First of all, I want to say the devs have made a good work with the new Argentinian, Brazilian and Canadian revs. They now have a lot of identity, and their new shipments pay homage to their history, strengths and character. They may not have everything on them, and new things can always be proposed and added, but it shows the work done to give them a unique and proper feel. I don’t feel the same way about some of the additions to the peruvian revolution, though, as I think I doesn’t reflect the country as much as relying too much on Incan units and shipments, while using some elements of the Mexican revolt that while might work, are not implemented in the best way.
The issues I see with this design are, first of all, the overreliance on Inca cards to fill the deck. While we are very proud of our history, Peru is not Tawuantinsuyo, and having so many cards relate to inca units, buildings and events dilute the identity the rev could have. Along with this, there is the use of two particular cards with mexican flavour/influence, one of which could use some tweaks. Lastly, I feel there are a couple of cards that could be included to both strength the design of the rev and to give it some more dimensión.
For the first issue, the inca cards, these are my suggestions:
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Remove Monumental Architecture. While we do have this monumental ruins, they were built before Peru was a thing and we never used them as fortification to the extent as to being represented as a card. While I know the devs want to give them an incentive to turtle, this shipment is not accurate. We will get to its replacement further along.
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Alpaca Wool: Good card, it stays.
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6 priestesses and Team Aqllakuna (2 priestesses for your ally): The priestesses in game represent the Acllas, the ####### of the Sun, women who by their beauty and talent were chosen to attend a variety of social and ritual work for the benefit of the Inca emperor and the nobility. As a peruvian shipment, it has little sense, as that order had dissapeared even by the early years of the colony. The only meaning I can force to it is to relate them to the practice of the Curanderos, where people mix catholic and native beliefs to perform a series of rituals for good fortune or health, but even then it would be very forced, and many curanderos are men. There are women of course, but the majority are men.
Instead, peruvian history has the perfect replacement for these units: Rabonas. “Rabona” is the term used in Peru and Bolivia to refer to the women who used to accompany infantry soldiers during 19th-century military marches and campaigns. They prepared food, attended to their husbands, partners, or family members, repaired uniforms, and performed other logistical care tasks, which were important during that time.
The origin of the “rabona” dates back to the Peruvian royalist army during the war of independence. Officers allowed the spouses of recruits, who were usually indigenous people and mestizos from the highlands, to accompany them in the campaign, often carrying their small children. This was done to prevent demoralization and desertion of the troops during the first months of training, and the children born or raised during the campaign often spent the rest of their lives connected to the military, joining as drummers from childhood or as soldiers from adolescence. Although they were generally sent to the rear to assist with ambulance services at the beginning of combat, some of them took part in actions, and, due to their military merits, they were promoted on the battlefield.
So, how would the rabona work?
You keep the healing ability but remove the conversion and replace it with one of these two (or both, why not?): Rabonas can build field hospitals and/or they increase slightly the speed of units near them. Thay way, they represent and integral part of the early peruvian military while keeping the shipment mostly the same. I would say you can give them guns but maybe thats a bit too much. You don’t even need to change the model that much, just the icon to show they work different and remove the head dress. The cards become 6 Rabonas and Team 2 Rabonas. -
Team Seasonal Labor: A kinda generic card, the name doesn’t have much to do with Peru either. I would replace it with a shipment of Kancha houses, which are inca buildings that continued to be used in one form or another during colonial times and one of them being inhabited till this day. Maybe add the ability or change the gather to wood so there is not much focus on food. The benefit might be too much tho, so other options of shipments are welcomed.
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Andean Warriors: Part of the original design of the revolt, their main appeal as inca siege units is lost when you already have access to european artillery. If anything, I’d replace it with 6 Soldados, a card now given to Brazil, too.
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American Allies: I think this card might work better just giving you 3 embassy wagons and allying you directly to the Quechua, integral part of the peruvian nation. Mexican and Canadian rev already ally you directly with the natives in their territory, this should be not exception.
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Machu Picchu: Guys, Machu Picchu is not a Stronghold, its primary function was not a militar one. Also, in the time the game conveys, most peruvians and the external world had no idea about Machu Picchu, it was rediscovered in the 20th century. A better card name for it is Sacsayhuaman, a true inca stronghold that was not only known, but that is right there next to Cusco and was part of many important moments in not only incan but peruvian history. This shipment would lose its ability to produce inca units (more on that later), but it would still allow for units to garrison in there and can even receive a hitpoint buff (but more about turtling soon).
Sacsayhuaman right next to the city of Cusco -
Remove Manco Inca (give it to the Inca):This is very clear, Manco Inca should not be a peruvian shipment, 100% it should be a Inca one, and even more, the Tupac Amaru shipment should go to Peru, at least in name, as the revolt occured in the Viceroyalty of Peru. Manco Inca, while initially sided with the spanish to preserve the empire, soon realized he was a captive more than an emperor and led and indiginous revolt as Sapa Inca, even forming the Neo Incan state, the short live sucesor of Tawantinsuyo, where he was killed by a group of spanish soldiers that sided and later betrayed him. The card can be kept the same for Inca, with the added bonus of converting all villagers into soldiers. Espadachines and Maceman are a good combo and good roster for what the rebelion was: an indiginous attack where Manco Inca itself wore spanish armor and weapons (he was very good with a horse from what I read too). It can also work as the Tupac Revolt card works, but that would be kinda odd.
