Songhai - Exploration Age Civilization

[The_J]

Moderator Action: The former outdated post has been replaced with Sara's post from down the thread.

Introducing a new Exploration Age civ, Songhai!​

As the Empire of Mali faltered, their Songhai vassals rose up to form one of the largest states in Africa. Songhai revitalized Islam in the region, renewed the academic community in Timbuktu, and controlled the trans-Saharan trade. But the empire’s days were numbered when the Moroccans invaded, armed with gunpowder and seeking new routes for their own prosperity.

Attributes:
Economic
Militaristic

Unique Ability:
Tarikh al-Sudan: Increased Resource Capacity in Cities on Navigable Rivers. Your Trade Ships cannot be Plundered on Navigable Rivers.

Unique Infrastructure:
Caravanserai: Unique Improvement. Gold base. Gold Adjacency for Rivers and Resources. Must be built on a Desert or Plains tile.

Unique Civilian Unit:
Tajiro: Unique Merchant Unit. Gain Gold when you create a Trade Route that has at least one Navigable River.

Unique Military Unit:
Gold Bangles Infantry: Unique Infantry Unit. Has increased Combat Strength on Resource tiles. Receives additional yields when Plundering Trade Routes.

Associated Wonder:
Tomb of Askia: Adds Gold. Increased Resource Capacity in this Settlement. Increased Gold and Production in this City for every Resource assigned to it. Must be built on a Desert tile.

Starting Biases:
Navigable Rivers
Desert
Plains
Coast

Check out the full game guide for more info & civic trees: https://civilization.2k.com/civ-vii/game-guide/civilizations/songhai/

https://twitter.com/x/status/1863991653406580831

 

[The_J]

 

[The_J]

So... my attempt to make a civ overview. I think this was the low-hanging fruit, as this info was in the gameplay trailer.
Maybe there is more info about other civs in the streamer videos?

 

[FXS_Sar]

Introducing a new Exploration Age civ, Songhai!​

As the Empire of Mali faltered, their Songhai vassals rose up to form one of the largest states in Africa. Songhai revitalized Islam in the region, renewed the academic community in Timbuktu, and controlled the trans-Saharan trade. But the empire’s days were numbered when the Moroccans invaded, armed with gunpowder and seeking new routes for their own prosperity.

Attributes:
Economic
Militaristic

Unique Ability:
Tarikh al-Sudan: Increased Resource Capacity in Cities on Navigable Rivers. Your Trade Ships cannot be Plundered on Navigable Rivers.

Unique Infrastructure:
Caravanserai: Unique Improvement. Gold base. Gold Adjacency for Rivers and Resources. Must be built on a Desert or Plains tile.

Unique Civilian Unit:
Tajiro: Unique Merchant Unit. Gain Gold when you create a Trade Route that has at least one Navigable River.

Unique Military Unit:
Gold Bangles Infantry: Unique Infantry Unit. Has increased Combat Strength on Resource tiles. Receives additional yields when Plundering Trade Routes.

Associated Wonder:
Tomb of Askia: Adds Gold. Increased Resource Capacity in this Settlement. Increased Gold and Production in this City for every Resource assigned to it. Must be built on a Desert tile.

Starting Biases:
Navigable Rivers
Desert
Plains
Coast

Check out the full game guide for more info & civic trees: https://civilization.2k.com/civ-vii/game-guide/civilizations/songhai/

https://twitter.com/x/status/1863991653406580831

 

[Daigotsu Max]

Bang on time! Happy to see the Songhai return, I enjoyed them in Civ 5. And really Civ 7 is offering beautiful diversity of representation.

 

[Bonyduck Campersang]

Golden Bangles Infantry seems like an oddly generic name at first glance

 

[moysturfurmer]

So is it fair to suggest Songhai are the economic Mongolia? In that they can get an Economic win by focusing on their homeland? Would a Treasure Ship built in the homeland consider domestic resources as treasure resources? Looking forward to playing around with that

 

[Evolena]

For those wondering, it's from the third and last Civic :

Kanta

Tier 1: Tajiro Unique Merchant Unit gains increased Gold. Increased Settlement Limit. Cities in Homelands on Navigable Rivers generate Treasure Fleets worth one Victory Point each.

 

[Xandinho]

I really enjoy this. Trade civs really attract me.

I think this is the best for Economic Victory in Exploration.

