Succession Game starting on 11/29/2001, Join the game/follow the saga in this thread

[Excelsior]

I'm playing now. I installed the patch, btw. It shouldn't have that much effect on gameplay since the game was started from a scenario. In other words, all of the tweaks made to the Civ3Mod.bic file will not be incorporated into the game. It should fix things like the science advisor bug, though.

[Excelsior]

The reign of Excelsior III!

Xsck the Sick had fallen, his reign coming to a disastrous end mere days after it had begun. The army of the true king Excelsior III seized the palace, casting the false king into exile along with his plague-ridden family. From the smashed rubble of the false king's reign, Excelsior III would strive to build the mightiest civilization in history! Long live the king of the Russians!

Turn #0>330AD
The king purges the land of the vile influences of previous rulers. He orders Beta to begin a harbor and Mosfrog to build a Temple.
Turn #1>340AD
The king orders New Lurkburg to begin the production of a settler and Moscow to begin a temple. Barbarians, meanwhile, are massing near both cities. To the north, a band of Russian warriors disperses a Kahzak encampment plundering 25 gold.
Turn #2>350AD
New Excelsior completes a garrison of spearmen and begins work on the training of a Ditchdigger Corps. To the far east, St. Petersburg is founded north of New Lurkburg.

Turn #3>360AD
A galley in the Russian Navy is attacked by barbarians; it survives the attack and is promoted to veteran status. Meanwhile, Alpha completes the Colossus. The monumental testament to Excelsior Deus shall stand forever! The city begins work on a marketplace. The city of New Lurkburg completes a settler and begins to work on a temple. To the far west, a spearman disperses an Angle encampment near Moscow. A worker is loaded into a galley for transport to St. Petersburg. It is only upon receiving this news that Excelsior III realizes that there are now two St. Petersburgs in the Russian Empire, one in the east and one in the west. Naturally displeased at this, Excelsior III first orders that the Royal Naming Committee be beheaded and then that the eastern St. Petersburg should be renamed Zeta!

Turn #4>370AD
The galley arrives in St. Petersburg, delivering the worker.
Turn #5>380AD
Barbarian warriors, horsemen, and galleys clash against Russian forces from one end of the empire to another. The Russians triumph and several units achieve veteran status. In domestic affairs, the city of Excelsior completes a settler and begins a new one.
Turn #6>390AD
Epsilon completes the training of a spearmen, which is sent north to reinforce the city of Delta.
Turn #7>400AD
The king is astonished to receive word that the English and the Egyptians have signed a military alliance against the Germans. He establishes embassies in the capitals of Germany, Rome, and Greece. The Germans and the Romans are racing to complete a great wonder, Sun Tzu's Art of War. It is apparent that the Germans are far ahead and will finish the work in 42 turns. On the frontier, barbarians are defeated yielding 75 gold in sum.


Turn #8>410AD
A Ditchdigger Corps has completed a road to the wild horses of St. Petersburg. Unfortunately, the city lacks a harbor and a road connection. Thus, the rest of the Russian Empire is unable to benefit from this development. Vovanville completes a library and begins construction of a spearman. In the distant frontier to the east, the city of Eta is founded near a supply of spices. The new city begins work on a temple.
Turn #9>420AD
One of the Russian Navy's prized galleys has sunk due to poor navigation (I pressed the wrong key and sent it into a sea square). The admirals of the fleet are saved from Excelsior III's wrath only when a herald interrupts, bringing word that the Greeks have signed a military pact with the Germans in the Germanic-Anglo Egyptian War.

