This was an attempt at making a succession game utilizing the Dawn of Civilization mod (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=533861) to the Rhye's and Fall of Civilization mod for Civilization IV. Due to lack of interest, things have shifted over to a text-based Let's Play of the mod, currently utilizing the Egyptian-Paragon-Marathon settings.
Below is a full list of the options we had, including how long each turn would have lasted.
Civilization
Egyptian (3000 B.C.)
Chinese (3000 B.C.)
Babylon (3000 B.C.)
Harappans (3000 B.C.)
Greeks (1600 B.C.)
Indians (1500 B.C.)
Phoenicians (1200 B.C.)
Polynesians (1000 B.C.)
Persians (850 B.C.)
Romans (760 B.C.)
Tamils (300 B.C.)
Ethiopians (295 B.C.)
Koreans (50 B.C.)
Maya (65 A.D.)
Byzantines (330 A.D.)
Japanese (525 A.D.)
Vikings (545 A.D.)
Arabs (620 A.D.)
Tibet (630 A.D.)
Khmer (660 A.D.)
Indonesians (700 A.D.)
Moors (711 A.D.)
Spanish (722 A.D.)
French (750 A.D.)
English (820 A.D.)
Germans (840 A.D.)
Russian (860 A.D.)
Mandinka (980 A.D.)
Polish (1025 A.D.)
Portuguese (1130 A.D.)
Inca (1150 A.D.)
Italians (1167 A.D.)
Mongols (1190 A.D.)
Aztecs (1200 A.D.)
Mughals (1206 A.D.)
Turks (1280 A.D.)
Thais (1350 A.D.)
Congolese (1390 A.D.)
Dutch (1580 A.D.)
Prussians (1700 A.D.)
America (1775 A.D.)
Argentina (1810 A.D.)
Brazil (1822 A.D.)
Canada (1867 A.D.)
Difficulty
Heir
Regent
Monarch
Emperor
Paragon
Game Speed
Marathon (1500 turns total, 60 per person)
Epic (1000 turns total, 40 per person)
Normal (500 turns total, 20 per person)
The following is an excerpt from the first chapter of the book, Rise of the Harappan Civilization.
The Harappan Civilization has its roots within the Indus River Valley. However, under their first leader, they would not remain there for long.
(http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/547556578790338898/9A25503FC52636D80C6DA3882C3415346B415052/)
A march south for reasons unclear was performed for reasons not entirely clear to modern historians. The location would later prove both a boon and a curse to the population, but that is better written about at a later time. What is clear is that the territory held by the settlers had grown to a fair degree in a relatively short period of time.
(http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/547556578790339392/02D6BAEBB78560C83996E30E46E92EFCEC3B5427/)
The population had built up a road directing towards their homeland within a fairly short order. Discovery of elephants along the way from the Indus River valley had the civilization develop hunting in short order.
(http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/547556578790339521/23B8914F00D9E4839271B7EB1C6F473CC4225FEE/)
Further records of this earliest point of history are unclear, but it is known that something occurred to the lineage of their first leader at this point in time, and control transitioned to another line of rulers.
It is not much, but there isn't really too much to say in these early turns. I have no doubt later ones will get quite heated in terms of conflict and other events. One point of recommendation I have, if you are going to build a city, build it at our starting location. While the spot to the northeast does look tempting, placing one there will only get us into trouble as that is where the Indian civilization spawns and if we refuse to let it flip, then we'll be at war.
Save (https://www.dropbox.com/s/hwrf3iecs781qbm/Bay%20Twelve%20Succession%20Game%20-%20Stone%20Age%20Turn%2060.CivBeyondSwordSave?dl=0)
Ran up to turn 300 as there is so little to do in the early game, as a result of civilizations being introduced over time. To give a point of perspective, the count started at 3 in 3000 BC due to the Harrappans not spawning, to a maximum total of 8. It's in fact not for another several turns before things really start to really pick up in number, but we have reached a point where we can get a fair amount of interaction.
