Noob plays crippled version of China on warlord

[fishjie]

KEYWORD NOOB!

This tale chronicles the history of the Chinese, a haughty and proud people who believed they were superior to all. This is evident when you realize that the literal translation for China is "Middle Kingdom", or "Hey we're the center of universe ok?".

The basic idea is to cripple myself in the medieval age by not setting research to zero (lone scientist), and not trade for tech either (suing for peace and stealing tech ok). Once two or more civs have reached industrial, I'll start researching and trading again. I'll tweak this as I go to make sure it remains challenging. Since I'm pretty begginer it should be fine.

I will play this game so that it somewhat vaguely parallels China's history, by gaining (or at least trying to) a scientific lead in the ancient age (this represents the fact that the Chinese were very technologically advanced during ancient times), squandering it in the medieval era (lone scientist research - representing the prideful emperors who felt that there was no point in the pursuit of knowledge), mantaining an isolationist policy during medieval (no trading for techs - the prideful stance of the Chinese who believed they were superior to all and didn't need to trade), and building Sun Tzu's as well as a completely useless Great Wall

Btw, all the pics are in this gallery here:
http://www.twango.com/channel.aspx?channelname=jie.civ3

In the posts, I will link to the original full size images. Alternatively, you can click the thumbnails in the link above, and then click AGAIN on the larger image to view the actual originals.

Set up: Standard size, Continents with 70% water, roaming barbs.

Enemies will be the Japanese, Mongolians, Koreans, Russians, Zulu, Greeks and Indians. All victory conditions allowed.

I'm gonna play on warlord because I'm a noob and since I'm gonna be crippling myself with all these rules I'm gonna need all the help I can get. I'm not exactly great, but I can do OK on regent, so friendly playing advice is appreciated (just keep in mind my research is gonna be all wack due to the fact that I am FORCING myself to build the Great Wall of China). Anyway here's the story:

Historians debate when the Chinese civilization first came into existence. Archaelogical finds seem to confirm that the nomadics tribes by the mouth of the Yellow River settled down and formed the first Chinese city, Beijing, around roughly 4000 BC. These peoples were skilled warriors and builders, and convinced the nomads in the region nearby to join their new settlement as well.

The beggining of a new civilization

Now, the first clay artifacts were not found in China until many centuries later, and this seems to indicate that the Chinese had not developed the skills to create pottery yet. Evidence suggests that the Chinese people were starting to experiment with clay though. However, it would be a while before the perfected the methods involved in creating pottery.

Research

Around 3500 B.C. a few Chinese hunters volunteered to explore the surrounding territory. They headed west towards the mountains, so that they would be able to get a better vantage point with which to study the lay of the land. These nomads would eventually return centuries later, having met a neighbouring tribe, the Japanese. They brought back knowledge of an important new discovery, an invention known as the wheel, as well religion. In return, they taught the Japanese in the ways of warfare.

Exploration

Encouraged by this turn of events, some adventerous villagers decided to found a new settlement further down the river in 2310 BC, at a site that is now modern day Shanghai.

Shanghai

In 1990 BC, a third Chinese city, Canton, was created. A bountiful supply of cattle nearby was most likely the reason this spot was chosen.

In the next few centuries, the Chinese settlers began to spread out, founding many more new cities and making sure to connect them via a system of roads. Archaelogical digs indicate that these cities were still of relatively small size. There was strong evidence to suggest that the Chinese had mastered bronze and iron, developed a rudimentary system of arithmetic, and was well on its way to developing its first written language.

The Chinese empire at 1225 BC

 

[Atropos]

Are you allowing yourself to buy/steal techs in the middle ages?

Don't forget to start a prebuild for the Great Wall in due course.

 

[Sima Qian]

Very interesting variant (and difficult, I would add). Are you going to let the Mongols and Japanese invade your cities first before attacking them back?

I would agree that the Great Wall often screws up Chinese gameplay big time because of the badly timed GA, but on warlord level you could possibly afford to build the Great Wall a bit later. See if you can research monarchy or republic early, then get currency before construction. If you prebuild the Great Wall with a palace, and switch it to the wonder once you research construction, you might be able to pull off completing it in the middle ages, under a non-despotic government.

Of course, if you try that, you run the risk of losing the Great Wall to an AI civ, so be careful. I wasn't able to take that risk in one of my games (check the first link in my signature), and so it probably cost me significantly later in the game.

 

[AutomatedTeller]

I think that if you go all out for monarchy, you should be able to trade up to get construction pretty easily. And, on warlord, you get good bonuses.

Or you can beeline for construction and then for monarchy as you are building the wall. Biggest problem might be cascades, though...

 

[fishjie]

Are you allowing yourself to buy/steal techs in the middle ages?

Don't forget to start a prebuild for the Great Wall in due course.

yeah, that's what i plan to do, also hopefully get the Great library of course. i'm playing on warlord cause i'm nowhere near good enough at regent to try anything like this without getting horribly destroyed. okay i'll play (and write) again in a few hours or so

 

[Marsden]

Is a few hours up, yet? Just checking. Don't give up.

