The start has very high tech requirements, but that is a problem to overcome. What is the aim of a capital location? It's to get out those first few settlers and workers, and then to focus on whatever the plauyers strategy dictates.
In this instance, with there being limited forests to chop, the majority of the hammers to build those units will come from the basic city output. To me, I think a good method of assessing the quality of this start is how quick to size 3 with improved food resources. Given workboat first is unable to improve the food and delays everything, every viable plan will involve going worker first (well, every plan I consider to be viable). Each food resource needs to be hooked as each new pop point is grown, which means the first tile improvement needs to be ASAP, the second at growth to size 2 etc.
I think the quickest way to get a tile improved is still workboat first, but this delays improving the second and third tile significantly (T9, T21, T28). Worker first starting with either Hunting or Fishing, and researching [Hunting>Fishing>Agriculture] can get the tiels worked on T15, T20, T24. Commerce output is better with worker first, producing 3 more commerce but most importantly, does not have to start with Fishing which saves either 16 or 32 adjusted beakers (depending on if I start with a 50 or 60 base beaker tech). So I think Hunting is the most important tech to start with, everything else secondary. The exact plan is worker first on fp>oasis, then work the oasis for one more turn whilst building the workboat (finishes tech one turn sooner), grass hill forest for two turns, then teh improved cow for 4 turns to finish the wb. Work the improved clam for 1 turn, growing eot19 to size 2, eot23 to size 3 and rice improved T22. The choice then is 3 turn growth to size 4 and working the grass hill mine or not.
After food techs are resaerched, the main choices are Pottery or BW. Granaries are difficult to build without chops unless PRO, and slavery is bad without the granary, so really both are necessary and the question is less which to get, as how to get both as fast as possible. Pottery can make sense, if it's possible to cottage to speed up BW, but you need to grow pop to make cottages worthwhile, which delays building settlers and workers. Long story short, I think that I'll skip ahead at this point.
I've pretty much decided I intend to pick a CHM leader, and I already know that I need to pick a Hunting civ. The remaining choices are about what the second trait is, and what I should pick first. I am interested in trying a granary second strategy with this start, and CHM gives the happiness to grow to size 7, after building a cheap granary. CHM/PRO is a very fast start in this instance, as a couple of early cottages and the high happy cap would allow 7 pop to be stacked up, and then the happy to do 3-4 double whips over 10 turns start from T38-ish...I figure that Churchill is a weird if acceptable choice.
Alternative choices that delay Pottery until after BW would have to make do with a series of one pop whips and try to set up an overflow chain to get the granary done, probably with a single chop as well. I figure that with either a Hunting/Agri or Hunting/Mining start, then BW might land around T27-29, just when the capital reaches size 4 depending on starting tech. With no point whipping, and working improved tiles, I figure that it makes more sense to churn out the 16 foodhammers per turn. The issues are then that worker has nothing to do, so perhaps Mining>Wheel>BW>Pottery is more sensible, to allow the worker to road to the nex city and hook food there.
I know I'm rambling now, so I should take a break.
tl;dr I am picking a CHM leader, and Hunting civ. Tech path is Hunting>Fishing>Agri, then either Wheel>Pottery or Mining>BW, and the capital either sits at size 3 or size 4, Size 4 is better by T40 but 40 hammers down workers/settlers by T27 due to growth costs.
I've beening toying with Boud, and I actually like her with Zulu. Impi's got fucked, but the city maintanence is viable and late game she can be terrifying. The aim would be to get teh Great Lib and SoZ and HE and use those bonuses to cover all of her weakness: SoZ+barracks+stables=HE unit, definite academy in the capital and the HE should pop out a unit per turn allowing everything else to focus on growth. Add in Zulu and you have cheaper city maintenance and the best start techs, the Impi is shit now but I figure that's acceptable (I never care much about UU). I also considered Mongolia, but Gers are overkill with CHM, starting techs are bit different but the UU would be fun to use.
Chuchill I was thinking would pair nicely with Inca, but that's out due to techs. He would really just be a "whatever" pick if I went civ first.
Washington gets to size 4 three turns ahead of other leaders, and I like the cheap buildings, goes OK with Persia fior the start techs even if that is a bit blah. Rome would be interesting with him, but I don't see IW on the list of wanted techs with this start. I'm spoilt after PB27 and IW pre-turn 50.
Napoleon is a fallback, if I cave and go HRE first. Myst is unwanted, but if everyone chickens out I would go religion first if it was assured and fuck the consequences. An alternative if going HRE first is to just pick Lincoln and go balls out on Oracle>MC, but I don't see where the hammers come from with this start.
Then there are the civs that would go with CHM anyway, Arabia, Babylon, Maya, they all have the wrong techs and are unpickable IMO. But Greece is interesting, giving +2 happy, culture, 2 artist slots and the XP now.
oh look, Rusten posted. This game seems to have an interesting set of bruisers in it.
Basically Impi have -40% against archery units. So don't try to rush anyone but in combined arms impi are still a bitch to deal with, HA+impi can wreck an opposing HA stack, HA+Impi with CHM/AGG also wreck face due to extra promotions, double promo on both with barracks/colosseum and you want Ikhanda everywhere anyway.
The biggest problem with shackling myself to CHM, and the knowledge that Hunting is necessary, is that the snakepick is nigh impossible to predict.
If we all have the same starts (which would be disappointing) then I would expect Zulu to go before I got there. Ultimately, Zulu work with any leader. If we all have different starts, then I don't see how we aren't in the same position of having 3 food res from all three food techs, so even if the starts aren't mirrored, for any smeblance of balance we are in similar position. But that wouldn't mean HUnting is the required start tech for everyone...but agri would be, so I'd still think Zulu would fall. Maybe Inca or Sumeria as well? But would any of the platers before me pick a leader? I don't know, and ultimately it's out of my control so why worry about it.
If it came to me, and all of my prefered choices of Zulu, HRE, Greece, and Persia remain, then the only choice that makes sense to me to pick would be Zulu. HRE are a gamble, if no one has picked a Myst civ, then perhaps I take that gamble. Greece and Persia I don't see people choosing, and Persia I would only wantto pick with Washington. I don't want to pick Washington.
If Zulu have gone, then if I pick the leader, I'm still commiting myself to specific civ picks. How much do I think other people will want a CHM leader? Or do I just say fuck it, pick HRE anyway, and then see if there is value to IND on the way back? If there isn't, I could still just pick Nappy and take the value of ORG/HRE. But really, I figure that Boud of the Zulu just has to be that much more fun and provide similar benefits to ORG/HRE (minus the civic advantages and 30 hammers more cost, plus the fgreer tech requirements).
Churchill seems like a bit of a trap, because I think it would be too fragile if I really try to abuse an early pottery. With Zulu I think I'd get more mileage out of AGG than PRO. With HRE I'd feel more comfortable if I could grab a religion and try to settle wider than normal.
Kublai is another choice, CHM/CRE allows that wider spacing, but still has the same problem getting cities off the ground. Nothing unique there. Kublai doesn't really care what he gets paired with though.
Hannibal lacks cheap buildings, is slow as well, and with that river I don't see FIN making much of a difference for a while. And boring.
I just keep on getting drawn back to Boudy of Zulu. Seems like fun.
