We're winding down the Barbarian tribes in the Fall of Rome (hopefully not WRome/ERome, what a brutal start!
) and it's
time to start taking a look at the Middle Ages scenario.
Scenario Info
In 843 the great empire of Charlemagne is divided into three parts.
Christian leaders of the Kingdoms of the Franks, Germans, and Burgundians
each have a holy relic to return to Jerusalem. A fourth relic lies with
Alfred the great in his fledling English nation to the north. Play as one
of these four Christian nations, one of four Viking powers, or one of four
Muslim nations, or... as the Byzantines! Who can rule the greatest kingdom
by the year 1453?!
Domination, Conquest, Mass Regicide, VP Scoring, Flips, Reverse capture the flag.
Christian: Franks, Burgundians, Germans, English (Knight UU 5.3.2, Western church tech)
Holy Roman Empire (ToE), Monastacism (lib), Feud (market), Chivalry (Crusader, Templar)
Viking: Kievan Rus, Danes, Swedes, Norwegians (Berzerk UU 6.2.1, Norse tradition tech)
Seafaring, Smithing (factories). Longships move *7* and Zerks are amphibious (yum!)
Muslim: Fatimids, Cordovans, Abbasids, Turks (Ansar UU 5.2.3, Atab learning tech)
Arab learning(lib), Assasination (spy 5.1.1 Siphai 6.3.3), Medicine (aqueduct)
Byzantines - Dromon UU, Byzantine Ingenuity tech
Lost Roman secrets (aqueducts, colosseum), Heavy cav (4.3.2)
* Byzantine tree: Aquaducts, Drafting, Battlefield Med; and Spies (detect Invis)
* Catholic tree: Libraries (called Monasteries), KN Wonder, Bank (=Manor);
HRE Wonder (=ToE + Heroic Epic + Pentagon), ; Crusaders (best defense before Swiss)
* Arab: Libraries, Hospitals (=aquaducts! give also culture here), BF Med; Assassins
* Vikings: Factories (=Blacksmiths), Viking Sagas SM (Magellans + Heroic Epic)
* 3rd era techs offer Marketplaces, Mills, Pikes, Universities, but no Aquaducts.
Variety of traits, mostly MR Christians, MS Vikings, RC Muslsims except Turks and Rus.
Mil-Rel: Burgundians, English, Franks, Germans.
Com-Rel: Abassids, Cordovans, Kievan Rus, Fatimids.
Sea-Rel: Byzantines.
Mil-Sea: Danes, Norway, Sweden.
Com-Mil: Turks.
Non-playable: Bulgars (Byz); Castile, Celts, Magyars, Poland (Chr), Mongols.
The Vikings get their strong UU quickly and rule the sea. Christians and Muslims
get different bonuses, and the latter some strong supplemental units. The Byzantines
are not as poweful in combat units, but can get Espionage, Spies, Aqueducts.
Jerusalem belongs to the Abassids. Jerusalem, Rome, Constantinople locations are known.
Nations start with 3 kings (1.1.2, not armies). Cities/troops vary quite a bit...
Franks: 8 cities in place, all size 1 except a size 3 capital Paris. Next to Burgundy.
6 sword, 4 warrior, 7 workers. A lux, horses and iron around, not hooked up yet.
Germans: 8 cities (all size 1 but cap 2), 3 swords, 5 warr, 2 spear, 4 workers.
Burgundy: 9 cities (6 size 1, two 2, a 3) 7 swords, 1 spears, 6 workers, 3 warr
Next to Franks, Germans, the area of old Western Rome, with Rome as capital.
English: 7 cities on island (5-1,1-2,1-3), 4 sword, 2 galley, 5 workers, 5 warr,
and 1 army(!). Holy Grail. Next to Celts in Scotland, across channel Burgundy and France.
Danes: 5 cities (one separated), 6 zerks, 3 longships, 2 swords, 2 workers.
Next to Germans & Celts (turn 1 GA anyone?!?
) Close: Burgundy, English, Poland.
Norwegians: 5 cities, 5 zerks, 4 longships, 2 swords, 1 worker. Tough setup!
Two cities scattered west (Ireland), three in Norway.
Kievan Rus: 4 cities (1112) + 1 settler, 4 zerks, no boats, 2 swords, 5 workers.
Start in Ukraine north of Byz. Not on the coast, and no one directly on borders.
