Also, I think 6 players with lots of teammates/dedlurkers would be good. Partly because I think teams/dedlurkers make better gameplay and better reporting, and partly because I think 6 civs is few enough that every civ is likely to have meaningful interaction with every other civ. I think once you reach 8 players, that's no longer true.
By the way, that's something I like about the PB57 and 58 maps: At least from my lurking perspective it looks like everyone's actions pretty directly impact everyone else.
By the way, that's something I like about the PB57 and 58 maps: At least from my lurking perspective it looks like everyone's actions pretty directly impact everyone else.

In this game that's going to help us because he's going to go to the negotiating table with twitchy eyes and slightly too wide a grin and terrify the neighbors into favorable border agreements, one-sided tech deals and staggered NAPs."