Turns 1-300
Birth of the Egyptian Civilization
The creation of the Egyptian Civilization lies within the Nile River Delta. While the initial groups formed at the same time as those of the Babylonian and Chinese nations, the people had been marched North to the Delta rather than remaining where they had originally settled. Their civilization expanded for a time, soon coming across a variety of plant life that their herbalists attempted to utilize to boost the health of the nation's populace with the backing of the Government. The attempt failed.
Denoting their later policies, the Egyptians first developed the art of Mysticism and began to raise their first obelisks. A historian at the time by the name of Gibbon compiled the first list of the ranking of the world nations. While the names were unknown, there are descriptors that are similar to the nations of Babylon and China being ranked above the Egyptian people. Soon after, a historian by the name of Herodotus ranked the militaries of the worlds, and also placed the Egyptians at the bottom rank of the known civilizations. One by the name of Tacitus did rank the Egyptians higher in culture, admittedly, but that was at a later date.
Within the Delta, large numbers of bandits and floods plagued the young civilization. The people always rebuilt and the small military proved to be competent enough to deal with the problems in a majority of cases.
As the nation expanded, two major events occurred. First, there was contact with the Babylonian civilization. While the nation would eventually collapse within the coming years, there was a short time of contact between the two civilizations, though trade was largely blocked by the free peoples inhabiting the city of Yerushalayim which would continue to isolate the Egyptians until conquest by the Greeks many years later.
The second event was the development of the Hindi religion within the capital of the Civilization as they discovered the art of Meditation. This event was rapidly followed by the initial contact with Greek Sailors and the construction of the great Pyramids to inter the dead of the dynasty that ruled over the Kingdom of Egypt.
Near the time the civilization of India was born within the valleys of their subcontinent, the Egyptian people began to believe an Oasis found near the capital of Ineb Hadj had the Waters of Life, a belief that remained evident within some portions of the populace to this day. This discovery was significant enough to attract attention of the Pharaohs, leading them to cause a forced march to establish a new city nearby by the name of Amunia. In addition, the second history of Gibbon was created around this time and ranked the technological progress. Greece had been deciphered as having the second position while Egyptians were once again at the lowest rank outside of the barbarians and independents.
In relatively rapid order, Animal Husbandry was discovered, allowing for the creation of Chariots, and contact was established with the Phonecian peoples, later known as the Carthaginian people after the sacking of the city of Sur by the Persians. In addition, the greeks conquered the city of Yerushalayim, renamed Hierusalem when under their control. Furthermore, many great wonders were created at this time within the nation, the Hanging Gardens, the Kashi Vishwanath, and the Great Sphinx.
Persia was contacted just before the completion of the Great Sphinx and the establishment of mining within the Egyptian nation. As the Egyptians finally entered the Bronze Age, they established contact with the nation of Rome as well. Past this point, their history begins to slow again as it begins its experiments in Archery and readies settlers to settle further up the Nile River...
(http://i.imgur.com/1QS5KJJ.jpg)
As some of the wonders were modified from vanilla, might as well list the effects of each of them here.
(http://i.imgur.com/a55cPXC.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/mGuA2U2.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/AFKbtYD.jpg)
(1 gold for each city with Hinduism)
(http://i.imgur.com/zv1MsRI.jpg)
Baptism by Fire: The First Egyptian Wars
Turns 301-450
With the rise of the many nations within the mediterranean region came with it years of conflict. For the beginning of this period of time, it was peaceful, with the first international Great Games being hosted by the Greeks within the city of Byzantium and the founding of Yebu further south along the Nile. It is noted at this time that Egypt was ranked as having the most influential level of culture within the entirety of the world, likely due to the lasting peace and great wonders they had constructed. However, this peace for the Egyptians would soon come to an end.