Turn #10>430AD
The city of Excelsior completes a settler and begins work on the training of another. The city of Delta goes into civil disorder. The king responds with a wave of his hand, "Give them some entertainment." To the west, St. Petersburg completes work on a spearman and begins training a Ditchdigger Corps.
Turn #11>440AD
This was a boring period in the history of Russian.
Turn #12>450AD
While the brave spearmen of Eta fight back another barbarian raid, the citizens of Beta are unhappy. Though longing to nerve staple these whiners, Excelsior III realizes that the technology is still two thousand years distant and instead directs them to be dealt with in the same manner as the disobedient citizens of Delta. Excelsior Memorialis finishes a Temple and begins work on a harbor. New Excelsior completes a worker and begins work on a temple.
Turn #13>460AD
After some checking, Excelsior III discovers, to his dismay, that the warmest friend he has in the diplomatic world is Rome. They are "Cautious", but they do agree to sell the Russians the secrets of Feudalism and The Republic for a mere 190 gold.
Turn #14>470AD
Excelsior III is disturbed by reports that Rome has joined the English and the Egyptians in the war against Germany and Greece. This war is escalating out of control and it is unlikely that Russia can stay neutral forever. Should war break out, the safety of Russia's colonial holdings is far from secure. Beta completes a harbor and begins construction of a new galley for the Russian Navy. To the north, Theta is founded near a supply of game.

Turn #15>480AD
An emissary from Egypt arrived at the palace gates. The contemptuous manner in which the envoy greeted the king did not bode well for the success of the negotiations. The Egyptians demanded tribute; they ordered the Russians to supply all of Egypt with wine for no cost. The only alternative was war. The Egyptians received their response promptly, the disembodied head of the envoy arriving within 48 hours. The Russians were now at war with the Egyptians.

Turn #16>490AD
Excelsior completes a settler and then switches to the production of war material. Alpha completes a marketplace and begins work on a harbor. Epsilon finishes training a Ditchdigging Corps and begins work on a temple.
Turn #17>500AD
War tensions run high, but nothing of importance happens domestically or abroad.
Turn #18>510AD
Excelsior III and Bismarck meet at a neutral site. The two leaders agree to an exchange of maps and leave the conference with relations substantially improved. Vovanville completes a spearman and begins work on a minor wonder of the world, The Forbidden Palace!
Turn #19>520AD
The city of Gamma completes the construction of a temple and begins the construction of war material. A Ditchdigging Corps has completed a road to the iron mines of New Excelsior, but it is all but unusable, lacking the road and sea connection necessary to its use. The production of St. Petersburg is changed to a harbor. A new city named Iota is founded in the mountains of Western Russia.
Turn #20>530AD
During the final years of Excelsior III's reign, very little happened. The war with Egypt continued, but it was a war with no battles and no glory. Excelsior III succumbed to pneumonia in the year 537AD, leaving the kingdom to his son, Lurking III.

The state of the world:



The saved game:

[SerapisIV]

Is it just me or do most of the pictures in this thread not show up?

Excelsior, I can't see any of your pics

[Excelsior]

Fsck is hosting most of the pictures, but he has been sick and hasn't gotten the screenshots up yet. All of the pictures except the last batch from me and the last batch from Lurking should be working. Hopefully, all of the screenshots will be working soon.

[Lurking]

Lurking III reign over expanding Russia

In 540 AD Lurking III comes to power. Following is a diary of his reign:

540 - Romans join Russia in the righteous war against Egypt.

550 - Greece joins the war against Egypt.

560 - Barbarians attack Eta. The spearmen defenders are promoted to Elite!

590 - Russian warriors disperse a barbarian encampment and are rewarded with 25 gold for their bravery. The 35 gold is quickly confiscated to add to the Russian treasury.

600 - Monarchy is discovered. No revolution at this time.

610 - Egypt starts building the Cistine Chaple. They are obviously ahead of the rest of the world in technology!

640 - English start work on a massive gardening project, The Hanging Gardens.

650 - St. Lurking (the town) falls into civlil disorder. "Argh!" exclaimes Lurking III.

660 - New Lurking produces a worker, the first manual laborer on the eastern continent.

680 - Revolution throughout Russia starts. Our great Depotism has fallen into chaos. Perhaps we can get a new type of government... Russian archer attacks a barbarian encampment on the eastern continent, the archer is promoted to veteran status.


690 - Our brave archer is attacked by thousands of barbarian horseman. Our archer falls to overwealming odds.