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Add Tupac Amaru Revolt: This rebellion was the first major revolution within the emancipation process that took place in the Viceroyalty of Peru and served as a precedent for the wars of independence that would emerge in the Americas in the early 19th century. The causes of the rebellion included, along with opposition to the Bourbon Reforms and an economic downturn, a grassroots revival of Inca cultural identity.
As for the Tupac Amaru revolt card for the peruvians, it could not work as it work right now, transforming inca units as european ones, so its new effect would be: Sends Tupac Amaru to the map, allows the recruitment of Inca units in the Stronghold and ships a number of Huaracas (or Inca/native units). This way, you can add Inca units to the revolt in a historically accurate way, not just “because peruvian”.
Now the mexican influenced cards:
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Lima: Great card, the Cathedral is a stapple of the city, the ability to build two speaks to the number of churches in the historic center of the city, and the XP curve increase is very nice. Why does it has Dia de los muertos though? Even with La Catrina as an icon. That’s part of Mexican cultural identity, it sits weird for Perú. As a replacement for that tech, I propose Señor de los Milagros: “The celebration of the Cristo Moreno has started! ########## and turrones are for the faithful makes your cathedrals and churches produce a little trickle of food”. Why? because the revolt is already kinda geared towards food. Also, it helps with the production of Peruvian legions, and gives them a thing of their own
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Then 33 Insurgentes I don’t know about this one, who does it represent? The indiginous farmers? It’s a weird choice, even more so when appart from Mexico, only Peru seems to have a shipment from them. Placeholder? In any case, a kinda weird card. Give them rifles and make them Montoneros: irregulars composed of indigenous people, mestizos, and african descendents that began to take military action during the War of Independence. They had a tendency to act in groups, disrupting or delaying the movement of royalist contingents through the highlands of Peru.
Lastly, some cards I think might work well with the spirit of the rev. I understand seeing other revolts that you are removing the infinite fort from them, which is ok I guess, maybe Infinite forts become something only a handful of revs get in the future, but there is a certain turtle style to the rev, so I wanted to add something to that. Remember I removed Monumental Architecture? Well, an inca stronghold would be weird to have as the sole fortification for the peruvians, especially since the Real Felipe Fortress on Callao is the biggest the Spanish built in the Americas. So, new cards:
- Real Felipe Fortress: ships 1 Fort wagon and increse the hipoints of buildings (half the effect of Monumental Architecture).
- Along with this, we add Castles of Callao: Ships 2 Fort Wagons and increase the attack of Town centers (the other half of Monumental Architecture), fortresses and outposts, especially against ships. Peruvian society developed more on the coast rather than the highlands, so it makes sense to at least give protection to their fishing. Also, the real Felipe was the stage of a naval battle of combined south american forces against a spanish attempt at reconquest.
So, for those counting, that would be 3 Forts and 2 Strongholds for the civ (One from Sacsayhuaman and the other could be built by the Tupac Amaru hero, as is the case with Manco Inca right now). Very turtly, while still being far from the infinite fort spam. You can even add one or 2 more in the Spanish phase of the match for extra defense. - Another card I think is very very important is the Husares de Junin, a very important calvary regiment that was crucial for the liberation of Perú, being called Liberators in their oficial name to this day. This would upgrade Hussars to Junin Hussars, a variant that would be weaker than the Chilean Hussars of death but with a charge ability, to reflect their pivotal engagements against royal forces.
Besides that, I would add, but don’t think are necessary:
- Llama ranch, to allow them to train llamas, but the rev also gets infinite 6 fattened llamas, so maybe it would be a bit redundant.
- Also, I’d add a card called Guano, to allow them to build a big coin source in the water for fishing ships, but that might be more work you are willing to put up with lol.
- Maybe a Potosi shipment? allowing mines to last longer and villagers to gather faster, but that effect could be added to the Cusco shipment that already sends two prospector wagons.
With these changes, I wholeheartedly think the Revolution will get a unique character, maintain the focus the devs intended for the rev and stops relying on the meme that Peru = Incas.
Please, make Peru feel as well researched and thought as Canda, Brazil and Argentina. Being one of the few games you can actually play as Peru, making them not a recycled inca is a dear issue to me, and maybe for others. Let me know what you think and remember, we are here to discuss, if you disagree its ok but lets keep the discussion moving without problems.
(same image but lose the 25) “Manco Inca leads the battle against the invaders! Sends him to the battle and all your trained units pick european weaponry. Your Villagers become Revolutionaries.” (Even the effect of the card is more consistent with Manco Inca: “The Inca military was swift in adopting European weaponry; many warriors captured helmets, shields, and swords during the initial clashes with the Europeans and quickly learned how to utilize them. In marked contrast to some other Native American cultures, such as the Aztecs, the Incas were also eager to master weaponry which was wholly “alien” to them.
Señor de los Milagros: “The celebration of the Lord of Tremors has started! Turrones and a n t i # # # # o s for the faithful allows your Cathedrals and Churches to trickle a small amount of food.” (maybe unimproved kancha trickle?)