 

[carmen510]

Update? Real nice start btw.

 

[fishjie]

lol okay time for an update!

well after spending some time playing Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and doing other stuff, I decided to get back into the game. Thinking over the rules I set for myself, I realize I'm in way over my head. Im nowhere near good enough.

Soooooooooooo, here's what I've finally decided upon. These should allow me to "roleplay" China, while still providing a pretty decent challenge (at least for someone who doesnt really know what theyre doing )

- Must build Great Wall
- Must build Sun Tzus Art of War
- Can only be in Monarchy and Communism as governments.
- Can trade during ancient ages (heh I realized I accidentally traded with Japan at the start)
- During middle ages must set science slider to 0, AND cannot trade with other civs - UNTIL two oher civs have reached industrial. Also stealing and suing for peace (and getting techs) are ok. At that point I can do whatever it takes to catch up. There, that's the biggest change to my rules, and I'm sticking by em.

OKAY, story update coming in a coupla minutes.......

 

[fishjie]

In 1075 the Chinese built their first ships to explore the open seas. The Malacca Strait to the east beckoned to early travelers, and brave adventurers began to cross it to explore the unknown land on the other side. Tales soon returned of the people who inhabited this unexplored territory: They were known as the Zulus. Rumors and whispers soon travelled back about a nation of fierce warlike people who were as aggressive as they were greatly skilled in combat.

Discovery of a new continent

At the time being though, there was no real threat as the Malacca Strait prevented any real credible invasion force by the Zulus. So, the Chinese and the Zulus had an uneasy peace between them, and agreed to an exchange of knowledge and wisdom. Though the records concerning this exchange have long since been lost, it has been said that both sides profitted greatly from this, but it is said that the Chinese gained an advantage.

In 900 BC the current ruler of China, a despot according to historical records, ordered the construction of the Great Wall. It was also around this time that the philosophers of this period developed the idea of the "mandate of heaven", the notion that the ruler (the "son of heaven") governed by divine right.

The scribes during this period recorded many of the meetings between the ruler and his advisors:

Emperor: "Why are we building a worthless temple in Beijing? This manpower could be diverted into making our nation largers, bigger, and stronger. It could be used to form mighty armies to smite our neighbors to the North."

Advisor: "Sir, it is always a good idea to gain favor with the gods. They appointed you as ruler of this nation, and it would be wise to honor them with this temple. Not doing so could have dire consequences for the kingdom. Remember that the gods can take away your mandate just as easily."

"Do you dare threaten me? Guards, drag this man to jail!"

Later on, the emperor considered the words of his advisor and released him from prison.

Emperor: "I have pondered your advice and have decided to spare your life. Very well then, I shall allow the completion of this temple. But I REFUSE to let any more people build any more temples in any more cities. The only one they should worship is ME! Now, on to the next order of business: I would like to begin construction on a great wall spanning our entire nation! Our lands must be secure from both the Zulu and the Japanese, and such a wall would provide the necessary defenses."

Advisor: "But sir ... with all due respect, perhaps we should be focusing on other areas of development. There are other more pressing matters ..."

Emperor: "More pressing than the defense of our nation? Are you questioning my judgement?"

Advisor: "No, I am just providing some advice for you. As you wish, once construction on the temple is complete, we shall go ahead and begin construction. One final thing. Our settlers have established a new city, Tienstin, near the tundra to the South."


Tienstin founded in a (horrible?) location, and great wall construction begins

 

[fishjie]

In 950 BC tensions between the Chinese and the Japanese reached a boiling point. Land was running out as the Chinese continued to rapidly expand. Their empire soon bordered that of the Japanese and it was clear to the current emperor that a peaceful co-existence with his neighbors would not be possible. He was out to win more glory for himself and that would mean an increase of land under his rule, and he would achieve this through force.

A massive strike force was assembled outside the city of Osaka, ready to attack once the order was given. In doing so the emperor took a risk by leaving Chengdu completely exposed. He stationed a few archers several miles away, which would give him enough time to respond, in case the Japanese launched a counterattack on his exposed northeastern front.

No such attack came. The fury of the Chinese attack stunned the Japanese, whose slow spearmen fell to the onslaught of the archers who rained down death with their arrows. The Chinese armies rolled Northward onto the capital city of Kyoto, where it was soon besieged and conquered in 710 BC.

Enjoying their success, the emperor ordered them to take down Edo as well. Drunk off their success, the armies marched toward the gates of Edo, where but a small army of spearman, cut off from reinforcements, defended the entire city.

The Chinese armies advanced. There were a total of 5 archer divisions, and one warrior division. A reserve archer division would be on its way as well. What followed was a very humiliating defeat. The entire assault was repelled and soundly defeated by the spearmen. If not for the reserve archer division, the city of Edo would not have fallen in 650 BC. It was razed to the ground as punishment for the heavy losses it infliced upon the Chinese.

