David/Great Leaders - Random, or Can you increase odds of receiving

Does anyone know whether it is possible to change gameplay to increase the odds of receiving David or a great leader (ie, military leader) in the game? I find that I usually get them when playing with civ that has early military advantages, like Zulu or Aztec - but is it totally random or can you increase the chances of getting one?

In my experience, having even just one city with a great leader settled is a HUGE military advantage; after barracks are built, you can get massive defensive and offensive advantages stacked in armies, which can really turn the whole tide of a military push. Anyone else have experience with this, or a strategy for increasing the odds of getting such a leader?

This is no certain answer, but I have noticed a pattern with Great People. Early in the game, when I am focusing on producing research in my cities (no gold, little culture) I almost always get a Great Scientist as my first great person. I always assumed that was because my science oriented early strategy "attracted" Great Scientists. I have always assumed that the chance of getting a particular stripe of Great Person was proportional to the degree that I pursue the type of victory that Great Person aids. Again, I have done nothing remotely like formal experiments on this principle.

First, read this post/article from one of our dear Moderators: http://www.civfanatics.com/civrev/great_people

To build on that, all great persons are linked to a tech. When you have researched the tech they relate to you increase the likelihood of that great person appearing when you get your next great person. The Great Person likelihood is put in a "queue" so the tech you research first has a higher likelihood of giving you its great person than a later tech.

In short, focus on getting iron working or monarchy early in the game to get one of the two great leaders.

Hope that gives you some guidance.

Hertsh is right, it depends on which technologies you research, and may have something to do with "First to Discover" technologies.

There was a spectulating thread a while back, I'll try to go and find it.

VERY helpful - so basically, try to time the research of Iron Working/Monarchy with the imminent appearance of another great person.

Ahh, I've been playing for a long time, and I didn't realize this. So this explains why I got a Great Leader last night as my first great person when playing with Elizabeth (because she starts with Monarchy).

The only time I received a great leader on my own (instead of kidnapping them) was when I was using Elizabeth. Probably because of Monarchy as stated above.

When the AI plays as Elizabeth they're vicious due to the fact that they tech Bronze Working - Irong Working and start off with Monarchy. This means they usually always get a Great Leader first and itès very hard to defeat their units if they are as technologically advanced as you are.