Whilst we are waiting for the turn/pick order to be verified (really waiting on Serdoa to confirm play times), some minor points to be made.
I haven't played CRE at RB so technically I've obligated myself to pick that if I get the opportunity.
The starts on this mapscript often through up double AH food resources, so Agri is still the #1 starting tech for safety. Hunting is third because seafood is still common and T0 workboat is actually pretty solid, but T4 workboat is pretty shit.
That said, Prince/Standard is low tech cost compared to pretty much every other game I've payed so starting techs are less valuable IMO compared to traits.
But as Tech costs are so low, Seven is going to pull his usual strategy of getting an era ahead in tech and trying to dominate everyone.
Due to that, I'm not going to be running my usual strategy of trying to own 50% of hte map by T100, I'm focusing on winning the tech race in this game.
That means no early religion and shrine and Academy first, even though Toroidal means costs will be reasonably high.
Yet I've still got to choose CRE if it's available. That means CRE/FIN (will not be allowed), CRE/ORG, or potentially CRE/SPI are basically must picks if they exist. So...I hope there are not many CRE leaders and I can't choose one.
Starting tech relevance, assuming we see starts prior to picking
Fishing: Choose if workboat first is a viable option. Pairs best with Mining for BW first to slave out a worker at size 2. Potentially slight anti-synergy with EXP if have to build worker with food.
Agri: Pick if Fishing not viable to enable AH first if needed to hook up pasture resource
Hunting: Nah, unless only way to get required food tech or deer start.
Wheel: Pick if other tech meets food needs and Mining not optional.
Myst: Because I'm not likely to get one of the early religions, it's not needed T0 so best pick something else
Mining: If food tech is OK, choose this for potential BW first to chop out second worker. Preferable to all other none food techs for versatility at start and to keep a worker busy.
So basically, pick Fishing if need work boat first, otherwise take Agri. Then look at available leader traits and choose a single leader trait that is necessary. If you still have a choice of what to pick after that, if Mining is available and it is Fishing start, then pick that civ (Carthage, England, Portugal, Rome), otherwise pick on the secondary trait.
Wheel/Agri: Babylon, Egypt, France, Ottoman, Sumeria
Wheel/Mining: Mali
Wheel/Myst: Arabia, Byz,
Wheel/Fishing: Japan
Agri/Fishing: America, Dutch, NA
Agri/Myst: (Inca)
Agri/Mining: China
Yeah, it ain't happening. Most of the players play primarily FfH now except Serdoa, Seven and myself and everyone is well known anyway. There aren't really any weak links, especially when someone "surprisingly" turns up to dedlurk Ichabod. Serdoa is the sort of player that can be the bane of someones existence, Kyan perhaps less so but still annoying. Thoth did a good chunk of micro in PB8 which shows he has a good understanding of how to mess someone up and not collapse an economy. I don't know Ichabod that well but Seven seems to bend other players to his whim.
Truth be told, the person I'm less concerned about is Seven, because I don't think he'll change his play style and whilst his generic play style is best suited to this games settings it also is fairly conservative. I'm more concerned with Serdoa hiding in the background, just plodding away then doing one thing that breaks the game open for him, whereas Seven normally needs to do a couple of things before he can outright win.
Alexander (Agg, Phi) of China (Agriculture, Mining)
Genghis Khan (Agg, Imp) of France (Agriculture, The Wheel)
Asoka (Org, Spi) of Netherlands (Agriculture, Fishing)
Augustus (Imp, Ind) of Babylon (Agriculture, The Wheel)
Louis XIV (Cre, Ind) of Persia (Agriculture, Hunting)
Napoleon (Cha, Org) of Rome (Fishing, Mining)
Charles de Gaulle (Ind, Cha) of England (Fishing, Mining)
Julius Caesar (Imp, Org) of Viking (Hunting, Fishing)
Justinian (Spi, Imp) of Spain (Fishing, Mysticism)
Zara Yaqob (Cre, Org) of Celts (Hunting, Mysticism)
Suryavarman (Exp, Cre) of Germany (Hunting, Mining)
Lincoln (Chm/PHI) of Aztec (Hunting, Mysticism)
That should make it easier to choose later on. The bottom two choices I think aren't worth picking on this map type so I'm going to ignore them (even though I ought to play Zara, I'm not playing Celts because they are total junk).
