Chapters
Old Calabar
Efik · The Calabar River, creeks and rainforest
Play CalabarEra I · Before the Flag
The five ages
- 1
Founding
c. 1650–1720 · town-centre level 1Efik families settle on the Calabar River, about 45 miles from the Atlantic. Duke Town is believed to date from around 1650, with Creek Town and Old Town nearby. Fish, salt and trade up the Cross River. Clear the forest and raise the first compounds.
- 2
The trading houses
1720–1784 · town-centre level 4By the early 1700s the Duke and Eyamba houses lead the Efik on the coast, and the Ekpe society makes the law. European ships come up the river, and the Atlantic slave trade grows: between 1725 and 1750 about 17,000 enslaved people are sold from Calabar. In 1767 a feud with Old Town ends in betrayal aboard British ships.
- 3
Antera Duke’s Calabar
1785–1840 · town-centre level 7Antera Duke, a Duke Town trader, keeps a diary in English from 1785 to 1788. Captains pay comey to the kings and advance goods on trust. Britain bans its own slave trade in 1807, but other buyers keep coming until 1841.
- 4
Palm oil
1841–1883 · town-centre level 10In 1841 Eyamba V of Duke Town and Eyo of Creek Town sign a treaty to end the slave trade, and palm oil becomes the great export. The Presbyterian mission opens in 1846, and Mary Slessor arrives in 1876. In 1878 King Archibong III is crowned with regalia sent by Queen Victoria.
- 5
The Scramble
1884–1906 · town-centre level 13In 1884 a British consul comes with a treaty of protection. Calabar becomes the seat of the new protectorate until Lagos takes over in 1906. Here your defences decide.
People of Calabar
The figures who appear as the city grows, ruled by the King.
The founders of Atakpa
Duke Town, c. 1650Efik families settled the high ground above the river, where Duke Town grew.
Portrait: fictional depiction
The Duke and Eyamba houses
The early 1700sTheir trading houses led the Efik on the coast and dealt with the European ships.
Portrait: fictional depiction
Antera Duke
Trader, c. 1735–1809His diary of 1785 to 1788, written in English, is a rare record of the trade from an African merchant’s side.
Portrait: fictional depiction
Ekpenyong Offiong Okoho
Ruler, 1786–1805He ruled Duke Town at the height of the Atlantic trade.
Portrait: fictional depiction
Eyo Honesty II
King of Creek Town, 1835–1858He signed the 1841 treaty against the slave trade, turned Creek Town to palm oil and welcomed the mission.
Portrait: fictional depiction
Eyamba V
King of Duke Town, 1834–1847His Liverpool friends called him “Johnny Young”; he lived in a palace of iron.
Portrait: fictional depiction
Hope Masterton Waddell
Missionary, from 1846He led the Presbyterian mission that opened between Duke Town and Henshaw Town.
Portrait: fictional depiction
Mary Slessor
Missionary, from 1876A Scottish missionary who lived and worked among the Efik and their neighbours for nearly forty years.
Portrait: fictional depiction
Archibong III
King, crowned 1878He was crowned with regalia sent by Queen Victoria.
Portrait: fictional depictionYour hero in battle
The war captain
Captain of the house canoesEach Efik trading house kept war canoes; their captain leads its fighters on the river and on land. Ability: Canoe assault. The crews land together from the river: +35% damage for 12 seconds.
Portrait: fictional depictionThe council
| Seat | Who they are | Speaks for |
|---|---|---|
| The Etuboms | Heads of the trading houses | people, trade and the treasury |
| The war captain | Captain of the house canoes | the army and Peace |
| The priest of Ndem | Keeper of the river spirit’s shrine | Faith |
| The house scribes | They keep the accounts and letters in English | Progress and research |
| The comey collector | Collects the duty ships pay to trade | Wealth and Unity |
| The healer | Remedies | Health |
| The Ekpe grades | The leopard society’s ranks, who enforce the law | law, debts and order |
| The heads of the houses | They choose and can unmake the King | whether you keep the throne |
Sign or stand
1884. A British consul arrives by warship with a treaty of protection: the kings and chiefs are to make no agreement with any other foreign power without Britain’s approval, and to accept its protection.
| Sign | Sign, as the chiefs of Old Calabar did. Calabar becomes the seat of the new protectorate, but the consul has the last word, and Unity falls hard for a month. |
| Stand | Refuse, and man the beaches and the war canoes. History has no record of this choice: here your defences decide. |
What really happened (the game tells you at the end)
In 1884 the chiefs of Old Calabar placed themselves under British protection. The town became the headquarters of the new protectorate until Lagos took over in 1906, and in 1903 the kings agreed to be called Obong instead of King. Your city rebuilds: the warship will come again while you stay in the Scramble.
