Role Play Challenge: Shaka A Gentleman of Culture

[madscientist]

Shaka, A Gentleman of Culture: Start

Welcome to my 10th RPC game. These games are meant for entertainment, playing the game with a certain stategy/economy in mind while limiting our game with certain rules and guidelines.

After playing a peaceful game with Persians in Space, and after demands from the audience, I bring you the real Gentleman of the game, Shake leader of the Zulu civilization!

Now Shaka is generally our most feared foe in the game. The poor guy is so misunderstood. Sure he pillages and wrecks civilizations with his monsterous army from the beginnings throughout the modern era, but have any of you really tried to get to know him. He is really a gentle soul, desiring simple peace and harmony throughout the world, and if anyone disagreed he'll have your guts for breakfast!!!

SO let us see what this man is all about

The rules
1) Shaka can only win via culture, all other victoires are left on for the AI (including time).
2) Shaka's first legondary city is his capital. The other 2 must be captured AI capitals
3) Shaka has no problems with religion, but catherdrals are prohibited (unless somehow present after capturing an AI capital). In contrast to HOLY SAL where artists were prohibited and cathedrals emphasized, we are going in the other direction here. The bulk of culture will come from artists, great artists, corps, culture slider, wonders.

Guidelines
1) Aside from the rules, all is in play!!!! Warring is obviously a requirement, and early for the AI capitals. We just have to make sure we do not get an accidental Domination

Settings
Marathon speed
Monarch difficulty
Pangea Map
Low sea level with natural shorelines (more land, more wars)

And here is our start.

 

[AmazonQueen]

Ugh, I hate those forest starts.
Settle in place and hope theres something nice in the BFC.

 

[Zanttu]

Agreed, forest-heavy starts aren't my favourites either. I'm pretty sure there's a food resource 2E of the settler though. BW-beeline asap and chop, chop, chop.

 

[BurN]

Anyone cares to explain what's wrong with so much forests? To me it looks like a lot of early hammers/workers.

Anyways I'll be lurking~

 

[grandad1982]

Looks like it might be a ok production site as there seems to be a few hills lurking in the fog. Or I could be wrong! Not only trees for choping workers but also good for some early wonder chops to. Hope there's some nice resourses in the second ring of the BFC. I'd move my warrior NW to see what north of the river.

 

[Mesousa]

Interesting, I thought you'd be going for a pacifistic game this time. The capitals requirement sure makes finding good victims close important.

I agree with moving the Scout 1N. If he discovers corn, wheat or cows, I'd move the Settler 1N for that, otherwise just settle in place and hope it's not just rice in the east.

 

[Gliese 581]

You have a forrested plains hill which will let you build a worker with 4+1 hammers which is the most important for any start with an expansive civ.

 

[futurehermit]

the problem with the forest-heavy starts is that they are low food, which kinda sucks early (chopping is a must). later, however, they make GREAT production cities (war mongering early and wonder-spamming mid-to-late).

i remember when i got a diplo victory with shaka. it was kinda funny! i look forward to this one.

 

[Zanttu]

Anyone cares to explain what's wrong with so much forests? To me it looks like a lot of early hammers/workers.

Well, forest-heavy start maybe isn't the worst possibility, but forest mean no resources+you need to chop before improving the land. Yep, forests=hammers, but for me the most important thing in the early game capital is food. Yeah, you can chop forests for settlers/workers but I still prefer a food heavy start.

You have a forrested plains hill which will let you build a worker with 4+1 hammers which is the most important for any start with an expansive civ.

A good call, didn't remember shaka being expansive.

 

[GeneralGab]

Hmmm... maybe Bronzeworking would be a good choice for early research?

 

[semirami]

The map generator gives at least 1 food resource in the BFC, if you settle in place. There is no reason to move the settler, so do it!

 

[Gooblah]

Cool. The start sucks, however.
I can already see a few techs to go for:
1) Drama- Culture Slider
2) Music- Free Great Artist is a little boost.
3) Aesthetics- Unlocks 3 or 4 Wonders, and is a prereq for the above
4) The Mysticism Tree- Polytheism, Mysticism, Meditation, Priesthood; all provide some juicy early wonders.

I hope we get someone like Louis XIV around. If they wonder-spam in the capital, we can take it. Not for the culture, but for the benefits.

 

[madscientist]

Shaka A Gentleman of Culture: PArt I

Welcome to Shaka's Culturalk challenge. The grand and mighty leader of the glorious Zulus send the dignified scout onward towards the easterly direction discovering some wonderful wheat for the msot ecquisite breads arround.

Of our distinguished leader settles in place.

My oh my, some deer. Grand, just grand. Just wonderful tasting venison with the challenge of the huint in the woods.

Very soon Shaka meets another civilization

Oh, just fine. Look at the wonderful clothes you are wearing. I simply must have them, what city did you say you are from, Lisbon? Of course, such fine clothes that Shaka, er I mean Joao is wearing.

Our lands are just right for our leader, so we build a worker for a rich harvest, while teching the wonders of Mining and Bronze working, such a pretty a delightful metal to look at, don't you think.

Yes, we must have some!!!!

Oh, what a fantastic looking woman!

But you are awefully close to that shiney metal

WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING LASY, THAT" S MINE. Ahem, sorry where were we.

