7otM14 (2 Jan 2026) - Announcement

[Eyswein]

Welcome to Civ VII Game of the Month - 14 (2 Jan 2025)

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: Militaristic (in Modern Age) (all VCs are enabled)
Leader (You): Harriet Tubman
Civilization in Antiquity: Egypt
Civilization in Exploration: Please choose Any
Civilization in Modern: Please choose Any
Mementos in Antiquity Age: Groma, Gold & Sapphire Flowers
Mementos in Exploration Age: Any, Any
Mementos in Modern: Any, Any
Mementos bonuses: +1 Expansionist Attribute Point; Gain 100 food in Capital when you spend an Attribute Point on the Expansionist Attribute Tree
Note: To receive the food bonus at the start, ensure you found your capital PRIOR to assigning the attribute point! If you settle your capital on the first turn, your capital will expand to size 2 on T1 and to size 3 on T2.
Starting Age: Antiquity
Start Position: Standard
Game speed: Standard
Age Length: Standard
End of Age Countdown: No Countdown
Age Transition Impact: Continuity
Initial Independent Hostility: Default
Bypass Civilization Unlocks: Disabled
Difficulty: Immortal
Map Type/Size: Shattered Seas / Standard Size
Civs (including player): 8 Civs
Disaster Intensity: Light
Crisis: Yes, all enabled

Game Options:
Start: Ancient Era
Enabled: Independent Powers
Game Version: This game was created in Civ7 version 1.3.1 on 12 Dec 2025
Game Requirements: Civ 7 base game & Tides of Power collection

Starting Position


Other Useful Information
Unique Attributes:

Spoiler Unique Attributes :

Leader: Harriet Tubman

Leader bonus: +50% Influence towards initiating Espionage actions. Gain 5 War Support on all Wars declared against you. Units ignore Movement penalties from Vegetation.

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 @Blake00 @The_J

Game Length:

This game ends 2 February 2026.

 

[civfanatic4sure]

Reminder to post spoiler threads

 

[torsteinvh]

Is pre-building by force ending turns considered an exploit, or is a legitimate strategy?

 

[Eyswein]

Is pre-building by force ending turns considered an exploit, or is a legitimate strategy?

I'll create a different thread to discuss exploits. My initial thought is that it (not starting to build something and using shift-enter to end the turn) should be allowed as it seems like a design feature.

There are some things that shift-enter does not work for so not sure if that was done with or without forethought by the designers. One item I don't like end turns without a decision for is being able to ignore two allies when they go to war with each other. I've actually put that in as feedback.

 

[GoblinMatron]

To me, pre-building by force-ending turns feels more like an exploit that should not be allowed.

 

[Bleidraner]

I have to admit that I have no idea what prebuilding by force ending turns means. I understand the forced turn ending by shift enter, but what are you prebuilding and how?

 

[ValleTomate]

I'd guess prebuilding is just meaned as in saving production for something you unlock later.

Correct me if I am wrong but I think you can only shift enter production once before it gets lost, like in civ6? Because then it really doesn't seem like an issue to me. Once you shift enter for multiple turns, that's where I'd draw the line.

 

[torsteinvh]

You can shift-enter for as many turns as you like, and production accumulates. I used it to build the World Fair in one turn as soon as I had the last artifact.

 

[Berrern]

You can shift-enter for as many turns as you like, and production accumulates. I used it to build the World Fair in one turn as soon as I had the last artifact.

You can do this with Civics and Technologies as well - which definitely feels like an exploit.

 

[Bleidraner]

I agree. Exploit.

 

[Manpanzee]

I am pretty sure that Force End Turn exists in the game entirely as a failsafe against game continuation getting bricked by bugs, not as something that's intended to be used as an actual gameplay mechanic.

 

[civfanatic4sure]

Maybe on an island here but neither are an exploit imo. There's a strategic choice in rolling over production as well as science or culture. This vs something like the civ6 exploit of the loyalty mechanic to constantly retake and pillage settlements. Difference to me is that one is totally unnatural (exploit) vs a tradeoff (saving research or production for something else). If we want to put restrictions on existing mechanics for GotMs, I think that's fine but need to call them out explicitly in the setup.

 

[Manpanzee]

There's a strategic choice in rolling over production as well as science or culture.

The problem as I see it is that maybe it isn't actually a choice. If you're seriously engaging with Force End Turn as a strategic feature, wouldn't you just use it all the time?

Why would you ever start producing a building, or start researching a tech or a civic? Simply stack accumulated yields at all times, and only ever slot anything in once you have the saved resources to get it instantly. Why ever invest in anything when you can defer the decision until later?

"Do I need early Sailing this game?"
"Idk, but I don't need to decide until I get there."

Regardless of the strategic details, playing around Force End Turn changes the game at a fundamental level.

 

[Bleidraner]

It is not a choice. I just posted the GoTM15, if this was a valid strategy I would have one turned the Worlds Fair. My last builds were railstation and 2 production buildings, in prep for the Wonder. I could have just force ended through all those turns. Force end turn changes every finish for any victory condition or legacy path. It changes the game.

 

[civfanatic4sure]

I generally agree with these points. So modifying my comment -- I think the mechanics still make sense but could use guardrails. These are the two examples of times I want to use these mechanics:

1. In the process of suz'ing an IP that gives a free tech and I don't want to be researching something halfway to cannibalize that progress when I get the free tech vs saving the science to spend on a clean tech after a full tech is received for free -- otherwise you're doing this artificial timing of research vs when you suz the IP which feels like weird micromanaging that isn't as organic. You all may still disagree with this one. One gameplay guardrail option could be that the free tech mechanic doesn't randomly pick a tech but let's you choose from available techs in your tree (or the cheapest available techs in your tree). Though you lose the potential upside of the random tech being a more expensive one when available, so tradeoffs. Other than this use case, I don't see why rolling over science or culture comes into play at all -- but I could be missing something?

2. I build 3 scouts to open, but I don't unlock sailing for one more turn... so I need to put a turn into something useless or lose the prod vs rolling it into the build next turn? I just sort of hate that. In 6 they put a prod rollover cap in and that felt like a good compromise. I agree that infinitely rolling over prod for worlds fair feels like cheese, but you can only do it with that one VC because once you build something it eats all the prod and the others have multiple builds. Though I can argue as well that the mechanic of unlocking the worlds fair makes no sense in general because it's.... a fair. What immersion is it breaking to say that for x turns we did nothing but prep for the fair and when the time came we held it.

I think what I'm really saying is that it doesn't actually change the game as you're all saying, because it is indeed in the game, it changes your perception of the game or your expectations for how the mechanics of the game should work. Though I recognize the desire I think we all have is to create a competitive and fun/interesting way to have a community-based shared experience. So I am on board for whatever the community wants to do with regards to what is allowed/not allowed for GotM.

Just playing devil's advocate a bit here.

Side Note: A lot of this may become less relevant with the proposed meta changes to VCs moving to a point based system and deltas between civs, which seems in a way similar to 6's tourism.

 

[Bleidraner]

I agree that infinitely rolling over prod for worlds fair feels like cheese, but you can only do it with that one VC because once you build something it eats all the prod and the others have multiple builds.

Even if you have multiple builds, just getting one of them with this tactic offers a very significant advantage. But reviewing the victory conditions, it is true that the economic condition does not require production, so my post was mistaken.

I am also ready to do whatever the majority prefers.