A fun blues brothers based mod staring the Blues BrothersOne of my favourate parts of this movie is the scene at the start where Elwood picks up Jake from the jail, Jake hops in the car, lights his cig and throws the car cig lighter out the winder (after waving it out like a match). They then proceed to discuss the car and at the end of the conversation, Jake says "the only bad part about this car is its lack of a cig lighter". (Jake and Elwood) with obvious sources pulled from the movie. Our mission is to win and have $5000 in cash to pay the city. This looks like a bit of fun and being OCC, I should have time to play. As per usual, variant rules will be treated as variant rules ... as in, the might or might not be rules, depending upon if I remember, care or other ... basically, variable rules.
On opening the game, I find that I have no first tier techs - they have all been stripped. However, we know Music and Theology ... that seems reasonable given the nature of this game. Other odd things I find, we have our own unique flag (well done Rex) and, once our city is founded, it comes stocked with a Palace (no surprise there), a mall, Courthouse, Jail (or Gaol if you like) and a Temple. All of this fits with the movie (car chase through the mall, delivering the dosh at the end of the movie, etc, etc. Again, attention to detail - well done Rex. Anyway, enough of this a$$ kissing ...
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I settle in place (corn, corn, fish, wheat, crab, cows and floodplain grass). I don't think that food will be a problem. I start a worker to get these guys online and bring everyone home (I remembered the variant rule). Christianity is founded and a shrine is created (thankyou Mary). I send my free missionary out and about looking for neighbours. His first conversion attempt is a tripplet of lions but luckily he had movement points left and was able to run away. Travelling further East, I meet the manager of a rival band, The Qinsters. He actually looks a lot like a certain mongolian leader, but that is another story. It is then that Jake and Elwood decide that they actually should get a manager to help them plan their tour and raise the required $5000. Enter Ruff_Hi (just call me Ruff), the new "Blues Brothers Big Band" Band Manager. Ruff: "you need to raise $5000 for the church. That shouldn't be a problem. Now, lets see, after we deduct my 96% commission ... errrr ... I mean my 4% commission, we need to raise about $5210. Just leave the money issues to me ... I'll take care of all of that.
The first thing he decides is that the name of the band is way too long (we need a short handle that will attract attention) and so changes the name of the band from "Blues Brothers Big Band" to "The Big Bs". He also decides that he should enlist the services of a suitable promotional agent ... Enter Catherine ... everyone decides that they more than like the new promotional agent ... they just wish she would promote in their general direction. The missionary is sent to finalise negitations with Catherine (West of Chigaco) but has difficulty over contract terms (ie no open borders!). After some time, the contract details are ironed out and the missionary puts pen to paper in Moscow.
The workers of Chicago are busy developing sick levels of food (an 8 food tile - irrigated grassland wheat farm on a floodplain) while Chicago works on The Sistine Chapel. To slow the growth of the city, the people are taught to pray and future Great Prophets are merged into the city. The Perpen Fuhrer and his troop of strangly dressed follows drops by for a visit. They decide they don't like the Big Bs music and seek to frustrate the proposed future tours. The sistine Chapel project is completed in 1440BC (turn 64), closely followed by The Great Wall (925BC, turn 78), The Temple of Artemis (500BC, turn 95), the Pyramids (150BC, turn 109), the Great Library (100AD, turn 119) and The Parthenon (175AD, turn 122).
I squeese a granary in between these builds as well as meet the manager of another Band; Cyrus and the his band, The Persian Pussycats. I've also researched alphabet and mass mass tech trades are the order of the day for a few rounds. Our promotionalist drops in to show us her organisation chart (darn - she founded Code of Laws - this might be a problem) and to ask us for help ... I agreed (+1 commission payment)
Wait ... did you say a 3 turn wonder build! Can you tell us more about that please. Sure, pull up a seat. Well, from day 1, the Big Bs had been selling their music via download. You will not get rich quickly in this way, but the little coins that you do gather add up. I (Ruff) convinced Jake and Elwood that they needed to spend some money to show their growing audiance that they were cultured thinking people. Thus ...
So, one way of rushing a building was put into action ... is there another way? Oh, yes there is (see below). I just know that Fox is going to comment about my whipping away perfectly good population that will just turn into workers when I complete the Globe.
We finally meet a critic ... yuk, boo, hiss ... who goes by the pretenious name The Golden King. Are you joking? Louis XIV ... what a flippen mouth full. Next we meet someone that Ruff was hoping to avoid ... the ex-spouse ... the Mystery Woman. Although how much of a mystery that can be is anyone's guess ... didn't we all see her playing footloose and fancy free in that slinky outfit and cinnimim bunns on the side of her head?
And you thought I was going to include the picture of CF wearing nothing but a few strands of metal.
Actually, isn't that the wrong story? Well, that introduces the actors and sets the scene. Where to from here?