There should be more fantasy scenarios in general, but one for the restoration of Genghis Khan's empire should definitely be there. The game starts less than 150 years after Kublai Khan's death. Restoring the glory of Rome is far less plausible than putting back together an empire that existed just 2 generations before.
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The social structure of steppe peoples was beginning to change dramatically during the time period covered by this game. Previously the plains extending across Northern Eurasia had been dominated by mounted nomadic tribes organized into a military hierarchy. This had allowed for the rapid expansion of the Mongols and other steppe people, darting from one end of the continent to the other, descending into and pillaging the settled agrarian societies on their periphery. But as the plains themselves became increasingly settled, and local populations turned from reliance on grazing animals to subsistence agriculture, the days of the nomads inexorably came to a close.
Were a fantasy Mongol scenario to be created, it would have to be set early in the game's timeline - it would basically be a race against expanding Russian civilization, as the latter established settled agricultural communities. At the same time, other steppe societies, particularly those that established themselves along Central Asian trade routes, would have proved a more formidable opponent to Mongol expansion than did the relatively weak and divided tribes of the 13th century. Perhaps fantasy events could facilitate Mongol advance across southern Siberia, but it would be unrealistic to give them too large an advantage over the Central Asian countries, as does the Mongol Fantasy Scenario.
Another possibility would be to allow for the Mongols to take the place of the Manchus and overrun China during the early 17th century. But it would definitely not have been possible for the Mongols to "replace Kublai Khan" and take on the Ming Dynasty during its height. All Chinese dynasties go through a cycle of ascendance and decay. Their collapse inevitably occurred only when the hydraulic infrastructure built earlier in the dynasty began to fall into disrepair, setting the state bureaucracy into conflict with the local notables in an attempt to secure labor power. This was a non issue in the Ming Dynasty of the 15th and 16th centuries.
There is some interesting potential for a Mongol Fantasy scenario, but many more limitations than have been posed by past Fantasy scenarios. I would not say that all the work required to get this right would not be worth it, but there may be other scenarios that would be more interesting and easier to create first.
Were a fantasy Mongol scenario to be created, it would have to be set early in the game's timeline - it would basically be a race against expanding Russian civilization, as the latter established settled agricultural communities. At the same time, other steppe societies, particularly those that established themselves along Central Asian trade routes, would have proved a more formidable opponent to Mongol expansion than did the relatively weak and divided tribes of the 13th century. Perhaps fantasy events could facilitate Mongol advance across southern Siberia, but it would be unrealistic to give them too large an advantage over the Central Asian countries, as does the Mongol Fantasy Scenario.
Another possibility would be to allow for the Mongols to take the place of the Manchus and overrun China during the early 17th century. But it would definitely not have been possible for the Mongols to "replace Kublai Khan" and take on the Ming Dynasty during its height. All Chinese dynasties go through a cycle of ascendance and decay. Their collapse inevitably occurred only when the hydraulic infrastructure built earlier in the dynasty began to fall into disrepair, setting the state bureaucracy into conflict with the local notables in an attempt to secure labor power. This was a non issue in the Ming Dynasty of the 15th and 16th centuries.
There is some interesting potential for a Mongol Fantasy scenario, but many more limitations than have been posed by past Fantasy scenarios. I would not say that all the work required to get this right would not be worth it, but there may be other scenarios that would be more interesting and easier to create first.
MichaelM said:
I'm not an expert on Turkic history, or any other history.
o I'm really just speaking as a casual player thinking it would be cool. Nizzil brings up enough points to explain why it didn't happen, but surely it wasn't as unlikely as a Byzantine recovery.
Higher Game said:
But what would prevent it from breaking up again? Mongolian succession laws wouldn't really favor a lasting empire on that scale.
Garbon said:
The same thing in the fantasy Germany event: a major reform of the empire holds it together, at the expense of being fully decentralized.
What would be the candidates to "reform" the Mongol empire?
Mongolia is isolated from everyone except the Manchus. They can only expand through colonization, and are involved in Russia's colonization.
Timurids have their own event sequence, as do the Uzbeks.
This leaves only the Chagatai Khanate and the Golden Horde. The Chagatai suffers from the same problem Monglia does. It is in contact with only China and whoever holds Transoxania.
Chagatai moving out into Transoxania will screw up the fall of the Timurids and the rise of the Uzbeks though. Moving into China could screw up the Manchu takeover, and is also fairly counterproductive to the "Greater Mongolia" idea, as it is densely populated with non-Mongols.
The Golden Horde is supposed to be off the map before the first century of gameplay is over. Their only avenues of expansion are into Eastern Europe, Turkey, or Central Asia. Eastern Europe is filled with non-Mongols, and has already been delegated to vassalization rather than conquest by the time EU2 begins.
There is no way the Golden Horde can take on Turkey, especially since conflict between them will result in the winner being partitioned by Russia and Austria/Hungary/Byzantium. Even if the resulting nation survives, Anatolia and the Balkans would be its priorities, with the Russia steppes abandoned, making it more of a fantasy sequence for Turkey than a Mongol revival.
Now, the Golden Horde can expand out into Sibir, as well as against the Khazaks. However, that won't create much of a "Greater Mongolia" either. But it does sound like a good idea for Interregnum maybe (replacing Khazaks with the Il-Khanate)...
Mongolia is isolated from everyone except the Manchus. They can only expand through colonization, and are involved in Russia's colonization.
Timurids have their own event sequence, as do the Uzbeks.
This leaves only the Chagatai Khanate and the Golden Horde. The Chagatai suffers from the same problem Monglia does. It is in contact with only China and whoever holds Transoxania.
Chagatai moving out into Transoxania will screw up the fall of the Timurids and the rise of the Uzbeks though. Moving into China could screw up the Manchu takeover, and is also fairly counterproductive to the "Greater Mongolia" idea, as it is densely populated with non-Mongols.
The Golden Horde is supposed to be off the map before the first century of gameplay is over. Their only avenues of expansion are into Eastern Europe, Turkey, or Central Asia. Eastern Europe is filled with non-Mongols, and has already been delegated to vassalization rather than conquest by the time EU2 begins.
There is no way the Golden Horde can take on Turkey, especially since conflict between them will result in the winner being partitioned by Russia and Austria/Hungary/Byzantium. Even if the resulting nation survives, Anatolia and the Balkans would be its priorities, with the Russia steppes abandoned, making it more of a fantasy sequence for Turkey than a Mongol revival.
Now, the Golden Horde can expand out into Sibir, as well as against the Khazaks. However, that won't create much of a "Greater Mongolia" either. But it does sound like a good idea for Interregnum maybe (replacing Khazaks with the Il-Khanate)...