700 - St. Petersburg is founded on the Eastern continent. It's right near some tasty cattle heards!

710 - Kiev is founded near southern tip of the eastern continent. Kiev is defended from two barbarian attacks by a valiant spearman who is promoted to veteran status!


730 - Russia finally comes out of it's state of social disorder and the people have come to trust Lurking III's wonderful leadership. He is crowned KING by the new Russian monarchy.

740 - All civil disorder in the Russian cities ends. Lurking III is old and frail and decides to hand down his crown to his worthy successor, Prince vovansim.
The east:

The west:

[Excelsior]

St. Petersburg is founded on the Eastern continent. It's right near some tasty cattle heards!

You did the same thing I did! We have two St. Petersburgs again. If anyone's interested in continuing our naming scheme, here are the greek letters we haven't used.

kappa
lamda
mu
nu
xi
omicron
pi
rho
sigma
tau
upsilon
phi
chi
psi
omega

Anyway, good work. The Egyptians have been pretty quiet. It seems like they don't have many resources to devote towards crushing us, since they're fighting on so many fronts. I wouldn't worry about them. We just need to concentrate on expanding and securing resources from other continents.

[vovan]

Vovansim III

In the year of 740AD, Vovansim succeeded Lurking III on the throne of Russia. Although Lurking was not yet dead (most of his predecessors parted with their crown and their life at the same time), he was old and felt that a young leader would be more appropriate now. So, the rule of the second King of Russia, Vovansim III, began.
(0) 740AD Our rulers seems to like the name 'Peter' a lot. I renamed St. Petersburg on the eastern island to Vladivostok, since it is on the eastern island.
(1) 750AD The first priority now is to improve our homeland. The lands around Mosfrog are being extensively cultivated.
(2) 760AD A group of workers from Eta is ready to help our nation by making the environment better. Those, who are left in the city, start constructing a temple. The workers start building a road towards spices and New Lurkburg. Moscow has grown a lot since it was founded. It now influences a greater area. The local fishermen are now brave enough to sail farther into the sea to hunt for the precious whale. (Those animals are mostly appreciated by Moskovites for their nutritional value). The workers near Zeta start working on a road towards the local herd of horses, so that it is easier for our men to catch those animals and in the general direction of Vladivostok. Work on a road towards Moscow continues.
(3) 770AD A group of spearmen is trained to defend Iota. The lands continue being improved. A sum of money is given to the governor of Eta to hurry the training of local young men in the art of using the bow.
(4) 780AD The men from Eta are ready to fight, but as soon as they start marching towards Buto, a messenger from the Egyptians approaches and asks for me to arrange a meeting with their Queen. I do meet with her. She asks for a peace agreement. But peace will not come to Egypt for nothing. The price is 53 gold and 3 gold/turn. The money will help our country greatly.
(5) 790AD Two barbarian ships are destroyed by our galleys. A group of settlers and spearmen lands on the eastern island to found a new settlement.
(6) 800AD Excelsior finishes building an aqueduct and can now provide enough drinking water for a larger population. We feel ready to undertake a great project. I personally write a letter to the greatest master of warfare, inviting him to settle in Excelsior (he must understand that he is too old for fighting now - but his knowledge just can't pass away with him) The city starts building a palace for Sun Tzu. The idea is to recreate an environment, where he would be able to concentrate and write a book on the Art of War - a thing he has always wanted to do, but couldn't find the right place to do it - he wants a worthy nation to possess his knowledge. Delta trains a group of young men to use spears to defend their home city. The other men feel that they need a place to teach their children. So, they start building a library.
(7) 810AD News come that the Egyptians are building the Hanging gardens.
(8) 820AD Our wise men have discovered Theology. They now have a new idea - to outfit our horsemen with a metal shield of some kind, just not a conventional shield, but such that would cover the whole body (Chivalry).
(9) 830AD The town of Minsk is founded on the Eastern island.

