SSG01 - Succession Story Game - Holland to Hydrae

[anaxagoras]

So here's the idea:

We play a succession game, and post saves and turn logs here as usual. However, each player also posts a short story line for each set in this thread in the Stories and Tales forum. The story line can be in any style and can describe nearly anything, except that it must plausibly fit within the turn set you just played. Connection to previous story lines is encouraged, but by no means required.

To give time for authoring, the pace of this game will be slow. Perhaps a turn a week, or even slower. A save and turn log may be posted here before the corresponding story is posted in the Stories forum, but the next turn set may not be completed or posted before a story is filed for the previous set. Stories may range from a couple of paragraphs to as long as you have time for.

We will play at Emperor level, on a large map. Setup as follows:

Version: C3C
Difficulty: Emperor
Civ: Dutch
Victory Conditions Enabled: Space, Domination, Conquest, Cultural, Diplomatic
Desired Victory: Space
Map: Large
Age: 4 billion years
Climate: Normal
Temperature: Temperate
Landform: Random
Barbarians: Restless
Opponents: 11, All Random

Restrictions: We will take the first start we get, regardless of how difficult or easy it appears.

I would like input from the players as to the type of Civ we play and the types of governments we want to pursue in order to set a tone for the stories. I would prefer the Civ not necessarily be ideal for a Space Race win, but I am completely flexible on that point. The main point is: What do you want to write about?

I am looking for four or five dedicated players in addition to myself to fill out this game. Who's with me?

Current Roster:

1. Anaxagoras - just played
2. CommandoBob - UP!!
3. Rodent - On Deck
4. Open
5. Open
6. Open


This game is actively looking for players!

Just post in the thread below.

 

[TheOverseer714]

You might also look for Story players who might be willing to try the format, there seems to be alot of potential vic.. err, players over there.

 

[choxorn]

What version is this?

 

[Rodent]

I might write a few from time to time, but dont count me as a regular player

 

[anaxagoras]

What version is this?

Sorry, this is C3C, the latest Civ 3 version. I'll edit the OP.

 

[AutomatedTeller]

I'd join in on this. Sounds like fun.

Most unsuitable for space - could be zulu. We could add in another variant - no space ship parts can be handbuilt, we have to rush them all with leaders

 

[anaxagoras]

Would the Zulu make a good story? I was thinking generic European, myself. Spanish, Portugese, or Dutch, perhaps? Zulu would work fine, though.

Still need players. C'mon, folks. This will be fun! You don't have to be a great writer. I'm sure as heck not! You just have to be willing to give it a shot.

 

[choxorn]

Spain and Portugal suck too much.

 

[AutomatedTeller]

any of those are fine. Actually, a seafaring civ would be easier, cause we should be able to get the republic slingshot, which always makes things easier.

I always like doing things with portugal - as the designated crappy civ

 

[choxorn]

If you want a seafaring nation, there's England, Spain, Portugal, Dutch, Vikings, Byzantines, and Carthage.

 

[anaxagoras]

Do all these suggestions mean you are in, Choxorn? We need players, mostly. I'm sure we can settle on a Civ if we get folks to buy in to the game/story concept.

The Byzantines are fun, and the Dromons would make for some good story lines. The Dutch UU is a Swiss pikeman, which might make for some political intriguing. Think as much about the story line you want as the effect each Civ would have on game play. We hope to be able to win a no-restriction SG at Emperor with just about any Civ, although some will be easier than others and the start will be key.

 

[Rodent]

Count me in, now that i see that the pace will be slow

 

[AutomatedTeller]

My belief is that the story we get from this will be pretty disjointed - perhaps more a selection of short stories, some serious, some humorous. actually, I think this is a pretty interesting thought - we might want to think of some common terms for unit sizes - like, a veteran archer is 4 divisions, 400 archers, a veteran division of archers, etc. And we might want to think about naming all the units.

This could be much fun.

Here's a question: can only the person who played a turnset write a story? Or can more than one person contribute a story to a turn set, if they have a sidestory going on?

 

[anaxagoras]

I'm happy to have guest authors write stories, but I want the players to each write one for every set they play. A lot of the threads in the Story forum are really series of short vignettes already. I don't think this will be dramatically different from one of those, except there will be a more pronounced mix of styles.