Another leader, leader of a group that calls themselves Hindus. What a quaint group of people.

About that shiney metal, yes we must have it.

Ah, another visitor

And yet another, my Shaka is the popular one!!! This one we say is on a bit of the ugly side.

The Zulu finish teching Animal Husbandry and Shaka Yawns and goes for some well deserved beauty rest. But not before the zulus inform him

Ahhh!!!!!!!!!!!! Pleasent dreams.

So there we have it. Our Gentleman leader has met 5 leaders laready and found some good militart sources.

Techpath was: Mining/BW/Archery/wheel/mysticism/AH

Beginning tech path: worker/warrior/Ikhanda/warrior/warrior/settler, followed by archers and lastly another settler, which we settled to the NW in order to cut Joao off. We started Stonhenge (Betcha Hyuna beats us to it), but I think we build a road towards the hortses and get prepared. The Russian lady ain't going to stand for that cultural pressure.

SO I am thinking that Lisbon and Moscow will make nice legondary cities.


The biggest question is what to tech next and do we build a city to claim that eastern copper now or tech IW and hope we got that nearby.

 

[Backwards Logic]

Did you forget some pics by any chance??

 

[AmazonQueen]

A city to pick up marble, horse and furs looks in order. Pity theres no food around there, it'll never grow much, but think of what you could build with the marble unless you plan to let others build for you.

 

[Killroyan]

Agree with Amazonqueen. horsehockey city but with marble for wonders (bring on the parthenon, great library, notre dame, etc...), horses for warmongering and furs for 1 happy and as excellent trading material the city will repay itself pretty quickly. And of course it can grow a bit with a lighthouse (the lake will become 3F right?). But this game is going to be fun. Capturing two capital and then slam the wonders in there. I pity Catherine as I foresee some impi's coming her way

 

[madscientist]

Shaka A Gentleman of Culture: PArt II

Shaka continues his quest to demonstrate to the uncooth leaders of the world how well mannered and adpat he is.

His city gets a visit from the Buddhist gods

But of course, especially with that city bordering The Russian Dame's copper mine.

We send out warrior scout out to scope a little more land.

2 barb cities and a nice location for ALOT of dye. Shaka can be wearing some fine clothes with all that dye, can anyone say Pascals!!!

We chop out Stonehenge, that freeculture will help alot and in 1000 years we will have 16 culture coming from that wonder alone in the capital.

After some time, the copper mine culture pops to us, as it should belong

Soon we get a trade offer

I should say we teched pottery/fishing/writing (with Cathy's help)/IW/sailing.

It also means cathy has alphabet already.

We are builing chariots, axes, impi for an attempted attack on Cathy, but

COmbined with

Now that is just plain rude. Shaka decides he must have the source of that Portugese leaders clothes, so there is only one way to go....

Yes onward to what Shaka does best!!!!!


We also meet another well known WarLoard

After raising a few minor cities for cash

Our first of the two AI capitals.


We take Joao's new capital pretty easily, leaving him with that lone rudely placed city, which happens to be on a hill.

And after we tech IW we find

Guess hitting Joao first was the right move here.


Finally we take the last Portugese city, Joaoa is no more and those fine Portugese threads are ours!!!

At this point we saved. A good sized empire with much better living spae than before, thanks to Joao's generousity.

Alot of land we have to settle here.

Our tech situation is pretty grim right now

And Shaka Aint too popular

Jealous, just plain jealous.

Amd our Western from. Note how well we cut Catherine off from alot of land. We can cement our borders by taking that barb city with the Jumbos (never a bad thing to have).

Now, a few decisions to make as we are in an interesting and fairly dangerous situation

1) Cathy is our only friend, however we all know she cannot be trusted.. AND.... we get the message "We have enough on our hands right now". She is pleased with me now, and cautious with Degaulle her westernly neighbor. Let's hope she does the right thing.

2) Our third legendary city. Well any suggestions?? I am betting Moscow is going to be real tough to take, Paris seams like the best choice here. Open for any suggestions.

3) OK, our economy and land are trashed. Gotta rebuild it there. Any suggestions on tech order?? Also I am due to pop a GP, either a prophet or Scientists, what do we want to do with that person???

 

[Backwards Logic]

To help out the economy, I'd probably cottage span Nobamga and Lisbon. And I would settle a city to hook up that marble asap, even though it would hurt the economy short term. Getting the wonders built is key here. Perhaps start building a wnder you are pretty sure you aren't going to get just for the gold. And if you do get it...Yay! As for the third capital, I'd probably lay low until the economy gets rolling again. Focus on culture in the two capitals now, but down the road as you see who is easier to hit, take that capital then focus the culture on it. If you want to speed things up, Cathy is the closest, so it would make sense to take Moscow. It would be a nice compact empire, easier to defend down the road.

 

[fugazi]

Ouch. If you're thinking about invading Cathy next you might want to consider a pillage war. With those impi's, you should be able to take out a lot of vital resources and cripple her economy. Negative side effect would be that she'll produce even more (defensive?) units :/ so maybe that ain't a good idea haha

If your science rating is hitting rockbottom I'd go for chopping a few libraries and hope that your resulting scientists can fill the gap or get you where you have to be. Cath's cities will have big cultural defense bonuses so catapults might be a necessity..

 

[tycoonist]

why'd ya keep lagos?