Scenario Project: The Persian Empire

[Yoda Power]

Im looking for help with my new scenario, The Persian Empire. I already have a few things planned.

The Map
I have to decided to make a new map for this project, as I cant find any that fits my needs. I have not startet working on it yet, because my computer has been having some problems, they should be fixed now.

The Civilizations
Many of the civs are obvious, the place Im not sure what to do is with the nomadic civs, Schytians, Masagatae, Colchis(sp?) etc. Im also not sure what to do with India, I cant find out what civs were in the Indus regions around 550BC, so please help
The civs that I already have decided on is:

Persia
Babylon
Media
Lydia
Athenians+allies
Sparta+allies
Neutral Greeks
Macedon
Thrace
Egypt

Units
I have most unit stats ready and I will post them soon. I have decided to use some mercenaries, as they made quite a big part of the armies at the time. So far there will be: Greek Mercenary Hoplites, Phonecian Ships and Assyrian Horse Archers. Jews were also used, but I cant think of a use for them. I would also like to hear what other nationalities the mecenaries had.

The Tech Tree
I have decided to split the scenario up into two eras. The first simulates the expansion age of the empire, and the second the period of non-expansion, and the downfall.
I have attached my sketch for the first age tech tree, but as always im open to suggestions.

 

[Androrc]

Is your mod/scenario going to be ancient persia+middle ages zoroastrist persia+islamic persia?

 

[Xen]

by default of the civ list its ancient persia- which means Zoroastrian

anyway, interesting idea Yoda, I look forward to playing as th greeke, and crushing the persian empire

 

[Yoda Power]

The scenario is in the time of the Achaemenid Empire=anciant Persia.

Xen-Im probably going to make Persia the only playable nation

btw I cant get Conquest installed! It stops at 26% and gives me an error. This is stupid, because I had it installed before my computer crashed
edit-seems there was dirt on my cd

 

[Yoda Power]

Ok here is the unit list with stats. As you can see I havent finished it yet, and comments are apreciatet

The doc file is attached below:

 

[Cimbri]

Good idea Yoda

This should help you with the Steppe Tribes. This map also has the original Persian names for regions and tribes.

 

[Cimbri]

The Azata (Nobility) heavy horsemen perhaps, the Bandaka (Bondsmen) or Arštibara (spearbearers) regular Persian spearmen, Takabara (taka-bearers) subject/mercenaries light javelinmen like Peltastes but also used as spearmen, the Amrtaka (Immortals), the Sparabara (with bow and a large shield) archer pairs with a large shields made up the majority of the Achaemenid army, the Kardaka (mercenaries) can be both Hoplités, Saka, etc.

 

[Yoda Power]

Thanks Cimbri

Azata: Could be some Persian Cavalry that starts as elite.
Bandaka/Arštibara: I could rename the Persian Spearman to this?
Takabara: Could be a unit with same stats as Spearman, but with defencive bombard?
Amrtaka: I had originally decided not to have "special" forces, but then I couldn't have the Azata either. Maybe Immortals could just be some elite Takabara?
Sparabara: These would be nice to have as a Bowman flavour, but someone would have to make them.

 

[Cimbri]

No problem

Azata just means nobility, the word has nothing to do with horsemen, but many nobles served as heavy horsemen.
Arštibara should be the name for your national spearmen, bandaka just means bondsmen, and all Persian citizens were bondsmen of the king. Except the those classed as Mariaka, they were slaves.
Takabara could use the peltast graphics of our resident Creation-god Sir Kryten, but they also served in hand-to-hand combat. So I guess you could also use the spearmen with 1 in bombard.

