Well it doesn't seem like it, but I've been playing Civ 4 for over a month now. I'm starting to develop habits and favorites, as I'm sure you are. I was wondering, who is your favorite leader so far? Vote and then post a reply on why you like them, strategies you use with them and also info about the type of games you play with them (difficulty, map type, victories you aim for, etc.)

Polls are limited to 20 options, so I split the list in half. This is the thread for America - Germany, if you're favorite is one of the others, vote on this thread: Poll: Favorite Leader part 2 (Greece - Spain) (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=146026)

Please do not vote on both

My vote goes for Qin Shi Huang. I've been winning on Monarch, Continents, standard map, temperate climate. I try to stay balanced with him. I use the financial aspect to get early gold for research by trying to settle several cities on the coast. That gives you 3 gold for each of those water tiles with the financial trait. I make a beeline for Metal casting (usually get it with the oracle) and try to keep an engineer specialist, so that I can get a great enginer great person to rush wonders. Even though his traits are more focused on building, I like to play Qin as a Warmonger:) The wonders and extra gold can keep you on even footing with the AI in the early game, and once you hit machinery you can build the chinese UU which is great not only for the 50% against melee, but it does collateral damage!! I'm looking for other strategies with other leaders as I am about to move up to immortal, so let's hear what you guys think.

Qin is my favorite leader too. You could win cultural and space race easily with him (which are my favorite types of victory).

I voted Roosevelt. He came up first on the menu, so he was my first, and suppose I developed strategies to win (Monarch+) that don't work as well with other leaders.

The strengths are rapid expansion and early wonders. A lot of players prefer Financial, but Inifinite City Sprawl is alive and well, with Organized. I shoot for Code of Laws (with Oracle), grab a bunch of land, switch to Caste System, then put merchants in any conquered cities that can run a food surplus, sometimes even leaving them at pop 1 with one merchant just to reserve the land and not go broke. What matters in the beginning is just grabbing all the resources I can, so I keep it all and raze nothing. Manifest Destiny and all that.

Between Caste System and cheap Courthouses, you can get them up and running, and turning a profit, more quickly than would be possible without Organized. I've tried this strategy with Financial and there's a huge difference. Financial is great, and definitely better during late game, but it just doesn't allow for as much early expansion. The civic cost is tied to either total population or number of cities, and no other trait seems to allow running 15-20 cities by the middle ages.

Also, I'm having more trouble invading overseas, while playing Continents, without the Navy Seals.

somehow, it doesn't surprise me that no one voted for Monty.

I voted Roosevelt. He came up first on the menu, so he was my first, and suppose I developed strategies to win (Monarch+) that don't work as well with other leaders.

The strengths are rapid expansion and early wonders. A lot of players prefer Financial, but Inifinite City Sprawl is alive and well, with Organized. I shoot for Code of Laws (with Oracle), grab a bunch of land, switch to Caste System, then put merchants in any conquered cities that can run a food surplus, sometimes even leaving them at pop 1 with one merchant just to reserve the land and not go broke. What matters in the beginning is just grabbing all the resources I can, so I keep it all and raze nothing. Manifest Destiny and all that.

Between Caste System and cheap Courthouses, you can get them up and running, and turning a profit, more quickly than would be possible without Organized. I've tried this strategy with Washington (Financial/Industrious) and there's a huge difference. Financial is great, and definitely better during late game, but it just doesn't allow for as much early expansion. The civic cost is tied to either total population or number of cities, and no other trait seems to allow running 15-20 cities by the middle ages.

Also, I'm having more trouble invading overseas, while playing Continents, without the Navy Seals.

So you played Qing instead of Washington? And if you rely on specialists, shouldn't you try Mao (Philosophical/Organized)? Lots of great merchants... Anyway, I always like it when people stand up for Organized.

somehow, it doesn't surprise me that no one voted for Monty.

The cool thing about Monty is you can go for an early religion, without worrying about getting screwed out of copper/iron. You don't have to rush to bronze working and settle some copper, because Jaguars can take it.

So you played Qing instead of Washington? And if you rely on specialists, shouldn't you try Mao (Philosophical/Organized)? Lots of great merchants... Anyway, I always like it when people stand up for Organized.

Yeah, I think it was Qin. Washington has organized as well, I think? It's not the great people I'm after, really. I just use the merchants to keep from going broke. Industrious gives you a much better chance at grabbing early Code of Laws, with Oracle. I'm also not concerned about founding Confusionism, it's just a bonus that comes with it.

yes, Washington is Financial/Organized. The great cash machine...

on the topic of bad leaders (like Montezuma I think, the Americans are marginal but not necessarily bad), why vote for Hatshepsut? Creative is especially useful if you don't have religions, and spiritual is if you do. And they both are mainly useful for creating culture and keeping people happy. Oh, and she doesn't start with mysticism, which I can forgive Mansa Musa since his other skill beside spiritual (financial) is so great, but Hatty just seems utterly pointless. Or is the UU so great? A decent early rusher I guess. But without financial or organized, how will you afford the empire you create?

I started with the romans and stuck with them until i knew a thing or two about the game. Then i picked bismark which is currently my thing

I argue that industrious is the most fun civic trait to have. The ability to crank out wonders makes every game an excercise in fun decisions both for the wonders and the extra people they generate.

I am best with Napoleon

The cool thing about Monty is you can go for an early religion, without worrying about getting screwed out of copper/iron. You don't have to rush to bronze working and settle some copper, because Jaguars can take it.

Yeah, but they can't chop trees :) .

Qin Shi Huang all the way. Not surprised to see it's a popular choice. Financial/Industrious rocks. I don't care much for his UU tought.

I love Qin. Wonder building rocks and the extra income coming from financial combined with the Great Library and Representation from the Pyramids turns you into a research powerhouse and you can beeline to macemen and catapults and roll over a couple of civs before they can catch up.

I like Louis XIV - Creative/Industrious are surprisingly good traits for warmongering (rapid border expansion post-conquest )

And I thought I'd end up being in the minority when I picked Queen Elizabeth :cool:

The financial trait is probably my favorite trait, cause you can afford to keep a lot of cities, even during war time, and still keep your research bar up. And the great people trait is really good, especially if you get some wonders that boost great people rate along w/ it (now if only I could learn to make specialized cities :rolleyes: ). Plus the half-cost buildings, bank and university, are a couple of my favorites. She's really good for staying ahead in techs.