Turn 11
Moving south, my slinger spots our first barb and traps the scout against the coast. I'll start whacking him - the terrain between here and the capital is rough, so hopefully I can murder him before he gets a chance to report back. No sign of the camp, so it lies further to the south.
The scout is also standing on a short river, which makes this a fresh water coastal site, and looks like a good candidate for city #2 or #3. Accordingly, I've pinned two possibilities for Cain al Malik, to be further investigated:
Founding on site B lets me pasture the sheep for a little more food (or is it just +1 production on a sheep pasture? Can never remember). It also has 2/1 grassland hills to work, superior to the not-very-useful desert hills to the north. Both sites get the nice fox tile, and can share a 1/3 hill with the capital.
Founding site A preserves the 2/2 forest for later chopping, and lets me pack in the cities a bit closer. With space limited on the island, and the terrain here looking promising, it might be good to take the hit on the desert hills in order to squeeze in an extra city in the south. It all depends on the terrain down there, so we don't have to decide yet.
In international news, the three first-turn founders (Archduke, Rowain, and Japper) all finished their first techs, as expected. Archduke also picked up 2 era points. From my chart, the only possibility this early in the game is a barb camp destroyed. I'm also on top of the domination rankings, with an intact warrior and slinger, so the others opened with scouts/builders or have been having a bit of combat, or both.
So much for civ. Let's continue the story of How Chevalier Got His Naming Theme.
September 24th, 2014, my grandpa called me. I was expecting the call - it was my 25th birthday, after all. I was in class, though, finishing up the last year of my master's degree in education, so I wasn't able to answer. He and grandma left me a nice voicemail, but of course I called them anyway as soon as I got out of class.
"Hey, buddy! Happy birthday!" You could hear the happiness even in his gruff voice (roughed by years of smoking - but he had given up cigarettes 20 years before and never touched them since).
"Thanks, Papa. I'm glad you called."
"Say, when are you going to come see me again?"
"Well, I have a lot of class, but I should be able to make a trip back to KC sometime next weekend. I'll come see you after your surgery, how about that?"
A few weeks before, doctors had discovered a loose bloodclot in Papa's bloodstream. Not immediately dangerous, but there was the chance that it could detach and cause a heart attack or stroke down the road. A ticking time bomb, essentially - so the family had talked him, with some reluctance, into undergoing a slightly risky operation to get it removed. He was young, as grandfathers go - only 72, with a 25-year old grandson. We'd been close ever since I was a kid. He had helped me on countless school projects - our diorama of the Battle of Gettysburg belongs in a museum, it was so detailed and gorgeously modelled (grandpa liked building landscapes for model trains), I had interviewed him in-depth about his life and experiences for history class once, and my girlfriend had even dogsat for them for 6 months while they were in Florida one spring. I visited my grandparents every chance I got.
"My surgery is in about a week. September 30th."
"Arright, well, I'll come see you next weekend, then."
"Say, you been watchin' the Royals?"
"You know the answer to that question. Why should I tune in to watch us get our butts kicked?"
"Don't be too quick to judge, buddy! They might make the playoffs this year!"
"I'll believe
that when I see it."
I was right to be skeptical.
See, the Royals had the longest postseason drought of ANY professional team in all 4 major North American sports. Football, baseball, basketball, and hockey - over 100 professional franchises. Out of all them, the Royals had gone the longest without any sort of playoff trip. 29 years, to be precise, since their lone World Series victory in 1985, 4 years before my birth. The next closest team, the Toronto Blue Jays, had only waited 21 years.
Throughout those 29 years, ownership had promised success just around the corner. And year after year, the hapless franchise continued to lose. Not dramatic, exciting losses, but quiet, dull futility. Mathematical elimination came in August most years (the regular season ends in September).
