MFO@Caravans by MFO@Mapster
A Shimo-Style Megascript 

While all players will appreciate the action found in this map, Shimo-Style players will get a golden opportunity to shine at their craft. With MFO@Caravans the only way to gather gold other then by relics is to trade. There is NO gold on any of these maps. So while you ally, trade to fill your storehouses to the brim with bars of this precious metal. Then when the time is right turn from ally to enemy and conquer the map. This mega script is packed with 5 sub-scripts all dependant on trade. Random chance can place you on any of them.

You may start on Crowded Carts with multiple terrain types and normal stone distribution. You will find the fishing fairly good with water around edges that allow trade from docks. Starting units include 3 houses, a market and 3 trade carts. Regicide mode has a Keep instead of a Castle to allow the possibility of Feudal Age warfare. 

The script also includes TwoSeas Trader and FourSeas Trader - both have land corners that block movement around the whole sea. You start with normal stone distribution. The fishing is very good in the peripheral seas while the land is rich in deer and sheep or turkeys. The terrains are random with no snow pattern. You start with one market and one trade cart. The Regicide start uses the normal Regicide villager count, an extra house and a watch tower instead of castle. The continental style central land makes for a good trade base. The seas can be either 2 or 4 in number (being seperated by the corner land), allowing the possibility of relatively uninterrupted sea trading if you can control that sea. The battle to take all seas makes for great fun.

Desert Swamp exchanges the normal scout for 3 trade carts, no market, one house. There is one solitary stone mine (one pile only) per player in the starting area, plus stone in 2 of the corners. Those players who mine early and trade for gold will have to retool for this map. Regicide has a watch tower instead of a castle and only the normal random map number of vills. A central marsh makes for some great exchanges between land and sea units. The relics are always in the opposite 2 corners from the stone.

Desert Caravans is similar to Desert Swamp but the teams are always separated by the marsh. This script handles up to four starting teams very well. Stone is also a little restricted on this map with only 2 piles per player, plus stone in 2 of the corners and on some islands in the central marsh. You start with 3 trade carts and a house but no scout. You might rush to control the relics on various islands in the marshes. Regicide starts with an extra house, but exchanges a watch tower for a castle. You will battle for control of trade on water in both Desert Swamp and Desert Caravans with the marshland the battle ground for land and sea units.

You can download the Caravans script that plays all five of these scripts chosen randomly. The zip file download also contains the individual component scripts to play them if you like instead.

This map was the concept map of MFOArutha that formed Mapster. The original Designer was MFOMr ED. The final Designer for the metascript was RF_Gandalf. Testings and reviews were done by over 20 testers during a 5 month period. These individual map scripts were submitted by three of the Mapster scripters in response to Arutha's idea. We hope you enjoy playing these unique scripts as much as we do!