Episode 07: A Tale of Two Cities – S1

Good evening Ladies and Gentleman! My name is u/Maineroadfan, die-hard Kiwi supporter and apparently a member of the “Cult of Lithuania.” Whatever that means. It is my honour to narrate this part of CBRX as it will be my first for this sub. I hope you all enjoy the part I’ve been provided, as shit gets interesting tonight.

I miss the old days where civball was more plentiful, but u/Doccit has given a great representation of why Haiti is doing so well. Please take a look!

Vihreaa delivers us another installment of the wonderful hand-drawn map. My eyes are drawn to the expansion of Maratha and Songhai, but many civs are doing well.

Except for Canada. Why did they have to be nerfed?

And as an alternative to the previous, we have the Melon Map, looking as impressive as ever. I’m so impressed with both, as while I enjoy making maps myself, they are never to the quality of these.

This week, we have Zimbabwe top of the rankings. Narrowly beating out their rivals. Through clever settlements all the way from south africa to Lake Victoria, Zimbabwe have built a stable core that has taken advantage of all available room, and a powerful military that threatens all of their neighbours. Zimbabwe are a dominating force.

We open this part of the Battle Royale with a look at how the ongoing Shikokan-Korean war is going. Unsurprisingly, not much has developed over the past few turns, however, Shikoku’s navy is close by. Korea’s army seems much larger than last time around, so Pyongyang may be safe in Seonjo’s hands for now.

Two important city settles have been made. The Goths found Baiyara north of their existing settlements, attempting to trap Muscovy. Ivan however, anticipates this, and send a small colony of inhabitants north to found Nizhny Novgorod.

In the distance, you can hear Prussian settlers raging over yet another city spot being taken, although at least they have room to fall back on.

The Qing has sent an impressive amount of civilian units towards Northern Japan, which would be perfect for the formation of a city.

Unfortunately, Cixi in her infinite immortal wisdom, has recalled the settler. Apparently, snow is worth more than grassland in this part of China.

The Apache, once predicted to be the kings of North America have fallen on hard times. Poverty Point has citadeled them, and the Aztecs are encroaching on their land through the south. It seems the only avenue of escape for Geronimo is through the Rocky Mountains.

That is if the Yupik don’t get there first.

The war between Palmyra and the Golden Horde ends.  Despite Palmyra making literally zero progress, Tokhtamysh decides to throw away Atil in the peace deal. Seeing as it has no strategic value, Zenobia burns it to the ground.

The real question is who will end up settling that space when the city is gone. The Golden Horde have settlers in the region, but my money’s on the Seljuqs.

After sleeping soundly for the first few parts, the Selk’nam have awoken, attacking Paysandu. If Uruguay loses the city, it isn’t a huge loss but it is a huge gain for the Selk’nam, proving they can break out of their frigid cone.

Back in Europe, Venice has pushed back the moor attackers and look to keep Murano (although it may eventually become an exclave). They also found Ragusa on Sardinia.

I am so proud of Venice. Everyone glossed over their potential in the lead-up, and they’re finally having their place in the sun. I doubt they’ll win the BR, but they’ve been great to watch so far.

After what seems like an eternity, the Haida have another settler on the move. However, with the race to settle past the Rockies in the south and the Metis and Yup’ik on their land, the future looks grim for the Haida. At least they have an advantage in military over their neighbours, but that can change in an instant.

The second battle for Pyongyang rages on, with Shikoan triremes not willing to give up. Korea seems in a much better position this war, and I’d advise Shikoku to retreat. Even though the Qing aren't colonizing their Island, Korea still can.

Welcome to Southeast Asia, where Taungoo is on track to repeating Vietnam’s success in Mk2. They’ve defended their region well, and have the whole peninsula locked down. Now, however, they’ll have to choose an expansion target as the Qin are heading south and Canton has rebuilt Hong Kong in roughly the same location.

