An unexpected evening of “me-time” and an invitation to play Civ:Rev led to my first (complete) multiplayer Civ:Rev game.  While I had tried to play multiplayer last Saturday with Aaron, Chuck, and Carl, those games had ended quite abruptly due to a misunderstanding.  In addition to a few stories from Aaron’s success in other single player games he’s played, I had reservations about how much success I would have in our two player game.  In a turn of events, I had probably my best game yet and the Japanese Shogunate rose to even higher glory than ever before.

As the dawn of the Japanese Empire began, they founded their capital on the coast of a large bay in the center of the largest continent.  Quickly sending out scouts, the Japanese immediately encountered numerous barbarian villages that proferred many trinkets and knowledge to aid the Japanese.  Emboldened by the apparent superiority of the Japanese, more and more warriors ventured forth to sack and pillage the barbarian villages in hopes of wealth and power.  This arrogance led to several devastating losses when several battle-hardened warriors were crushed by barbarians tribes.   An even greater setback presented itself when the Japanese ran into a civilized tribe, the Romans, on the Southwest frontier.

Realizing that the Japanese could not thrive simply by plundering uncivilized barbarian villages, a colonization effort was set forth to the North and the city of Edo was founded on a narrow peninsula separating the center of the continent from the Northeast.  Culture shock struck the Japanese as two additional civilized tribes approached the city limits — The Americans to the North and the Indians to the East.  Rumors of a fifth civilization, the Spanish, struck fear into the hearts of the Japanese as their leaders fame had spread even to the lowliest peasants of Japan.  Across the Sushi Desert to the Northeast, a warrior scout encountered these legendary people and quickly retreated back to Edo.

Sitting at the center of the only continent in the world, the Japanese realized the precarious position they held.  Acknowledging that culture alone would not hold their fellow civilizations at bay, both Japanese cities focused on building Archers to hold off zealous neighbors.  Another colonization effort was developed to colonize the large peninsula to the Southeast and resulted in the founding of Nagasaki.  The rich land of the Southwest peninsula and prosperity of Nagasaki led many further colonization efforts and very soon the whole of the peninsula was populated with Japanese cities.  Still terrified of the legendary Spanish, the military granted amnesty to many convicts if they agreed to settle on the outskirts of the Sushi Desert.  As a result, the city of Ise was founded to provide a buffer for any Spanish intrusions that haunted the dreams of every Japanese citizen.  Ise, as the only city founded on the North Sea and access to the many myriad trade goods found in the Sushi Desert, became a major trading hub as well as a defensive stronghold.

As the people became culturally and technologically sophisticated, they started clamoring for more rights and eventually the Shogun stepped down and a Democracy was created in his place.  The inward-thinking Japanese had finally turned away from their conquest-driven early days when an unexpected alliance of Americans and Indians declared war.  The city of Edo lay in their path to the Japanese heartland and hordes of American and Indian Legionnaire armies assaulted the city walls.  The finest Archers in the world would be created from the many battles of that war and they threw back all of the enemy forces time and time again.  The ever present Spanish threat persisted in the minds of all Japanese and several Japanese Archers, after earning their stripes in the battles of Edo, requested to be stationed in Ise to be the first to fight off the (perceived inevitable) Spanish threat.

The Japanese military finally convinced the Senate to divert some further resources into the establishment of an expeditionary force.  They believed that the defeat of Edo was inevitable — No matter how much success they had throwing off the invaders, the American and Indians simply created more and more in their push to overrun the city.  In order to counter this, two armies of legionnaires with the support of a catapult army were drawn up and sent to the city.  The devastating effect of the catapults sent the Americans and Indians reeling and the Expeditionary force moved North to the the outskirts of Atlanta.  A back and forth struggle ensued but eventually the city of Atlanta was taken.  In an odd turn of events, the Indians requested a cease-fire in fear of the Expeditionary force but the Americans themselves only doubled their war efforts.