 

[Yoda Power]

Azata: Maybe they could be small armies who can only have 2 units. They could be createt by a wonder every 15 turn or so

Takabara: Im already using the Peltast as Peltast for the Macedonians

 

[Yoda Power]

Corruption and Provinces:
Each civ will have their own goverment. Persia will have "Empire". Corruption will be rampant. "Rampant you say, but thats awfull!" Dont worry because Persia can build "Satrapies" aka provinces. Each Satrapy will work as a Forbidden Palace.
The different Satrapies will be:

Satrapy of Dascylium
Satrapy of Sardis
Satrapy of Egypt, locatet in Menphis
Satrapy of Transeuphrates, locatet in Sidon
Satrapy of Babylon
Satrapy of Elam, locatet in Susa
Satrapy of Media, locatet in Ecbatana
Satrapy of Persis, locatet in Persepolis
Satrapy of Pathia, locatet in Zadracarta
Satrapy of Aria, locatet in Herat
Satrapy of Bactria, locatet in Bactra
and last Satrapy of Arachosia, locatet in Kandahar

 

[The Last Conformist]

This is looking better and better! I'm really looking forward to this!

Nitpick: There's a typo on that map; "Hamgatana" should read "Hagmatana".

 

[Louis XXIV]

I think by the time Persia has any impact at all on the Middle East, Chariots were obsolete (I can't be sure, I forget when Assyrian texts first mention Medes and Persia).

Speaking of Assyria, why aren't they in the game?

 

[The Last Conformist]

I do not know when the cuneiform texts first mentions the Medians or Persians, but a "Kurash of Anshan" (ie, "Cyrus of Persis") is mention in Assyrian texts in the 7th C BC. By this time, chariots were indeed largely replaced by cavalry.

However, the Persian Emperors usually rode in chariots when personally present in battle, and the same seems to be true of other high-ranking personages. And there's always those scythed chariots from Gaugamela, which indicate that the art of charioteering was kept alive also as a method of actual fighting.

Assyria, presumably, is out of the game on account of being wiped out before it starts. The fall of Harran was already in 609 BC.

Edit: Which makes one wonder about that Assyrian mercenary unit. I cannot recall hearing of Assyria as anything beyond a geographical term between the fall of the Neo-Assyrian Empire and the adoption of the ethnonym by the modern-day Assyrians.

 

[Packer-Backer]

I was waiting for a rise of Persia/height of Persian power scenario. Thanks, Yoda Power!

 

[LouLong]

Nice idea my friend. Good luck (sorry to hear about MEM though).

Now, you should be careful with spelling this time (triReme for instance ). Satrapies are very good idea (but they are locateD !).
For mercenaries, maybe you could make them cost money while "nationals" don't and make costs really expensive (I know it is FAR from perfect...) or require "gold".
BTW trade to money should be limited but silver or gold mines should be extremely generous (that is because of his gold from the Pactol river that Lydus was so rich and that he became the Persians' first target as well...).

I agree completely with the last conformist about chariots (save for the infmous (probably too much) scythed chariot. I had an idea for a celtic chariot (used by nobleman) that might be used here (though I did not check fully how it worked). Why not give it the "radar" flag. Since it was mostly used by chiefs, kings,... it would of course include scouts. Besides IIRC radar gives a +1 bonus to fight which could show the moral effect of the leaders being present. At the same time the units should be quite weak in actual fight. Just ideas....

Another one (for improvements I guess) could be the paradaiza (gave us "paradise"). Privates gardens, palaces and harems where all wordly pleasures were gathered and were roses were really developped as a cultured flower). Not sure about benefits though.

 

[Xen]

celtic chariots weren tused in abttle, they wer emerelly the transports for the celtic nobility to and from the battle/ heated engagements in a battle

 

[Louis XXIV]

The Last Conformist, I didn't see when it started.

LouLong, I'm pretty sure Radar just allows you to see further.

 

[Dom Pedro II]

Btw, Yoda, as far as the Indians go, by this point, they are pretty much a collection of regional rulers.

At the Battle of Hydaspes, the Indians had war elephants, and from what I've read about Indian warfare (from a book on that subject actually) they had them well before that as well. They also had war chariots, archers, and a number of other standard stuff. Nothing too outlandish. I actually have the Hindi words for these things written down some where... I'll review my notes.

 

[Costa e Silva]

Yoda: You are progressing with the map?