Here we have the HRE who has been off to a great start, fighting with under-achievers the Vikings and over-achievers Prussia in a battle for the Baltic Sea. They all seem to be fighting each other, and while I don’t expect any cities to flip anytime soon, I do expect that any general commanding this area is going to have a bad time.

In the background, Venice and the Moors peace out, while the Selk’nam give up on attacking Uruguay.

Not much has changed here. Sakamoto has brought an extra trireme, however, the Koreans continue to defend a crucially important city for them. Only now am I noting how vulnerable Pyongyang is to sea invasions, and if Korea intends to keep this city, they’ll need a much stronger navy. Two triremes won’t cut it.

So, what now Moors? Your invasion of Murano has ended in failure, but you still are one of the biggest threats in Europe. Your area is well defended, if sparsely populated and most of your military is still standing. An attack on Algeria would not go amiss, but I’d wait until the HRE attacks Venice before moving in myself.

A few slides ago, the Minoas decided they’d attack Nubia. Now that we can see their territory and army, I have no idea why they did. Their army is disorganized and there is hardly a navy to threaten Piye’s cities. Minoa has been doomed to irrelevancy and they can’t seem to be able to accept it.

The Sol del Mayo has shone brightly on Uruguay today, sending the demons of Selk’nam back to where they came. Paysandu remains Uruguayan, but I doubt the Selk’nam will stop until they take the city.

The gulf of Mexico, in all of its oily glory. The dreaded Aztec expansion continues northward, and the Apache have been squeezed inwards by Poverty Point. A lone Iroquois trireme on the verge of sinking passes by Jaketown. Its fate has already been sealed.

I really don’t like seeing an Arctic civ this far south, I still have PTSD from the invasion of Canada back in Mk2. The Haida are willingly letting themselves be squashed by their neighbours and they are running out of room to expand. What could Koyah possibly be thinking?

The Maratha has begun attacking Hyderabad, and with so few Indian reinforcements nearby, I predict that it will fall. However, Gandhi isn’t stupid. She’s sent her massive army south from Bombay and Delhi to push into the Marathan core. I have a feeling this war will decide the future of this crowded area, and whether India will continue to do well, or be relegated to a mid-tier permanent mid-tier civ.

Algeria has nowhere to go. They’ve dodged death for a while, but time is running out for them in the game. Tagdemt and Blide are utterly surrounded by the Songhai and the Atlas Mountains. It’s a shame because I had high hopes for Algeria, but Songhai isn’t fucking around.

The year is 375BC and Boethius has finished his life project - ranking Citizen satisfaction across the world. To his surprise, he discovers that Shikokans are the happiest people. As he reads down his list one more time, he reflects on his travels and how lucky he was to see so much of the cylinder. At the bottom of his scroll, he writes one more sentence before heading to publish his work.

“In conclusion, I’ve discovered that people find happiness in the simple things.”

Speaking of Happiness, the Nenets have finally settled again, reaching three cities. This simple Northern folk have no dreams of conquering the world and look to live their lives in the peace of the arctic winds.

Ablai Khan has other plans, but we’ll save that for later.

Back to the bloodshed. Apparently, I was wrong about the Shikokan invasion, as a mass of triremes has surrounded the Western docks of Pyongyang. The Koreans have put up a brave defence, however, I expect they’ll lose this city. And then they’ll be a bloody battle for who gets to keep it.

Across the sea lies the Khamug city of Ba’arin. It is a bustling port town, responsible for Khamug’s trade with its neighbours. The town is peaceful, with children playing in the streets and families walking through the marketplace.

And just a sea away. Pyongyang burns.

The Baltic stalemate continues, this time with notably fewer Vikings. It seems William has not followed up on his promise of peace with the Prussians, preferring to prolong this painful conflict. I hope they solve that problem soon, as the Czechs are growing stronger by the day, and I would hate for Frederick’s hard work to be taken away from him.

South of Lake Baikal is the Khamug capital of Jadaran. The city is smaller than Ba’arin, but this is due to the nomadic Mongols spreading out across the region. Jamukha’s army is matched only by the Qing’s, and with recent declarations from Muscovy and Qing on the Evenks, he has the perfect nation to test his battle skills.