In 2006 - 8 years before - Royals ownership brought in a new GM, Dayton Moore, formerly assistant manager with the Atlanta Braves, who promised that his Process would bring results and restore a winning tradition to Kansas City. But the Process dragged on, and on, seemingly without end. Each new piece Dayton acquired never seemed to pan out. 2004 brought Billy Butler, a chubby kid with a gift for hitting - but he never became the power hitter he should have been. In 2005, Alex Gordon was drafted. A third-baseman, he was widely touted as the next George Brett - the greatest player in Royals history, their lone member in the Baseball Hall of Fame (and now part-owner of the team). But Gordon struggled, and struggled, and was eventually demoted to the minor leagues. 2006, Luke Hochevar, supposedly a once-in-a-generation pitching talent who became one of the worst starting pitchers in the game. 2007, Mike Moustakas, a replacement third baseman for Alex Gordon, who never developed the power with the bat that he once promised. 2008, Eric Hosmer, a first-baseman with one of the most beautiful swings in all of baseball - but he for some reason couldn't hit.
In trades, the Royals' best pitcher was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for Lorenzo Cain, a young man who had barely played 40 games in the majors, and Alcides Escobar, a flashy defensive shortstop. The Royals' best prospect was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays for James Shields, a decent starting pitcher, and Wade Davis, a failed starter who was just supposed to eat innings. The Process dragged on, and the losing continued, but what I didn't know was that the pieces were there for something special.
In 2013, the Royals won more games than they lost for only the second time since 1993.
And now, in 2014, with just a few games left in the season, they were chasing a playoff birth, with real hope for the first time in three decades.
Billy Butler never developed his power, and his unathletic form couldn't play the field - but he could hit doubles like no one else, and he made a rock-solid Designated Hitter (a player who only bats, and never plays defense).
Alex Gordon shifted from third base to left field in the minors - and he became one of the best defenders in the game, earning 3 Gold Gloves as a left fielder (2014 would bring him a 4th Gold Glove, the award given to the best defender in the league). Lorenzo Cain's fast, lanky build made him a top center fielder, and any flyball hit to center in the expansive confines of the Royals' Kauffman stadium was run down by the smiling young man. Alcides Escobar became one of the best shortstops in the game, and Moustakas and Hosmer came up through the minors and took their spots on the major league squad, promising someday to develop into the stars they could be. From Latin America came Salvador Perez, an optimistic young man with a dazzling smile and an arm like a cannon, establishing himself as one of the best young catchers in the game. Latin America also contributed Yordano Ventura, with a lightning arm, a fiery temper, and a fierce fastball, and Kelvin Herrera, one of the best relief pitchers in the game. Wade Davis also became a relief pitcher and revealed hitherto unseen talent, becoming almost untouchable pitching in one or two innings a game. Second base was covered by Omar Infante, a solid position player, and the Royals signed Japanese player Nori Aoki to cover right field.
Gradually, the Royals had established the best defensive squad in baseball. Their starting pitching was not great, but between Herrera, Davis, Hochever, and closer Greg Holland they had the best relief pitching in baseball. They weren't the best team in the game - but tehy could compete. They could make the playoffs - maybe.
Baseball has the most restrictive playoffs of any of the 4 major North American sports. The major leagues are 2 in number: The National League, and the American League. Each league consists of 15 teams divided into 3 equal divisions. The team to win the most games in each division makes the playoffs, but the top 2 runners up also get a chance: the wild card.
Most of the time, baseball is played in the series - a set of 3, 5, or 7 games, winner of the majority of the games takes the series. But not the wild card teams. These teams face each other in a single game. Winner gets the chance to go to the playoffs. Loser goes home. One game to decide the fate of your entire season.
That September, the Royals finally ended their playoff drought when they qualified for the wild card spot. They would face the Oakland A's in a single double-elimination game on September 30th.
The same day, my grandpa was wheeled into surgery.
and also captivated by the story.
I wouldn't go that fa.... er, maybe so. Certainly not as lush starts as previous maps I've made. But if this is any reassurance, I'd pick your start if given the choice. I'll be following along with interest to see how you solve the food challenge 