Combat-free leaders?

I usually try and play a peaceful, diplomatic game. Cultural assimilation is my favorite tactic (I love culture flipping!) It works well, but leaders are sooo useful, especially for building the forbidden palace. I wish there were a way to get a leader without resorting to combat.

It would be a nice feature if occasionally, a city that flips to your culture produced a leader. I guess it takes a strong leader to make a city switch allegiance after all! I suppose the leader would taken from the *other* civ's list of leaders: "Excellent News, Sire! Napoleon of France has led an uprising, and Paris wishes to join our Roman culture!" You should get the leader even if you rebuff the rebels -- giving you a chance to produce another leader if the city attempts to flip at a later date.

Any other ideas for producing leaders without combat?

- rev

I think that this is a great idea!

Well, just last week someone else suggested this very thing. How soon people forget. I posted some ideas of my own on other ways to get a "leader" without combat, trying to come up with something that wouldn't unbalance the game.

I think that these alternate "Great Leaders" should have a small (maybe 1%) chance of appearing when you build certain improvements or fulfill certain conditions, and a greater chance of appearing if you build certain Great Wonders relating to their specialty.

Each Leader should have the ability, like the current military Leaders, to move to a city and rush the production there. But the non-military Leaders should also be able to build certain Small Wonders that will have a temporary benefit to their city. If it can be worked into the rules, more than one of these Small Wonders can be built, but I've kept their effects modest and temporary so as not to unbalance the game. The Small Wonder's could be named for their creators, for instance, if you get a Great Scientist named Einstein, he could build "Einstein's Research".

GREAT SCIENTIST
Chance of appearing: when you complete a Library, University, or Research Lab.
Bonus chance of appearing: when you complete the Great Library, Copernicus' Observatory, Newton's College, or SETI.
Small Wonder: Research. The effects of all science improvements in that city are doubled for 20 turns. Produces one Culture point.

GREAT ARTIST
Chance of appearing: when a city passes a Cultural threshold (10/100/1000/10000 Culture points).
Bonus chance of appearing: when you complete Sistine Chapel, Bach's Cathedral, Shakespeare's Theater
Small Wonder: Artwork. Makes two Unhappy citizens Content for 20 turns. Produces two Culture points.

GREAT EXPLORER
Chance of appearing: when you discover Map Making, Astronomy, Navigation, or Magnetism.
Bonus chance of appearing: when you complete the Great Lighthouse or Magellan's Voyage.
Effect: when you load the Explorer into a ship, it gains one movement point and can navigate all waters without sinking.

GREAT INDUSTRIALIST
Chance of appearing: when you complete a Factory or Manufacturing Plant (if that's what they call them in Civ3 -- I rarely make it that far!)
Bonus chance of appearing: when you complete the Iron Works
Small Wonder: Corporation. Adds 1 Gold to every square already producing one. Expires after 20 turns.

GREAT LAWMAKER
Chance of appearing: when you complete a Courthouse or Police Station.
Bonus chance of appearing: when you complete the Forbidden Palace or Universal Suffrage.
Small Wonder: Legislation. Reduces Corruption in the city where it is built. Produces one Culture point. Does not expire.

The concept of negative or "criminal" leaders is a good one, but I think it would stray too far from basic Civ3 rules to work them in. As Bamspeedy pointed out, the corruption in your cities already represents the work of unchecked crime.

Of course, since I'm not a programmer, this is all just an exercise in speculation.