In the time since we’ve last seen Minoa, they’ve lost all but one of their ships, allowed Nubia to start building a navy in response and now their capital of Phaistos is under siege. The only way things could possibly get worse is if they manage to give Malia away in the peace deal.

This what you all get for not voting for Yugoslavia.

The southern half of Palymra’s core is empty for the most part. The Seljuqs glare over the mountains at the land that could have been theirs.

The Seljuqs are not out of this by any means, however, they fight an uphill battle. Everyone is aware of the strength of Palmyra and Parthia, and it would do them well to find an ally to attack them with.

To the East of Seljuq land, Hyderabad continues to be hit by the Marathi navy. Indira hasn’t moved her forces to attack any cities, so I fear India will lose any advantage they once had. Alp Arslan would be wise to move in now.

So that’s where we’ve sent our navy! New Zealand has a sizeable fleet of triremes up near the Papuan city of Boera. The city is said to have mystical powers that grant the powers of a legendary group of people known as the “Boers.” It is said that Rajapapua visited the city himself prior to the Australian invasion.

Perhaps Seddon wants in on the action?

Forced north by the powerful Zimbabweans, the Kongolese have made their way north, choosing Benin as their target. Benin is in a tricky situation. They are a competent military-based civ with the terrain in their favour and a decent military. However, they’ve just been declared war on by their southern neighbour, and the most powerful nation in Africa, and have another extremely powerful neighbour right on their border.

Godspeed Ewuare.

If there is a casualty to the war, it will be Esi. Zimbabwe’s great wandering military is nowhere to be seen, however, Nzinga has amassed a large army that will head north within a few turns. This is make or break for the Ndongo, and Nzinga doesn’t want a repeat of Mk2.

There isn’t much to report here, but New Zealand is doing well. I’m still getting used to seeing tiny little Papua own the entire Northern bit of Australia, but at least everyone’s Green.

Until New Zealand takes over that is!

We get a great view of my hometown in this shot, as the Iroquois direct their current army towards Montreal in hopes of taking it for itself.

The Metis have a sizeable army in the area, although it is yet to be seen who they’ll send it to invade.

Shikoku have got Pyongyang down to the red, and they’ve made a small landing on the eastern half of the peninsula. However, Seonjo still has a large military presence, so I’ll be interested to see who ends up controlling it by the end of the part. Place your bets now.

Four nations have just declared war on Canton, although none of them pose a direct threat. But directly to the north lies the big blue blob - Qin. Canton has not been one to settle, and that will be their downfall. Qin have two more settlers moving south and when they can’t settle anymore, Canton will be out of luck.

And of course, Immediately after I write that slide, the next one has 5 Tongan triremes south of Canton. They won’t do anything, but it’s the thought that counts.

In the top left, Taungoo has begun moving their settlers south, as they’ve exhausted the land in Indochina. To the bottom left, Maratha has long since already settled. In the centre, the lost Qing settler from earlier has made its way towards Borneo.

It’s not looking good for Sulu.

Now that they’ve got four cities, Scotland has spent their time preparing their army. More settlers are on their way, however, the Manx is closer to the Faroes and Iceland and should get there first. But I wouldn’t count Scotland out just yet.

The defence around Montreal is now limited to two archers. The Iroquois have got Montreal down to the yellow and should go all the way. I guess if Canada can’t have the city, then the Iroquois are all right.

In the epic soap opera between Korea and Shikokaren, Shikokaren finally wins custody of the kids. In this case several thousand of them. Korean kids. That she had no part in raising.

The California coast welcomes a new Apache city, securing the future of Geronimo’s people. An Aztec settler goes north, looking to capitalize on how empty southern Cascadia is. Monty can settle all he wants, he won’t end up keeping that city, mark my words.

Alright so I don’t know who is leading that Tongan navy, but he’s managed to sink two Canton ships, and only lose one to the Canton navy and a couple of archers lining the coast.