Raiders and bosses
Who comes for the city in each age. Bosses come once you are into their age. How raids work.
| Age | Raiders | Boss |
|---|---|---|
| First Founding | Raiders from the creeks | None |
| Second The trading houses | War canoes from Old Town | The feud with Old Town 1767 |
| Third Antera Duke’s Calabar | Raiders on the Cross River | None |
| Fourth Palm oil | Fighters of a rival house | None |
| Fifth The Scramble | Patrols from the consulate | The consul’s warship 1884 then sign or stand |
Soldiers
| Soldier | From level | |
|---|---|---|
| Spearman | Canoe crews who fight on land with spear and shield. | 2 |
| Bowman | Archers who shoot from behind the spears. | 3 |
| House swordsman | A trading house’s best fighters, with heavy blades and shields. | 7 |
| Musketeer | Guns from the ships were common on the river. One heavy shot, a long reload. | 10 |
Buildings
Every building Calabar can raise, shown as it looks in the middle of the story. What each type does.
People
Family compound
Unlocks at town-centre level 1Rooms round a courtyard with mud walls and a palm-thatch roof; later, iron roofs from the ships. Houses your people.
Medicine house
Unlocks at town-centre level 4Leaves, roots and bark for fever and wounds. Raises Health. Raiders never touch it.
Council house
Unlocks at town-centre level 5The heads of the houses sit in council. Raises Trust and some Peace.
Economy
Fishing camp
Unlocks at town-centre level 1Fish from the river and the creeks, smoked over slow fires. Tap the camp when it fills to bring the catch in.
Woodcutters’ camp
Unlocks at town-centre level 1Timber and mangrove poles from the creeks. Materials.
Clay pit
Unlocks at town-centre level 2Clay from the riverbanks for walls and floors. Materials.
Food store
Unlocks at town-centre level 1Yams, plantains and dried fish. Raises your Food storage; raiders can take only part of it.
Storehouse
Unlocks at town-centre level 1Timber and poles under a long thatch. Raises your Materials storage.
Treasure house
Unlocks at town-centre level 3Copper rods and brass manillas, the money of the river. Raises your Wealth storage.
Town market
Unlocks at town-centre level 3Fish, yams, salt, cloth and palm oil. Wealth, plus a little Unity.
Trading beach
Unlocks at town-centre level 10Canoes bring palm oil down the creeks to the ships anchored in the river. A large Wealth producer. Must touch the water.
Culture
Ndem shrine
Unlocks at town-centre level 1A shrine to Ndem Efik, the guardian spirit of the Efik and their river. Raises Faith. Raiders never touch it.
House school
Unlocks at town-centre level 4Efik traders learned to read and write English from the ships, and kept their accounts and letters in it. Makes Knowledge and runs research. Raiders never touch it.
Festival ground
Unlocks at town-centre level 4Open sand for drums, dances and masquerades. Raises Unity.
War captain’s house
Unlocks at town-centre level 7Home of the captain of the house canoes. Brings him to your army.
King Eyamba’s iron palace
Unlocks at town-centre level 8Eyamba V of Duke Town (1834–1847) lived in a palace of iron, pictured in the London magazine The Builder in 1843. Heritage for the ladder.
Defence
Watch post
Unlocks at town-centre level 3Night guards on the creek paths. Raises Peace.
Lookout platform
Unlocks at town-centre level 2Bowmen watch the river from a raised platform.
Stockade
Unlocks at town-centre level 4Build the stockade of sharpened stakes section by section.
Stockade gate
Unlocks at town-centre level 4A guarded gate where an avenue passes the stockade.
