Civ

Daily writing prompt

What’s your favorite game (card, board, video, etc.)? Why?

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I’m a Civilization builder. Currently online on the Steam platform, but my interest goes back to the days of game pieces on a board. You start with a wandering tribe, and then find a suitable location for them to establish a firm foundation for a glorious civilization. You gradually develop technology and culture to the point that your civilization is the envy of surrounding powers.

Along the way to world dominance, you create great leaders, literature, religion, and works of cultural significance. If you are a smart player, you keep the citizenry happy and avoid revolt. You can’t afford to have the pinsetter‘s union align with the rabble-rousers in the lower end of town, so you throw the populace some pan et circum ( bread and circus). If you are in a particularly foul mood that night as you play, you may go to war against the Egyptians and add their territory to the growing Roman Empire. You also wind up creating pollution, traffic, and war weariness if conflicts go on too long.

As iterations of the game have come and gone, the mechanics have become more realistic. These days, failing to lay a firm foundation for your civilization has some sharp-edged consequences. When I first played it as a board game. My cat, The Grey Menace, used to watch intently. I then made him a player in the game. I consult with him over his moves. But then he started cheating when I was out of the room. I’d return and pieces had been moved. He, of course, innocently insisted that he’d not budged the entire time I was in the bathroom.

These days, my current cats are only interested in disrupting the computer version of the game to beg for treats. Do I miss the old days of cardboard tokens and a cheating cat? Well, let’s just say that I think he was more fun as an opponent than the computer.