Role Play Challenge: The Glory of Rome!

[madscientist]

Welcome to my next RPC, the Glory of Rome!

These RPC challenges offer a more entertaining playstyle of civilization while trying to demonstrate a certain type of stategy/economy. They are meant to be lighthearted so take them for what they are!

This installment is a One City Challenge (OCC) using the greatest Historical city, Rome with what I feel is one of the stronger leaders in Agustus! This is my first OCC so I will need help and hope to show all how to play such a game, or perhaps how NOT to play one!!!

First of all, for those unfamiliar with a OCC (and OCC vets, correct me if I am wrong) it's about founding ONE city, in this case Rome and going from there. We cannot settler or capture other cities. All victories are possible with I believe the exception of cultural. To compromise we are allowed 5 national Wonders in the city. Since we do not need to concern ourselves with settlers, we can put alot of hammers into wonders and military!!! Also health and happiness are issues, and we shall see how to deal with them as the start is challenging unto itself!!!

So the rules for this game? There are none, the OCC idea is enough itself. What I do promise is to play the game fully through until we get victory or Rome falls to the Barbarian hordes. It was suggested to have someone peak at the game via world builder to look for iron or oil nearby. I say Bah, ROME NEEDS no help.

Agustus is industrious (great for a OCC) and Imperialistic (probably the worse!). Prats speak for themselves, let's hope for some iron! The UB is very good for this type of game as it gives us +25% GPs, very nice!

So come and watch the Glory of Rome, Victory or nothing!!!

Difficulty: Monarch
MAp: Inland sea for the Mediterainian feel (I know Sis is playing that map in ALC, but this is Rome man! Sorry if it's repititious).
Climate: Temperate
Sea Level: Medium
Raging BARBS!

A view of our Glorious Leader!

And the starting Location

HOLY SMOKES!!! What do we do with those Floodplains!!!! Farm or Cottage!!!!

No reloads, Rome gets once chance here

 

[MyOtherName]

Scientists have a much greater long-term benefit than towns, due to settling... especially if you snag the pyramids. I would suggest cottaging only if you feel you need the advantage in the short term (or for micromanagement optimization pre-COL & pre-Drama).

 

[Hereditary Rule]

Imperialistic isn't all bad - If you have iron and are able to generate some GG's, settle them and they'll generate beakers under representation. The worst OCC trait is probably creative.

 

[Cam_H]

Turn on resource bubbles and run away - you'll be floundering in for half the game. Maybe the Plains Hill? What does the AI suggest? (Sorry - can't download your game right now).

 

[absimiliard]

I would suggest moving. That amount of flood plains does not strike me as good for a OCC.

-abs

 

[greenpeace]

Turn on resource bubbles and run away - you'll be floundering in for half the game. Maybe the Plains Hill? What does the AI suggest? (Sorry - can't download your game right now).

But the extra food from the floodplains makes up for it (as long as you use 2/5 of them)

 

[AmazonQueen]

All those floodplains defnitely don't have any iron hidden on them
I think move the warrior SE and see whats down there

 

[NintendoTogepi]

I would settle.

Flood plains have treated me good in a lot of my OCC's.

I would just settle and then try and beeline to National Park. (you definitely want the Globe Theater, Oxford University and the National Park...the other 2 depend on the situation...)

 

[grandad1982]

That poor health from the floods is going to be an issue if you settle in place. Warrior SE and maybe even move the settler NW - not to settle! - to see whats out there. This is one time I'd love to pop a map!

Avoid cottages! SSE!

I really looking forward to this one by the way. Come on you blues!

 

[Mesousa]

Don't cottage, in an OCC your power comes from generating specialists and settling great persons.

I wouldn't care so much about Iron, but Stone and Marble (yeah, you're Industrious, but others might be too and since you only have one city, it can't just spend all its time building wonders, so speeding that up would be good). To get either I would move, but definitely keep as many as possible of those flood plains and food resources in your BFC.

Augustus' Ind/Imp might allow you to build the Great Wall, declare war on a neighbour, and let him come to you, so you generate A LOT of GG points from fighting in your territory. Settling a bunch of great generals would not only help your units, but also help with research, since you'll want to go with Representation due to the other GP you'll be settling and specialists you'll be running.

Try to get wonders, and beeline Currency for the Forum as soon as you can.