Swedes: 5 cities (11122), 6 zerks, 3 longships, 2 swords, 3 workers.
Mostly in Sweden with one more East. One Dane city on your island. Near Poland.
Abassids: 5 cities (23333), 2 Ansars, 3 swords, 3 workers.
Far SE of map, across the Mediterranean Sea from Europe.
Fatimids: 3 size 1 cities + 3 settlers, 3 workers, 3 warrs, 3 Ansars.
SW of map in North Africa, cites are pretty spread out. No neighbors in sight.
Cordovans: 4 cities (1112), 2 swords, 1 ansar, 2 warr, 5 workers.
Spain and Portugal, basically. Far west of map.
Turks: 3 cities (112) but 5 settlers, 3 workers, 3 warrs, 6 horse. Alone, East edge of map.
Byzantines: 11 cities (8-1,2-2,1-7), 3 swords, 2 Dromon, 7 spear, 4 workers. How nice!
*Land bridge* to Middle East. Horses and Iron near, 3 lux. Next to Bulgars.
Cities tend to have two defenders, but AI at Emperor+ diff will have an extra spear.
Techs go rather deep. One end-of-game tech is Religious persecution, which allows
Inquisitors that can see invisible spy units, all move as road, and are 4.1.1, 30 shields.
Best defender later are Swiss Mercs, 2.5.1 (50), after Pikemen (2.4.1, 40).
Upgrade path: Warr-Sword-Crusader, Spear-Pike-Merc, Horse->Cataphract->Ansar/Knight/Sipahi
The second req'd tech, Castle buildings, allows fortifications and river crossing.
Everyone is in *Monarchy* with no better choice available. Game limit: 204 turns.
Techs or not, Zerks/Longships are ONLY available to Vikings, Sipahi only to Turks, Cataph.
only to Byz and Rus, Ansar to other 3 Muslim, (and Keshiks to barbarians
)
[dance]
Comments
- A lot of VP's for fighting, but the most are for taking relics to Jerusalem.
Wait too long however, and things might end up in disgrace.
- It's cramped, tons of civs, lots of fighting, dense builds
- Vikings don't have a relic but those early Zerks and fast longships are wonderful
- Lots of nice flavor with the different techs and units
- Those with ancient dogs of machines, beware the interturn might be quite long
- Many paths to victory, but none without significant warmongering!
Discussion Items
1. The gateway techs cannot be traded, but can be self-researched in 40 turns,
and following techs in the other trees can then be bought/traded. Can steal too.
Unlike Fall of Rome where min rate on Barbarism was a gazillion turns, it seems
part of the intended design to have this as an option. Without getting another
flavor tree, e.g., Christian and Norse nations have no means of getting an aqeuduct.
Do we leave this option available, or take it off the table as a house rule here?
2.
Which civs?
There are 13 choices. The turnout on the Fall of Rome series was excellent, and
the Middle Ages is a very good scenario, so it's an option to go "complete" ?!
If not, must-haves for variety include: Abassids, Byz, a Norse tribe, Catholic tribe.
However, even within category there are *large* differences, like Turks/Cordova,
England/Burgundy, Kieven Rus vs Danes. Looking at the civ descriptions above,
there are large disparities. Byz start huge, but they stand directly in harms way.
Abassids have a key advantage of holding Jerulsalem, but will AI even assault it?
Danes look in prime position to maul 3 close neighbors and snag a relic quickly,
while the Rus norsemen are inland with room to expand now, fight later.
3. Minor issues - civs have workers in capital on round one. I'm prone to keep with
one worker purchase per civ house rule, and keep that in place until last era.
Keep an eye on rep, trade routes are fragile. Any other 'special issues'?
Sign-ups
With all the civs and options available, I'm sure we can find a very good game (or two!)
for anyone interested. We can also go down to lower difficulty levels, as we got more
than expected sign-ups for the Sassanid game last time. Please indicate whether
you have a preference for flavor, and/or a specific civ, as well as a difficulty *range*.
Sid extremists (cough, T-Hawk) will probably get first choice of civ, as they will
have an
extremely rough time. (Byzantines? Abassids? Danes?)
We won't be starting immediately, and not before 12A-12H finish.
Feedback, questions, and especially indications of interest are welcome!
Charis
You da man!!
Of all people, Dwip compiled a list of links? Oh, the irony... 
(Sorry, but that will hunt you as long as we're both posting on the same board 