Gun platform
Unlocks at town-centre level 10Cannon bought from the ships, dug in by the river. Hits hard, reloads slowly.
War council
Unlocks at town-centre level 13The heads of the houses plan the town’s defence against the consul’s warship. Needed to stand in 1884.
Army
Canoe house
Unlocks at town-centre level 2Each trading house kept its own war canoes and crews. Each level holds more soldiers.
Blacksmiths’ forge
Unlocks at town-centre level 5Iron for blades, hooks and hoes. Raises Progress.
Landmarks
Efe Ekpe
Unlocks at town-centre level 4The lodge of Ekpe, the leopard society, whose grades made laws, collected debts and kept order; its members wrote in nsibidi signs. Unity and Trust.
Duke Town beach
Unlocks at town-centre level 9The trading beach below Duke Town, where casks of palm oil waited for the ships. Wealth and visitors. Must touch the water.
Research
| Technology | Branch | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Fish traps | Farming | Woven traps in the creeks: +10% Food. |
| Smoking racks | Farming | Smoked fish keeps for months: +15% Food storage. |
| Yams and plantains | Farming | Farms on the higher ground: +15% Food. |
| New crops from the ships | Farming | Cassava and maize in the farm plots: +20% Food. |
| Mangrove poles | Building | Strong poles from the creeks: builds 8% faster. |
| Iron roofs | Building | Corrugated iron from the ships keeps out the rain: buildings +10% sturdier. |
| Builders’ guild | Building | Guild builders cut costs by 8%. |
| Houses from overseas | Building | Chiefs order ready-made houses from Britain: builds 10% faster. |
| Iron blades | Defence | The forge arms the crews: +8% damage. |
| Lookout drill | Defence | Faster, steadier volleys: towers +12% damage. |
| Canoe shields | Defence | Hide shields for the crews: +12% unit health. |
| Guns from the ships | Defence | Muskets and cannon on the river: +12% damage. |
| Copper rods and manillas | Trade | Money the whole river accepts: +10% Wealth. |
| Trust | Trade | Captains advance goods on credit, repaid in oil: +12% Wealth. |
| The palm oil trade | Trade | Oil for the factories of Britain: +20% Wealth. |
| Writing in English | Learning | Traders keep accounts and letters: +15% Knowledge. |
| House schools | Learning | Sons of the houses learn to read and write: research 15% faster. |
| The mission press | Learning | Books and lessons in Efik and English: +20% Knowledge. |
| Festival calendar | Heritage | A year of festivals: Faith and Unity rise. |
| Ekpe masquerades | Heritage | The leopard society’s dancers: Heritage. |
| Nsibidi | Heritage | Signs drawn on cloth, walls and bodies: Heritage. |
| The Ekpe signature | Heritage | Signature tech. One law for every house: Trust and Progress in every ward. |
| House war canoes signature | Defence | Signature tech. Canoes with guns guard the beaches: stockades 25% stronger. |
Did you know?
- Duke Town (Atakpa) is believed to have been founded around 1650.
- The Efik towns stand on the Calabar River, about 45 miles from the Atlantic.
- Ekpe, the leopard society, made laws, collected debts and kept order in the Efik towns.
- Ekpe members used nsibidi, a system of signs.
- Between 1725 and 1750 about 17,000 enslaved Africans were sold from Calabar to European traders.
- In 1767 Duke Town’s leaders, with British slave ships, seized Old Town’s leaders during a feud.
- Antera Duke kept a diary in English from 18 January 1785 to 31 January 1788.
- Britain banned its own slave trade in 1807; other buyers came to Calabar until 1841.
- In 1841 Eyamba V and Eyo of Creek Town signed a treaty to end their part in the slave trade.
- After 1841 palm oil and palm kernels became Calabar’s main exports.
- The Presbyterian mission opened in 1846, led by Hope Masterton Waddell.
- Ships paid comey, a duty, to Calabar’s kings before they could trade.
- Copper rods and brass manillas served as money on the river.
- In 1884 the chiefs placed Calabar under British protection; it was the protectorate’s headquarters until 1906.
- In 1903 Britain and the kings agreed the rulers would be called Obong instead of King.