Let's Play: Civilization II?

(Doublepost - but the context kind of requires it, so bear with me)

So, here goes our adventure. We are fellow Tarantians, living in the Unified Kingdom under Sir Willoughsby's Despotism. Here is a list of more detailed specifications on our culture:




The general policies are:

- Expanding as a Monarchy (Cumbrian-Tarantian War).
- Advancing as a Democracy
- Expanding more as a Communist regime.

Only the first policy is activated as of now. Everything can be voted/discussed, as we are the parliament.

Our starting technologies are Irrigation, Mining, Alphabet, Bronze Working, Ceremonial Burial and Roads. We have a single Settler.

And on that joyous day, we established Tarant:



Our first goal is to establish a Monarchy and create a strong island fortress, so we will train a Phalanx to explore the island and research Code of Laws.

We proceed directly to Monarchy after Code of Laws, and we resume by building a Temple to honor the magic of old gods (Monarchy Era Tarant) - and to keep the plebians happy too. Old ruins nearby contain scrolls about Currency. What a weird thing - to exchange metal parts instead of barter.



We discover an alternative mothod of governance - Monarchy. The citizens stage a revolution for a more efficient rule. Meanwhile, we start resarching Masonry. We must study the science of creating barricades if we are to get past them in the future.

Tarant completes its temple, but the city is getting too crowded. We start preparing to send people to the adjacent island. The monarchy is established with King Willoughsby. A few years later, our pioneers become ready to set out. We also start developing siege weapons by discovering Mathematics.



Our pioneers pave the way and settle in the forest. Black Root is established. We also start recruiting a defense force and working on building ships. Tarant completes a Marketplace - surely the sign of our future economical dominance. We start building a Barracks so we will be able to build up a professional Tarantian Army.

Black Root musters up a minor but sufficient defense force. We proceed to build a Temple - we must not anger any gods. We also discover Map Making which allows us to build Triremes and a Lighthouse. We start developing a Warriors Code to ensure healthy military development.

After Tarant completes the Barracks, we start preparing to settle in the northern part of the island. After that, we shall create the 1st Tarantian Army Division. We also create our Warrior Code. Now to proceed to developing more advanced Construction methods! Black Root finishes the Temple, and we start recruiting Workers to develop the countryside.

2700 BC, our civilization is developing well. The colonists are paving the way north, and Tarant is creating our first naval force.

 

But of course, this is not enough. We start creating the Artillery Support for the 1st Tarantian. Black Root starts developing its municipalities. And our Triremes explore our West.



Look at this! A different culture settled in a geographical position known as Norway! We cannot establish contact for now because we only have a naval unit, but we will remember their position.

Our fleet returns to Tarant, as Ashbury is established.



We also discover Pottery. We proceed to study Iron Working. Ashbury starts recruiting a defense force. The artillery corps are established, and we start training Archers to complete our first task force. Then, we receive a message from a well-known philosopher:



This will change, rest assured.

Our first task force is complete. We set sail to our new neighbours. With this, the House of Lords must gather to decide on what action must be taken.



Situation: The 1st Tarantian Army Division is near a foreign capital. We can be friendly with this culture, or we can use our overwhelming firepower. If we can have peace with them, they will be of no use - we are the frontiersmen of technology in the whole world. If we war with them, we would land in the forest, where our Catapults would bombard them while our Archers defend themselves easily in a thick forest. However, there is always the chance that our army will be destroyed.

You may also demand a policy change, or ask for reasoning on existing policies. Any other topic on our current situation can be opened as well.

Now discuss, fellow Lords, about the state of our country.

 

Beat the crap outta them.

 

I forgot one thing - their population is only two. There is a chance we may destroy the city via bombardment - by which we would only get a free tech (perhaps) and no city.

Any tech they have extra, we can exchange before laying waste to them. A free extra city in an advantaged capitol position would benefit Tarant greatly, however.

