Played a long running (70 hours, no where near finished) game of Civilization IV today, and started envisioning how the little identical soldiers would look in the -very- wierd future Europe that resulted from the game.

So, here are some soldiers of Europa AD 2178

Algoth Björnsson: Berserker. Died in action during the siege of Rome in 2148.

Even though tanks form the backbone of the Norse armies the half-crazed berserkers are often used as shock troops during trench warfare where they form the vanguard, clearing the way for the rest of the Viking infantry. While life as a berserker is prestigious it is rarely long. If the enemy doesn't kill you outright, then the combat-enhancing drugs most certainly will.

Jeroen Houtman: Border patrol near Vattnajökull, wearing winter gear.

The Dutch don't have many soldiers, but they are expertly trained for the Icelandic environment. Many consider the Dutch alpine troops to be the best in the world.

Janis Michaelides: Armoured hoplite of the second Knossos phalanx.

After the Ottoman invasion the Greeks realized that they had a great need for defensive troops in their cities. Thus the ancient hoplites were reinstated. Though their equippment has been greatly updated the tactical use of the phalanx remains practically the same. It's unwieldy, but very few soldiers would even attempt to attack it head on.

Oleg Sergeyevich Yozhin: Hussar of the fourteenth Novgorod detachment, veteran from the Battle for Donau 2174. Dismounted.

While cavalry may seem like an outdated concept in an age where the battlefields are dominated by landships, machineguns and rocket launchers, one would be wise not to underestimate the ferocity of a cavalry charge by the slavic hussars. Their skills have been passed down and perfected through the generations for thousands of years, and they can ruin any generals day with their razor sharp sabres and colossal steeds.

Hernando Velez Guerra: Cardinal inquisitor of the Order of the Holy Blood.

Religion has always been a touchy subject to the Hispanic people, and having to live next to the islamic Arabs has not alleviated this. Luckily they can comfort themselves with their inquisitors, who deal with heretics using fear, surprise, ruthless efficiency, and an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope.

Gnaeus Pescenius: Praetorian captain of the Jasmine Guard.

The Roman legions may be all but dead and gone but the few soldiers that remain are concentrated to a tiny area. Consequently; Damascus is udoubtedly the most well guarded city in the World. The praetorians stationed outside of the senate would gladly give their lives rather than let the last vestige of the Roman Empire get destroyed.

Prescot Radley: Marksman of the Queen's Guard.

The English armies are – although well trained and equipped – very small. Not many standing troops are needed when you've got the defensible position of an island, and an Empire the size of half of Europe backing you up. English marksmen, however, are famed for their skills and finely crafted rifles.

Paschal Deschampes: Franc-tireur of the Parisian Musketeers. Killed during the Siege of Paris AD 2162

The French musketeers were wiped out in the fall of Paris, and have yet to be reinstated, as they are considered too old fashioned by the French army brass. The fact remains though, that they forced the Viking invaders to reconstruct four thousand tanks, as the French snipers made a habit out of shooting their pilots through vision slits and open hatches.

Alexandrina Araújo: Inspetor #14, New Faro.

The concept of the inspetores is a fairly new invention, instated in 2168. They fill a number of purposes, including but not limited to, intelligence gatherers, secret police officers, military officers, body guards, interrogators and detectors of enemy spies. The training of an inspetor takes ten years, meaning that the first graduates are only now being released upon the New Portuguese population.

Haimo Amsel: ANSIGAR gunner of the Saarbrücken trench.

The ANSIGAR heavy machine gun is a wonder of Germanic engineering, capable of eradicating an enemy platoon in a few bursts, or punch holes straight through a landship. It is common in the trenches around the German-Viking borders.

Iriz Demir: Royal janissary guard of the Istanbul (not Constantinople) regiment.

The janissaries have guarded the Ottoman sultans for over eight hundred years. Trained from childhood to be expert marksmen and fanatically loyal to their lord, these elite soldiers are a force to be reckoned with.

Karim ibn Saidi ibn Abdul al-Suriyah: Syrian mercenary, employed by the caliph.

The immense wealth of the Arabian nation allows its generals to hire highly skilled mercenaries. These are often members of Bedouin or Berber tribes; expert desert warriors, who have held off invading armies for over six thousand years.

The Atomic Punk said

Love the Civ-inspired characters! Myself, still playing Civ II. I need to upgrade!

Not necessarily. Civ II is an excellent game.
Thanks a lot

Herr D said

My, you've gotten prolific. Your pipe-lighter shot is great.

Thank you very much! I'm pretty proud of that one

Unfortunately I probably won't be uploading many new creations for a while. When I tried deleting my browser cache during the site troubles I accedintally deleted my SOL-files, erasing pretty much my entire backlog, along with all my current projects.

Consequently I will have to spent some time kicking myself in the face.

See you in a few weeks, or so!

Herr D said

kicking yourself in the face? I'm going to have to suggest stomping on your own feet instead. It doesn't require amazing flexibility, balance, or grace, but it does mean you can't give yourself amnesia--forgetting your work. And if you do it hard enough, you might break an instep and have more computer time!

Point taken. *Starts stomping*

Legatus said

I love Civilization, but I have not played it in the last 2 years or so. I might start a new game. See you in six months.

Just one more turn…

Alexander of Limbo said
absolutely love your work, especially the mythical stuff =D But as i'm studying fossilization right now i have to be the boring old fart and say that anything fossilized in amber keeps its soft body tissue. But these mythical things are f***ing awesome =D

could i suggest making some trolls or yetis? =)

Aw, shoot. I kind of suspected that, but was unable to clarify whether it was actually the case. Oh, well, thank you for informing me, and for your kind comments.

Also, why did you have to mention trolls? Now I had to eschew sleep for another few hours to make this:

Nordic Forest Troll, carrying an injured Greater Finnish Sprite

The Nordic Forest Troll is a very rare creature to spot these days. The First, Second and Third Jotun Purges (AD 996, AD 1558 and AD 1937, respectively), deforestation and conflicts with other forest creatures (particularly huldras and wights) have brought the species to the edge of extinction, and have made it highly averse to human contact.
Forest Trolls are far from as aggressive as commonly thought, more often than not choosing to back away from a threat rather than fighting it. If they are cornered, however, or if their habitats are in direct peril, they may charge with ferociousness rivalling their mountainous cousins. For example, the Third Jotun Purge was sparked by the maiming of a party of seven Finnish lumberjacks by a rampaging Forest Troll, near Jyväskylä in the autumn of 1936.
Generally, the presence of a Forest Troll is a sign of good health in the forest environment. They take great pride in their territories, and often attempt to heal or repair any damages made to them.

I planned to add more shadings and highlights to this one, but the Machine was acting up, and I lost my patience. Oh, and those aren't breasts. They are egg sacs.