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Serek000

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Feb 15, 2009
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I've been playing a Sindh SG with my friend, and I decided I might as well make an AAR of that wonderful little country. It's location makes it interesting (and there is constantly something going on around it, on all sides!) and it's in a decent position for growth. What better country to use as a base for my first FTG AAR?


This will be mostly gameplay based. I might do a few updates in epistolary form or with characters narrating, but the bulk of it will be screenshots, descriptions of in-game actions, and the rationale (if there is any) behind said actions.

I'll impose some rules upon myself, just to keep it honest and add an extra element of challenge.

Rules:
1. BB will remain below 15 at all times
2. No royal marriages with non-Sunni nations, unless an event gives me no choice
3. No using loans to create a CB


My goals aren't terribly ambitious, but it should be kept in mind that Sindh starts as a two province Indian minor, trapped between two big powers and without a CoT.

Goals:
1. Own at least 8 provinces.
2. Colonize at least 4 provinces (in addition to the 8) to over 1500 population
3. Finish with at least 3 CoTs
4. Finish with all owned provinces Sunni


I hope to get this started by next week at the latest. The first update will probably be historical background on Sindh, as well as plenty of pregame screen-shots.
 
Those are reasonable goals you've set for yourself. I'll follow to see if you can accomplish them and make Sindh a major Indian and islamic power.
 
Sindh: A geographic and historical overview



Sindh is located in what is now southern Pakistan, straddling the Arabian Sea and wedged between the Thar Desert (to the east) and the Kirthar Mountains to the west. The Indus river and it's fertile valley cuts through the heart of Sindh, providing a valuable source of arable land (the flood basin and valley) and fresh drinking water.

Sindh:
BlankMap-Sindh(Pak)2.92.PNG






The name Sindh is probably drawn from the Sanskrit word "Sindhu," meaning river or stream. Permanent settlement in the Sindh region can be traced back to pre-historic times, when settlements like Kot Diji (dating back to 7,000 BC) took advantage of the region's ample supply of water and fertile soil.

Civilization came to Sindh in the form of the Indus Valley Civiliztion, and once again the Indus river proved a vital source of life. The city of Mohenjo Daro, dating to roughly 2600 BC, was a city of what archeologists estimate was around 35,000 residents. The city had advanced well systems, something of a precursor to a sewer system, and massive public bath (complete with an underground furnace for heating the water).

The Excavated Ruins of Mohenjo Daro:
mohenjodaroHR49.jpg





In the 500s BC, Sindh was captured by the ambitious and expansionist Persian Empire. Some centuries later it was captured by Alexander the Great, and remained Greek for several decades. The next several hundred years saw Sindh change hands frequent, from the Seleucids to the Maurayans to the Kushan Empire. The region finally fell into Sassanid hands, and it was ruled as a vassal state until the arrival of Umayyad forces in 711 AD.

The Umayyad Dynasty, stretching from the Maghreb to the Indus, was embraced and welcomed by the Sindhi people. During the era of Umayyad oversight, the Sindhis became well known for their skills in navigation and oversea trade. Islam flourished in the region, and countless beautiful mosques were constructed to honor their newly embraced deity.

The Omayyad Caliphate at it's largest extent:
Islam_map.jpg





As the Umayyad Dynasty collapsed, the Soomra Dynasty took it's place. This dynasty ruled as vassals of the Abbasid Dynasty, which was equally impressive to the Omayyad Dynasty that preceeded it. During this period, the Quran was first translated into the Sindhi language. The rule of the Soomras, up until 1351 AD, was an era of increasing cultural renaissance for the Sindhi people.

After the fall of the Soomra Dynasty, the Samma Dynasty became the lords of Sindh. It was in this era that the title Sultan of Sindh was created, bringing us up to the time when this AAR begins.
 
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Interesting start. I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes. Good luck.

Joe
 
Don't worry, I know for a fact that it's not dead. I'm the friend with whom he's been playing the SG, and the reason there haven't been any real updates have been due to school (finals week is fast approaching) and the simple fact that he doesn't have actual access to the game right now (we haven't advanced our SG for a few weeks now, either). So, the AAR is for sure not dead, just kind of on hold for now...
 
Don't worry, I know for a fact that it's not dead. I'm the friend with whom he's been playing the SG, and the reason there haven't been any real updates have been due to school (finals week is fast approaching) and the simple fact that he doesn't have actual access to the game right now (we haven't advanced our SG for a few weeks now, either). So, the AAR is for sure not dead, just kind of on hold for now...