 

[bestje]

Its a good city to run a SE from, if my maths is right you have the potential to work every tile and run about 8 specialists before biology, then about 12 after

what is to the north of the start site though? looks like some forest at least
you'll kick yourself if you move and had iron in the BFC so I vote settle in place

with that start you may have problems generating hammers and health so consider not chopping trees

I'd recommend only cottaging squares you can't do anything else with

If barbs are raging the great wall is a pretty essential early build, it will slow the neighbouring AI down as well

 

[r_rolo1]

I kind of agree with Cam_H.... the FP can't get resources and that means that this city ( except if there is something hidden useful in the fog ) will be heavy and hammer poor ( it will have a ton of food , but Slavery don't fit well with a OCC and before REP you'll seriously limited... ). I strongly advice to wander around a turn or two.....

 

[TeraHammer]

An OCC is all about settling as many specialists as possible. Great engineers and great scientists are the best ones, so focus on wonders which will get those (great library, pyramids). Those particular 2 are extremely good in one city challenges because pyramids give quick access to Representation and the great library generates those lovely scientists. Don't lightbulb anything with anyone (even great artists). Just settle them, you'll be glad later.
Use the forum early for an extra boost in gp points. Don't build the parthenon untill you have enough scientists to get a good chance (~70%) of getting a scientist.

Go for caste system and pacifism early. The sooner you get those scientist to settle, the better. To have a religion is important too, but you'll get those with code of laws and/or philosophy.

About that start screen; hard to tell which way is best. Health is an issue and I would rather not settle in place because of the lack of forests. Also I'd likely not give up the pig. And is that a plains hill? That would be nice to settle on for the extra starting hammer. I'd move the warrior S. If there enough other hills around, that is. If there are 2 more hills in the BFC when making rome on that plains hill I'd settle there. If not, I'm thinking on settling 1S or 1SE.
On turn 1 I'd move the settler NE - S to scout a bit. On turn 2 I'd move the warrior SE and then decided where to place the settler, on the plains hill or not. Actually I'm in favor of settling SE now, because the extra forests, the pig and the grasslands to the east which may reveal a strategic resource. Yes I'd settle SE.

My first build would be a worker and the tech order agriculture-animalhusbandry (for pig) -mining (for plains hill)-writing (for quick library). Don't build more than 2 workers. Or hunting-AH-mining-writing if you'd like to scout some more first. In that case, I would let the city grow to 2 while building the scout, then finish the worker.

I'd be honest I'm more used to play a OCC with a phi-leader than an ind one, so you may want to build more wonders instead of sacrificing production for specialists.

 

[ParadigmShifter]

I'd settle on the plains hill, you get 8 forests then.

 

[IPEX-731BA5DD06]

I had a look at the starting position only, and after ORIGINALLY thinking "Settle in place, hang the (ill health).

I now agree with settling on the plains hill

1) 1 extra hammer for capital starting square.
2) Hills defence, combined with the walls/castle, its a natural defence, positions and will you ever need it.
3) You still get the health bonus from the river
4) You still have 6 flood plains in the BFC, plenty of food
5) Forests for chopping, and hills for mining.
6) Any resources, outside of BFC, will be quickly brought into your cultural boundries...giving you access to them, well up to 6 tiles away...lol
7) Hills defence, combined with a river wall is a 50% defence bonus straight away, factor in walls/castle, you could look at 100% bonus.
8) You keep the Piggies (1 health, +1 with supermarket) 5 food, 1 hammer
9) +2 base commerace in capital, instead of base 1

Ill Health, can be dealt with, by having enough food supplied, its unhappyness, with Rep from Pyramids, your looking at base 10 (with religion) Plus any other mods you may acquire.

5 wonders to aim for
1) Oxford, this gives much needed bang to research
2) Ironworks, your on a river, so be thinking watermills longterm, and Levies
3) Heroic epic, 100% Military production, damm you need troops.
4) National Epic? 100% GPP Production + Parthenon
5)a Globe theatre + Nationalism.....Hmmm, No Beauracry
5)b National park, but not enough tree's in BFC to make wothwile
5)c West point- Plenty of settled great generals
5)d Wall Street- You should be rolling in cash @ 100% research
5)e Any other...BAH....