I pray Siaosi sends reinforcements because this may get interesting.

The strange fur-clad residents of Owo look on as Nzinga’s army moves forward towards Esi. Benin, to their credit, has a decent amount of troops guarding the city, although I’m not particularly sure if they’ll be able to do much.

Very little has happened since we last saw Minoa. They aren’t losing the war, but they sure as hell aren’t winning either. Minos has smartly invested in Composite Bowmen, which will harass any triremes Piye attempts to send. I predict a stalemate for the rest of the part.

I’d honestly forgotten these two were at war. The Sami have been disappointing so far, doing a good job of settling but being unable to do any damage to Ragnar’s cities. Still, that won’t stop them from trying, as they seem to prepare to take Ribe.

Shikoku took Pyongyang.

I hope that’s the last picture of Korea I ever have to see.

Hidden among those DOWs on Canton was one from the Khamug Khanate. Ching Shih, deciding to teach Jamukha a lesson, has sent an invasion force to take the peaceful town of Ba’Arin.

It seems they will now know how Pyongyang felt.

What I thought would develop into an interesting conflict has sadly stagnated. Gandhi has refrained from sending her army farther south, while Shivaji has been defeated at the gates of Hyderabad. Indira has more problems coming her way, as Nepal has developed a large force and seems intent on threatening Delhi.

Additionally, Nubia may be in trouble as Beta Israel has joined the fight.

As I mentioned earlier in this part, the Manx has several settlers out. Well, now they’ve got them moving at full speed aiming to beat the Scots to the North Atlantic Isles. Ireland is completely locked down, but Iceland remains open...

Hiawatha has almost secured Montreal for his people. This will cripple the Poverty Point leaving them less room to coexist with the other nations, although they have a decent base in the mid-south.

Canada has yet to produce another settler, and Louis Riel seems to be heading to take advantage of that.

The HRE has made a curious declaration of war, this time on the Czechs. Vaclav looks more than prepared for this eventuality, having one of the most impressive carpets on the cylinder. Could this have been a mistake for William?

Shikoku have built up an impressive core, however, they haven’t expanded as much as they could have. The Northern part of Honshu remains open to a potential Korean or Qing settlement and the mountainous terrain would make it hard to fight them off. But overall, it’s been a good showing so far

The siege of Ba’Arin continues, with new generations learning of the war that faces the city. The beautiful streets are now stained with the blood of innocents. The Cantonese have cruelly invaded the peaceful town, and in a twist of fate, the people of Pyongyang look on and watch.

Beta Israel’s declaration seems to be over Nubia founding Pedeme on the Arabian peninsula, hitting too close to home for Gudit. They’ve improved significantly the last few parts and a victory over Nubia would be most impressive.

Uruguay has declared war on Venezuela, ignoring the fact that an entire nation sits between them. Neither Venezuela nor the Nazca was able to make any impact on Anetu’s people, so I doubt Lavalleja will be able to go through them. Perhaps he’ll sail around?

The Ndogolese invasion has slowed considerably, due to somewhat competent defence and harsh terrain. Nzinga needs to capitalize on this option as it’s her only realistic way of expanding. I see this as some sort of trial given to her from Nyatsimba -Take Benin and prove yourself or face the might of Zimbabwe.

The Nazca join in the fun, attacking Venezuela. While the terrain is still against them, at least they've committed an impressive military (featuring catapults and spearmen) to the cause. It’s a shame they’ll probably get caught in choke-points in the mountains. But I guess that’s how war goes.

Faced with no other options, Mehmed decides to try attacking the Czechs once more, hoping that this time, he’ll capture Ostrava. I wouldn’t bet on it, but I’ve been wrong before.

Would you look at that?  Finally some damage to one of the cities in the Northern wars. It’s nice to see everyone’s favourite Grandma finally doing something, although I doubt it will be enough to threaten Ragnar. Unless the Prussians come back, that is.

I’m not even going to comment on this. The Iroquois should’ve taken the city by now.

