Shaka Shackled

[Robber Baron]

Shaka Shackled

Needing to shake up my Civ game a bit, I decided to try out the Zulus. It was a perverse choice, really, because I tend to prefer building to battling (though I am not averse to making war, especially early in the game against immediate neighbors). Usually I find myself turtling in after the Ancient Era wars and trying to build my way through the middle part of the game. I count on a Middle Ages Golden Age to carry me through that stretch of the “Dark Ages” where the AI civs surge ahead technologically (I play Monarch-level, for the most part) while I frantically lay my economic foundations and erect my cultural infrastructure.

Still, as I said, I needed to shake up my game. So, Shaka. He’s not a particularly adept builder by instinct. And his impis tend to trigger an unhappily premature Golden Age. I’d play Shaka, but I decided to play him against the grain. I was determined to hold off my Golden Age as long as possible, so I’d avoid using Impis if at all possible until the Middle Ages. And I’d force the Zulus to build.

Which made my starting position tricky. The settings were continents, normal, restless. I found myself situated in the middle of what proved to be a large continent, bounded by the Persians to my immediate North, the Russians above them, and the Germans to my South. In other words, next to some very aggressive neighbors.

On the other hand, my core terrain was basically fertile and productive. My first reaction was, ‘Dang, this would be a great location for a classic expansion pattern: a few pruning wars on either side, then build up and buttress. Wish I was playing the Persians, or the Babs, or …’

Then I decided I’d try to build anyway. I’d make a new man of Shaka. In fact, right then and there, I decided I’d be strict about it. I set myself a few internal rules. No declaring war – though I’d fight fiercely if attacked. But no extended conquest: I imposed a two-city limit on any territorial gains in any given war. And finally I decided the Palace stayed in Zimbabwe. (That’s an irrational personal thing with me. I care about my capitals, I figure they’re culturally sacred and deeply significant to my people, and I don’t allow myself to relocate them somewhere else for tactical reasons.)

Xerxes did me the favor of attacking first. We raced to plant cities near an incense resource, I got there first (it was the only luxury in the vicinity, and I needed the hook-up badly). Frankly, I was relieved, because I knew he was coming sooner or later, and sooner was better. He had five cities – and evidently the Russians were hemming in to his north. He had iron, not yet roaded.
It was touchy for awhile, because I didn’t have iron, hadn’t built any impis (not wanting to risk the GA trigger), and so found myself sending archers into the hills to face the Persians. Took two cities. Saw an immortal (their first one) coming in, and negotiated for peace. (Only managed to pry one tech and a handful of gold out of them. It was tempting to take out his iron, but I wouldn’t be able to hold it; I had my two cities already, and didn’t want to press my luck. It was archers against spear and immortals, after all.)
That first part of the game was a blast, by the way. I knew the immortals were coming, I hadn’t yet hooked up to iron or horse, and every turn felt tense.

A period of peace ensued, allowing me to build a basic road network and hook up horses (no iron in my core territory though. aargh). I built up admittedly thin defenses (an archer in each city), then started to prepare a mobile force of vet horsemen. It was an agonizingly slow process. I knew the Germans would be hitting me soon. Made contact with the English and French past the Germans to the east. Maybe they’d occupy Bismark?

Nope. German swordsmen appeared on the border. I wheeled my horsemen south and waited for the blow.
It was touch and go for awhile. The German sword were formidable, and every unit I had in my military had a defense of 1. In other words, I could not afford to defend. I had to stay on my toes and on the attack.
Fortunately, the Germans had no horse. I managed to keep the fighting in the plains and desert, picking off the lumbering swordsmen with my horsies. Took two cities, including one with iron, and made peace. (No tribute at all this time, but at least Bismark had been pruned, and I’d gotten hold of one of his iron sources and a cluster of spice tiles.)

At last I breathed a sigh of relief. There was a long way to go. But now I could station sword in my cities as defense. I’d gotten my first great leader, too. Tempted to build the Heroic Epic, but decided this would violate the spirit of my Builder Compact. Instead, I stashed it, sweated out three turns while I finished researching Theology, then rushed the Chapel. (In the crisis of war with Germany, I hadn’t even been able to set aside a pre-build city.)

Now I’m in pretty solid shape. I’ve bought Chivalry and upgraded my horsemen, and I’m starting to build the Forbidden Palace up North. I figure the Russians will come after me next (they’ve been beating up on the Persians). I’m culturally strong. (A Persian city actually flipped to me! – when was the last time you saw a Persian city flipping Zulu?) If I can just manage to get the FP finished before Cossacks arrive across the northern plains, I’ll be impregnable.

[Hail Caesar!]

Good Post. Personally, I can't stand the Zulus!

