7otM08 Announcement - Aug game

[Eyswein]

Welcome to Civ VII Game of the Month - 08

These games will allow new and old GotM fans to play Civ7 in a friendly competitive environment. Participants are encouraged to post questions, stories, advice, tricks and failures in the dedicated game threads (described below). Each game will specify the Civ you will play.

How to Play

1. Please read our Must Read Rules and Game Details sections below for important information before playing.
2. Consult our Other Useful Information section below and ask spoiler free questions in this thread before starting your game if needed.
3. Click the 7otMxxx.Civ7save file attachment at the bottom of this post to download the Civ6 savefile.
4. Move the Civ7 savefile from your ...\Downloads folder to your ...\Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization VIi\Saves\Single folder. (This is the standard Civ67install location so please let us know if yours is different or you can't find it)
5. Load the 7otMxxx.Civ7save file in Civ7 and play the game adhering to all our Rules and Victory Conditions specified below. (In game, click Single Player, Load Game, 7otMxxx should be at the top.)
6. Once finished, report your results in the appropriate thread and attach your finished save game to your post in the final thread.

Must Read Rules!

We would like to ask you to please abide by our most sacred rule: Do NOT replay any turns! If you make a mistake, accept it and try to recover. To ensure fair play and prevent results exclusions, please set your Autosaves to 1 turn. In the event of a computer crash while playing, just reload to the previous save and play it as closely to how you played it the first time.
We also ask that you only use UI mods and not any game changing mods.

Game Details

Goal for this Civ7 GOTM: Fewest total turns.
This Civ7 GOTM Final Score Example: Across all 3 ages, keep track of your turn per age. Add all 3 of them together for total.
Civ7 Scoring: In most previous Civ games, fewest total turns has been a good measure; appears to still be a good overall measure, but please provide feedback if you believe there is a better method.

Victory Condition: Science (in Modern Age) (all VCs are enabled)
Player (You): Himiko, Queen of Wa - Khmer (Antiquity Age)
Player (You): Abbasid or Majaphahit (Exploration Age) - please chose for the Exploration Age; specific civs may or may not be required for Civ 7 GOTMs
Player (You): Meiji Japan (Modern Age) - please chose for Modern Age; specific civs may or may not be required for Civ 7 GOTMs
Mementos: Glass Armonica, Antikythera Mechanism (pick any mementos you desire for future ages; specific mementos may or may not be required for Civ 7 GOTMs)
Mementos bonuses: +10% science and happiness when in an Alliance for you and ally; +1 Science attribute point
Starting Age: Antiquity
Difficulty: Deity Note: If you normally don't play Deity, recommend trying this one
Start Position: Standard
Game speed: Standard
Age Length: Abbreviated Note: Reduces max turns per Age to 160 instead of standard 200; each age progress is still one turn (so 5 age progress = 5 turns)
End of Age Countdown: No Countdown (Antiquity); 10 Turns (Exploration) Note: Not sure why this occurred, but must something with creating in 1.2.2 and playing in 1.2.3; I thought map was very interesting so kept this version as I couldn't get same map start location after update even with same map seed
Age Transition Impact: Regroup Note: This is the way it was upon original release
Initial Independent Hostility: Friendly Note: If you settle at range <=5, they will still become hostile
Bypass Civilization Unlocks: Enabled
Map Type/Size: Fractal / Standard Size
Civs (including player): 8 Civs
Disaster Intensity: Catastrophic
Crisis: Yes, but... Only Antiquity Revolts Crisis and Exploration Revolts Crisis are enabled
Note: specific leaders and civilizations selected in game setup

Game Options:
Start: Ancient Era
Enabled: Independent Powers
Game Version: This game was created in Civ7 version 1.2.2; resaved in Civ7 version 1.2.3 on 23 July 2025
Game Requirements: Civ7 vanilla patched

Starting Position


Other Useful Information
Unique Attributes:

Spoiler Unique Attributes :

Leader: Himiko, Queen of Wa

Leader bonus:

• Leader Ability: Friend of Wei - Gain a unique Endeavor, Friend of Wei, which can be performed in an Alliance to grant you and your ally +25% Science. Can support Endeavors for free. +4 Science per Age for every leader you're Friendly or Helpful with.
• Leader Attributes: Diplomatic & Scientific
• Starting Biases: None

Thread information:

Spoiler Thread information :

Announcement thread (this one): This thread is used to announce the game and clarify the settings and rules (don't be afraid to ask questions). It's also used to discuss the game before you start, and post problems with opening the save. Once you have opened the save, DO NOT POST game-related information in the Announcement thread.

