DD n°14: Sumer from Uruk to Sargon

For the historical part of this Dev Diary, here the link:
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=146184734511932&id=10947340484...

The Sumerians will have a different gameplay than the Egyptians. This will translate into several unique or different gameplay mechanics than the Egyptians.

First of all, the Sumerians will only have access to the basic tomb, not having the gigantism of the Egyptians in this matter. But their difference in terms of monuments is not only that, because they will have in heart to build the royal temple, the ziggurat, of their capital with effects different from the altars of the royal temple of other cultures. Not only the effects of these altars will be a little stronger, but also the temple will be able to be further enlarged and will have additional types of altars quite similar to the palace rooms. Their temple will not only serve as a link to the clergy, but also as an administrative tool.

Following the logic of the religion and moving towards foreign policy, the Sumerians will have a henotheistic religion, which means that the clergy of the patron-god of a Sumerian faction will be much more prominent. This will have an additional effect because a Sumerian faction until Sargon will only be able to annex other territories if they follow the cult of their deity. This has the effect that the vast majority of Lower Mesopotamia is cut into large blocks linked to a deity. Only a sovereign, the King of Sumer, could annex the other factions.

Indeed, in order to represent the Hegemon system in Sumer, the faction in Sumer having the highest legitimacy (which in their culture will be, for the moment, named Glory), will become the faction of Sumer at the death of the current leader of this faction. This will make each major Sumerian faction able to become the main one if it covers itself with enough Glory. This title will also give them additional possibilities, notably to annex neighboring factions in exchange for Glory. Be careful not to see it drop too much, though, or you will lose your title at the death of your ruler.

This will end if a non-Sumerian faction manages to unify Sumer. In fact, this system will no longer exist after the passage of the Akkad Empire between 2335 and 2154.

And it is thus Lower Mesopotamia from Sargon that we will see next week.