News: BOTM 107, Immortal, starts May 14

BOTM 107: Avarice

You start off very wealthy, with Gold & Gems, but is it enough?

Game settings:
Playing as: Mansa Musa of Mali
Rivals: 4 AIs
Difficulty: Immortal
Starting Era: Ancient
Speed: Normal
Options: No goody huts, No events, No barbs
Victory Conditions: All enabled

Map settings:
Map: Hub
World Wrap: Cylindrical
Mapsize: Small
Climate: Temperate
Sea level: Medium


Mansa is Financial and Spiritual, and you start with The Wheel and Mining.

The Financial trait gives +1 commerce to any tile with 2 or more commerce.

The Spiritual trait gives No Anarchy and double production on temples

Unique unit: Skirmisher(replaces Archer)
The Skirmisher benefits from: 4 strength compared to 3 for the Archer and an additional first strike chance..

Unique Building: Mint (replaces Forge)
The Mint has an additional +10% commerce as well as the normal +25% production of the Forge.

Starting screenshot

This is the start of the game (click for a bigger image):




Note that in this game, any espionage-culture victories will be counted as cultural victories.

To Enter the Competition:

This competition will open at 00:01 am on 14 May 2016, server local time (UTC-6:00). From that date and time, you'll be able to get your chosen starting save >>>here<<<.

Submit the save after your victory (or defeat) here, by 14 Jun 2016.

Here is a link to a list of the differences between Vanilla, Warlords and BtS.

Software Versions

Windows: This game MUST be played in Beyond the Sword (NOT Civ4 Vanilla or Warlords), patched to version 3.19, and with the BUFFY mod version 3.19.003 installed. You can download the BUFFY mod here. Players using Windows Vista or Windows 7 are encouraged to read the notes on Vista fixes here.


Macintosh: This game MUST be played in Beyond the Sword (NOT Civ4 Vanilla or Warlords), patched to version 3.19, and with the Mac BUFFY mod version 3.19.003 installed. You can download the Mac BUFFY mod here.

While playing...

Remember - for your entry to be accepted, it MUST be your first attempt to play this game, and you MUST NOT replay any turns. If you make a mistake while playing, you have to live with it, learn from it, and carry on the game without replaying.

We will open 'spoiler' threads during the month for players to discuss what happens in their games. Do not discuss any details of your game outside those threads.

Warrior 1S to see if we miss any seafood by SIP.
With 2 floodplains, I suppose we can let another city have the other pig.

Settler on a plains hill is always nice, so if I were to play this game I'd probably settle in place.

What does a Hub map look like?

Pangaea said:

What does a Hub map look like?

Click to expand...

Here's a link to "The Complete Guide to Map Creation (image heavy)"
http://www.civfanatics.com/civ4/strategy/map_guide.php#hub
Think Spathi Eluder ship. (from the ancient Star Control game for PC, I used to play it on my 286 )
I might be tempted to SIP too.

The game title might please the Dwarven god Abbathor
http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Abbathor
"By Clangeddin's twin axes! I'll wash me beard on yer blood!"

Generous starting area and one of the best leaders, immortal is never easy but this should play out as emperor as long as we dont start with Shaka and Ragnar as nearest neighbours =)

Mansa is a really fun leader I don't play often because he's such a strong tech trader. I think I'd want to catch the second pig with this start, despite the plains hill. Warrior goes south just to make sure that there's no food there I guess.

No barbs is something really important to remember.

Start seems interesting, and the mapscrip aswell.
@High King J.J. Thx for posting and informing, I was wondering what the Hub map was.

Going to play this, and hoping the "00:01 am on 14 May 2016, server local time (UTC-6:00)" Translate into me having this game ready to load when i wake up tomorrow morning (in 8 hours).

It did! Somehow i have never learned timezones. Which way did the earth spin again?

So what to do with this start.. hm... With no barbs, kind of isolated (but so is everyone)

That makes me think that the best strategy is something like.. rapid expansions while going for some kind of tech lead. Also: since spiritual with gems and gold, its possible to oracle a fast CoL.
Which is always nice.. and there is a possibility as @ikotomi mentions.. to grab a second pig in capitol.. that academy can be up in record time.

Anyways.. my coffee has finished, its time to play! Hope everyone put some fear into those unknown Ai's!

Good Luck everyone!

Definitely settling in place here, unless a quick look at the coastline unveils some offshore food.

Nice try to lure the HoFers away to GOTM again, but GM-144 is still just too important .

No goody huts, No events, No barbs, No fun!

Might have a go at this. Don't expect any records, but if I win, I'll be happy.

oh..just noticed this was a hub map.. veddy eenteresting map type.

coast will be important and getting out an early workboat

barbs would have been fine, but hub maps can be pretty barb heavy since the center usually spawns quite a few early. so no barbs is a nice breather. bad thing is no barb cities

So you really don't want any discussion of the game? Or are the spoilers going to come only after submission deadline has been passed?
Don'y bother on my account. I submitted a game some time ago but don't remember anything about it anymore.

High King J.J. said:

So you really don't want any discussion of the game? Or are the spoilers going to come only after submission deadline has been passed?
Don'y bother on my account. I submitted a game some time ago but don't remember anything about it anymore.

Click to expand...

oops

neilmeister is a very busy man - looks like he forgot

I've finished the game and just created the spoilers. When I make the time I will post my experiences.

Sorry... was offline and forgot to create the spoilers before I went