Chapter 2: Blood on the Field – G1

Hello everyone, my name is ExplosiveWatermelon, and welcome back to the Civ Grand Royale! In the last Chapter, we were introduced to our cast and the opening moves have already decided some of these unwitting players’ fates. Let’s take a look.

Let’s take a brief pause to review.

Our last chapter ended with a small lead by Shang, who we can see here is fielding a decent military. If it continues to grow, we can expect good things.

Lawspeaker Jandamarra (Bunuba) represents a majority Oligarch government. The Oligarchs are one of the factions that will decide certain policies that the Bunuba will adopt. Right now, it doesn’t mean much until they have enough sovereignty to adopt these policies, but this is definitely a bold first step for the Bunuba.

Sri Jayanasa (Srivijaya) sits in Palembang on a throne made of fine wood and bison leather. God decides that’s pretty cool and gives him the divine right, allowing Srivijaya to establish the world’s first Monarchy! There are various different bonuses to the governments that will be established, and the Monarchy is very different from the Republic that Jandamarra established down under.

Will ‘If the glove fits, the devil’s responsible’ Stoughton (New England) decides that monarchies are okay, and says “Watch this” as he waits for God to establish his divine right. God somewhat obliges, and declares Stoughton a prince, creating the world’s first Principality!

In Egypt, before a person’s death, it has become a tradition for them to pass their tales onto the next generation, slowly creating a collection of family stories that spans history. This grants +1 culture to Plantations for some reason. Who am I to question it? It’s a great choice, considering how much sugar Egypt has available to them.

Hungary and Pomerania, two very notable underdogs, send off settlers to the east. This could be a very big move for these civilizations which are starting from the bottom. Perhaps this is the start of a rags-to-riches tale?

To the south, Lissos is actually quite big.

King Kamehameha puts down his fruity drink as celebrations die off. He points towards the screen featuring the Azande.

The Azande are a pretty aggressive civilization, and this slide shows that they’re willing to pump out the units. Once they get their UU, a crossbowman replacement called the Kpinga, it’ll be a long time before anyone can successfully invade Azande land. However, they do have their weaknesses- in that Gbudwe loves his Kpingas way too much.

Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj (Mongolia) has three cities, as well as having an additional settler at the ready. Rouran, on the other hand, seems to be struggling with their unit composition. If they’re able to properly pump out an army, Rouran could create a strong empire in Northeast Asia.

The Shoshone settle in a pincer formation around San Antonio, cutting off the Texan city from the rest of Sam Houston’s empire.

The results are in for the first Republican election of the Choctaw, and the winner is Pushmataha by unanimous vote. It also helps that he was the only candidate. In any case, the Choctaw have founded the Republic government, though their empire does seem a bit lacking in military.

Nestor Makhno (Makhnovia) sends his forces around Khazar territory. Perhaps this is set up for our first war? Bulan (Khazaria) doesn’t seem to have much of an army prepared. This could prove to be a disastrous opening for Khazaria.

The Maravi want to start off with an early tech lead, and they showcase their willingness to enter into the fields of research by constructing the Great Library. Inside is a vast temple of knowledge guarded by the fierce librarians. Those caught breaking in never seem to break out.

Olgit (Ket) sets up a bunch of rocks in a circle. Onlookers have no clue how he set up the rocks, but theories range from superhuman strength to telekinesis. One man’s claim that this was an effort by a secret arctic civilization that oversees human progres, and that Chief Olgit is one of many immortals who are participating in a great experiment, goes overlooked.

Our first Epithet, one of the many JFDLC mods, goes to Tupac Yupanqui (Inca), who gets ‘the Good.’ Each epithet grants a unique bonus, but you can only get a new epithet upon entering a new era. However, being ‘the Good’ doesn’t necessarily mean being ‘the Best.’

