I've just been wondering about something quite important regarding Venice.
What kind of victory is this civ best suited for?
A scientific victory would be slower and harder to achieve than with other civs, and not only because puppets have a 25% penalty on science, but mainly because the capital will have to build all the spaceship parts by itself. I have confirmed through the xml that spaceship parts are still unavailable for purchase.
A diplomatic victory is somehow antithetic to Venice's unique ability. Puppetting city states has the effect of reducing the number of city states in the game, which leads to more competition and a harder acquisition of side votes. This still looks like one of the best viable option for Venice given the fact that it's a civ with a strong economy, but it's ironic that you'll end up getting in your own way.
A domination victory certainly isn't out of the question and with the ability to buy on puppets you can still build happiness buildings, units and what you need in order to keep waging your wars. However Venice is tailored around trade, and too many wars might end up crippling its economic options.
A cultural victory is still possible but right now what matters is no longer the number of policies but the production of tourism. Buildings, which are the only thing that you could buy in puppets, do not produce any tourism. What you want are improvement that yeild culture, great works and wonders, and in a puppet you can neither build a wonder nor have the ability to decide to work landmarks, nor the option to place great works.
Venice will have to rely on its capital, which makes the path to cultural victory harder compared to other civs.
So which is, in your opinion, the easier option for Venice to win. Which path would you rather take?
Spaceship parts can be purchased with a Level 3 Freedom Tenet.. so the bigger issue is the puppet science penalty.
Science Venice... since puppets have a science penalty, I'd focus on a super capital... (Tradition/Freedom)
Puppet a Few CS
Use your Extra Trade routes to feed the Capital AND Collect money.
Whenever your Capital Growth slows and your Happiness rises, Puppet some rivals ally and get another feeder town.
Big Capital=lots of science and lots of gold
Finally get the Freedom Tenet and buy all your space ship parts with gold in the last few turns.
Domination Venice.
Puppet many CS
Use Extra Trade routes to send food And production to Venice (or other portions of your empire that need production for happiness buildings)...
Get gold from Trade posts and city connections with mega capital.
Standard attack, Puppet Everything, buy as you need to.
[go Autocracy for easy happiness and cheap unit purchase]
Diplomatic Venice
Puppet few CS
Use Trade routes for Lots of gold
Buy CS you can get (and have trade routes with them), puppet ones that are in the hands of a difficult rival.
Standard diplomacy, liberate/defend.
Cultural Venice
Puppet a moderate number of CS
Use Trade routes to fuel Venice, food for Specialists, production for Wonders and Archaeologists.
[extra cities don't give much... unless you have a tourism religion,
ie Reformation belief=Tourism from religious buildings + 2 Religious follower beliefs.
OR
Culture from land tiles (pantheon belief) + Hotels, Airports
I think diplomatic is best... but Trade routes are very flexible.
(which means already 2, soon 3 additional puppets).
