what are your strongest combinations for an unrestricted leader? I'll add some when i think of some, but you can post your ideas, if you want. Sorry if this has been posted before

Hammurabi of Sumeria

Boudica of Rome

Louix IV Of Rome

Willem van Oranje of " Anything "

Tokugawa of Native America, no one could destroy that guy's archers, and the dog soldiers, ugh

Dog soldiers can stand-up to macemen. It's terrifying. Thank goodness the AI Playing him is pre-defined to be stupid

Darius I of the HRE

Churchill of Native America
Churchill of Spain
Peter of Byzantium
Lincoln of Byzantium

Hammy of Sumeria Edit: or Zulu!

Anybody of Rome

Napoleon of Mongolia or Sumeria

Hammy or most AGG leaders of Native America.

Tokugawa of Germany (just kidding)

Can you say why they are powered too?

Churchill of Native America
Churchill of Spain
Peter of Byzantium
Lincoln of Byzantium

Can you say why they are powered too?

Churchill of Native America for incredibly overpowered archery/gunpowder units. Also synergy between building SH for the totem poles and Charismatic

Churchill of Spain for well-promoted Conquistidors and siege plus cheap citadels.

Peter and Lincoln of Byzantium for my 2 favourite leaders for a SE combined with a UB that I feel is incredibly useful for a SE

Peter and Lincoln of Byzantium for my 2 favourite leaders for a SE combined with a UB that I feel is incredibly useful for a SENow when you mention that... Why ? I played Byzantinum a few times lately... The Cataphract is great...
But the Hippodrome ? I hadn't a single bloody artist slot in the whole empire... :mad:

Now when you mention that... Why ? I played Byzantinum a few times lately... The Cataphract is great...
But the Hippodrome ? I hadn't a single bloody artist slot in the whole empire... :mad:
You don't have to up the culture slider as much when people go into emanicpation unrest (because you are in caste system). That's the only reason I can think of, at least.

Darius/HRE.

Now when you mention that... Why ? I played Byzantinum a few times lately... The Cataphract is great...
But the Hippodrome ? I hadn't a single bloody artist slot in the whole empire... :mad:

When I'm playing Byzantium the happiness cap doesn't limit growth, just food supply, and since most of my beakers/gold come from specialists I don't mind how high I push the culture slider up.

As for the artists I wouldn't use Byzantium for a cultural victory attempt but running Caste System gives you all the artist slots you could want.

You are right on the happy cap... Tho it wasn't a problem in my games in question, so overall the Hippodrome was largely marginal...

That artist i "needed" to culture bomb a bridgehead in the upcomming invasion on the other continent. And in the other game i again "needed" him for Jewellers...
Both not too important overall (Not "needed" enought to run Caste System at that point), just caused some stirr up, when i realized i couldn't run any (in addition to the Hippodrome being marginal anyway :rolleyes:)...

For warmonger I like Shaka of Inca. You get fast barracks, fast grainary, and your grainary gives you culture, so it's like free creative :) For building, I like Bismark of Inca!

FDR of Germany, especially with a Renaissance start. Any later and Forges are free (waste of a Trait), and any earlier and some jerk might off you before you come into your own. Once you hit that Assembly Plant, and follow it up with Hoover Dam, you'll have more Hammers than you know what to do with. Panzers come online at the same time, so you can build your army in a heartbeat, and anyone else with Tanks won't be able to use them, so your cities should be safe.

Only real downside is missing out on 'Mids, GLH, and ToA, but if you really want those, an earlier start isn't out of the question, especially if you're somewhat isolated.

Boudica of the Aztecs. But you need stonehenge for the happiness. Use the GG's for more CR promotions.

Victoria of the Aztecs.

The resource-less early unit rush works well with a short rapid expansion period (cheap settlers) to get a large rush of cheaper swords built up to wipe out the first couple of neighbors's archers.

Financial keeps the rush going as you can keep crappy AI cities thanks to river cottages and fishing, and every crappy city is rushing even more cheap swords. Dues ex Machina. Helps carve out a huge empire out of the immediate neighbors.

Financial helps get to iron-working quickly too, though I'd prefer using the Oracle.


EDIT: Hammurabi of Sumeria. Ultra cheap, ultra early (Priesthood) courthouses (Ziggurauts already cheap, then throw in Organized discount). Aggressive+Vulture equals ultra Swordsman (cheaper, stronger (if you build a barracks, which is cheaper BTW), runs on bronze or iron).
Can selectively pinch off choice cities, and far and away if you have galleys. Only con is they don't paradrop.

Alexander of Rome for me. The +25% GPP Forum mixed with the PHI trait, AGG and praetorians? I think it's an amazing SE / War monger game.

During the GP rush, having Parthenon/National Epic, Pacifism, PHI, Forum:
GPP+375%!!!!

Having the GL and say 6 other scientist specialists in your GP Farm:

8*2=16 + 60 = 76 GPP/turn upon researching Philosophy. Not too shabby ;)

Hannibal of Netherlands. Traits are a great balance between war-mongering (quick promotions = sustained offensive campaigns) and becoming a tech monster, and once you get Dikes online, coastal cities with a lighthouse and dike have sea tiles that generate 2F/1H/3G. Add the Great Lighthouse or the Colossus to that, and you'll have maceman before your opponent gets longbows on a map with lots of water. UU will let you get to the New World faster than your contemporaries, and dominates the sea until frigates.

Netherlands UU isn't the early military carrying unit (that's Portugal). But you'll be able to settle the new world faster (Galleon with capacity of 4 instead of 3). I prefer to use these to start intercontinental wars more quickly and with more troops than with regular galleons, but that's all on your play style.

You're right, I phrased that poorly--Netherlands has the East Indiaman, which is a galleon with +1 capacity and +2 strength. It's practically unstoppable until frigates--they can even hold their own against privateers-- and lets you settle more units in new territory faster than a comparable galleon fleet.

Darius of Persia.

lol... nice