Your Civic Combinations?

I apologize if such a topic already exists, but I didn't see one around. Then again, I'm also not particularly observant.

At any rate, I just wanted to know what everybody's favorite civic combination is assuming that all of the civic technologies have already been discovered. I realize that people might switch around from time to time, such as going with Vassalage and Theocracy during times of war, but I want to know which set of civics you use most often, not just during exception cases. So if you're at war almost constantly, then Vassalage and Theocracy will probably be on your list, but if you're a peacemonger, then even with the occasional war, they probably shouldn't be. Feel free to list your exceptions, but I'm mostly interested in what you normally run.

My civic combination would have to be Universal Suffrage / Free Speech / Emancipation / State Property / Free Religion. My cities are always very much cottage-based, which explains the first three civics on my list. The increased production from towns with Universal Suffrage is quite handy, and the increased commerce from Free Speech is also very nice. The extra growth of cottages on upward from Emancipation isn't as useful, since I usually have nicely developed towns in my cities by then, but this civic also applies some pressure on other civilizations, which is a nice bonus. I will run State Property mostly for the purpose of my production cities, which I'll load up with workshops, and I don't want the civilians to starve. The negated distance from capital is very nice, and the low upkeep helps a bit, too. Finally, I like free religion because I generally shy away from religion since I don't want to make any mad by being a different religion (I'm very much a peacemonger). The happiness associated with Free Religion is nice, as well as the research boost and low upkeep.


As for my exceptions, I may run Representation or Monarchy for the happiness if I'm having real trouble keeping my citizens in order, but I don't need to do this too often. I'll, of course, run Theocracy and Vassalage during times of war. As for religion, if my religion is the popular one, then I'll tend to go with Organized Religion since my cities aren't normally very good at producing (again, I spam cottages all over), and the Organized Religion civic gives me a little boost to get things down a little more quickly.


So what civics do you normally run?

I'm not too familiar with the civics in Civ 4, as I don't play it too often, but here are mine:

Government: Universal Suffrage, though I will use Representation, too, if I don't have cash or many towns (latter doesn't happen too often)

??: Free Speech...+100% culture in every city, what else is there to say??

Labor: the one that adds 1 trade route per city, I can't remember the name. I don't use State property too often, as my empire usually isn't sprawling

??: Emancipation, it just stinks to have unhappiness from others having Emancipation

Religion: if the whole world is of a different religion, and I have a bunch of religions in my cities, I will go Free Religion, but if everyone else is of my same religion, or in Free Religion, I will go Organised Religion. If I am philosophical, I will sometimes go pacifist...don't ask why, I just do it.

representation-free beakers
vassalage-more exp
serfdom-
state propity-larger empire's
thorcacy for exp

If I get the Pyramids, I will switch to Representation.

I myself am a tech monster.

Representation is the obvious government civ for that.
Free speech makes cottage economies extremely powerful, and the same is true for bureaucracy and specialist economies.
Slavery is easily the best labor civ, though if everybody takes emancipation in the end, you almost have to for cutting the unhappiness penalty.
State property is the most powerful civ in the game. Allows ridiculous expansion. Though it comes late in the game, so free markets are ideal until then. Occasionally I'll combine mercantilism with representation for +6 science in every city.
Theocracy is the best civ if you founded a religion and you're trying to spread it. If not, free religion is the obvious choice for the beakers and diplomacy benefits.

Does anyone know what the characteristics (eg. Free Speech...+100% culture in every city) of Anarchy are in cIV, besides that it's a transition government?

there are NO characteristics of it; that's why it sucks to be in it for 2-3, or even 5 turns!

There must be, I mean has it got low or high upkeep, how about trade routes...
There must be something... I've never had negative income when I "ran" anarchy in cIV, and stick with the tax rate I had before going into anarchy.

anarchy is a stale state. no income, no expenses, no production, no growth. nothing happens during anarchy phases. that's why you're able to "exploit" anarchy on some occasions. i did it sometimes when i've just been about to war with some opponent and my units would go on strike. switching civis for some rounds of anarchy allows me to conquer a city and spend the gold on some more turns of war. that's in very early stages of the game though, where you over-expanded before your cottages churn in. afaik the first ever won deity game has been a constant anarchy / chop praetorians conquest victory.

Favorite combonations? A 'Militarist State' :: Police State, and State Property.

But i like to play the civics depending on the civ im playing. Imperial Rome will have Heriditary rule, Vassalage, Slavery, Mercentalism, and Pacifism (antonym of rome haha)

Government: Depends, if i'm running a CE, i'll go Universal Suffrage for free hammers, if it's SE, I pick representation. Hereditary Rule is useful as an early civic before I have other means of keeping people happy throughout wars, and Police State for modern age warmongering, as war weariness gets nasty later on.

Legal: Vassalage sometimes if I have a gold/sheild poor capital earlier on, it helps with unit costs and gives XP for those units. Beauracracy (mangled the spelling) is generally my pick, if i'm running a CE i'll switch to free speach later on, I forget which is the one i'm leaving out, I must not use it much if I can't remember it

Labour: Slavery all of the way. Serfdom is useless because my workers are generally just finishing up with my core cities and the first person I killed's core cities by then. I don't use any other ones up till emancipation catches up to me.

Economy: I usually do mercantilism up until state property, being a warmonger makes everyone hate me. State Property is a no brainer for any decent sized hated empire.

Religion: Depends, Theocracy if i'm not running Vassalage, if I am, Organized Religion. I switch to free religion if I don't have sankore/minaret and nobody else is my religion, I always switch into FR at computers.

One City Challenge (which is what I usually play) :

Representation
Bureaucracy (duh!)
Anything except Serfdom or Tribalism
Free Market
Organised Religion


During "normal" games:

Universal Suffrage
Free Speech
Emancipation
Free Market
Free Religion

I'm very much a liberal peacemonger (both in the game, and out of it I guess). This is probably why I'm so bad at the game.