NOTE: The is a third option, of course - Wait a while before moving in. The discussion period ends about 23:30 (GMT +2:00).

 

I would like to put forth my motion to the other Lords of our blessed by the Gods country, that we should not take any risks. In the mind of what's good for our land, we use them as an ally, until we can take it over. Also, in case of upcoming attacks of the enemies of our nation, they are useful as a buffer against our enemies.

EDIT: Typos and corrections.

 

I would like to set forth a motion to the other Lord's of the Unified Kingdom. The enemy is at our doorstep, are we, the great House of Lords going to sit by and let them grow and prosper on fertile lands that are ours by right? In order to grow we must assimilate lesser cultures into our kingdom, this will make us stronger and it will also improve their lifestyle. Think of this as an act of compassion, of the greater good. We strike now so that millions later will be born into a more privileged lifestyle.

I put forth my vote to occupy this 'Trondheim' for the good of the Unified Kingdom. Now more than ever we must remain vigilant and steadfast in our resolve to unify the world under one banner.

 

I would put forth the motion then, that if we want to attack their nation by our mighty army, would we have enough troops to divide between our blessed land and on the occupied land of the enemy? Also, how high are the risks?

 

I would like to report the following for Lord Arthgon's motion:

- Even if the invasion fails, there is "no" danger of a counterattack. The primitive nations to the south have not yet sent a single ship our way. The Vikings have no idea of our position either. The repercussions would be damaged international reputation and some of our production wasted to rebuild an army.
- Our artillerymen are well trained veterans. Their offensive output is unmatched, and will be unmatched for a millenium or so. After our bombardment destroys garrisoned troops, our regulars can just proceed to occupy the city without resistance. The risk is low, but there is always the (low) chance that Vikings will launch a pre-emptive sneak attack and destroy our forces.

Also, I vote for a swift occupation as well. This puts us hawks in the majority.

 

I wish to carry the motion forward, a swift blow to the primitive Vikings is the most logical course of action. The All-Father himself warned our oracles of the past that they would be an aggressive adversary if they were ever given the chance to grow and prosper. War all is they know and it will be on the battlefield where we shall face them.

The time for diplomacy is over, let there be blood!

 

Liking this so far. Beat the crap out of every single one. Especially at this early stage, which limits diplomatic repercussions.

 

The House of Lords call for immediate military action. Tarant goes to war! We initiate talks with the Vikings, shortly after positioning ourselves in the forest nearby.



They demand a technology exchange. We refuse to negotiate with barbarians, obviously. They then try to extort a technology from us. We refuse and the arrogant fools declare war upon us.

Such a pity. We bombard their defenses, which is a band of Warriors. We then occupy the city and raze it to the ground.



We take some of their more scholarly people prisoners, who teach us Writing to save their lives. However, Vikings are not completely destroyed. Our army will gather up to pursue any survivors.

Meanwhile, back at home, we discover Iron Working. We start working on building bridges.

Our pursuit gives fruit as we locate another of their cities.



We make a landfall near them. We refuse talks with them, obviously. We make short work of this small city and take scrolls which explain Horseback Riding. Since we have at least some stuff to learn from these wild beasts. Our forces will rest and then keep pursuing inland.

Meanwhile, our homeland is full of projects to improve our economy. Construction efforts are at full speed, as our military needs no more investment as of now. Then news comes from a distant place called Shanghai.



We have been surpassed in an area. This cannot stand for long. We "will" have a wonder built sometime. Yet our country must expand, so Ashbury starts recruiting Settlers, which will later be used to build a new city in the place of Trondheim's ruins - Kree.

Our army gathers its strength again. We start moving inland. We also move to discover Literacy. Black Root starts building a Barracks - so we may create the 2nd Tarantian.



The 1st Tarantian then discovers a Viking city, "Cumae". It doesn't soung very Viking, however. There is a possibility that it used to be a far colony of this civilization called "Rome". If so, our opponents have expanded a lot while we stayed dormant in our island. Naturally, we proceed to lay siege and assault the city.



