’t think I’ve ever been this early to an NC. Let’s see if we can impi rush somebody…

 

[AcaMetis]

I can't see a reason not to SIP, so I guess instead of questioning that I'll question building the first Worker: Shaka is EXP, but SIP has no 2 tiles in first ring to get a bonus from EXP. So it is better to grow on a Warrior/Ikhanda for the first five turns, than build the worker with the 3 forested plains tile, or is it better to start a worker straightaway and just accept not getting the EXP bonus for the first five turns? Starting techs are Agri and Hunting, so one good thing the worker can do at least .

 

[Fippy]

Worker right away is much better, unless you need a warrior for AI stealing

 

[Henrik75]

you get the worker in 11 turns if you build it right away which is more than fine. you have optimal starting techs for this start so no reason to delay the worker. you can improve your food immediately and probably start building mines right after. worker and then ikhanda pumped warriors looking good, skip archery and get economy online then smash the map with catapults->trebs like a true shaka enjoyer. i didnt click any spoilers but hoping we can do that

 

[a pen-dragon]

Re: SIP.

I would like to at least check out if there is a good alternative. Going west is bad, due to going away from the food, although it would be a great bureau cap. The south does not look interesting and it will be slow to go north, but the east looks nice so far. With scouting SE, NE it is possible to reveal lots of land to the east. If it continues to be good land and has a second food resource, I would consider going east, maybe 2E1S or 2E.

Since the scout has nothing better to do (what hut? I do not see a hut.) it might as well check our options.

 

[AcaMetis]

Isn't it better to check huts after you settle your first city anyway, because before you've settled a city huts can't give you free technologies? It has been a hot minute since I played with huts on so pardon me if that's incorrect, but I do vaguely remember there being some benefit to settling a city before popping goody huts.

 

[Thrasybulos]

I believe the start normalizer is supposed to get us two food sources in the BFC (or the equivalent with FP counted as a half source)?
In that case, one of the three fogged tiles should be food.
Considering this is jungle-latitude, if I had to bet, I'd say Pigs on the 2S 1E hill ?

 

[chinemol]

I'd like to work that riverside dye soon. SIP, worker first, farm wheat, farm dye looks appealing. probably mining, BW as techs, unless there's animals to pasture.
Scout >2East might modify settling decission, guess that's where I'll send him

 

[a pen-dragon]

Isn't it better to check huts after you settle your first city anyway, because before you've settled a city huts can't give you free technologies? It has been a hot minute since I played with huts on so pardon me if that's incorrect, but I do vaguely remember there being some benefit to settling a city before popping goody huts.

Indeed, but I was mostly referring to me, and probably a sizable portion of the players here, playing without huts.

 

[Mitchum]

This looked like an interesting start so I figured I would give it a try.

Immortal, no huts, no events.

Spoiler 1000 BC Status :

Checked east with scout and found nothing interesting so I SIP.
6 cities, 13 pops
1. SIP Capital
2. Pigs NE
3. Gold N
4. Ivory-W (MM settled the ivory south of us early)
5. Copper/marble E
6. Dyes W
+1 settler partially built.

Mining -> BW -> AH -> Wheel -> Pottery -> Writing
+47b @ -28g
+18b sustainable

6 workers + 1 partially built
7 warriors + starting scout
4 granaries
1 barracks/Ikhanda
4 libraries under construction

I have killed 4 lions, 4 barb warriors and 1 barb archer. I am now completely fog busting my area and haven't seen any barbs for 20+ turns.

I have met:
Mansa Musa (4 cities) -> I have eyes on his research and he has IW and is current researching Monarchy
Saladin (4 cities) -> has Alphabet but I have nothing to trade
Augustus (4 cities)
Justinian (8 cities) -> founder of Buddhism; the rest of us are still heathens
I have 1 warrior going SE and another going NE to meet the rest of the AI.

I'm not 100% sure where I will go from here but all options are still on the table. I will likely go for conquest/domination.

 

[chinemol]

Spoiler imm renaissance :

Am I the only one who had to use Impi's against Saladin's forward settling? Mansa kept himself small and no issues except for the wall. Saladin kept trying to land grab. Declared on him twice after for diplo points with Augustus. Otherwise, the West is basically mine from northern cows and northern gold, down to southern corn and nearby copper and marble..
Currently capitulated Mansa with cuirs. It was a late attack, a lot of tech trade going on. Saladin is a vassal of Aug. One tech away from cavalry attack on free religion Pericles (maybe will start right away).
Converted to Justinian and Zara's religion, though Just dislikes Mansa. Don't think I'll beat them before rifles
Monty is isolated and disliked

 

[Mitchum]

Immortal, no huts, no events.

Spoiler 1 AD Status :

9 cities, 42 pops
+204b @ -66g
+127b sustainable @ 60% slider
Aesthetics -> Literature -> Music (free Great Artist to be used for a Golden Age) -> CoL -> Philosophy (bulb) -> CS (50% done). I will have my second GS in 5 turns to bulb part of Education.
I traded for a few basic techs plus IW, Alphabet, Math, Monarchy, Metal Casting and Currency

11 workers (I captured a barb worker wandering around deep in my territory! I have never seen this before but thanks, Sid.)
9 granaries
8 libraries
7 barracks/Ikhanda
3 forges (5 more under construction)

I'm running Slavery, Heredity Rule and Organized Religion although I haven't declared a religion yet and will do so this turn since I just went into OR.

It's been a peaceful game for me so far although there are two other wars raging. Mansa went WHEOOHRN and I only had warriors defending my cities. Luckily, he learned Currency in the next few turns and I begged 50 gold and he stopped plotting.

I'm leading in tech (along with Mansa) and am in a very winnable position. I will likely rush to Cuirassiers and see how far I can get.