There are herds of horses, and cattle, and a huge field of wheat near it. I feel, this is a great site for a city.
(10) 840AD A group of men from St.Lurking is ready to settle new territories. More men are being trained to use the spear. Minsk trains some spearmen. People there start working on a temple to utilize all the food around as soon as possible. I feel that Egypt and Russia should live together in peace. So, I contact Cleopatra, and give her wines in exchange for her world map, 30 gold, and 5 gold / turn. With this new source of money, I increase financing of science.
(11) 850AD The Russian people apparently liked my decision about the Egyptians and ask me if I want to improve the looks of the royal my palace. It's about time, I say. The road to the mountainous town of Iota is finally finished. An encampment of barbarians is spotted to the north of Delta. A warrior is dispatched to take care of them.
(12) 860AD The spearman and the settler from St. Lurking have arrived to Exclesior Memorials. They board a galley there and are ready to depart to settle new frontiers.
(13) 870AD The Burgundian settlement to the north of Delta is dispersed. The road to Moscow is almost finished.
(14) 880AD Barbarians attack Minsk, but they are not successful. Skillful Russian spearmen are trained to fight better. Excelsior Memorials builds spearmen. I feel that our people are illiterate somewhat, so, I order a library to be built. Same scenario in St.Lurking. The road to Vladivostok is finished.
(15) 890AD The people of Epsilon finish building a temple. A new generation of men is ready to train themselves in the use of spear. Bad news come from Egypt. While we were building the palace for Sun Tzu, he has moved to Thebes. Furthermore, he has already finished his book on the Art of War, and has given it to the Egyptian people. Ecelsior changes production to Sistine Chapel - if our people can't be the best warriors in the world, they should at least be happy. Library is rush-built in Eta - we have to expand our influence on the Eastern island. Zeta builds a temple.
(16) 900AD Terrible news! London has completed the Hanging gardens. Alpha has to change its production to a Cathedral.
(17) 910AD Alpha finishes the Cathedral. Starts work on a library. Gamma finishes a courthouse. starts work on a cathedral. The road to connect Moscow to New Excelsior is finished!
(18) 920AD Egypt and Germany have signed a peace treaty. Our people definitely like that news and improve my palace.
(19) 930AD Cultural influence of Eta expands. It seems like there is another barbarian encampment to the north-east of Delta. A warrior is dispatched there. The people of Lurkburg complain that the city is too boring and crowded. So, production is changed to a cathedral.
(20) 940AD Cultural influence of Zeta expands.
"I am quite old now. I don't think that I can handle our empire properly now. Also, you see how I always say 'our empire', 'our people', 'our palace', etc. Not my - our. That is because there are too many young people trying to tell me what to do. To make things even worse, I don't have any sons. There is nobody I could give my crown to. There are two quite able young princes - Excelsior and Fsck, who could handle the empire, but I can't choose. Let the fate decide, who will be Russia's third King. I will just spend the rest of my life in the only place in the empire I truly love - Minsk. It will be just a quiet life, very quiet. No more mutiny about the heir..."
This was a note found near the dead body of Vovansim III by his servant, who came into his room in the morning, as usual, to help him dress, and wash his face. It is not known, whether the King committed suicide, died of old age, or was killed by an unknown traitor.

[fsck]

OK, I have the pics uploaded. Excelsior, I fixed one of your typos with a symlink, so it is working now.

Lurking, your last set of pics was actually from the turn BEFORE, so I don't have any of the pictures from your last turn.

Sorry about the long delays, I know it's frustrating. Hoping to play later tonight!

-fsck

[fsck]

Alas! My main gaming rig has lost a disk. I have backups, but I wasn't mirroring so there's no fast recovery. I am reduced to using my P133 laptop, which can't handle Civ3 by a long-shot (hell, my Athlon 900Mhz w/ 768MB DDR RAM can barely handle Civ3).

I have to bow out of the playing side of things. I will continue to post and handle screenshots... in fact I'm off right now to figure out why some of Lurking's pics are broken.

Thanks,
-fsck

[Excelsior]

Originally posted by fsck
I have to bow out of the playing side of things. I will continue to post and handle screenshots... in fact I'm off right now to figure out why some of Lurking's pics are broken.
Thanks,
-fsck

Sorry to hear that. I hope you can get back up and running before too long.