Introducing a new Exploration Age civ, Songhai!​

As the Empire of Mali faltered, their Songhai vassals rose up to form one of the largest states in Africa. Songhai revitalized Islam in the region, renewed the academic community in Timbuktu, and controlled the trans-Saharan trade. But the empire’s days were numbered when the Moroccans invaded, armed with gunpowder and seeking new routes for their own prosperity.

It's quite interesting that Morocco is mentioned here.

 

[Jkchart]

So is it fair to suggest Songhai are the economic Mongolia? In that they can get an Economic win by focusing on their homeland? Would a Treasure Ship built in the homeland consider domestic resources as treasure resources? Looking forward to playing around with that

It will be interesting to see how balanced the treasure fleets civic is since they would spawn and could be instantly claimed that turn, but I think it’s very unique and thematic, and glad there’s another “focuses on the homeland in exploration age” civ

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

So, those Treasure Fleets that pop up in Homeland cities... you just activate them right there?

 

[Leucarum]

That's awesome. I really like the look of that gameplay style! Almost feels like a shame that they are dependant on navigable rivers - I suspect want them to be my go-to exploration civ if I reasonably can pick them!

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

Golden Bangles Infantry seems like an oddly generic name at first glance

I do wonder where they got this from? The only information I get on them from the internet is through Civ 7 news.

It's quite interesting that Morocco is mentioned here.

Hints for future DLC, most likely.

 

[Ryansinbela]

I do wonder where they got this from? The only information I get on them from the internet is through Civ 7 news.

Hints for future DLC, most likely.

I think it’s because of a group of elite Songhai soldiers who wore gold bracelets

 

[moondog385]

Love Songhai’s design! They’ll be one of the civs I gravitate towards, I can tell. Side note, every time I see this game in motion, I am just blown away. Looks gorgeous. Art team did such a great job!

 

[Rac]

Songhai Background Art

 

[Zaarin]

Nice civ design; I'm glad to see another civ playing with victory conditions. Their theme has a sound in it that sounds like the Discord notification chime, though, and it's very confusing at first. (Oh, look, Christmas smileys are here, and they take up less space than normal!)

 

[Uberfrog]

It's quite interesting that Morocco is mentioned here.

It really is just how the empire ended - conquered by (Civ 5 alumnus) Ahmad al-Mansur’s Saadian dynasty.

Not that I would be against a Moroccan civ (or its Numidian and Almoravid precursors )

 

[SeelingCat]

Songhai uniques:

Tarikh al-Sudan (Ability)	Arabic: "History of the Sudan"	A 17th-century chronicle of the history of West Africa; the "single most important primary source for the history of the Songhay Empire"
Ships of the Desert (Civic)		A poetic name for the Camel, which was the primary means of conveying trade across and around the Sahara
Hi-Koi (Civic)	Songhai: hi "small boat" + koy "master"?	"one of the most important officers of the Songhai state"; also known as the "river-chief" but a title that combined troop leadership and also extensive sway at court
Kanta (Civic)	Songhai: kanca "canoe"?	a type of canoe-like boat, sewn together with palm fiber?
Timbuktu (Tradition)	Songhai: Tumbutu (uncertain etymology)	A famous city in Mali that arose in the 12th century, home to the Sankoré Madrasah. A city of scholars and traders well-ingrained into the Trans-Saharan trade network
Mud Brick (Tradition)		A construction technique used around the world, including in the construction of the Great Mosque of Djenné, the largest mudbrick building in the world. Specifically, the type of mudbrick used in West Africa is also known as banco, or labu (labo, làb-ò) in Songhai
Isa (Tradition)	Songhai: Isa "river"	The Niger River; the lifeblood of the Sahel region and its various empires, providing fresh water and also providing transportation links
Caravanserai (Infrastructure)	Persian: "roadside inn", literally "caravan palace/house"	A roadside inn where travelers could rest on their journeys; most commonly associated with the Silk Road, but existed throughout the Muslim world
Tajiro (Civilian)	Songhai: tà:jír-ò (Humburi Senni); taažir "trader"	Refers to the Trans-Saharan trade network and the Songhai Empire's primary source of wealth through it
Gold Bangles Infantry (Military)		uncertain of exact reference

 

[Zaarin]

It really is just how the empire ended - conquered by (Civ 5 alumnus) Ahmad al-Mansur’s Saadian dynasty.

Not that I would be against a Moroccan civ (or its Numidian and Almoravid precursors )

I definitely don't expect it on release, given we've pretty thoroughly narrowed down the Modern civs, but Morocco seems like a pretty sensible end game for North Africa eventually.

Songhai uniques:

Thank you! Songhay is a somewhat obscure but rather neat little language family.