There is little hope for the Khamugs of Ba’Arin. The Cantonese have breached the gates and now roam the streets, attacking those who will not swear loyalty to Princess Shih. A few brave militias operate in defence, but with no support from the capital, little can be done.

Here we get a glimpse of the Evenks, who seem to be attracting a lot of unwanted attention. It’s going to take a long time to get here though, as it’s far enough away from any potential enemies. Still, they aren’t doing well by any means, and I’m getting flashbacks to Yakutia.

Three HRE settlers make their way through the North sea, hoping to spread this newfangled idea of “Democracy” to the world. However, the Manx, sensing the threat that they possess declares war on them in an attempt to stop them, and protect Manx interests in the Icelandic isles.

Reinforcements have finally arrived for the Iroquois, but a new challenger approaches! The Metis declared war a turn ago and are headed to pry Montreal away from Hiawatha’s grasp. It’s unlikely, but I don’t fault them for trying.

The Goths have declared war on the Golden Horde, spelling trouble for the latter. While the Goths haven’t really set up an army, their navy has already brought the newly founded city of Majar down to the Yellow. The Horde isn’t completely helpless, as they’ve sent a sizeable force to take Ologicus, and may just succeed.

Now that they’ve lost Pyongyang, possibly for good, Korea is in a tough spot. They aren’t as boxed in as many feared they would be, however, the Qing continue to beef up their military, and Korea is the much weaker target. There is hope, but the window for relevancy is closing very fast. Their fate may already be sealed.

The Tongan navy has been defeated off the coast of Canton. However, Jamalul, having heard the news, has committed the entire Sulu navy to taking the city of Canton in memory of the brave Tongans who died in the siege. Even now, you can hear the sulu captains scream “Justice for Tonga!” as they cruise towards the South China Sea.

A naval skirmish takes place between Venezuela and the Nazca. But that isn’t the important part. Montezuma has joined the war. Because it isn’t a Central American war, if Monty isn’t involved.

Please God, don’t let them take anything.

The HRE appear to have won the naval battle, and their settlers are escaping as I type.

Seriously, what the fuck did Bombogor do? That’s another five nations declaring war on him, to go with at least three more (that I've seen.) It’s a good thing they’re isolated or they’d be dead.

(Also Palmyra declares war on Nubia, but we’ll save that for later.)

Nestled amongst those declarations of war is one of very real threat - the Kazakhs. Having had no luck in the war against Parthia, Kublai decides to take his rage out on an army of Evenki workers that seem to be patrolling the outskirts of Ergun. It’s a great chance for Kazakhstan to become stronk, and they can’t pass this up.

Since we last were here, there’s been an advancement on both fronts with the Goths succeeding on the sea, and the Golden Horde succeeding on the land. I still see the Goths as coming out on top, as if nothing else, the Horde loses a base on the Black Sea.

The Iroquois finally secure Montreal, knocking the Poverty Point down to two cities. Even worse, the Iroquois and Apache are gobbling up all available land and are cutting off any future settlers from the PP’s core. With nowhere to run, Tahera will have to attack someone, or die a slow death.

Zenobia, deciding that Nubia is taking too long to kill Minoa, declares war on them. Gournia is directly threatened and when it falls, Palmyra will be the only power in the Levant. That might not seem like much, but they are beginning to grow too powerful to be stopped.

After carefully evaluating both options, Ranavalona decides that it would be suicide to attack Zimbabwe and settles on attacking Beta Israel who is at war with Nubia who is at war with Zimbabwe who is at war with Benin who is at war with Ndongo. Africa is essentially one big Love Nonagon.

The only three members that aren’t at war (for now) are the North-West Africans. In fact, Libya just peaced out on what I think was their only war. As for Asoka, he’s focused on expanding into the Canary Islands.

In the distance, you can hear the sobs of two Guanches supporters.

Queen Nzinga decides that her original tactics weren’t working, so she presents a new one to her generals. Composite Bowmen. Only Bowmen. And a lot of them.

