Questions from a Civ IV player

Commerce is always my filler in BNW. Once Tradition is complete it's nice to pick up the Opener and Wagon Trains.

I never go deeper in it.

fyar said:

I think this pretty much sums it up for me. The thing is, if you're also trying to go through Rationalism and your ideology tenets, I just don't have time to go through the whole Commerce tree (or the whole Patronage tree). If I prioritize those, then it'll be far too late in the game for me to make much use of Mercantilism or Protectionism. I think that's the reason I prefer Patronage.

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Yeah. IMO, Protectionism plus the finisher (I make a lot more TP's than what I believe conventional strategy is) are worth more than the entire Patronage tree combined. Mercantilism is one of the better SPs available as well, especially in conjunction with Ben, which is very attainable on Deity. However, I like Patronage opener plus consulates over Commerce opener and landsknects, even though I've highly endorsed the units. The extra food, culture, faith, and units, along with the resources are such a big bonus, but the main advantage is having so many allies that are widely dispersed distractions for anyone who dares declare war on you. WC control is just gravy.

So for me, the choice is determined by which ideology I plan on taking. If I'm going Freedom or Autocracy, I'm usually content with 6 tenets (one upside-down triangle) and then going back and finishing Commerce. With Order, however, with it's stacked 2nd tier making me want to get 5 first, 4 second, and at least 2 third, I usually do a partial Patronage that never finishes