Originally posted by fsck
Alas! My main gaming rig has lost a disk. I have backups, but I wasn't mirroring so there's no fast recovery. I am reduced to using my P133 laptop, which can't handle Civ3 by a long-shot (hell, my Athlon 900Mhz w/ 768MB DDR RAM can barely handle Civ3).

That's funny; my Celeron 600 laptop w/128MB RAM runs it fine. Of course, I haven't played anything bigger than the standard map, though.

[Excelsior]

It was a bright, lovely spring day on the palace grounds. Storm clouds hovered on the horizon, but had not approached the city. Hundreds of onlookers in brightly colored clothing crowded into the garden, which had been temporarily renovated to serve in a new capacity. On opposite ends of the hedgerow, two imposing knights readied for combat, tightening their armor and mounting their horses.

As the two stared at each other from a distance, the clouds grew closer until finally with a great roar of thunder the rain began to fall. The deluge quickly turned the soft ground into a muddy mess and soaked the two combatants, yet they did not break their unwavering gaze.

Upon the signal, the two warhorses were spurred toward each other, their rider's lances coming to bear. The two knights closed rapidly until with a mighty crash they struck each other with such force that both were knocked from their saddles, falling to the ground with an enormous splash. Only one stood back up.

Excelsior IV had vanquished Xsck III in honorable combat to become the fourth king to rule the Russian Monarchy! Long live the king!

Turn #0>940AD
Excelsior IV decrees that the lawless Russian civilization must be reformed. He decrees the construction of many new courthouses in the cities of Epsilon, St. Lurking, New Lurkburg, and Excelsior Memorialis. He further orders that Zeta should construct a harbor so that the resources of the Russian people may be distributed more fairly. These actions, and others similar, earned Excelsior IV the title of "the Just," as henceforth he will be known.
Turn #1>950AD
Excelsior the Just orders the construction of a harbor in Kiev so that the unhappy people there can be comforted by the same luxuries as the rest of the Russian people. To the north of Russia, a group of Russian warriors defeats a barbarian raiding party.
Turn #2>960AD
A Bulgar encampment in the Arctic regions is dispersed.
Turn #3>970AD
Almost nothing of any importance happened during these intervening years.
Turn #4>980AD
The city of Alpha completes a harbor and is ordered to begin construction of a harbor.
Turn #5>990AD
With the Egyptian-Russian peace treaty at stake, Excelsior and Cleopatra come together in a secret summit. Little is known of the activities there, but it is known that Excelsior declined to renew the treaty unless the Egyptians paid tribute to the Russian people. He demanded 34 gold and the Egyptian world map. Cleopatra's measured response was, "Your terms are acceptable."

The Russian Navy destroys barbarians off the coast of Greece during these years. Domestically, the city of Vovanville goes into civil unrest as the people express their unhappiness through violence. The situation was dealt with accordingly. Russian alchemists discover the secret of Chivalry and are directed to investigate the secrets of Education in the hopes that the Russian people may one day learn the secrets of Banking.

Turn #6>1000AD
Alexander of the Greeks comes to Excelsior bearing a proposal, an alliance against the treacherous Egyptians. Though the idea of destroying the Egyptians is a pleasant one to him, Excelsior decides that the last thing the Russian people need at this time is another war. He politely expresses his regrets to Alexander that he cannot help and sends Alexander back to Greece. Due to extreme budget deficits resulting from extreme fiduciary misconduct on the part of his advisors, Excelsior is forced to cut the science rate to 40%.

Turn #7>1010AD
The city of Delta completes a library and begins work on a courthouse. A new city named Kappa is founded near the South Pole close to vast supplies of game and horses.