[Robber Baron]

Thanks, Hail.
The game has proceeded nicely through the middle ages. Trading for feudalism allowed me to station pikemen in my cities -- my first true defensive units! I built up particularly strong defenses in my desert cities up north -- anticipating a Russian attack. I switched to Republic (bypassing monarchy). (Shaka found his new costume itchy, but I told him he looked noble. He grumbled and squirmed.) I also stockpiled a mass of impis, and meanwhile built up the Forbidden Palace brick by brick.
Sure enough, as the FP neared completion, Russian knights moved into my territory and Cathy declared war.
I was ready. My pike held off the first wave of attacks, with knights stationed behind city walls waiting to mop up. The impis howled with outrage, but I kept them locked in their barracks for a bit.
Once the Russians' first wave had spent itself, I launched my knights, hurrying pike in behind. Two Russian border cities fell in a matter of several turns, one with Ivory. I checked, and found Cathy willing to negotiate peace, for a price. Sorry, not interested. First I unleashed my impis on a pillaging rampage. The Russians reeled, counterattacked .... BAM: golden age. I quickly made peace, my troops returned to their cities, and started a very fruitful period of culture construction.
Shaka by now was a born-again builder. Zulu cathedrals, marketplaces, libraries and universities everywhere.

My conclusion is: for a shortterm sacrifice of some benefits I'd come to take for granted (e.g., cheap cultural builds, or a UU with a major military impact), playing a civ against its grain can be a blast. It takes planning, but it makes the game more nerveracking and much more satisfying.
Shaka, by the way, scorned "Sissy-tine's Chapel" when we built it right there in Zimbabwe. But now he's a regular. Even wants to join the choir.

[Arrian]

RB,

That's funny stuff. Very much against the grain, but I totally agree with the power of the medieval golden age (on Monarch particularly). Playing on Emperor now, I have moved it up a tad bit, into the late ancient or very early medieval.

I tend to avoid civs that force me to work to avoid triggering a GA. The Aztecs aren't bad, b/c the Jags can be built, moved, upgraded and used as swords until the time is right. But the Zulu... wow, not building any defensive units until pikemen. That's a pain.

I've avoided the Zulu not only because of the unit timing, but because their traits are a terrible combo for me. I never play on Huge maps, and very rarely toy with large ones. I almost always play with the full compliment of civs (8/standard). Expansionist just isn't very strong on those settings. Militaristic is a fav, but it needs a solid builder trait to compliment it (rel/ind).

Still, I'm impressed at your conversion of Shaka to the "Light Side." I, on the other hand, have converted Cleopatra, consumate builder, to the "Dark Side."

-Arrian

[Hail Caesar!]

Nooo! Not Cleopatra!

Well maybe.... but Joan is still my Saint.

Right??

[Robber Baron]

Arrian:
Yeah, I know, being militaristic and expansionist was basically useless, this game. I popped a few huts -- got one tech (pottery, I think). But because I was playing on a standard map and other expansionist civs landed on the same continent, there were scouts all over the map within what felt like a handful of turns. No goodies after that, so I just had to play better.
It seemed more fun, somehow, than simply bumping up to emporer, where the AI just gets handed these generic advantages.

[vmxa1]

Moving to Emp/Deity is something worth doing, as they are very satisifing to win. Playing on them all the time is not. It reminds me of Moo1/2, I played lots on impossible levels, but the hard level was more fun. Less nerve wracking. I find Monarch the same here, more fun. I will admit it can be fun to get out of a huge hole, but I just hate all the demands, I have to put up with on Deity. I build up too much stress over the indignity, dumb huh.

[Arrian]

[OT]vmxa1,

I remember MOO2 on "impossible." The AI would randomly show up with a fleet of stuff that all of them together couldn't possibly have built, and bomb the crap out of you on like the 10th turn. I beat it a few times, but it was pretty dumb. I loved that game, but the AI really was pretty weak. Once you gained parity it was all over. The only way to make it challenging, IMO, would be to force yourself to NOT play a "creative" race. I couldn't bear it, frankly. I always played my own created race (creative/democracy/+1ind/large homeworld, all combat & spying negatives, if memory serves).[/OT]

RB,

Hmm, that's a good idea: instead of playing Emperor/Deity, play Monarch with a weaker civ. Interesting.

When I feel like playing Emperor, I'll play my favorites (Egypt, Japan, China), but from now on if I want to drop down to Monarch, I'll play others.

-Arrian

[vmxa1]

All true for the most part, I play with out the creative feature, so you do not get all of the tech. Civ3 is similar, once you get parity, you win, not that turn, but in the end. You can do a bunch of things in most game to make it a new challenge. In MM6, I would play with no training allowed, in MM8, play with only 1 member in the party, instead of 5. Ascendancy, you could spot the AI by not doing anything for x number of turns, to give it a boost. The AI in Civ3 is not that weak, so it does not require a huge boost to be fun. I do not care if it can not win, only that it be fun. Some go to god mode on FPS, that is fun to them.

[Aeson]

Interesting! I was playing GOTM12 (Zulu's) for a cultural victory this week. I didn't forgo the offensive warfare though, but did put it off (and the GA) until after switching to a Republic at least. As you say, it's lots of fun to play a civ in a unconventional way.

[Robber Baron]

This may be a dumb question but, what's "GOTM12"?

[vmxa1]

Game Of The Month (12th one) on CFC, I am guessing.

[Dominae]

As Vel said somewhere about early UUs and triggering GAs, sometimes you just got to suck it up and move right along. The Impi and Jags are such fantastic units that you can gain tremendous advantage with them early on. The price is a poor GA. Which is better, a nice Golden Age, or early-game momentum?

Regardless, I think the idea of "friendly Shaka" is hilarious, and so definitely worth playing.


Dominae