Posts: 785
Threads: 170
Joined: Mar 2004
This is dangerously close to the spoiler line, which is impressive considering that the saves haven't even been released yet! I think that asking for clarification is always acceptable, but once you start asking about others' plans and approaches for the game, people might start posting spoilers as a reply.
My interpretation of "play the hand you are dealt", for what it's worth, is that you might end up getting a civ that doesn't have traits, units, or a starting location that you would ordinarily prefer, but that we hope that players will play it out regardless. To me, it would be the opposite of thinking, "I'll sign up, but I'll only play if I draw Mansa." Hopefully players will give it a shot regardless of who they draw, and they might even learn something new as a result.