[SPOILERS] Dark Savant leads the noble Inca as half-noble Churchiill

[Dark Savant]

Let's see here.

• If I start with Agriculture and Mining:
  Bronze Working is done on t14, sooner than I actually need it.  If I research The Wheel first, that finishes on t9, and Bronze Working on t22.  That's still quick enough that I'll have it in time even if I'm Expansive (just in time, as I'd have worker #1 in position to start chopping on exactly that turn).  Okay, starting with both is not an advantage; thus the reason to consider China or Korea is limited to their UU/UB.
  
  
• If I start with Agriculture and The Wheel (French/Ottomans):
  Mining is done on t7; Bronze Working then completes on t21.
  
  
• If I start with Agriculture and Mysticism (Inca):
  Mining/BW finish as above.  If I decide to play for an early religion, I can get Meditation on t29 or Polytheism on t31 ... that might be too early, actually.  I may get another worker tech first and still try for a religion by about t35, and I'm not actually obliged to get an early religion.  I get a UU that is pretty much worthless in MP, but terraces!
  

Actually, let me calculate India's research speed anyway: Agriculture/Hunting t9, Mining t15, Bronze Working t28 (quite a bit earlier than my no-math guess) ... OK, that's slow enough that yuris is unlikely to beat me to a religion.

I don't think there's going to be a run on enough Protective leaders that I can't take one I like.  (That applies no matter which civ I take; everything I'm seriously considering has a UU or UB boosted by Protective, anyway.)

[Dark Savant]

Wait, yuris should proceed at roughly the same pace on that schedule.  Things are going to depend on whether I urgently need a food tech for my second city (and even which one, since Fishing is cheap).

I think I want to be the one with Protective terraces this game.  I really like the flexibility of starting with Agriculture/The Wheel too, just not quite as much.


Okay, let's roll with the Incest Kings of the Western Hemisphere, then!

[Dark Savant]

Mali just got taken.  Perfectly reasonable starting techs if Ghostpants starts with just one food type like I do.

I'm wondering if he's going to try to skirmisher-choke someone, though.  Probably not; he probably just wants the early-game security and the reasonably good UB, and that kind of stunt only really works in MP with exactly one human opponent.

He might back Mali up with Protective, too, not a big deal in my pick position.

Now that I've actually done some calculations, I'm not surprised there isn't a rush to take any Agriculture/Mining or Hunting/Mining civs (I'm presuming everyone has a start not too different from mine), but I'll soon start to wonder why no one has taken an Agriculture/The Wheel civ.

[Dark Savant]

Charriu took the Khmer.  That's Hunting/Mining; I'm not sure whether he actually has a start for which that is strong, or doesn't realize that it doesn't help much to start with both.  The UU/UB don't seem that attractive to me, either.

JR4 took Tokugawa.

Aggressive/Protective was on my list, oh well.  There's some anti-synergy with the Inca (I don't need the Aggressive culture), although I would have recovered the Combat I promotion on quechuas RtR took away -- having Combat I on warriors does help you not blow early-game dice rolls against barbs.  It wasn't my top choice, though.

I am determined to take Protective, but I would be content with any of:

• Expansive/Protective: this is light on later-game strength, but I think I can make good use of the early expansion.
  
• Spiritual/Protective: this is the opposite; I'd be light on early-game strength.  I suspect it's a bit weaker than the other two combinations, but I do want to try both traits in MP.
  
• Charismatic/Protective: this is perfectly reasonable for both early-game (build tall rather than wide) and later-game (lots of military benefits).  Another pair of traits I'd love to take out for a spin.
  

Other traits: Philosophical is even lighter on early-game strength; Imperialistic is even lighter on later-game strength; Financial isn't strong enough (there look to be enough rivers for that not to pay, and I don't want to gamble on lots of coastal cities being possible); Creative has terrible anti-synergy (I'll already be generating culture with terraces and maybe religion); Industrious doesn't mesh well; Organized doesn't exist.

I really doubt all three are going to be taken.

[Dark Savant]

There's another wrinkle if I take either of the latter two.

If I take Spiritual/Protective, I waste some of the value of Spiritual if I do not get an early religion.

If I take Charismatic/Protective, I waste some of the value of Charismatic if I do not research Pottery early, whip out some terraces, and grow a few big cities.  Getting both early Pottery and early religion may not work out.

[Dark Savant]

superdeath took Kublai Khan/Egypt.  I'm not sure what he thinks Kublai Khan gets him (even if he didn't realize he has different traits here).  Maybe he really likes cheap libraries?  Nothing wrong with taking Egypt; now I've got to worry that much more about an early chariot attack.

JR4 took China.  Not surprising if his start wants both Agriculture and Mining, and CKNs are always good.

I'm somewhat surprised no one took the French or Ottomans.

[Dark Savant]

Charriu took Shaka.

That's already four other players who are either Aggressive or have an early UU that needs defending against.

I'll probably need both Hunting and The Wheel after obtaining Bronze Working.  And by then Pottery will be calling out to me.

Yeah, I don't think I can do Spiritual/Protective/early religion.

[Dark Savant]

Ghostpants just claimed Exp/Pro.  That's ... reasonably paranoid, I think.    Well, so much for one of my top three choices.

That means I'm probably taking Chm/Pro Churchill, as I still think there's too much early-game danger to take Spi/Pro, but let me think about this for another hour or two.

I've also had Internet trouble today -- if I don't post the pick by another ~6 hours after this post, a lurker can post Churchill for me.

[Dark Savant]

I suppose quechuas won't be completely useless -- they're useful against early skirmishers from Ghostpants.  Still almost useless, as I'm figuring he wants protection against all these early UUs and Aggressive leaders.

I'm taking the plunge as Churchill.  Churchill of the Inca is very much inoffensive in the early game compared to almost everyone else -- rushing someone else is very probably not happening.

[Boldly Going Nowhere]

Q's are still good as cheap city garrisons. You can build them much further into the game than warriors, which are gone by the time you hook up your bronze.