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Over in Civfanatics, Charis started a Succession Game with a fascinating premise that I've lifted and adapted to try playing the Arabs. It's been a blast, and it's taught me a lot about this civ and about culture-building as a strategic pillar of expansion.
As originally formulated by Charis (link: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showth...threadid=39225 ), the concept is an Abu Bakr hell-bent ... no, that's definitely not the term ... ahem, heaven -bent on cultural conquest.
Charis' playing parameters were pretty strict. (There is one God, and Charis is his prophet!
)
My version of the groundrules ran as follows:
1) Serving the Glory of Allah, Part I: first building in any city founded or seized must be a temple (make that a mosque). No exceptions. Once theology has been researched, all cities with populations over 3 must immediately build a cathedral (make that, umm, a bigger mosque). No exceptions. Any captured city with a population over 3 upon conquest must build bigger mosque after building the smaller one.
2) Jihad: any civ destroying a mosque (i.e., razing one of our cities) has offended God, and becomes the subject of a jihad. No peace. Our goal is conversion, however: enemy capitals cannot be razed.
3) Mecca: the capital is sacred, and cannot be relocated. At least one citizen (i.e., worker) grown in Mecca must (as soon as practicably possible) be folded into the population of each and every conquered city. (My own version of the haj principle.
)
4) Holy Land As soon as FP becomes a build option, it must be built -- in a foreign capital if at all necessary. Any available leader must rush the palace there, despite danger of flipping, as soon as mosques are built. (Conversion must be a weapon: we will fight with the sword and the mosque.)
4) Serving the Glory of Allah, Part II: The religious wonders receive highest strategic priority. Ultimate goal is either domination or cultural win.
I played on a standard map, Emporer level.
The early going went very well. I got a great start, on a river with lush land nearby. God smiled on his chosen people. Mecca set to building a temple to give thanks, and my starting scout (prophet) set out to explore the land. He found a barbarian village and converted a chosen few to the glory of Allah (popped a settler). Another party of settlers from Mecca founded our third city, Damascus, on the coast. This city began pre-building for Great Wonders.
We missed Oracle (not a particularly good wonder, of course, but religious, so we had to bid for it), and converted to the Colossus. Meanwhile, we encountered Ottomons, English, Celts and Iroquois to our south.
The pace of expansion redoubled when we finished the Colossus and triggered a Golden Age.
I hadn't realized this would happen, and was disappointed to get the GA in despotism, with a handful of cities on the map.
On the other hand, we had been following the epxress will of God, and if this was his command ....
(to be continued ...)
As originally formulated by Charis (link: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showth...threadid=39225 ), the concept is an Abu Bakr hell-bent ... no, that's definitely not the term ... ahem, heaven -bent on cultural conquest.
Charis' playing parameters were pretty strict. (There is one God, and Charis is his prophet!
)My version of the groundrules ran as follows:
1) Serving the Glory of Allah, Part I: first building in any city founded or seized must be a temple (make that a mosque). No exceptions. Once theology has been researched, all cities with populations over 3 must immediately build a cathedral (make that, umm, a bigger mosque). No exceptions. Any captured city with a population over 3 upon conquest must build bigger mosque after building the smaller one.
2) Jihad: any civ destroying a mosque (i.e., razing one of our cities) has offended God, and becomes the subject of a jihad. No peace. Our goal is conversion, however: enemy capitals cannot be razed.
3) Mecca: the capital is sacred, and cannot be relocated. At least one citizen (i.e., worker) grown in Mecca must (as soon as practicably possible) be folded into the population of each and every conquered city. (My own version of the haj principle.
)4) Holy Land As soon as FP becomes a build option, it must be built -- in a foreign capital if at all necessary. Any available leader must rush the palace there, despite danger of flipping, as soon as mosques are built. (Conversion must be a weapon: we will fight with the sword and the mosque.)
4) Serving the Glory of Allah, Part II: The religious wonders receive highest strategic priority. Ultimate goal is either domination or cultural win.
I played on a standard map, Emporer level.
The early going went very well. I got a great start, on a river with lush land nearby. God smiled on his chosen people. Mecca set to building a temple to give thanks, and my starting scout (prophet) set out to explore the land. He found a barbarian village and converted a chosen few to the glory of Allah (popped a settler). Another party of settlers from Mecca founded our third city, Damascus, on the coast. This city began pre-building for Great Wonders.
We missed Oracle (not a particularly good wonder, of course, but religious, so we had to bid for it), and converted to the Colossus. Meanwhile, we encountered Ottomons, English, Celts and Iroquois to our south.
The pace of expansion redoubled when we finished the Colossus and triggered a Golden Age.
I hadn't realized this would happen, and was disappointed to get the GA in despotism, with a handful of cities on the map.On the other hand, we had been following the epxress will of God, and if this was his command ....
(to be continued ...)
Probably because either I have not built with maximum efficiency, or because I have neglected colusseums altogether, and started libraries late. (I figured my barracks were teaching my people what they needed to know of Allah's will! 
)
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