VASSAL Module: Advanced Civilization

Extension Notes

This help file gives you additional information about the extensions as they are implemented in the Advanced Civilization VASSAL module. You do not need this knowledge to play the game or to use the module, it is here purely for general interest.

Go back to the User Guide.

Western Extension Map

The Western Extension map was originally published (in 1986) for the game Civilization, the one that started it all (in the Hartland Trefoil edition by Francis Tresham, UK, to be precise, but the Western Extension was published by Avalon Hill, USA). The rules say that you should use the Italy counters if you play with Iberia, but I made new counters for the VASSAL module:

Iberia

• City: The image shows the Aquaeduct at Segovia. Admittedly it was built a bit late to be used here, i. e. around 100 AD, but it is a typical type of building the Romans left behind in most of their provinces.
• Ship: The image shows a Greek merchant ship, as a reminder that the first to establish colonies in Iberia were the Greeks (and the Phoenicians). The harbours they built were used to ship tin and other important goods back home; tin is necessary to make bronze, one of the commodities in the game and, according to Homer, at one time more valuable than gold.
• Population: The image shows the staue of Viriatus, who was called "Terror Romanorum", the fright of the Romans – he lead the resistance against the Roman occupation.

Eastern Extension Map

The Eastern Extension was published in the spanish Alea magazine (#21, 1995). The way it was implemented in the module keeps closely to the original publication with the exception of the completely new graphics for the board and the additional nations.

It must be said that this expansion is rather untested… but it certainly looks nice! here are some notes about the nation in play:

Sumeria

Sumeria replaces Babylon if you play with the Eastern Extension.

• City: The port of Eridu
• Ship: A reed boat typical for the region. The boat shown is actually from Sumerian mythology and shows the ferryman who transfers the dead to the underworld.
• Population: Queen Ku-Baba, one of the first female rulers we know about

Persia

• City: The Gate of All Nations in Persepolis.
• Ship: A Persian bireme (heavy warship) as it may have been used in the Battle of Salamis.
• Population: Darius I and his son Xerxes as shown on a relief at Persepolis.

Indus Culture

One of the first high cultures east of Babylon.

• City: A stupa in Mohenjo-Daro, as the town is more usually called (on the map I kept the name given in the Alea magazine). Relics of the stupa still exist, but the image shows it as it may have looked when it was new.
• Ship: A ship as shown on a relief panel at Mohenjo-Daro. Such ships are also shown in an old treatise on shipbuilding called Yukti Kalpa Taru.
• Population: An elephant carrying a howdah (the "elephant and castle" figure) as it was used in the region from ancient times to today.

Semites

This is a very wide term that includes practically all peoples living in the middle east, south of Turkey, today. For the module I decided to represent them as the people from the northern part of Ethiopia which is also one of the possible locations for the mysterious land of Punt the Egyptians told us about.

• City: The stela of King Ezana at Aksum
• Ship: An Egyptian ship as it may have sailed to Punt to collect the treasures to be found there.
• Population: The Queen of Punt as depicted on an Egytian painting.

VASSAL is an open source project. Advanced Civilization is a boardgame by The Avalon Hill Game Company (1991). The Advanced Civilization module was created by Lutz Pietschker (PunTheHun at boardgamegeek.com).