Adapting strategy to match the civilization.

Being a fan of history and one who enjoys reading about different ancient cultures, which may be the reason I like the civilization game so much, I thought it would be fun to play each game with a different culture and adapt my policies, religion and military strategies to match that of that culture and leader. I began my first game in Gods and Kings as Attila, but before beginning the game I researched Attila and the Hun Empire to learn a little more about them and based on my research I have developed a strategy that matches that of Attila and the Hun Empire. I’m not looking to duplicate the exploits of the empire, but only to pursue its philosophy. Whether this will work or not, only time will tell. As I am new to the forum and am unaware of others methods of play, I was wondering if a lot of people play this way? If anyone else has attempted to play the game in this manner, how did it turn out? If anyone is interested, I will share some of my “strategies” and its successes, failures and adaptations.

Glad to hear that you're a history fan, and that the Civ franchise feeds into that fun.

I haven't tried that very often, but playing in a way that suits the philosophy of the original leader and culture sounds like fun. Remember, though, that Civ5 is a game, and there are certain game mechanics which are anti-historical (ahistorical?) The empire-wide happiness metrics is one example, and the religion aspects, if you're playing the G+K expansion. If you feel that Attila would have spread out -- to run a "wide empire", using Civ terms -- then be sure to follow the tips here for success in a wide empire.

Good luck, and let us know how things work out!

Also be aware that the sheer timespan (4000 BC to present) of Civ V may reduce your ability to play like a particular civilization. For instance, when playing as Germany, a strategy that worked for Frederick the Great may not work for Kaiser Wilhelm.