Nobles' Club: Resources for Learning

The Nobles' Club series started out as a way for Noble-level (and below) players to improve their game. This is a brief collection of links to material that may help NC members learn to make the transition from lower difficulty levels to Noble. Some enormously helpful material on this site (such as some War Academy articles) can be overwhelming for a newcomer to absorb. I'm keeping this post short and focusing on things that introduce a few ideas at a time.

You'll need to look elsewhere for strategies applicable at higher levels; expect that simplified advice for beginners may not be appropriate when you become an expert.

This is a work in progress; I expect this first post will change as people comment.

Different people learn in different ways; here are four basic approaches, which you can mix and match as you like.

• If you like to read general guidelines before playing, Sisutil's guide is an often-quoted place to start. 6K Man proposed ten really basic tips, and elitetroops posted a screenful of basic ideas.
• If you like continuing to play mostly the way you have been doing, but get some specific advice on particular games you're playing, you can create a thread in this forum (Strategies & Tips), post a question and attach a saved game, and ask for help. Read VoiceOfUnreason's guide to maximizing your chances of getting helpful advice.
• If you'd like to see how other people handle the same game you are playing, and don't mind having to use someone else' map, you can play one of the Nobles' Club games -- even the older ones listed in the Bullpen.
• Some people prefer to pick up bits and pieces while watching someone else have fun. If you like being a spectator, you can follow one of the many other game series, even the ones aimed at higher-level players. Many are entertaining in their own right.
  Spoiler suggested series :

  There is a primary list of game series elsewhere; here's a subset that (IMHO) provide entertainment. They're not specifically aimed at teaching lessons, and are played at higher levels than Noble. That makes them less suited for Nobles, since they often consider points of strategy that might confuse a beginner, but the entertainment value and quality of discussion makes up for that.
  

  • Sisutil's and Lord Parkin's "All Leader Challenge" which is playing through each BtS leader, considering to how best to use traits, unique units, and unique buildings. This is "the most commonly referenced source for discussion on Civ strategy."
  • Madscientist's two role-playing game series. Mad likes to live up to his name; these adopt crazy-but-fun restrictions on how to play, and reports come from the leader themselves.

There are other series aimed at teaching; VoiceOfUnreason has recently (April 2011) started a "Foundation and Empire" series aimed specifically at basic strategies for getting through the early stages of a game.

6k Man has recently posted 10 tips for winning on Noble which gives good advice for building a solid empire.

Added it; thanks!

You're welcome. I hope you don't mind that I linked this post in my sig.

Thanks for posting this Dalamb. I think this should be a sticky.

Interesting initiative!

In this thread(*) coanda addressed a new member also to this:
Comprehensive Guide to Terrain, Improvements, Resources, and City Placement

which refers also to this other:
Comprehensive Guide to Terrain, Improvements, Resources, and City Placement.

You might consider it useful to understand basic concepts as what / / are good for, and where they come from. For example:

The Difference Between Commerce and Gold: I thought I'd mention this here because the two are easily confused. (...) Commerce comes from terrain, trade routes and your Palace, which is then divided amongst your sliders into Science, Culture (enabled with Drama tech) and Gold.(**)

Click to expand...

might be not so immediate to understand for a beginner; and you might maybe consider that understanding those "icons" and what's going on in the (or at least the Major) Cities and take few basic decisions in the City Screens, might make a bit easier to rule an Empire.

*(since it was asked in that same thread, you might like to add as well a link to a quick, generic and easy to understand reference/guide on Specialists and Great People; for example something like this Ghpstage answer post, which is a synthetic and clear explanation of the benefits of an early Library to run a couple of Scientists, and on the best ways to use the born Great Scientists or Great People in general).

**(this was written before Espionage, of course)

Just trying my best to be helpful somehow.

Greetings,
yatta.

Played to 450 AD and have pretty much won.

Included a link to elitetroops' post.