Ruff_Hi's Antics

All Happiness is the Release of Internal Pressure

Game Report: Culture Crush (1/6)

There is an SG currently being played at CivFanatics (link). The basic premise is that they are playing for a domination victory (well, that sounds easy) but they have enabled the 'always peace' option! This means that they cannot capture cities, attack AIs or any of the other good stuff. I was too late signing up for the SG so I thought I would play my own game. Also, various people said it couldn't be done (but wished them luck anyway).

Game Details
Difficulty: Noble
Victory Conditions: Domination, Conquest only
Map: Panguea
Opponents: Monty, Tokugawa (Tommy), Genghis Khan and Peter

I had some fairly boring stuff here that I am sure people were not reading and weren't even getting to the good stuff (ie the report) ... so I moved it ... anyway, based on the boring summary, the only traits I was going to consider are Creative, Financial and Industrious. My aim is to seal off the opposition early (hence creative) and then to crush them with my culture. The crushing part will mainly be done by dialing up the culture slider (thus making commerce a major component) but it will also benefit from the culture multipliers (religion).

Great People will be almost worthless - a great artist can generate 12 (14 after Sistine Chappel) culture per turn (merged) and 4000 from a bomb. A merged artist generating 14 culture per turn is not great once the culture slider comes into play (2 fully developed towns) so I don't see much benefit from lots of merged great artists. The bomb does not actually help with the culture flip on an established city so I wasn't going to use that option often (if at all) - it is very useful for crushing cities that are very new.

In the end, I went with the Sun King (Louis XIV) who is Creative and Industrious.
 

Lets get Started

Here is my starting position ...

... and I decide to settle ... um, actually the tile for Paris (first city) isn't in this shot. Yes, I decide to scout with my settler as I will be building wonders and I would like stones or marble in my BFC. Also, I want to find some sort of choke point. I pop 2 huts for gold, meet Monty and pop another hut for a scout (great!) before I settle Paris ...

Looking at the picture now, it might have been better to settle two tiles South as blocking off water will not slow the land units down much. I select Mysticism for my first Tech - got to get these early religions for the extra culture (but also for culture denial purposes) - also, Stonehenge will help my border pops. Shortly thereafter, I meet Tokugawa, Genghis Khan and Peter. In 3200BC, Paris becomes the Hindu Holy City. I must be careful in my religion chase to make sure that Paris doesn't become the holy city for any other religions. I will be running 'No Religion' for most (if not all) of the game and Holy Cities get +5 culture from this set up.

I grab some techs (Mining, Masonry, Bronze Working, Priesthood - arggg, missed Budda which went to Monty - that might be difficult due to the extra culture he is now putting out) while I am setting up my next city for ...

As you can see, I put it as close to Monty as I could. The +5 culture from being a Holy City should help with the expansions. Paris is building settler, settler, settler, ... until I get the other civs boxed in. The aim is to also close off the West from Tommy, Ghan and Peter (they are all East of me). My next city will sit on top of Monty further to the West and close off the North to him (hopefully). Did I mention that NO-ONE gets Open Borders from me - ever!

Lyons is settled in 1520BC with Code of Laws (and my next religion) 15 turns away. That is a little too long for my taste. So ...

... and I select Theology (another Holy City at Lyons). With Code of Laws only 5 turns away, I must get another settler out quick and make sure that religion goes there - in fact, I couldn't manage it and stopped the research on CoL with a few beakers outstanding ... not to worry, at least I have another religion that I can pop into a city when it is built. I swap to Slavery and Organized Religion and start pumping missionaries ... I am aiming to spread all my (actually any) religions to each city - they are +1 culture all by themselves plus they open up the building of temples and other religious buildings.

In 900BC, I see this ... oh oh. This isn't good. I have a tiny gap between Orleans and Lyons and Monty has a settler running for it. Well, I cannot declare war and kill him off (always peace). I cannot block him with a unit, al la Civ III, hmmm - what to do?