Despite the temporary setback caused by the embarassment at Edo, the Chinese continued to press forward, massing an army against Tokyo. In 630 BC, the Japanese sent a division of their own archers and defeated a Chinese archer division in battle. In 610 BC, the Chinese were attacked once more by Japanese archers. This time however, it was a clever ruse designed to draw the Japanese outside of the city. The trap worked and the Japanese archers were surrounded and destroyed. Once the Japanese counter-offensive had been stuffed, the Chinese forces moved in and conquered Tokyo. Yet rumors persisted that the Japanese had not been completely eliminated....

In the meantime, the new emperor could care less. The Japanese had become a non-issue, and it was time to begin settling. Some barbarians who had taken up residence in the arctic tundra to the South had to be cleared out. Outposts were created in these areas to prevent further barbarian incursions.

Up North, the city of Anyang was founded in 370 BC, mainly so that the emperor could have access to ivory.

As the centuries passed, the Chinese continued to press further north, into a land with heavy jungles and very little . What they once had thought was a small continent with little room for expansion had turned out to be a large landmass. To the North were heavy jungles. Scouts were sent out to explore the area. Two new civilizations were encountered at this time, the Koreans and the Russians. There was also speculation that the land of the Zulus, once thought to be an island unto itself, might actually be connected to the very same continent China was! This was eventually discovered to be false. There was indeed, a narrow canal that seperated the two continents.

It is important to note that around 300 B.C. there was a revolt against the despotic rule of the emperors. What emerged was a system of government much like the despostism that preceded, with the exception that the rulers were a lot less cruel than before, causing the kingdom as a whole to enjoy great prosperity and happiness.

However, during this time of upheaval, the Zulu perceived weakness in the Chinese and demanded their ancient secrets. The Chinese of course refused and as a result, the barbaric Zulu declared war upon the Chinese in 210 BC. Luckily for the Chinese, they had successfully completed their great wall in 190 BC, which marked the beggining of what would be known as the Chinese golden age, and it would provide a stalwart defense against the Zulus, who had yet to prove they could coordinate a naval invasion against southern China, which at the moment was undefended (the army that had been sent north to deal with Japan had remained there as defensive garrisons and scouts).

 

[Weird_bug]

Hehehe, you're not screweb! Yay!

 

[fishjie]

Okay the noob continues where he left off:

What is commonly referred to as the golden era of Chinese history is marked by the construction of a great wall that spawned across its vast empire. Fresh from the victory over the broken Japanese kingdom, the Chinese ruler ordered construction of the wall in order to solidify his holdings. With the threat of an increasingly aggressive Zulu nation, the move was deemed wise by his advisors.

A quick overview of the situation showed that much more work was needed. Many of the cities in China were still small settlements. What was worse, many lacked barracks. Soldiers produced there had no military training whatsoever, and this would slow down any future offensives. Furthermore, a lack of iron in the area meant that China would be unable to produce higher quality weapons.

In the meantime, the scouts from the North were recalled. They had finished exploring the large and nearly uninhabitable jungle. Korea and Russia had each set up an outpost there in order to claim some new resources: silks and dyes. Poorly defended, they would provided easy and obvious targets in the future:



For the time being, some diplomacy was conducted with both Russia and Korea in order to secure some more gold for the kingdom.

The emperor, after consulting with his advisors, decided upon the following course of action. He would first beef up his core cities with barracks and provide a small defensive garrison in case the Zulu launched an attack. He would employ horsemen for this, so that their mobility could cover a greater area. Once this was done, he would maneuver troops into position in order to annex Namp'o into his territory and claim its dyes. To his advisors' dismay, he decided to scrap the construction of new temples in the empire and opt instead for other buildings. So as to not offend the gods, he would keep the temple in Beijing. In addition, he would also construct a statue to a new god he had learned of. A people known as the Greeks had talked of the god Zeus, and in order to curry favor with this god, he began building a grandiose statue of this god. The advisors were shocked that the emperor would show recognition to a foreign god, and suggested that constructing something such as the pyramids, which would ensure safe passage into the afterlife, might be more prudent. The emperor would not be swayed however.

In 110 B.C. China had become one of the most advanced nations in the world. The emperor, filled with pride, decided enough time had spent on science. He would no longer allow any more of the kingdom's money to be spent on research. It would instead be directed towards military conquest. Construction of a great library, one that would be a repository of knowledge to the world, would continue. The influx of scholars travelling to China to gain new knowledge would merely prove the nations superiority. After much coaxing, the emperor decided that a small group of scientists in Shanghai would conduct any new military related research.

In 130 B.C. Japan, having been decimated by the war, yet not defeated, sent an emissary practically begging for peace. A suitable deal was negotiated. The emperor laughed at this turn of events. He had no plans for finishing off Japan, as their peoples had relocated far away. They had long ceased being a threat.

110 B.C. The city of Kaifeng was founded along the coast.

50 B.C. Another coastal city, Ningpo, was founded

10 A.D. The city of Beijing built the Statue of zeus. Inspired by stories of the god, it would attract many great mounted warriors over time.

110 A.D. The city of Shanghai built the Great Library.

The Chinese made contact with the Mongolians, a fierce but backwards nation. In exchange for a large sum of gold, China would provide some education to these peoples.

150 A.D. The city of Paoting was founded a few miles outside of the large northern jungle area.