Order the traits in your order of preference.

Yeah, protective really doesn't mean you're out to lose. There are some protective greats out there: Tokugawa for all gunpowder units, Churchill's Redcoats, the Chinese Cho-ko-nu's. Sitting Bull might have something to offer too.

At Prince difficulty, always going for space race win...

1) Philosophical - I am a GP junkie, also cheap universities
2) Financial - too useful for fast research
3) Creative - easy to hook up resources early and nice cheap libraries, but creates massive needless culture in the late game instead of research
4) Organized - cheap courthouses, cheap factories
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5) Industrious - if only I could have a philo/ind combo...
6) Spiritual - complete waste in the late game (Cristo Redentor)
7) Expansive - easy industrialization due to extra health
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Charismatic
Aggressive
Protective
Imperialistic

MrCynical said:

9)Protective - We're down into the junk traits now. Protective is ultimately the trait for someone who is not playing to win, hence it is actually some use to an AI which is merely trying to survive. Its purely defensive nature is practically useless to a human player which is trying to win. City garrison is not a useful promotion, since something has to go drastically wrong for the AI to be directly assaulting one of your cities. This trait is for someone who is only trying not to lose.

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Again, I do not think protective is the stringest trait but it has it's uses. I have won with protective leaders before and find my games no different on how I execute them compared to non-protective leaders.

Example: I have three games on Monarch in BTS at marathon speeds/huge maps (they take about a week for me to play). The most agressive play was with Churchhill who was protective. Fewer city defenders early on (CGII or CG III archers/longbows) protecting cities allows more soldiers in teh field, plus the extrenely cheap walls/castles especially if you have stone (luckiliy I did). Having a Redcoat arrmy with Drill I and CG I let's you have ALOT of flexibility in promotions, especially if held until needed (something I have only recently started doing, I know I am slow sometimes). See another rifle or cavalry coming, promote to drill III so the unit has a better chance to survive with more health, promote to combat I and pinch if there are grenaders. Also taking cities with offensively promoted defensive units (such as rifles, crossbows, etc...) gives you a pretty decent defender right away especially since there is no cultural defence yet.

Also, there are other leaders where the UU/UB works well with protections such as Sitting Bulls UB and the Chinese UU. Also the protective is great for those games where you prefer to be a builder and/or techer.

Par tof the fun of the game is playing the different leaders and leveraging their traits nad UU/UB to their advantage. Start as a protective leader? Just use what you have at your disposal.

Aight, something like this I guess

1) Financial, its all about the money baybe
2) Charismatic
3) Protective, as I am always low on units, this trait is a city safer for me I guess ( I play Immortal, Aggressive AI on and large/huge maps )
4) Organized
5) Imperialistic, all the GG make for fine uber militairy producing cities.
6) Aggressive
7) Philosophical, I don't really see the power of GP, I'm kind of noobish with them
8) Spiritual
9) Creative
10) Expansive
11) Industrious like u can spam wonders anyway on Immortal, at least I cant....

at protective i think its mostly a MP trait as it allow you to make do with way fewer city defenders and you can easily use it to choke early or just power up your gunpowder units a tad late game.