Queen Christina (Sweden) is crowned in Stockholm as Sweden transitions into a Monarchy. She deserves it, too- she’s got a decent empire centered in Scandinavia. Sure, it’s not the most impressive, but it’s a start.

Let’s talk about Russia- lowly ranking Russia. Yes, they’re not a domination civ, but they do have some valuable bonuses, including the generation of a Great Artist with every Scientist, Merchant, and Engineer earned. However, their UU comes at Rifling, and their UB at Architecture, meaning that they’re relying on their UA for this part of the early game. They’ll have to play their cards right if they want to crawl out of the grave they’ve dug themselves into.

Tygyn Darkhan (The Yakuts) opens the doors to the brand-new Temple of Artemis. This is actually one of my favorite wonders- not only does it give a decent production bonus to ranged units, but it gives a bonus to food production in EVERY city. That bonus shouldn’t be overlooked, especially if you’re in the tundra like the Yakuts are.

The Russians, hearing about the temple constructed in the far east, make it a tradition to make their yearly pilgrimage there in order to offer their finest game to the goddess. Perhaps Elisabeth relates to strong women, somehow?

The people of Lesotho establish a monarchy, choosing their leader Moshoeshoe I as their first King. It’s not the first monarchy in the world, but it could be a valuable one.

Japan has 4 cities all settled on Honshu, which is quite an impressive feat. However, these cities are not quite as valuable as a mainland Asian city would be. This might not push Japan towards domination, but it does give them a pretty good edge for now.

Girls, guys, and GNC gents,

It has begun.

Fierce General El Cid has appeared out of hiding, ready to command the Shang forces against the Rouran menace! We have entered the next act on the world stage!

Not only does Daji (Shang) declare war on Rouran, but so does Sun Yat-Sen (China)! However, for some reason I doubt China will be committing much to this war.

Let’s talk about New Zealand. As some might’ve noticed, they’ve actually got a decent ranking for an island in the Pacific. How can that be? Well, they have a good combination of abilities that can be useful, including food carried over after growth from Economic buildings. They also have an early UB unlocked at Trapping, although their UU replaces the Artillery. However, don’t count these guys out yet - there’s plenty of fight in the Kiwis.

I wanted to talk about the UFC here, and I will, but I realize now that they actually don’t have any of their unique abilities active yet. However, they’ve got a decent empire, and personally, they were one of my favorite civs during testing. As we see more of them, expect this landscape to change drastically.

Osborne Russell, having defeated his inner Lime-Green Goblin, has rebuilt the cityscape of Seattle. Thus, he earns ‘the Restorer’ epithet. Perhaps this is the sign that we’ll be seeing more of Cascadia in the future?

The Timurids have 2 settlers raring to go and found new cities, but they won’t reach their peak until the Medieval and Renaissance era. If they can get a strong start, they might be able to make a large push forward into the endgame.

The Japanese get the God of the Sea pantheon, which looking at their nearby coasts, might not be the best idea. However, this could be their first step towards a religion, which they usually found.

Holy shit, what did you do Lula? That’s 5 cities. 5. What are you doing?

Okay, but seriously, this is a tremendous gain for Brazil. Perhaps Lula looks to turn the Amazon into an easy tech lead.

Pushmataha (Choctaw) declares war on Sam Houston (Texas), thus ending the discord’s dreams of their eventual buddy cop film. However, it doesn’t look like this will go anywhere. Deseret also joins in, but that front is also empty.

The undisputed leader of the strongman dictator club, Nazarbayev Nursultan (Kazakhstan), has constructed a luxurious tomb for himself, in case he ever does die. Which he won’t. He’s immortal, remember?

France declares war on Hungary, but they’re not alone...

The Illyrians join in! This could be a devastating war for what the PRs voted the best of the Central European civs. Only time will tell how much damage this will deal.

Meanwhile, New Zealand gets the Great Lighthouse

Srivijaya gets the Stone Circles pantheon, which looks like it can only really benefit 1 or 2 tiles.

