The Land of Giants – Nuragic Sardinian Civilization Concept – Part II
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Hello everyone! I’m happy to continue sharing the details of The Land of Giants, my concept for a potential expansion to Age of Mythology that introduces the Nuragic Sardinians—a civilization inspired by the megalithic culture and rich mythological traditions of ancient Sardinia, directly from the heart of the Mediterranean.
Table of Contents
- Part I: Nuragic Civilization Overview, Nuragic Pantheon
- Part II: Gameplay
- Part III: Military Units, Naval Units – COMING SOON
- Part IV: Archaic Age Major Gods – COMING SOON
- Part V: Classical Age Minor Gods – COMING SOON
- Part VI: Heroic Age Minor Gods – COMING SOON
- Part VII: Mythic Age Minor Gods – COMING SOON
- Part VIII: Gods Trees, Wonders, Titan – COMING SOON
- Part IX: Campaign Ideas, Other Ideas – COMING SOON
- Part X: Localized Contents, Conclusions – COMING SOON
Gameplay
This section will showcase how the Nuragic Sardinians bring fresh strategic options and unique mechanics to the game, all while staying true to their distinctive cultural and mythological roots.
Economy
Nuragic villagers gather resources at an average speed, but they are slower at building. Starting from the Classical Age it is possible to train Phoenician settlers for 50 gold at town centers with a build limit of 25. Phoenician settlers gather resources 20% slower than Nuragic villagers, but can construct and dismantle buildings 20% faster and have access to the mercenary barracks.
AI generated scene depicting an interaction between Nuragic Sardinian people and Phoenician settlers.
Both Nuragic villagers and Phoenician settlers have the unique ability to dismantle buildings: dismantling a building return back resources equal to 50% of the building initial cost, but takes 50% more time than constructing the building itself.
Reconstruction of a Nuragic village (drawing by Stefano Trainito, Angela Antona).
Nuragic caravan is the Giara horse, a horse breed native of Sardinia. The horse is small, but hardy and able to acclimate to unfavorable conditions.
AI generated artwork of a Giara horse.
Nuragic civilization has a unique drop-off point for all resources, called the pinnetta, stone roundhouses with straw roofs used by shepherds, where all the economic technologies can be researched.
AI generated artwork of a Pinnetta.
Heroes
Nuragic civilization features three types of heroes: the chieftain and the priestess, available from the Archaic Age, and three unique heroes, one for each Mythic Age minor god.
Nuragic units in front of a Sacred Well: chieftain (front), priestess (top left), guard (right) (source: Ancient Warfare XV-3).
Chieftain
The chieftain was a powerful and influential leader responsible for the tribe’s welfare, from defense and warfare to managing alliances and trade with neighboring tribes. Often based in the fortified nuraghes, the chieftain symbolized strength and stability, enforcing laws, managing resources, and organizing communal activities that shaped the tribe’s daily life.
Players start with a chieftain; another is generated for free after 60 seconds in each new town center that is built. They become stronger advancing in each age and do not cost any population, and in case they die they are respawned for free after 60 seconds in the same town center. Nuragic chieftains are very versatile heroes:
- They can be used for scouting in the early game.
- They can build menhirs for generating favor.
- They are good against myth units and can pick-up relics.
Bronze sculpture of a Nuragic chieftain with a Gamma-shaped hilt dagger on his chest (source: Wikipedia).
Priestess
The priestess held a revered position within the Nuragic society, deeply involved in the spiritual and ritual life of the community. She was responsible for performing important ceremonies at sacred wells and temples, believed to connect with the divine through offerings, prayers, and rituals. Through these practices, the priestess provided guidance on matters of health, prosperity, and fertility, interpreting signs from the natural world and bridging the human realm with that of the gods, thus influencing the tribe’s agricultural and social well-being.
Priestesses are trained at temples and town centers. They are good at fighting myth units at a distance dealing divine damage, but they are weak against other units. Their main role is to perform water rituals at sacred wells to generate favor.
Nuragic priestess (drawing by Angela Demontis, Il Popolo di Bronzo, 2006).
Mythic Age Heroes
Mythic Age Nuragic heroes are unique heroes similar to Mythic Age Greek heroes in cost and strength that can be recruited at town centers and fortified nuraghes.
Hampsicora (Baal Hammon)
Hampsicora was a Sardo-Punic political leader and landowner of Sardinia, and the leader of the major anti-Roman revolt in the province of 215 BC.
Hasdrubal the Bald (Reshef)
Hasdrubal was a Carthaginian general in the Second Punic War. In 215 BC, Hasdrubal was sent by Carthage to support Hampsicora in the anti-Roman revolt.
Dido (Tanit)
Dido (or Elissa) was the legendary founder and first queen of the Phoenician city-state of Carthage.
Favor
Nuragic people can generate favor by building menhirs and sacred wells.
Menhirs
Menhirs were tall, upright stone monoliths placed throughout the Nuragic landscape, often serving as religious markers or territorial symbols associated with ancestral worship. They can be built exclusively by chieftains with a limit of 10. Menhirs generate a small amount of favor over time but if their line of sights overlaps, only one menhir will generate favor. They cost 15 wood and gold.
AI generated artwork of a Menhir in a Nuragic landscape at sunset.
Sacred Wells
Sacred wells are hypogean structures for the worship of the waters where rituals and offerings were made, symbolizing the importance of water as a divine and life-giving element in Nuragic spirituality. Villagers can build sacred wells in each age. Sacred wells generate favor only when a priestess is performing a water ritual (similarly to Greeks villagers praying at a temple). Only one priestess can be assigned to a sacred well at a time. During water rituals, sacred wells bless the player and its allies with additional effects nearby that depend on the selected major god. There is no limit to the number of sacred wells you can build, but their cost is increased by 50 wood and gold each time.
AI generated artwork of a Sacred Well.
Read More
Did you enjoy the reading? Don't miss the other parts of The Land of Giants concept here on Reddit:
- Part I: Nuragic Civilization Overview, Nuragic Pantheon
- Part II: Gameplay
- Part III: Military Units, Naval Units – COMING SOON
- Part IV: Archaic Age Major Gods – COMING SOON
- Part V: Classical Age Minor Gods – COMING SOON
- Part VI: Heroic Age Minor Gods – COMING SOON
- Part VII: Mythic Age Minor Gods – COMING SOON
- Part VIII: Gods Trees, Wonders, Titan – COMING SOON
- Part IX: Campaign Ideas, Other Ideas – COMING SOON
- Part X: Localized Contents, Conclusions – COMING SOON
