Need some advice on PBEM game settings (Epic or Marathon)

[UglyElmo]

I am starting a 6 human vs. 6 AI game with my Ugli friends and need some advice from those who have played in a large team game. I realize that keeping the game speed on normal would mean that us 6 teaming together and adding our research with each other's will mean we will blaze through the tech tree way too fast and not give us time to make use of our special units before they are obsolete. I was looking at an Epic speed setting or Marathon, but do not know much about those two settings and how much of a difference there is between the two.

What we want is a setting which will allow us to pool our tech, but not allow us to quickly gain techs and make the factions with early special units obsolete.

Which setting would you guys recommend for a 6 vs 6 team game which will let us gain some advantage with our early tech special units?

Thanks for your help.

[UglyElmo]

Sorry for the double post but I forgot to change this to email notification and could not figure out how to do it with the edit button.

[Romulus]

the gamespeed I'd use is marathon...its the only one where you'd pretty well guaranteed a consitant unit-war in each era and not one that starts with macmen and ends with tanks!

The problem though is in the execution, since its gonna be pretty hard to handicap civ. Either your side is winning and you'll have advanced units, or the AI will if you're loosing.

[UglyElmo]

Thanks Romulus. That is the the setting we will use then. We like long game. I am still playing a civ 3 game which has gone for over a year now.