Will they ever learn?

We take Mysticism from them. Some of their Warriors approach us for talks. We refuse. The Warriors then attacks us, only to be slaughtered. All will hail to our King Willoughsby.

Ashbury has a band of Settlers. We will have them settle in Trondheim's ruins directly. We have seen firsthand than we must expand, and a colony on the mainland would greatly increase both our power projection and survival. Black Root's municipalities are fully developed too, so we send the Workers there to Tarant.

Black Root completes the Barracks. We start forming the 2nd Tarantian there. We discover Literacy and proceed with Philosophy. The 1st Tarantian starts following a river.



We found Kree in the blessed forest from which we rained hell on Vikings. A good call too - it has access to an extra whale and a gold deposit. Another proof those Vikings were idiots.

Then we meet the Romans.

The House of Lords is called for an emergency session. What do we do with these Romans?

What do we know about them:

- They are enemies with the Vikings.
- They are pathetic enough to lose a city to Vikings.
- They must have expanded a lot.

The first options to come to mind:

- Ally ourselves, exchange some technology, and then ask for geographical information. This will give us a list of possible targets (Roman/Viking and possibly otherwise), and a delay on any possible future Roman aggression.
- Directly attack them, and follow the river south. Their Warriors came from the south, so that must be where their main cities are. We launch an offensive and cripple them, and we won't have any future problems.

 

These Romans truly act quickly. If we do not act quicker, they will only grow more powerful. I say we strike them down at earliest convenience.

 

Lord Muro stands up to speak on the matter:

"My fellow Lords. I am myself not a fan of mindless slaughter, which is why I... No, wait, I actually am. Off with their heads."

 

Lord Zanza to the podium.

"My fellow Lords, to defeat our enemies, we must think like our enemies. We are too refined in our ways, our culture is too advanced to understand what these barbaric nations and their actions. I wish to set forth a motion that we communicate with these Romans in an attempt to better understand their way of life. A lack of information on force size as well as how much land the Vikings controlled was unknown to us. We brashly attacked them believing they were a small nation. We were fortunate that the brave souls of the 1st Tarantian we quick to react to the new information we gathered at the time."

"Let us learn from this, I ask that we be allowed to communicate, gather information on the Romans as well as their maps. This will lead us to their enemies, their friends as well as the riches of the world. We know they have been beaten on the field of battle by the Vikings. We know we can defeat the Vikings, therefore we know we can subjugate the Romans when we are finished with 'diplomacy'."

Agree to peace, gather maps so we know how many cities they control and who surrounds them.

 

I would like to speak on this matter as well.

The soldiers of the 1st Tarantian have been wandering cluelessly to the unknown. They have been ever so valiant in finding and destroying our enemies, but as of now, they have reached a point where the places they travel will be infinite voids. Our military is designed to be a small task force with very high firepower. It is not meant to scatter around in reconnaissance missions. It is meant to seek and destroy.

The information we will gather from the Romans will be vital to our success. Know that with knowing their geography, we can see where the last of the Vikings are located - and exterminate them. We will also know good settlement points to expand our culture and power... before taking over the Roman Empire as well.

Every council member here wants our enemies dead. I sympathise with that. Yet a little finesse here can raise our bodycount to significant levels in the future. Consider that.

 

Lord Arthgon spoke: I would like to put forth a motion to the other Lords, that our Blessed Nation should gather more information about their troops, for they may have more troops and cities then we actually see. We could ally with them for trade and maps.

 

Do the best of both worlds. Take what we need from them, learn what we can from them, and then kill them.

 

Lord Grakelin speaks:

Yes, Lord Palikot, that is how the game works. We just have to decide what to do first.

I say we open our doors to Roman messengers, who will bring gifts to our people. Let us see the size of their empire before we start picking off their colonies.