An idea for a leader DLC pack to introduce new leaders to take advantage of the new features in Rise and Fall
It was confirmed on another post that the Rise and Fall expansion will introduce 8 new civs and 1 extra new leader to be added to a current or new civ. Given that a lot of people on this sub would like to see more leaders (myself included), I thought I'd post an idea that popped in my head since reading the new expansion details.
Rebels and Revolutionaries DLC Pack
With the new Loyalty and Emergencies mechanics, a leader pack focused on historical revolutionaries would be a great way to bolster the leader roster with abilities geared towards these new mechanics and possibly add some new civs from underrepresented areas of the map that also aren't obvious choices for the expansion itself (like the Mongols, Inca or Ottomans).
There's little point in devising what their leader bonuses could be since the details of the new mechanics aren't out yet, but here's my shortlist for new leaders I think might be interesting additions. Keep in mind inclusion in Civ isn't necessarily an endorsement of the figure, otherwise Firaxis has some explaining of Attila the Hun to do.
America: We've already seen Washington, but Thomas Jefferson would make a good addition as the author of Declaration of Independence and 3rd President. Martin Luther King, while not ever holding office, was an enormously influential cultural and protest leader who I think would make a good addition.
China: Mao Zedong is the obvious candidate, but since he's been China's leader in the first 4 games already, Sun Yat Sen could be a contender as well since he saw the transition of China from dynasty to republicanism.
England: Stephen Langton was the Archbishop largely responsible for the signing of the Magna Carta after the conflict between King John and rebel barons. Oliver Cromwell would make a controversial choice, but he is ranked highly in lists of influential Britons and is definitely more well-known than Langton.
France: Napoleon Bonaparte is another obvious choice, but like Mao, he's been in several Civ games already. I'd rather see the Hero of Two Countries, the Marquis de Lafayette who played a role in both the American and French Revolutions and is more generally viewed with favor than Napoleon.
Kongo: This isn't quite technically a Kongolese leader as I'm not super knowledgeable of that kingdom's history, but I think Agostinho Neto could work as he was the 1st President of Angola who led them to independence from Portugal (and was a poet to boot).
Russia: The Bolshevik Revolution is definitely one of the most important events of the 20th century, but it's hard to justify putting someone like Stalin or Lenin in charge of Cossacks (as pointed out to me in a thread a while ago). There's no easy answer for this short of having the leader ability completely replace the Cossack as a UU (which is itself a little unsettling). That being said, Leon Trotsky doesn't carry quite the same baggage of his fellow Bolsheviks (to my knowledge) and while never the Premier of the Party, did assume leadership positions and an influential role in the early Soviet period before being purged by Stalin.
And here are some ideas for a new civ along the same theme:
Sioux under Sitting Bull: This one is actually a return of this civ/leader from Civ II, and his resistance to the US military and government policies of the time is legendary and tragic. I think I read somewhere that representatives of the tribe declined to represented in later Civ games, and if that's true, that's fair. But I do admit I'd like to see the return of Sitting Bull.
Haiti under Toussaint Louverture: He led the only slave revolt that successfully became an independent nation. I would also love to see a Caribbean Civ (Cuba would be great as well, but in keeping with the theme here, I don't think enough time has passed for Fidel Castro to be considered. Maybe in Civ XXVI).
Gran Columbia under Simon Bolivar: One of the most influential figures in South American history who liberated most of the continent from Spanish colonial rule.
South Africa under Nelson Mandela: This might be too recent to be included seeing as how Mandela died very recently, but he was a tremendously famous and influential figure for his resistance to apartheid.
Thanks for reading if you read through all this. I just wanted to get this out somewhere. I welcome any discussion on the ideas I brought up or if any of you have additions or ideas of your own whether to my theme or something different.
Posted Nov 30, 2017, 8:46 PM UTC
I definitely think I'd favour Cromwell over Stephen Langton for England, personally. But then again, Cromwell would honestly work better as a separate civ. I don't think his politics really meshes well with the British Museums or theatre districts in general, what with his whole banning of theatre and all.
That made me laugh a lot more than it should have. xD Kudos!
And it loses population. :(
Fuck Cromwell!
Fair point. Maybe his ability would modify it some way? It's hard to justify a second Civ off an English leader when the rest of the world is so lacking though.
Any pre industrial leader is going to clash a bit with England's special ability. I think Cromwell would make a great leader, although Alfred the great would fit better with the ability.
That's true. When I was thinking of making an Edward VI mod, I considered making it as a "Tudor England" civ more focused on England at the time.
But then again. Hojo Tokimune has an electronics factory.