[SPOILER]The Acquiline Empire - GE's ode to "The Eagles"

[gingereagle1969]

I love SPI, but it's tricky to use properly. Ask yourself this: how deeply do you want to commit to this game, and how willing are you to learn?

Are you saying if we pick Mansa your task to teach will be tougher? That said, wouldn't Hannibal allow for bigger cities with the happy bonuses? i.e. we could work 2 more cottages to boost the tech-rate.

The techs (Hunting and Fishing) suck ass though.

Will need Agriculture off the bat then, followed swiftly by Wheel -> Pottery -> Mining -> Bronze Working

Will have lost the race to the early religions, and Stonehenge & The Oracle, as 2 civs start with Mysticism.

I digress; which leader do we go for?

[gingereagle1969]

Think they're gonna need decision soon Nic

As I'm unlikely to consider changing from HR/Barb/Slavery/Decent/OR once I'm there, Mansa's SPI will seem a waste - in fact a SPI leader without a Myst start tech seems a non-starter anyway.

Guess I'm siding with Hannibal's CHM [tbh I prefer CHA, but then I'm a life-long D&D player] for the happy-cap leg-up. Only have Celiazul, as Brennus, matching this.

[gingereagle1969]

Sod it! For good or no, I'm making a decision & going with ... Hannibal. Hope that's OK, Nic.

[plako]

Your starting area. In final editing something minor might change.

[gingereagle1969]

Your starting area. In final editing something minor might change.[/img]

well a "minor" change may be to give me the right civ ... those look very celtic to me

hmmm .. is that Silver I see? Will have to promote Mining -> BW ahead of Wheel -> Pottery if it stays there.

[plako]

Silver is major thing so won't be removed.

[gingereagle1969]

so settle in place, no need for my Iron Maiden opening move as already on a hill

tech orders will be:

Agri -> Mining -> BW -> Wheel -> Pottery -> Myst

and build orders:

WB -> Worker -> Warrior -> Worker -> Settler -> Warrior -> Granary -> Monument


Scout to move North, then generally west-wards

[gingereagle1969]

OK, thought I'd give some justification for the choice of leader [civ was already given] and the naming principle - i.e. why "The Eagles"

Well, my username is gingereagle1969 which is based on a) my hair colour b) the fact i was born in autumn '69 & c) I support the UK football team Crystal Palace [nick-name "The Eagles"] I've had this idea to honour the team in a PBEM game for some time & now's my opportunity.

So how does this fit with the combination of Hannibal & Greece.

Firstly there is a very tentative link between the Carthaginian leader and Greece. His father, Hamilcar Barca, was born in Cyrene which was originally a Greek colony until it was overrun by the Phoenicians. So it is possible that Hannibal did have some Greek blood in his veins.

Hannibal's first name in Punic was written without vowels as ḤNBʻL. Its vocalism in common speech therefore is debatable. Among the possibilities:

From Ḥannibaʻ(a)l meaning "Ba'al is/has been gracious" or "Grace of Baal"
From Ḥannobaʻal, with the same meaning,
From ʼDNBʻL ʼAdnibaʻal, meaning "Ba'al is my lord"; in Greek: Ἁννίβας, Hanníbas.

Now Ba'al is equivalent to Cronus in Greek mythology; one of the symbols for Cronus is the crow ... damn, thought I was onto something, not even close to an eagle.

Turning to Greece. Depending on which Wikipedia article you read the national "bird" is an Owl* or a Phoenix. Now this a legs; Owls are closely related to the other birds of prey, the raptors [or falcons & eagles] and, if you look at the following images, the Phoenix could really be a form of eagle:



And, unverified at the moment, surely the Phoenicians [early Carthaginians] may have had the Phoenix as their symbol, which ties back in with Hannibal.

A slightly more disturbing link is between the Phoenix & my username. The phoenix was sometimes used as a symbol of the Provisional IRA. The symbols of rebirth and renewal referred to the Provisional IRA's formation "out of the ashes of '69"

OK, I haven't really justified picking Hannibal over Mansa Musa, have I? So why didn't I choose "King of kings" Musa? Especially as Mali's national bird, and by association Musa's, is, indeed, the falcon! Well, mainly as I can see more potential for Charismatic over Spiritual, and, without the religious head-start of Mysticism, I'll take the happy bonus over the lack of anarchy.

[*Incidentally, on another football-related note, Sheffield Wednesday are nicknamed "The Owls" and play in Blue & White stripes, not unlike the Greek flag]

[gingereagle1969]

Turn 0 - 4000BC

OK ... and we're off!


Slight change from the picture plako attached, the hill directly north was moved, so the Scout [damn, forgot to name him] was sent to another, actually better, hill instead. So, after settling in place & moved Scout:




First look at the capital:- Crystal Palace:



Working the unimproved Deer instead of the unimproved, wet, Rice to speed up the Work-Boat. The WB finishes as the city grows in 7 turns by doing this. Working Rice first would mean city grows in 5 & with the Deer worked then I shave 1 turn off the 10-turn WB ... dammit, would that have been better? I can switch over next turn, doubt it'll make much difference to these timings, phew. Already queued up the initial build orders.


OK, demos .. doubt they'll look this good ever again:



Teching Agriculture, will need the wet Rice to fuel growth as well as the Fish & Deer.

[mackoti]

Actualy the best move after border expand its to work the plains hills to get the WB faster.
And after that directly a worker.