The first conflicts within Egypt was a group of Nubian tribesmen assaulting the city of Yebu with a large group of their Medjays. They were easily repulsed, but this assault convinced the Egyptians to begin investing in their military to a greater degree. In a happy coincidence, the highly favorable state of relations between the Egyptians and the Persians led to the latter sending in some blacksmiths to teach Egyptian blacksmiths how to smelt iron into workable weapons, though this was stymied by a complete lack of iron within the lands held by the Egyptians. The land descended into a short period of Civil War due to a domestic crisis, but order was quickly reestablished by the Pharaohs.
Soon after the war, another came. This time it was not an internal conflict, but rather with the Greeks. An exceptionally large invasion force had managed to make their way in from a hidden landing within the western portions of the Egyptian Kingdom. Soon enough, the cities of Ineb Hedj and Yebu were under siege by the attacking forces of Hoplites and Chariots. Yebu remained strong, managing to trick an invading force of Nubian Medjays to clash with the Greek forces to reduce the strength of their assailants as well as making sure the majority of the Greek host were unable to cross the Nile. However, Ineb Hedj was set to fall due to the sheer weight of losses experienced by the defenders there. If the city fell, a succession crisis was likely and would have resulted within the quick defeats of both Yebu and Amunia. It was then a remarkable coincidence saved the Egyptians.
A large Persian force, fresh from their conquest of the Carthaginian City-States into vassal states, had been routed through Egypt during this conflict. A messenger who had narrowly scraped their way through the Greek lands of Heirusalem and Mykenai, a relatively new city to the south of Heirusalem, had alerted this force to the fact that conflict had also broken out between the Greeks and Persians over Anatolia and Mesopotamia. When this force came across the besiegers of Ineb Hedj, they, at fair cost to themselves, assaulted the besieging force and slew them to a man. This was followed up with baiting the forces that had Yebu still under siege to follow them out of Egyptian lands into the holdings of Heirusalem and Mykenai territories. It becomes murky what occurred to the forces, but the revolution of Mykenai into an independent state leads scholars to believe they took up housing there. When the city was reconquered, it is likely their descendants had marched south with much of the rest of the independents to found the state of Arabia. It is a great irony that the once saviors of the Egyptians would turn to wage war upon them in a later time, but that is something to be written about at a later time.
As it stands, this act of valor only managed to abate the assault of the Greeks upon the Egyptians. After the cessation of hostilities between the Greeks and the Persians with the former's conquest of both Anatolia and Mesopotamia, their forces began to march upon the Egyptians in force. There had not been enough time for the old civilization to recover from the prior invasion, and they would likely have fallen, when a Hindi monk from Egypt that had gone to the Greek lands. The unknown individual managed to bring an end to the war by teaching meditation to the Greek priests and, through it, slowly convinced the priests to speak out against the war brought on by Alexander. With the signing of the treaty, peace had come to the Egyptians, but war was not done with them yet.
To the west, the Romans began to expand outwards. First they had managed to conquer the Carthaginians, then the Gauls. Seeing this, the Pharoahs began a large expansion of the military in order to ready for potential defense against the Romans. The war would not come for some time, not until after the Great Cothon of Amunia, and contact was established with the Ethiopians, but it would come during the second expansion of the Romans. The second expansion of the Empire began with them attempting an assault upon the Greeks. Despite the vast power held by the Greek League, the legions of Rome managed to rapidly conquer all the cities upon the Greek's home peninsula, as well as Heirusalem, renaming it to Aelia Capitolina, and forced the civilization into becoming a vassal state of their empire. Emboldened by their success over conquering an empire that had boasted much more power than themselves, the Romans turned their attention south to the 'weak' Egyptians. There would be no Persians to save the Egyptians this time.
