I do like having twice as many trade routes!
Why worry about “best ones” when the only real criteria is two within early sea trade route range?
I think two early puppets >> two better puppets
I think the net cost of that is a MOV -- and an early one too. If you get your puppets early, each of them is will generate an early MOV. As with other GP, the MOV cost counter keeps incrementing. If an early puppet doesn't get you a MOV before Venice generates its third one, you might not get one at all from that CS. All that said, I am reluctant to puppet a cultural CS.
This was difficult lesson for me -- that after the first couple, MOVs for trade missions >> more puppets. It makes perfect sense in hindsight, since for any civ a CS ally >> puppet.
That does not follow. Gold does not help CV. Dom victories are bottlenecked by having only one good city to purchase units in -- so one land/sea unit per turn.
This means I'd get the Merchant of Venice before I've discovered all the CSs and thus wasn't able to determine the best ones to puppet.
Why worry about “best ones” when the only real criteria is two within early sea trade route range?
I think two early puppets >> two better puppets
Of late I've opted to send that early MOV on a trade mission to the nearest Religious or Cultural CS and ally them for the significant faith/culture boost. By the time I get my second MOV I've a much better idea of which CSs I want to be puppeting.
I think the net cost of that is a MOV -- and an early one too. If you get your puppets early, each of them is will generate an early MOV. As with other GP, the MOV cost counter keeps incrementing. If an early puppet doesn't get you a MOV before Venice generates its third one, you might not get one at all from that CS. All that said, I am reluctant to puppet a cultural CS.
From there I usually only puppet two CSs (for two food cargo ships to the capital) and use all future MOVs for trade missions.
This was difficult lesson for me -- that after the first couple, MOVs for trade missions >> more puppets. It makes perfect sense in hindsight, since for any civ a CS ally >> puppet.
All that gold means any victory condition is possible.
That does not follow. Gold does not help CV. Dom victories are bottlenecked by having only one good city to purchase units in -- so one land/sea unit per turn.