Internal staff coordination - @leif erikson @The_J @Blake00

Game Length:

This game ends 1 September 2025.

 

[Eyswein]

If you normally don't play Deity, recommend trying this one. A few ideas (strategy) below if this is normally outside your comfort zone.

Spoiler Peaceful Deity?? :

While being aggressive normally helps you win in fewer turns, playing peacefully may be an option in this game, at least to finish and maybe even to finish quickly.

First, you won't have to worry about aggressive independents: Initial Independent Hostility: Friendly Note: If you settle at range <=5, they will still become hostile
Of course, it may be worth attacking an independent power for space and/or Army Commander promotions.

Himiko, Queen of Wa has a great leader ability:: Friend of Wei - Gain a unique Endeavor, Friend of Wei, which can be performed in an Alliance to grant you and your ally +25% science. Can support Endeavors for free. +4 Science per Age for every leader you're Friendly or Helpful with. (Friendly is +31-60; Helpful is +61-90)
-Since you can support endeavors for free!! you should consider getting +20 diplomacy with an initial friendly greeting; if the AI Civ offers an endeavor, you can support for free for +12 more.
-One negative is -20 diplomacy for settling <=10 hexes from an AI capital. While you can't control where the AI Civs settle, you can control your town placements to avoid negative diplomacy (if worth doing so) -- this can limit AI placement and may also influence where they settle.
-Pay attention to AI Civ leader agendas that can potentially provide significant changes to how much they like you; of course, some are worth ignoring if they will hinder other things you want to do

Scouts can help you find the AI Civs and Independent Powers.
1- Help in determining early town placement
2- Early science boost by finding and friending AI Civs: +4 science per age if +31 or higher diplomacy; finding all 4 AI Civs early and getting to Friendly (+31) quickly is +16 science!

Really work those relationships.
Memento: Glass Armonica +10% science and happiness when in an Alliance for you and ally
Leader Ability: Friend of Wei - Gain a unique Endeavor, Friend of Wei, which can be performed in an Alliance to grant you and your ally +25% science.
In the Antiquity Age, if you somehow manage to get 4 Alliances simultaneously you would get +16 science from Friend of Wei, +25% science from the Friend of Wei endeavor (if active), and +40% from Glass Armonica memento; oh my!

Don't forget to keep you people happy as you approach the Revolt Crisis and other things to pay attention to.

 

[Michael Lindskou]

no addons are working in this save :/

 

[Lord Yanaek]

While being aggressive normally helps you win in fewer turns, playing peacefully may be an option in this game, at least to finish and maybe even to finish quickly.

I doubt playing peaceful can really achieve fast victory considering the 25 age progress awarded for eliminating a civilization in antiquity, it would take 3 future tech/civics to beat that. I gave-up on the Rizal game as i don't imagine him as a bloodthirsty conqueror so let's try a peaceful game here, thought i'm not the fastest player anyway so it won't be a true test. Hopefully some better players than myself attempt the challenge so we see if they can really compete with eradicators

 

[Bleidraner]

Fantastic a peaceful game so we can test the theories! Unfortunately I will not be able to play this until August 15th:-( I wonder what the reduced age duration will do, I have never played with that. kind of a pity, Khmer and Himiiko is an OP combo, ideal for record runs and without a benchmark I have no idea what turn to shoot for. Fantastic combo though, dying to play, thank you!

 

[torsteinvh]

What's the reason for mods not working with the GOTM games anymore? After getting used to play with UI-mods it's quite hard to suddenly having to play without

 

[GoblinMatron]

Is the age length abbreviated or standard? The game details first say abbreviated and later standard.

 

[Manpanzee]

Is the age length abbreviated or standard? The game details first say abbreviated and later standard.

It's abbreviated.

 

[Eyswein]

Is the age length abbreviated or standard? The game details first say abbreviated and later standard.

Standard speed; abbreviated age length

 

[Eyswein]

What's the reason for mods not working with the GOTM games anymore? After getting used to play with UI-mods it's quite hard to suddenly having to play without

Not intentional and not sure why. Games are created with no addons, etc. so folks with just the base game can play. Not sure what they may have changed in the latest two updates to stop addons from working. I'll open a ticket with them.