[SPOILERS] The Autobiography of a Madman (specifically, Zaldax)

[Zaldax]

Oooh, an excellent start, I like it!

I'm leaning towards Elizabeth -- I think that's going to be my choice! Before I finalize it, though, I wanted to get your opinion Sutree; are there any leaders you think would be a better choice?

[Zaldax]

Actually, wait, now that I think about it, I might be in favor of grabbing HC instead of Darius or Elizabeth! Gah, this is tough; I know for sure that I'm picking one of the three, and the more that I think about it the more I think I'll pass on Elizabeth in favor of one or the other. Cheap forges would be great, but so would cheap courthouses, etc. Plus, on a torodial map the cut civic costs could come in handy. Advice?

[Lewwyn]

Both are good. Just depends what kind of game you wish to play. Wonder builder or REXer.

[suttree]

It's up to you Zaldax. I would certainly rank HC higher than Elizabeth. With no marble/stone Industrious will be a strong trait. Have you thought about Mansa Musa(Fin/Spi)?

Take your time! Don't let Krill rush you in to choosing - you decided to wait for the screenshot, so think about the first 35T. Think about which civ you want. This is a looooong game, there's no need to rush.

EDIT: In fact, I'd say that's the main thing I learned from my first (failed) games here: don't rush your choices - the game is a lot more fun to play if you feel your path is the product of an honest choice, instead of a whim or impulse.

[suttree]

Here are the traits in alphabetical order: Agg, Cha, Cre, Exp, Fin, Imp, Ind, Org, Phi, Pro, Spi

[Lewwyn]

Well he should really pick the leader first and civ second given the amount of people in game and the disparity in leader powers.

[suttree]

Yes though I don't think I suggested otherwise?

[Zaldax]

I have thought about Mansa Musa, but in my test games SPI has really only shone in the later game, when I can swap freely between slavery/caste system, pacifism/theocracy/organized religion, and bureaucracy/nationhood/vassalage/etc. as needed. While it is an extremely powerful trait, I think I'd rather take Darius or HC over it.

I'm going to think about it for a little longer, but probably decide soon. So, HC or Darius? Weighing the pros and cons of both:

HC:

Pros -- Industrious give me a big advantage on this map, since there is no stone or marble. I can't see many other IND leaders being chosen aside from Bismarck [IND/EXP], or maybe Louis XIV [IND/CRE]; however, I doubt there will be more than one or two other IND leaders with so many strong FIN still on the board. That'd give me a big advantage in wonder production, should I choose to go for it.

Cheap forges will also be a plus, since I'll likely build them in most, if not all, of my cities.

Cons -- All IND provides me with are a boost to wonders and forges; if I'm not building a wonder or a forge in any of my cities, all I effectively gain are the hammers saved from building those; in other words, there isn't a passive bonus like FIN constantly active.

Darius:

Pros -- on a torodial map, the reduced civic maintenance and cheaper courthouses will be a huge benefit! I also start right next to water, so the cheaper lighthouses will also be a big plus, especially if I decide to pursue the GLH (and if the map has as much water as I think it does, that might be a huge buff to my early game.)

Cons -- If I decide to go for the GLH, I'll lag behind whatever player inevitably snatches up HC. In addition, organized doesn't really shine until mid-game, when the higher-cost civics become available. IND would give me an early game boost that organized would lack.

I'm leaning towards HC at the moment, but Darius is still a strong contender. I'll decide in a couple of hours at most, I think, and then make my post here. Once I do, I'll start strategizing for the early game, and post some thoughts about my choice of CIV (Since Krill/Seven took a civ first, I've got the last pick. Hooray .)

Get excited!

[Zaldax]

Actually, decision made: I've chosen Huayna Capac!

Now to wait for the last pick of civ. Here's hoping something good falls to me.

Let's take a look at the start:



Since I've a FIN leader, I've got a few good tiles to work at the start. I'm going to want to build a farm on that corn ASAP, but there are 3 grassland and 1 plains tile bordering the river that would probably make good places for cottages. Furthermore, that crab tile is looking good, with 2 food and 3 gold right off the bat. Given the starting situation, I think the only move that makes sense is to settle in place.

At the start of the game, I have two hills nearby to move that scout to. The question is, which hill should I chose? I'm also starting to think about a possible build order; since I don't have a warrior, it might be advisable to build one immediately so I don't "pull a Mortius" (am I using that correctly?) I need to do a sim to see how I can build one quickly while still growing to size 2 in short order. Once that's finished, I'll probably build a worker, so I can farm that corn and camp that ivory -- I haven't done the work to determine the most efficient worker actions yet, however.

I'm also going to want a work boat at some point, to get some fishing boats on that crab. Unfortunately, there aren't much in the way of forest tiles nearby, so I won't be able to chop out much -- I need to carefully choose where those hammers go. (Right now, I'm leaning towards chopping out a worker or settler, but again, I haven't done the math on anything at this point.)

Of course, a ton of things are going to depend on what my starting techs end up as; since I ended up with the final civ pick (), my options are going to be pretty limited. Fishing and agriculture would both be nice techs, as a rush towards bronze working became somewhat less valuable due to my relative lack of forest tiles. Hunting and Mining would also be good, given the nearby ivory and hills. I can't set my heart on any given civ, though, since everyone else will get to choose before I do.

Other miscellaneous notes:
At some point, I'm going to need to chop both those forest tiles next to my capital, and park a defensive unit on top of the hill immediately to the SW; I don't want to give an attacker the opportunity such a perfect avenue to attack my city.

I still need a naming scheme. Part of that depends on the civ that I pick, though; maybe I'll proxy another civilization with whatever I end up with, and go full history nerd. (So I'd change the civ name, short name, and adjective, and name all of the cities appropriately.) I'm open to ideas, though!

[suttree]

1.Sevenspirits/Krill - ??? of Zulu
2.Zaldax - Huanya Capac of ???
3.Gavagai - Darius I of ???
4.2metraninja - ??? of Sumeria
5.Jowy - Suryavarman II of ???
6.Dhalphir & Hashoosh - Mansa Musa of ???
7.Gaspar/Noble - Bismarck of ???
8.Retep - Mehmed of ???
9.Kuro - ??? of China
10.Mikehendi - Elizabeth of ???
11.wetbandit - ??? of Egypt
12.Goreripper - ???