Her generals disagree, but she promptly has them executed and carries forward the plan anyway. What could possibly go wrong?

Beta Israel faces a war on two fronts, however neither one their adversaries seem to be committing much. I’m happy they’re finally up to eight cities, as I was worried they’d be stuck on two forever. Their Agaw Archers are plentiful, but can they succeed in capturing any cities?

Here we are treated to a nice shot of Palmyra in all of its glory. Nubia’s defence is desperately outnumbered and will be knocked back to Africa. Oman has also joined in the fun and will be battling with Seimen for they’re Arab holdings. Overall, not a good episode for Piye.

William has sent his army into Czech territory and is doing a damn good job at driving them back. Vaclav may have a larger overall army, but it's outdated compared to the Composite Bowmen moving south. I doubt Liberec will fall, but the population should be harassed for the next few years at least.

The Goths capture Majar, and as a show of force, burn it to the ground. The Golden Horde has fallen behind a bit, as they’ve failed to capture Ologicus yet. Worse still, Sarai Batu is completely open, and the Gothic army is approaching in droves. Bad news for the west Mongols all around.

The celebrations over the capture of Ba’Arin are short-lived. Apparently, Ying Zheng has only just found out that the Cantonese have rebuilt Hong Kong, and in a fit of rage, vows to burn it to the ground all over again. Canton beware, for the Blue China swoops down.

The Haida have apparently decided that North America is not worth their time, and have sent a settler off towards Asia. Unlike Mk2, ice doesn’t block the route between the two continents leading the New World and Old World to be closer than ever before. Koyah is about to learn that the hard way.

Chavez has failed to reinforce his northern holdings, and Montezuma is gathering a large army to sweep down. I’m glad someone cut the dreaded Aztecs off from Central America, but it’s useless unless they actually can keep the cities. Please don’t falter, Venezuela!

Right. In addition to the Qin already breathing down their back, and Sulu harassing their south coast, Shikoku decided to join in on the fun. Ryoma has sent a larger force than he did to Pyongyang, and Ba’Arin is still at only half health. This is the start of a downward spiral for Canton.

Ologicus falls to the Golden Horde. This is a consolation, as they’ve had two of their cities captured and burnt to the ground this part, which would be a kick to the face for any civ. But the GH is screwed. They have nowhere to go.

The HRE and Vikings decide that the other wars they are fighting have more at stake, and decide to make peace. Thus ends one of the most pointless wars on the cylinder, that everyone will forget in a few episodes. And rightfully so.

We say goodbye to Africa for this episode with one last shot of Madagascar. Not much has changed, and hopefully, by the next episode, we’ll see some sort of progress in the war with Beta Israel.

Oman has had a rough few episodes, although they’re looking to make up for it. With a decent army heading either for Nubia or a future war with Parthia and a settler on the Red Sea coast, things can only get better for the South Arabs.

And we end this episode with one last shot of South America. Uruguay continues to grow more powerful, but Venezuela has sent a small naval task force to attack the small series of Minas. Whether or not anything comes of that, we’ll have to wait and see.

And with that, I’d like to thank everyone who’s made it this far. Sorry if the narration is a bit shoddy, I’m just getting the hang of it. I’ve been u/Maineroadfan and I wish you all a good day.

Remember, New Zealand shall rise!

Coiot: Before we let you go this week, this month’s Civ Modding Monthly was released just a few hours before this week’s episode. Be sure to load it up and enjoy some unique insights into the Civ modding community. We’ll leave you with JFD’s description of this month’s issue: “In this ninth issue, we take a special look at a few things American; starting with Uighur Caesar’s reflections on his James K. Polk mod. We also speak with Deliverator about his work on creating Wonder mods for Civ VI. And Leugi, Lime, and Enigma have worked hard to bring you their concept for a hypothetical third expansion to Civ VI. Tara lads.”

Download link: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1kqeOVdELAMZOVQBz2dk5Zf8Ro8Od_wBO