Question to Mayan ICSers

To those who have experience with Mayan ICSing, is there ever a point when you should stop?

Got a fantastic start and I have ~17 cities at t140, and I am running out of room to expand (after conquering Rahm). I have ~20 happiness from liberty TRs and my religion (CB, Pagodas, +1 Hap from shrines (forgot the name)). Desert folklore is baws.

Anyway I have a few cities close to 10 pop, but most are at 2-4. Is there an argument to stop expanding now and grow up tall, or just keep warmongering and planting cities as I go?

Edit: Immortal btw, if that would even matter.

With your religion, there is no reason to stop, as the cities will be able to pay for themselves in happiness.
I guess you might want to stop if you care about social policy costs, but at 14 self built cities you are already past the point of caring I'd say.

Just plan how much pop you want in each city, and avoid growth after you have that.
Ideally grow a few core cities to have decent production, and just use the rest as your science and gold farms (science specialists and trading posts)

Hpuk said:

With your religion, there is no reason to stop, as the cities will be able to pay for themselves in happiness.
I guess you might want to stop if you care about social policy costs, but at 14 self built cities you are already past the point of caring I'd say.

Just plan how much pop you want in each city, and avoid growth after you have that.
Ideally grow a few core cities to have decent production, and just use the rest as your science and gold farms (science specialists and trading posts)

Click to expand...

I have found that with religion and buying faith buildings that come with culture - the penalty for extra cities is bearable, buy with faith padoga/cathedral/mosque/monestary, build monument right away, and then maybe another culture building later.

No, because once you stop it ceases to be ICS by definition and becomes FCS (Finite City Spam)...

Just keep expanding. Most of your cities won't have that many good tiles to work at this point in the game yet, until you reach Economics, Chemistry or Fertilizer, so growing them big is not that useful.

Calouste said:

Just keep expanding. Most of your cities won't have that many good tiles to work at this point in the game yet, until you reach Economics, Chemistry or Fertilizer, so growing them big is not that useful.

Click to expand...

Actually just hit chemistry.

Only way to keep expanding is war so...

WAR! ODA, BISMARCK, your sand has run out.