Turn #8>1020AD
After many years of faithful service, the Russian galley off the coast of Greece is sunk by Numidians. Reports have also arrived that the Greeks are building the Sistine Chapel.
Turn #9>1030AD
Excelsior the Just is pleased to be informed that the Germans have finally made peace with the Romans. To the south, a detachment of the Russian Army is approaching a barbarian encampment near Kappa.
Turn #10>1040AD
The Romans come to Excelsior the Just with an offer to exchange knowledge of the world. Cleverly playing upon the poor willed Egyptian emissaries, the king modifies the deal until it only vaguely resembles the one set forth by Cleopatra. The Egyptians agree, selling the secrets of Engineering in exchange for the Russian secret of Chivalry plus the Russian world map and 55 gold. Elsewhere, the Russian spearman near Kappa attacks the barbarians there, but does not disperse the camp.
Turn #11>1050AD
The cities of St. Lurking and New Lurkburg complete courthouses. Neither has sufficient commerce to justify the construction of a marketplace, however, and they are instructed to train settlers and Ditchdiggers.
Turn #12>1060AD
A summit between Bismarck and Excelsior is held. Bismarck wants an alliance against the English but Excelsior replies he cannot commit the Russian people to another war at this time. The German delegation leaves the summit somewhat less than pleased. Meanwhile, the English Army is observed to be performing unusual troop movements near New Excelsior, positioning their forces near the Russian iron mines in the region, the only Russian iron mines in the world! Excelsior wonders if he should have taken the German offer under closer scrutiny; war may yet be on the horizon. In a hastily convened meeting with the English leader Elizabeth, Excelsior demands that the English army withdraw. Elizabeth replies that they will leave "soon."

Turn #13>1070AD
News comes that the Germans have signed a peace treaty with their foes the English. Relieved from the burden of war, the English offer a trade, Dyes in exchange for wine and 6 gold per turn. Through his great negotiating power, Excelsior manages to talk them down to 5 gold per turn. Shortly after the deal is concluded, Excelsior is releived to see the English soldiers march home. Domestically, a "We Love the Czarina Day" is celebrated in Mosfrog. New Lurkburg completes the training of a Ditchdigging Corps and begins again on the same. The people admire Excelsior the Just's achievements so much that they decide to expand his palace!

Turn #14>1080AD
Excelsior Memorialis completes a courthouse and begins work on a marketplace.
Turn #15>1090AD
New Lurkburg completes another Ditchdigging Corps and begins training a group of settlers.
Turn #16>1100AD
Alpha completes a harbor and begins a colosseum. New Excelsior completes a temple and begins work on a settler. Kiev is rioting; there are only two choices, more rioting or starvation. Though it pained him, Excelsior chose the later.
Turn #17>1110AD
Beta has completed a courthouse and is now producing enough commerce for a marketplace to be viable. Kappa has completed a worker and is now building a temple. Epsilon completes a courthouse; it still lacks enough trade to be a viable marketplace candidate, so it is ordered to train settlers. St. Lurking completes the training of a group of settlers and begins a cathedral. The Russian wise men discover education and begin working toward discovering the secrets of Banking. Excelsior orders construction of the harbor in St. Petersburg to be hurried so that local incense, horses, and iron may be brought back to the mainland.
Turn #18>1120AD
St. Petersburg completes its harbor and begins work on a temple. Moscow completes the first pikeman in the Russian Army. It begins work on a harbor. Excelsior, to his dismay, receives word that the Greeks are now building the Sistine Chapel. Only days later, word comes that the Germans have finished the Sistine Chapel! Excelsior is forced to change the production of Excelsior to a Cathedral, wasting 226 shields!!!!!
Turn #19>1130AD
The Egyptian emissary arrives wishing to trade world maps. More accurately, the Egyptians want the Russian world map plus Engineering. Employing his masterful skills of diplomacy, Excelsior convinces the Egyptians that they would much rather trade Spices and 1 gold per turn for some fine Russian Wine. Both parties leave the negotiating table quite satisfied that they got the better of the deal.

The city of Excelsior completes the cathedral and Excelsior informs them that a marketplace would be desirable. "We Love the Czarina Day" is now being celebrated in both Lurkburg and Vovanville. Gamma completes a cathedral and begins work on a new galley for the Russian Navy. Eta builds barracks and then begins work on a temple. To the north, Lamda is founded in the arctic wastes.

