Golden Age Georgia, Queen Tamar to be playable in famed ’Civilization’ video game

Video gaming enthusiasts around the world will soon be able to replicate the "Golden Age” of Georgia’s history, as an upcoming expansion for legendary strategy game Civilization is being prepared for release next month.

Georgia’s famed 12th century Queen Tamar and some iconic national features of the country will be part of Civilization VI: Rise and Fall, the first official expansion pack for the latest edition of the game, the developers announced on Tuesday.

Tamar will be cast in the game as the leader of playable faction Georgia, which will also come with specific gameplay bonuses and unique units.

What makes an ideal monarch? Is it someone wise and diplomatic? A forward-thinking patron of the arts or a stalwart defender of the realm? Few live up to that standard, but you can count Tamar – ruler of Georgia at the height of its golden age – among them”, said a preview from the developers for the in-game historical figure.

In the theme of unique unit types for in-game factions, players selecting Georgia as their side will be able to count on warriors from the mountainous Khevsureti province.

These fierce Georgians dressed in chainmail and carried swords, axes, and small, black bucklers adorned with crosses for nighttime raids [...] [T]his warrior order gets a Combat Strength bonus, but they also suffer no movement penalties on hilly terrain”, notes the teaser.

The unique Khevsur warriors featured for the Georgian faction. Photo: civilization.com.

Players of the Civilization series are also able to build special structures for their faction. Georgia’s featured structure type is the tsikhe, the historical fortresses that overlooked strategic roads and settlements across the country.

While efficient in their military designation earlier on, with the later eras players will also be able to benefit from tsikhe structures as tourist destinations.

Other faction- and leader-specific bonuses will also be part of the experience for players picking Georgia as their in-game nation.

The ‘tsikhe’ is the special structure players will be able to build when playing as Georgia. Photo: civilization.com.

Civilization VI: Rise and Fall will feature Georgia among nations including Mongolia, the Netherlands, India and more. The roster of playable factions is still being announced by the developers.

The expansion is developed by Firaxis Games and published by 2K Games, with celebrated game developer Sid Meier serving as director of the developer team.

Among other video game titles, Meier is known for having co-created Sid Meier's Civilization — the first installment of the now-famous strategy series.

The Rise and Fall expansion for Civilization VI will release on the Microsoft Windows platform and feature both singleplayer and multiplayer modes.

The expansion pack is scheduled for release on February 8.