Try this Variant!

[Gooblah]

This is probably not the correct forum for this, but...would anyone be interested in the following variant?

A Custom Continents map, generated with 1 continent per team; high sea levels, random leaders, etc. The catch is, the human player is on a two-tile island. You get 4 sea resources you can see (get it..) right off the bat: Fish, Clams, Whales, and Crabs. On the hill, which is forested is a hidden metal.

The map is generated with the standard number of AIs. The player's island is in the middle of the map, with three one-tile island connections to the other continents. Thus, you can reach the AIs, and the AIs can reach you, but the AIs can't make contact with AIs on other continents unless you give them open borders. It is not an OCC; rather, the human player's starting point (before I alter the map) is given to a Barbarian city.

The rules are simple:
1) The human can only build 7 cities, including the capital. Of these 7 cities, 3 must be on the one-tile island 'gates' (for consideration, so the 3/7 rule isn't set in stone).
2) To expand, the human must first capture Barbarian cities. If you get lucky and Copper or Iron is nearby, then you may be able to rush the Barbarian civilization before they expand...however, if you're graced with Coal and the only Iron and Copper sources are in the reach of other players, you're screwed.
3) For victory to be recognized, the human player must create three colonies. These colonies can all be on one continent, or spread across all three. A secondary rule to this is that these average number of cities these colonies have must outnumber your own, and half of their cities must be self-settled.

The purpose of this variant is three-fold: One, to put the player into an awkward position and see how diplomacy is affected; Two, to foster the development of a trade empire of sorts; Three, to exercise the colonial system.

I've been playtesting this, and it works out quite well. My two hints are this: 1) Charismatic, while always good, is amazing on this variant due to the lack of happiness close by until Optics, and 2) selective Open Borders is even more crucial than before.

Edit: The Game has BEGUN!

 

[Matthew5117]

Great idea! I've wanted a interesting scenario for a while.

Would you care to provide a map? I think Hannibal would be best for this because he has charismatic and financial, charismatic because you recommended it (and I agree) and financial because its great when you have tons of water tiles. Also, his UB, actually I don't need to say (I'm too lazy, okay!).

Also, maybe provide the map for a variety of levels just so everyone can play it, if not and you have to chose one level, make it Emperor please (I know I'm being greedy...).

Looking forward for the response (don't disappoint me, just kidding).

 

[r_rolo1]

You can't make more than a colony per land mass.

 

[Soirana]

if that is succesion game move to proper forum, if not attach the save...

 

[Jet]

If you post it, I might play it.

"2) To expand, the human must first capture Barbarian cities."

Do you mean, you must capture one barbarian city, and not raze it, before you may capture or settle any other city besides your capital? How do you know the barbarian continent won't be blocked from the human player by ocean or by an AI civ?

"if you're graced with ... , you're screwed."

If the map is going to be hand-edited anyway, I don't see the point in building in a possiblity of "oops, you're screwed", unless no metal means you're not actually screwed, and you create a lot of different maps in the same style so that the player can try games with different resources.
Oh look, the guy who edited the map screwed me. Ha, ha! That crazy map editor. Whatever will he think of next? I'm really screwed now! How delightful.
Care to play again?
I think it would be more fun to just set the metal to Iron, or to Coal and lower the difficulty, and be done with it.



Not to take anything away from your idea, which sounds fun, two games I remember that had related elements were
* Realms Beyond Civilization Epic 23 - Focal Point. In early January some people posted game reports in the Reports subforum.
* A succession game that I can't find. (Maybe it was posted on deviantminds??) The game organizer edited the map. They started with two cities, one on an ocean-isolated island in the middle of a snaky continent and another on the snaky continent. The theme was that they had to reunite with their homeland on the island.

 

[assass1n]

RB had one on Colonization too though it was on BTS 3.03 or .13 that is before the colony bug was fixed

 

[Codeman]

* A succession game that I can't find. (Maybe it was posted on deviantminds??) The game organizer edited the map. They started with two cities, one on an ocean-isolated island in the middle of a snaky continent and another on the snaky continent. The theme was that they had to reunite with their homeland on the island.

this was a SGOTM.

 

[Jet]

I knew someone would have to know. It was SGOTM 2.

 

[Gooblah]

You can't make more than a colony per land mass.

Seriously? Hmm. I'll change that in the game thread (the new one).

if that is succesion game move to proper forum, if not attach the save...

I'll put it in a new thread, this was just probing for interest.

If you post it, I might play it.

"2) To expand, the human must first capture Barbarian cities."

Do you mean, you must capture one barbarian city, and not raze it, before you may capture or settle any other city besides your capital? How do you know the barbarian continent won't be blocked from the human player by ocean or by an AI civ?

I meant that you must capture every Barbarian city you know of. Thus, if you capture all the Barbarian cities that you've seen, you can start attacking the AI Civs, but once you find another Barbarian City, you have to pause the assault and take it.

"if you're graced with ... , you're screwed."

If the map is going to be hand-edited anyway, I don't see the point in building in a possiblity of "oops, you're screwed", unless no metal means you're not actually screwed, and you create a lot of different maps in the same style so that the player can try games with different resources.
Oh look, the guy who edited the map screwed me. Ha, ha! That crazy map editor. Whatever will he think of next? I'm really screwed now! How delightful.
Care to play again?
I think it would be more fun to just set the metal to Iron, or to Coal and lower the difficulty, and be done with it.

I was considering just writing down all the strategic metals (Aluminum, Coal, Iron, Copper), then waving a pencil on it and choosing at random TBH. Fair point.

Not to take anything away from your idea, which sounds fun, two games I remember that had related elements were
* Realms Beyond Civilization Epic 23 - Focal Point. In early January some people posted game reports in the Reports subforum.
* A succession game that I can't find. (Maybe it was posted on deviantminds??) The game organizer edited the map. They started with two cities, one on an ocean-isolated island in the middle of a snaky continent and another on the snaky continent. The theme was that they had to reunite with their homeland on the island.

Thanks! I'll look into them, they look great.

I'll have the save up in a few minutes.