I'd proberly look at Globe and National park and 4,5, miss the national epic...No ill health,and no unhappyness+6 Floodpains POST Biology=Megopolous Roma if your lucky/well managed, maybe a forest preserve or 2 for the free specialists...

I've just had 2 games of a OCC today, they are an eye opener, good diplomacy and good defence is needed...you can tech reasonably well.

1st try I had 2 gold mines in first ring, but all plains around city, so Blah, for food, got Ragnar off side, and Joao, who was Friendly with me, ended up vassalizing to Ragnar...aaaaaaaaarrrrrggghhhhhh right on borders as well

2nd try, Ramasses, AGAIN Ragnar off side, along with Peter, who came with 15 Knights, and turned out my lights....Trouble is Huyana, my Friendly Ally, wouldn't declare on Peter....AAARRRGGGHHHH again......

Fun in the darkened room.........looking forward to your game, and I'll shadow it, just for more fun....

 

[Jedoc]

Cool setup. Really looking forward to this one.

I'd try and get as many forests inside the BFC as you can. You're going to be outnumbered for most of the game, and forests represent unpillagable production bonuses for the early game, good tiles following RP, and finally extra specialists at Biology. Specialists are really your strength on a OCC, so you should try to maximize them.

 

[Groogaroo]

I've just registered, although I've been following your rpc's for a while (very entertaining) and after your last bloodbath of an RPC with Asoka, my advice is...

Make some friends this time, okay!

 

[madscientist]

Thankyou all for the advice, I will start this thing tonoght.

Looks like the consensus is to farm the floodplains, which I agree with in general.

Settling on the plains hill requires a little scouting with the warrior first I think. 6 floodplains and 8 forrests, which are generally a health push until we start chopping.

Now as far as Agustus in generaly: He start with fishing which is useless here and mining which is OK. SO I plan to build a worker first and mine the pigs?! The floodplains will give us plenty of food and the mine can always be pastuerized at a later date depending on when we need health. The forrests should make up for the floodplains although I certainly plan to use them for at least the great Wall (agressive barbs are one!!). I also like the defensive position and unpillagable resources plus we can drop some woodsman promoted units there, Rome shall never fall!!!!

Now regarding early teching, where to start??

Normally I tech food, but we may have enough with those floodplains to be OK until we get reprentation or Monarchy as there are no extra happiness resources right now and the pigs we have a plan for. Getting AH and BW for horses/copper is not all that important at the moment because we cannot settle a second city to capture them and so we either have them or we don't. I am sure the agressive Barbs will keep the AIs occupied until we tech AH/BW/IW.

So seams to me that we either tech hunting/archery or masonry/BW first for fast defense. If we go Mas then we begin on the GW right away and using BW to chop it out faster.

National wonders are as follows: NE, GT and OX are no brainers. I also like the idea of the HE but let's see what diplomacy brings us. IW sort of depends on iron and coal, likewise the NP meaning if we have coal the IW seams a better choice while the NP looks better if we have no coal.

So assuming south of the plainshill looks viable, what's the advice on techs?

 

[madscientist]

I've just registered, although I've been following your rpc's for a while (very entertaining) and after your last bloodbath of an RPC with Asoka, my advice is...

Make some friends this time, okay!

Gorrgaroo, welcome!!!!

Yes of course, what's not to like about the Romans!!! And if they don't like us, well I'll just ram some Prats down their throats until they do (or archers, or chariots, or cats, or sticks and stones we are Romans dammit!!!).

Besides, the war-like Asoka game certainly balanced out the Peaceful Shaka one.

 

[r_rolo1]

First, no chop!!!!! ( besides hills and resources ,of course ) The forests in a OCC are far too valuable to waste them for a handful of , especially taking in account the FP... and later they are as valuable as mines for hammers ( lumber + rail ) and after nat park ( you really should do it.... it boosts pop above the roof and allows you to not worry about the heavy buidilngs of the late game ) you change them to preserves and get a hanful of free specialists....

Second, Nat wonders:

Oxford
Globe
Ironworks
Nat park
Nat Epic

Techs now

Agri, BW, Masonry ( and mine the pig while waiting for AH... )

And wonderspam ( specially wonders that give extra specialists or boost to specialists ) Obsolete like ( his techique is a spin off of the standart OCC tactics IMHO ).... EDIT Avoid founding religions .....