Despite being beset upon by a far more powerful nation, the Egyptians managed to hold their own. Kebu showed their strength in repelling forces once more. Though the forces had managed to cross the Nile, the defenders managed to perform a major ploy that caused the Legions assailing their walls to wind up within the deserts of the Sahara. There is no true recording as to what exactly the ruse they pulled was, but it is believed usage of the Nubian Medjays in some manner.
Within Ineb Hedj, the siege was at much greater cost. The city suffered through a massive drop in population. In fact, many records state that only one-third of their population remained intact after the siege was broken, when compared to the population from before. However, apparently emboldened with the completion of the temple to one of the chief deities of their Hindi pantheon, Artemis, the defenders of the city managed to first break the catapults of their besiegers at great cost. After this, the chariots of the Exploratory Force that had traveled from the Straits of Gibraltar and the plains of Gaul to the jungles of India hunted down the legions that had assailed the walls and slaughtered them to a man with only minor damage being suffered. The Romans had suffered their first lost, and the Egyptians had achieved their first repulse of invaders from their lands by their own power. However, the war with the Romans was not yet over, and both the forces that had conquered Carthage and the forces baited away from Yebu were both just outside the borders of Egypt and were preparing for the next invasion of those that had beaten them back...
Egypt vs. the World
Turns 451-550
The assault upon the Egyptians was seen as the greatest mistake of the Romans. While the Persians would fall under their reign as a result of a parallel invasion, the Egyptians repulsing the Romans fractured the mindset that the armies of Rome were unbeatable. More invasions would come, but all would be repulsed by the Egyptians. Eventually, the continued defiance of the Egyptians led to massive revolts to spring up across the entirety of the empire, leaving the Romans with only the Italian Peninsula remaining. Soon that would fall to infighting, and the Roman civilization would be no more.
Egypt would be unable to take advantage of this weakness, however. With the conquering of Persia, the nation was obligated to join the Roman war upon the Egyptians. Furthermore, due to bribes of Kedu to Nubian forces being discovered, the Ethiopians also declared war upon the Egyptians. Egypt was at war with every single neighbor it had. If Rome had not collapsed, then it is likely that the Egyptians would not have held. However, the collapse of Rome allowed them to survive. The Greeks, having broken away from Roman authority before Persia had been fully conquered, agreed to a cessation of hostilities between their two nations. After the Romans fell, so did the Persians. As for Ethiopia? Egypt sacked their capital and quickly took over the rest of their cities.
This move, while glorious, proved disastrous over the long term. Many centers of learning funded by the Pharaohs had to be shut down due to the sheer cost required in order to maintain the lands they conquered. Furthermore, the former Roman invaders of Kebu, who had marched west into Nubian lands and would eventually interbred with the natives to create the Mali civilization, had taught the Nubians their strategies. This resulted in many massive raids into Egypt that destroyed all the ancient improvements that had been constructed in the Nile river valley, as well as those made to replace them. As well, massive plagues struck that destroyed large portions of the Egyptian population. Within the new holdings, all but one of the captured Ethiopian cities were either razed or captured by Impi tribesmen.
Egypt had not fallen from this, however. The Pharaohs still held dominion, in large part thanks to the continual destruction of their enemies by the elite former expeditionary force, and trade was beginning to start up once more. Furthermore, with the destruction of most of the Ethiopian holdings, they could more effectively administer what remained. Progress once more began and the Egyptians moved on into the future.
To give a rough idea of just how behind I am, Metal casting and Writing are the furthest along in the tech tree I am at. It's late 500 AD.
Oh, and to give you an idea of how large the barbarian invasion was, 2 stacks of 7 strength 4 Nubian Medjays (which have +50% vs Melee and 2 first strikes) as well as 4 strength 6 Nubian Berber cavalry that have +50% against melee, a strength 8 cavalry unit, and 3 or 4 strength 5 Impi Warrior units that have +100% against Cavalry. The twin stacks of 7 spawned in the middle of my territory. Mod does not fuck around when it wants you to die a 'historic' death. If you want to live, you must earn it.