A final colonization effort was also undertaken to the West of the capital when the Roman Debacle occurred.  A Horseman-scout was tasked with holding the area for the future settlers when a group of Roman settlers approached the heights.  For reasons unknown, the Romans left the Settler undefended and the overzealous Horseman-scout, perhaps trying to live up to the glory found in the North, surrounded and captured the Roman settler unit in a treasonous act of war.  Fortunately, the cultured Romans accepted the Japanese apology and the city to the West was created peacefully as a Japanese settlement.  Driven to the brink of war, the Romans and Japanese found common agreement and, other than this one mishap, lived as peaceful neighbors for all time.

Eight cities now encompassed the greater Japanese Empire.  The cities of the Southeast developed into a technological research corridor and an endless number of improvements were added continuously to the Japanese civilization.  Nagasaki developed numerous methods for increasing production in the city and eventually developed a Workshop shortly after the discovery of Oil.  The Workshop upgraded the Legionnaire armies with Tanks and they set forth to pacify the persistently aggressive Americans.  Unable to withstand the full firepower of the new Tanks, Washington eventually fell and, shortly thereafter, Detroit.  Driven from the continent completely, the Americans finally surrendered and requested a cease-fire.  After what must have been a communications error between the American and Indian delegations, the Indians then declared war.

Bombay, Delhi, and a third minor city quickly succumbed to the Japanese Tank armies.  Hopelessly outclassed, the Indians have become a minor footnote in history due to the quick fall and elimination of their civilization.  Only Delhi, a true gem among even the central Japanese cities, holds on to any shred of Indian culture.

The first Spanish delegation was sent to the city of Ise complimenting the Japanese on their struggles.  Though little had been heard of the Spanish , the Japanese people still lived in fear.  Very little was known of the Spanish civilization itself and, other than a few rumors that they were fighting an island-hopping war with the Americans to the Northwest, even less was known about their military strength.  An advanced cruiser spotted off the coast of the Southeast peninsula sent several cities into a panic.  Many believed a large force of Spanish troops were massed awaiting a signal from their legendary leader.  Yet, no attack came.

Finally, the Japanese people had peace for the first time in many millennia.  The numerous technological advancements and culture generated by the Japanese people led to even greater prosperity and the national coffers were rapidly filling with taxes.  Fourteen cities on the mainland continent and a distant colony founded on an extremely rich island provided the backbone of a Japanese economy that seemed to give them reign over the world.  The persistent Spanish threat that had haunted the Japanese had yet to manifest itself and many Japanese now believed that they were simply manufactured legends of times past.  That said, as the coffers filled, many believed their wealth might tempt the less fortunate and a monumental effort to enhance the defenses of the nation on all fronts was undertaken. Mechanized Infantry armies were created and spread to every city of the Commonwealth.  Numerous armies with supporting artillery, figher planes, bombers, and naval forces filled with Cruisers and Battleships patrolled land, air, and sea, ever vigilant to preempt any assault on Japan.

As prosperity reigned, construction began on a World Bank in the city of Nagasaki.  Envisioned to be a unifying Wonder of the World, numerous contingents were stationed in the vicinity of Washington, Delhi, Nagasaki, Edo, Ise, and the capital to hold off any attack from the Romans, Americans, and especially Spanish civilizations.  Wings of agents were stationed in Nagasaki to counter any clandestine activities from other civilizations.  The belligerent Americans opened hostilities very soon thereafter and the city of New Orleans was the price of their warmongering.  Chicago lay on the brink of ruin when they sued for peace, yet again.

Moments before the completion of the World Bank, the Spanish threat finally revealed itself.  Sneaking past the U.S.S. Tokugawa Battleship, galleons and cruisers unloaded Riflemen and Tanks on the road between Ise and Edo.  More forces marched across the Sushi Desert and assaulted the city of Ise.  Nightmares were destroyed in those final moments as the vastly superior Mechanized Infantry and Veteran Tank armies destroyed all in their path.  The Spanish threat that had so dominated Japanese military preparations failed to live up to the legendary stories.

The completion of the World Bank ended any hopes of the Spanish leader spurring his troops onto great things.  Devastated by the Japanese defenses and in awe of Japanese prosperity, the Spanish, along with the Americans and Romans, agreed to become permanent vassals of the great Japanese civilization.