Turn #20>1140AD
"We Love the Czarina Day" is celebrated in Gamma, but little else occurs.

So ended the reign of Excelsior the Just, the fourth in the line of Russian kings. With his death, an age of chaos began as many a Russian knight made claim to the vacated Russian throne. It was from this chaos that the next king of the Russian people emerged, Lurking IV!

Rather than show you the Russian Empire, this time I thought it would be nice to give you an idea of what the rest of the world looks like. I present Egypt, Germany, Rome, England, and Greece.

[Lurking]

my turn

Lurking will be taking his turn this afternoon. Hopefully Russia will be able to develop some technologies to put her in contention for the tech lead. I'm glad we can get to building some knights, as soon as we develp a harbor to export the iron from the western continent. Any other important ideas for my reign?

[Excelsior]

Re: my turn

Originally posted by Lurking
I'm glad we can get to building some knights, as soon as we develp a harbor to export the iron from the western continent. Any other important ideas for my reign?

Already done.

Excelsior orders construction of the harbor in St. Petersburg to be hurried so that local incense, horses, and iron may be brought back to the mainland.

Not only does the mainland have iron and horses, we now have 4 luxuries, two of which are local and two of which are foreign. My only advice at the moment is to keep expanding and try to avoid wars. We don't want to jeopardize the delivery of our goods.

[fsck]

Lurking, I figured out why your two pics are broken.

In your post from 08-12-2001 19:08, entitled "Lurking III reign over expanding Russia", your links to the pictures:

Russia_AD710_kiev_founded.JPG
Russia_AD0680_archer_veteran.JPG

are broken because you have the hyperlink as: http://http://www.doriarpg.org/img/picture

Go back and edit your repost, remove the redundant http://, and it should work fine.

-fsck (still doing my part in this thread, damnit!)

[Lurking]

Lord Lurking Excel

Lord Lurking Excel stood atop a small rise on the border of his estate. He could just make out the tall palace in Excelsior. The seat of the great monarchy of Russia. The young Lord longed to sit on the stone throne inside the palace. "One day," he murmmered.

Exactly two years from that day, in the year of 1140 AD, Lord Lurking Excel won the tourneyment for the crown. With sweat gleaming from his broad shoulders and a twinkle in his young eyes and claimed his throne. He would be a good ruler...

1140 - 1160 - Lord Lurking Excel takes a young blonde wife and has many offspring. Including a sickly young price named fsck. "Perhaps he can be an artist," noted Lurking.

1170 - Lurkburg produces a beautiful cathedral. Lurking sends his young son, fsck, to paint glorious battle scenes throughout the halls of the new cathedral. Lurkburg's cutural influence expands because of the fabulous building!


1180 - Lurking Excel journeys to Egypt to meet with the drop dead sexy Cleopatra. Lurking and Cleopatra fall for each other and exchange technology for gold. "In the future, maybe we can exchange more?" asks the google eyed Lurking... Lurking also demands his scientist research faster and so increases their funding. The Russian government is now running at a 6 gold/turn deficet. A russian galley, the 'Cleopatra', defends itself successfully against a dinky galley manned by some barbaric women. Lurking notes this saying, "I've heard rumors of these strong and powerful women from the deep jungles on the eastern continent." Lurking names the eastern continent.... "Forever more it shall be called Amazonia"

1190 - Lurking visits with his forgien advisor. This is the picture he presents to us:

(note to players: do you know how to show the lines representing peace/trade on this view?)

1200 - Minsk is attacked by barbarian horseman again. The grand palace of Lurking Excel is expanded. "My palace will be bigger than all those before it."

1210 - Adjust science back down 10%, our gold is now +21/turn. The grand palace is again expanded. "Have a look," invites Lurking.


1220 - Odessa founded between Moscow and New Excelsior, on the unnamed western continent. Lurking wipes the sweat from his brow because the English almost made it there before Russia.

Below is the save file, I'll finish the story in the next post.