I think it is better to leave the unit designations flexible, actually. You can write from any perspective, so if you want to treat an archer as a lone guy, while the next writer treats them like divisions, I'm OK with that. Especially in the early going, I think some flexibility about unit size is good. It is hard to justify thinking of a rifle unit as a single guy, but a lone warrior, swordsman, or even knight can be fun to conceptualize. I encourage unit naming. It will take a lot of time and energy to think of hundreds of unique names, so I don't think it should be mandatory to individually name every unit, but any unit we write about should be named, I think.

About Civs - I'm inclined to go with the Dutch. I think there are a lot of story possibilities there, and the agricultural characteristic will allow us to take some "artistic license" as we play. Everybody OK with that?

 

[CivRulesAll]

Can I join? I forgot how to post screenies and don't know how to play a posted save. Do i just put it in my savegame folder? I normally play on Regent so don't blame me If I make a couple of mistakes.I'm fine with the dutch.

 

[AutomatedTeller]

dutch is good by me.

 

[anaxagoras]

Welcome aboard, CivRulesAll. Succession games are a good way to move up. You only play ten turns at a time, so if you make a few mistakes, we can help you correct them and improve your play. You also have the opportunity to ask questions, so we can help you not make mistakes in the first place. Feel free to post question during a set if you are facing something you aren't sure how to handle. This is definitely a team game.

To play a posted save, just click the link and download it to your computer. Then find the file and open it. Easy. Uploading is easy, too. Just use the "Manage Saves" section on the "Go Advanced" posting page. Search the forums if you need more details. There are several places that have posted detailed upload instructions.

We now have four definite players, so I'll probably try to start the game tonight and hope we have a couple more sign on in the next day or two. As is usual in a succession game, the first set (mine) will be 20 turns, then we'll go ten turns each after that. If we need to, we can cut back to 5 turns per set in the later years, but for a space game, that probably won't be needed.

For each game, please post the save and a turn log in this thread, plus a link to the related story, which you should post in the other thread in the stories forum. To reiterate, game pace will be slow to allow for authorship. Ask for skips when you need them and we will work around your schedule as best we can. I don't expect we'll do more than a turn per week over the long haul.

Best practice is to post the save and the story at the same time. If you finish the turn set and are desperate for extra time to flesh out the story, go ahead and post the save for the next player, but the next player should not finish a new set until the story from the previous set is posted. That will keep us on a decent pace, but forces us to finish our stories as we go. If you need a skip, that's fine, but please don't ask for a skip after you post a save. Once that save goes up, you are on the hook for the story.

I'll wait until tonight to start and if the others object to the civ choice, just chime in and we'll change it.

 

[choxorn]

I would join, but unfortunately, I can't patch C3C and as such have to use version 1.00, and 1.00 and 1.22 aren't compatible.

 

[CommandoBob]

I don't expect we'll do more than a turn per week over the long haul.

One turnset a week? That's a pace I can handle.

And you require us to be wildly creative, too?

PlayerSidStud looked up from his computer monitor to shade his eyes from the early morning sun. 'Oh, man,' he thought to himself, 'I need to go let the dog out before she pees on the floor. Again.' With a last look at the screen and the blinking words 'Press Enter to continue', he slowly pushed away from the card table and started moving around.

'Are you coming to bed?' asked a voice from the bedroom.

'Uh, yeah, after I let Sam out.'

'I dont' know why you want to come to bed now. It's almost time for you to be at work. Why do you stay up so late? Oh, I forgot. It's Civilization. Sid...'

PlayerSidStud grimaced as he went downstairs. He couldn't remember if he had saved the game or not.

 

[CommandoBob]

I would prefer the Civ not necessarily be ideal for a Space Race win, but I am completely flexible on that point.

Zulus or Viking seem, to me, to very unsuited for space. Impis in spacesuits and Beserks on the bridge. What a picture.

I checked out some stats at the Hall of Fame.

The most popular civ for Spaceship victory is Russia (56 games), followed by Sumeria (37).
The least favorite, at one game each are:

• Arabia
• Egypt
• England
• India
• Japan
• Mongols
• Portugal
• Rome
• Spain
• Zulu