Egypt gets our first religion: Pesedjet! The ancient Egyptian pantheon finally gets a solidified series of beliefs amongst the people of Memphis.

Gbudwe (The Azande) declares war on Yemen! Oranges and Yemens don’t really get along, both being citrus fruits competing for who has the best juice. Meanwhile, the Ngarrindjeri get the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus.

England has created a nice colony on the West coast of France. This could be an important front for a major war in the future, so keep your eyes peeled.

The Wahgi have 4 cities on Papua, which again isn’t as important as mainland cities. However, this could still work out for the Phantom Crusaders.

France discovers the Dance of the Aurora pantheon has grown prevalent amongst their citizens. This has no foreseeable benefits currently. Also, Cascadia built the Statue of Zeus.

The Mixtec leader, Eight Deer Jaguar Claw, gets ‘the Restorer’ epithe- wait haven’t we seen this one before?

The Timurids get the Sunni religion, thus fulfilling Timur’s destiny as the Sword of Islam. These bonuses could be major, depending on what they are (they’ll be shown at the end) but ultimately there’s not much else to say.

China declares war on Siam, giving us a good reason to look at the nice empire carved out in Southeast Asia.

Sokot fields their great General, Charles ‘the Hammer’ Martel

Japan declares war on Goguryeo. With Mokjeo wide open, this could easily get them onto the Asian mainland and open the door to future conquests.

Shang joins the war against Goguryeo, which I honestly don’t think is that wise, but it likely won’t matter.

Makhnovia declares war on Khazaria and immediately makes lightning quick incursions into Atil. This could easily end up being our first capital capture of the game.

The Yakuts have a solid pantheon choice in Fertility Rites, which will allow them to at least make something out of the Tundra.

Atil is under siege. This could be a humiliating defeat for the Khazars! Pahlavi forces look on as the city faces a grim fate.

Bengal declares war on Rashtrakuta, the usual early-game war. In this case, Bengal doesn’t look too prepared for the harsh terrain, but they could still do some serious damage.

The moment that shook the cylinder- the first capital has fallen. With Bulan’s (Khazaria) empire split in two, things look grim for the Caucasus Khaganate. However, the war continues.

The Shoshone declare war on Texas, putting the city of San Antonio in immediate danger. Sam Houston looks to lose the city that bears his own name as well.

The Deseret get the Faith Healers pantheon, which is decent for a defensive city but overall a rather weak belief, especially for a civilization like the Deseret who needs to go on the offensive.

Ambang has been settled on the top end of Australia, which causes Sargon to come out of his palace in order to pursue defensive measures against this foreign incursion.

France captures Debrecen from Hungary, forcing the front towards Budapest. Things do not look good for Miklos Horthy.

Oof. Guess I was wrong, Bengal can definitely take those cities from Rashtrakuta. Half of Amoghavarsha’s empire is under siege, and Pattakadal is in a desperate situation.

Houston, we have a probl- oh wait. Houston IS the problem. In that, it’s now in Shoshone hands. Washakie’s empire has grown horrifyingly large.

As we enter yet another golden age, we end the episode looking at Shu Han and their empire. While they don’t have their unique Chu-ko-nu yet, they still seem to be spreading across West China like jelly over toast.

In review:The start and end of a few notable wars (Shang-Rouran did end, for the record) as well as our first capital capture and the start of a few religions. With that, I’ll see you next time.

The Shoshone are easily at the top of the world rankings, and it’s no question why. However, Shang has dropped hard, with both of their Chinese neighbors having gotten ahead of them. Things look bad for Daji.

Look at all these LOSERS. Perhaps doomed to irrelevance from the very start, things are not looking good for- wait, the Almohads are at the bottom? What did they DO to reach the bottom?

List of Religious Beliefs Part 1. Nothing too notable, in my opinion, except Sunni has Holy Warriors.

Religious Beliefs continued. Pesedjet steals Sunni’s mosques.