That was not the point of the joke but whatever.
Blood from a stone. The opening doesn’t have much to work with since the Sultanate of Cebu had nearly reached its peak by the time Sri Hamabar (Humabon) ascended. Maybe expanding the scope to include Sri Lumay’s travels from Chola lands to Cebu could help, but that’s a lot of time-skipping for one scenario. Mission 2 would likely fall into a SimCity trap (just booming on Mactan), and there’s nothing to suggest Lapulapu would have fought Moro pirates for Cebu when he was about to lead raiders of his own. Nothing wrong with a mission about him doing just that, of course. I think the latter two missions work best when combined, so that unfortunately leaves us a couple missions short at best.
What I could see happening is a Luzviminda civ and campaign, told by Sulayman III who’s just negotiated peace following his Manila revolt of 1574. The missions center on Tagalog/Luzones and Visayan military exploits/mercenaries while including Mindanaos + Moros who interacted during the 14th & 15th centuries. A possible layout:
Campaign: Humabon and Sulayman (1365 - 1574)
- [Fixed Force/RPG/Destroy Target] Tagalogs at Tondo: Invasion of Manila Bay by the Majapahit, forcing the Tondo towns/villages to levy a militia and navy in retaliation; as the current Lakandula, players must complete a few objectives/side-quests to rally enough troops for a counter-attack, first on land and then sea, demonstrating various aspects of the Tagalog civic and military culture
- [Build/Destroy] Visayans at Mactan: Depicts the alliance of Sri Hamabar (aka Humabon) with Magellan’s expedition from Lapulapu’s POV, where you have to raid Cebudan towns for tribute resources, reach a treaty with rival datu Zula, and rout the Portuguese interlopers on the beaches
- [Fixed Force/A-to-B] To Moro They Come: Features the journey of Tagalog maharlika and Visayan timawa mercenaries back home from fighting in the 1st Burmese-Siamese War; formerly on opposing sides, these two groups join up to fend off Sulu and then Moro pirates from plundering their outriggers, hopping from Ayyuthaya across the Gulf of Siam to the coasts of Borneo, the Sulu archipelago, and then a detour along Mindanao to repair ships and finally deter your pursuers, ending with both parties departing for Manila and Cebu
- [Build/Defend-Escape] Manila’s Omen: The player controls forces of Bunao (last Lakandula) and Rajas Ache & Sulayman vs. Spaniards under Legazpi, facing increasing opposition as first Manila falls, then the Macabebes at Bangkusay; objectives include setting Manila ablaze (scorched earth tactic), intercepting Spanish supply lines to gain resource trickle, and wearing down Legazpi enough while evading his main force until peace talks begin
- [Build/Destroy Target] Where All Winds Converge: Concludes campaign with Manila revolt of 1574, led by Sulayman (hero unit) against Spanish occupation currently weakened by Limahong & other pirates raiding the area; though Lavezaris’ garrison initially outweighs your force, doing side-quests in areas surrounding newly-fortified Manila (ex. Navotas, neutral Visayan/Moro settlements) adds Elite UUs and resource trickles to whatever base(s) you build; mission ends after either total elimination of Manila garrison or destruction of Spanish wonder, representing Sulayman weakening them enough to force diplomacy and protections for local Luzviminda from Spanish policies
This civ and campaign would unite aspects of the major Filipino ethnic groups and their histories while still featuring a notable protagonist (who also narrates between missions) in Sulayman. There’s plenty of non-mirror matches between Malays, Portuguese, Burmese (2nd mission starts with you playing as Visayans allied with Ayyutthaya Siam), and finally the Spanish. While the scope’s a bit wide vs. other DLC campaigns, there’s enough of a logical progression between story beats here to make it work.
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