Aye. I hope to have an update in by the time university gets out in the second week of May, give or take a few days. This project isn't dead yet!
 
Great start to this! I like the "before" picture you've given. Good luck!
 
Part 1: Overview and Maps

As 1419 begins, Sindh finds itself in an interesting position. To the west lies the decadent and doomed Timurid Empire, which stretches a remarkably from the harsh steppes of Central Asia to the Persian Gulf.

The north is dominated by Delhi, a potentially potent and dangerous foe that is, at the current time, plagued by religious divisions and stability issues.

To the east and southeast are found the various Indian states and city-states. The most immediate of these, Rajputana and Gujarat, look to be good places for early expansion, as both Rajput and Gujarati are accepted national cultures. The peninsula itself is dominated by Vijayanagar (called The Vijjies from this point on - Vijayanagar is too hard to remember how to spell properly), who seem poised to dominate the south. Bengal and Orissa seem ready to duke it out for hegemony in the east of India, and either of those states seem able to win that fight.

The political map of India:
politicaloverview.png





Culturally, India and the surrounding regions are very divided. Luckily, Rajput and Gujarati are the national cultures, and these two cultures make up both Rajputana and Gujarat, the most susceptible Indian neighbors.

Cultural map of India:
15ppnkl.jpg





India is, at the start of the scenario, rich in natural resources and wealthy provinces (or provinces with the potential to become wealthy). Sindh's provinces are both salt, which is good in that it has some trade value. To the east, however, is a wealth of resources useful for manufactories down the road. Down at the southern tip of the peninsula lay spice provinces, which would certainly help support the national treasury.

Economic map of India:
economicoverview.png





India is something of a religious battleground in 1419, with both Muslim (Sunni) nations and Hindu nations abounding. The Northwest is predominantly Sunni, although there are scattered Hindu provinces throughout. In the Northeast, most provinces are Hindu despite Muslim governments being in power. The peninsula itself is largely Hindu, growing more so the farther south one goes. Sri Lanka and Burma are Buddhist, but don't factor into the religious conflict in India.

Religious map of India:
religiousoverview.png





The first century or so will be interesting to watch - how will the inevitable Timurid collapse effect India? Who will come to dominate the Northeast? Will religious issues cripple Delhi? Will the Vijjies gain control of the south handily, or will the Bahmanid Empire pose a challenge?

And the biggest question of all: Will Sindh flourish or flounder?
 
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Sultan Jam Taghlak called his ministers and advisors together for Sindh's first court meeting. The Sultan promoted what he called (and quite aptly so) 'The Four Part Plan,' something of a roadmap for Sindh's first twenty or so years:

1: Use marriages and map exchanges to break Sindh's isolation. This will help not only relations but may provide access to new centers of trade.

2: Emphasize land and trade technology, so as not to fall behind bigger and more able neighboring states.

3: Create and maintain trade dominance in Gujarat and Samarkand

4: Exploit religious or ethnic troubles in nearby nations whenever possible.

The Sultan put a map forth on the table, clearly marking his ideal routes of expansion. In green is Sindh, in Blue is the most highly prioritized area of expansion, followed by Green and then Red.
34fie0j.jpg





Sultan Taghlak was concerned with the lack of any military force, and called up 6,000 infantry troops to defend Sindh. Hopefully they wouldn't be needed until Sindh is ready for the troubles surrounding it.

Sindh gained its first diplomat in August of 1419. In keeping with the first clause of the Four Part Plan, a marriage offer was sent to Ormuz (currently the most powerful of the Arabian states, with the exception of the Mamlukes, who don't really count as an Arabian state despite holding land in Arabia). The Sultan hoped that the marriage would make Ormuz more willing to share maps with Sindh.
16h3wuf.jpg





Meanwhile, the Sultan received word of a series of ethnic Rajput cultural uprisings, first in Delhi and then in Malwa. In keeping with the Four Part Plan, the Sultan called up 2,000 more infantry in hopes of sometime capitalizing on these ethnic troubles.

Shortly after the calendar began to read 1420 another diplomat was sent to Ormuz, this time to try to trade maps. Much to the Sultan's delight, the request was met with approval by the Sultan of Ormuz and maps were traded. No longer was Sindh in isolation.

30b34g5.jpg





With the first part of the Four Part Plan complete, the Sultan was optimistic of Sindh's chances to become a real player on the world stage.