Picks Guess:
I do not have the time to go in depth here but my first gut feeling for the other players picks is.
Alhambram: Inca, Persia, Korea,
Australia
Cornflakes: France, Macedon,
Rome, Japan
Pindicator: Sweden, Georgia, Kongo, Mongolia (
reroll)
Suboptimal: England, Poland, Spain,
Nubia
TheArchduke: Phoenicia, Scotland, Russia,
Germany
TheBlackSword: Ottoman, Cree, Dutch, India (
reroll)
Due to a larger player pool and the way PBEM was and PBEM16 is turning out, I feel that many players will pick civs which are have an early military strength. Not necessarily to use it offensively but to as a deterrent and to be opportunistic. While I greatly enjoy GS as and the features which were included, I believe that the game became more random in its nature and some "lucky disasters" can turn the relative position quickly, especially in the early game.
I will try to take some time during the weekend to have a more detailed look into this but will base my pick around this assumption.
Final Picks
TheArchduke: Russia
I was wrong here but it is not unexpected as Russia is a strong CIV as it has easy access to a religion, a large territory to work and a very good but a little late unit.
I see him starting solid while grabing a religion first with DotF and trying to swallow at least one city state (that was why I favored Germany as a pick for him).
Alhambram: Australia
Settling on coast gives a huge housing bonus, but is a double edged sword as it also makes you more vulnerable for a naval invasion. War deterrent in its 100% production bonus and a very good improvement (+1
+1
+1 housing and more with adjacencies round out the picture. I hope he is not having to many coast or pastures to build his improvement next to.
He will play a builder game and trust on his defensive war 100% production bonus. Early game the only way to take cities from him with a very quick surprise attack but it might get difficult to keep them.
TheBlackSword: Cree
Wrong again as he did not reroll but took Cree. A good early game civilization which gives him a better margin for errors. He gets more, better and earlier traderoutes (with pasture in target city) strong scouts (no need for Warriors in the beginning but upgrade issue) and an good early game improvement in the Meekwap as it gives production and housing and can be improved with food and gold with nearby resources.
All in all a solid pick for a first CIV6 PBEM, I hope he does not fall in the same trap as me and play to much the builder game, but he has CIV 4 experience so I assume his mindset is better prepared than I am at the moment
Kaiser: Greece/Gorgo
Early war or barbarians will help our culture, this is potentially a trap as it might end up in producing to many units and waging to early but I choose this on purpose so I can avoid the last games scenarios where I ran to light and expanded to optimistically. Additional wild cards are very helpful all game long, especially early as I can run agoge continouusly. The hoplite is an ok-ish unit, its main defect are that you need two for the bonus and it still is weaker than a swordsmen (or warrior if alone) however it is very good against any early game cavalry and thus a good military deterrent. It will fare ok against Nubia but will crumble against Rome. Cheaper theatre districts which gives envoys and has better and easy adjacencies will help in being a front runner in the civics departement starting from the mid classical age.
I hope I wont be next to Rome as I have to rely on Swordsmen and Horsemen for early game defence there which are both more expensive than Hoplites. I will look for a respectable military, maybe even an early war to farm culture and keep a neighbor dwon and try to keep ahead in civics.
suboptimal: Nubia
No desert nearby please, 20% lower district production is good enough, the improvement can be really amazing or really meh depending on district plkacement possibilities and desert tiles. It also would give 40% district production cost if it is next to a city center (and +1
). The crazy part is the Archer, 50% production bonus and the best Archer in the game (faster, stronger, tougher) will not only be a great deterrent but also enable rushes in the late ancient, early classical age. You cannot catch these Archers with horses ...
Might go for a religion as he has one of the few boni for it (20% reduced cost) and it is a lot more important in GS, Otherwise I expect him to rush for Archers and build a solid number as a deterrent or potential attacking force supplemented by swordsmen or better horsemen.
pindicator: Khmer
A better temple (really? +1 relic slot and Martyr promotion to missionaries? at least they can leverage the slot) and some boni around holy sites and aqueducts increasing their food production or adjacency bonus for it. There is also a minor housing bonus on holy sites and amenity bonus on aqueducts. The special unit is a elephant but it is a stronger catapult or cheaper bombard which can move and shot and excerts zone of control.
I see the religious game being played by pindicator, as it doubles up as an early growth strategy, however the true limitation is housing and even though there is one additional housing in holy sites near rivers and an incentive in building aqueducts housing is still very limiting to such a strategy as he will grow quickly into it. Maybe there is a surprise game plan with some pantheon or religion choices. Will probably be 2nd to religion
Cormflakes: Rome
Free roads and monuments, great for an early game culture lead and better protection for your cities. A better swordsmen who still costs resources and can build once, still very good especially combined with a GG. Rush potential is lowered due to the resource necessity. Aqueducst provide additional amenities and are cheaper, great as housing is very limiting early game and Rome can build the best additional housing district early. Also this combines nicely with our city state without fresh water but in range for Aqueduct rule.
He will pull away in civics early, with maybe me as a contender depending on my barb luck and has the basis for a very strong empire at hand. Likely will play for Legion aggression in the classical era and try to conquer some city states as well.
A ranking is actually very difficult to do as it strongly depends on starting land, so lets try it differently.
Early game conquering: Rome, Nubia, maybe Greece
Early game pull away: Cree, Rome in Civics, Russia in a Faith
Mid game pull away: Australia, Khmer or any of above if conquered/pulled away enough
Late game dominance: Russia
