All Leaders Challenge Game 29: France/De Gaulle
Played with the Beyond the Sword expansion pack
Played with the Beyond the Sword expansion pack

Round 0: Move the Scout
Round 1: 4000 BC to 2720 BC (32 turns)
Round 2: 2720 BC to 1760 BC (24 turns)
Round 3: 1760 BC to 400 BC (33 turns)
Round 4: 400 BC to 540 AD (38 turns)
Round 5: 540 AD to 1110 AD (34 turns)
Round 6: 1110 AD to 1320 AD (21 turns)
Round 7: 1320 AD to 1625 AD (43 turns)
Round 8: 1625 AD - 1898 AD (84 turns)
Post Mortem
Introduction
The idea of the All Leaders Challenge is that games are going to be played with each of the Civ IV leaders. With the help of all the posters who participate, an attempt will be made to make the most of the leader's unique characteristics: traits, starting techs, unit, and building. Aside from the leader, the other game settings are (mostly) kept constant for the sake of comparison. I will post the saved game files, screenshots, and status reports here as the game progresses.
Everyone is invited to offer opinions and advice, and to make your own attempt at playing the same game. But if you do play a "shadow game", I kindly request that you refrain from posting spoilers--i.e. any facts or even hints about the map, opponents, and so on--before I'm there myself. I'm trying to play the game as authentically as possible.
In this ALC game I’ll be playing as De Gaulle of the French. I really like this leader, not for his unique building and unique unit, but for his two awesome traits. I'll try to keep the spirit of the ALCs alive and do something with the unique things the French have to offer, but don't be surprised if they both see limited play. On the other hand, I hope to get lots of mileage out of both of De Gaulle's traits in this ALC.
Traits
Industrious: gives us the ability to build wonders 50% faster than we can normally build them and double production speed of forges. The industrious trait is one of my favorites. I'm a fan both of wonders and of forges and this trait makes them all come quicker. It is worth noting that the wonder building bonuses like marble and stone stack with industrious, meaning that should we see these resources we can build wonders in record times. Forges are extremely useful buildings throughout all of the game. Unfortunately I often have to put off building them longer than I'd like because of their large expense. But at half price, they are much more reasonable. Hopefully, our empire will also contain some gold, silver, or gems making the forge a


Charismatic: gives us +1


Starting Techs: Agriculture and The Wheel
This is probably the best starting tech combination in the game, which is going to make up for the lousy unique stuff. Kossin would be disappointed if I didn't point out that these are the two most expensive early techs and we get them both for free. Other reasons these two techs are awesome is because they are both extremely useful in every game, they're pre-requisites for many other techs, and having them means our workers will always be busy,
Unique Unit: Musketeer
The musketeer is exactly like the musketman except that it has two movement points instead of one. This UU is no oromo, but it's not complete trash. Its two movement ability means that it can be treated like a less powerful, but earlier, cuirassier. If we beeline gunpowder, we might be able to get musketeers early enough for them to serve some purpose. We would do well to remember that we are charismatic, which means that units that were once not so good, now become better quicker.
Unique Building: Salon
The salon is an observatory that gives each city a free artist. This UB is one of the worst in the game, but if we look at the bright side, there are some positive things to say about it. If we are running representation, building a salon gives us not just a 25%


Starting Position
In this ALC game, I'll be playing as De Gaulle, leader of the French, and manager of a major Parisian airport. I'm playing the game using the Beyond the Sword expansion pack and its latest patch. The difficulty level is Emperor, the map is Fractal, and the speed is Normal. I’m leaving all the boxes unchecked except for huts and events, both of which are off. All victory conditions are enabled. If you have any questions about why I picked what I did, feel free to ask.
Here is a more detailed look at the initial game settings:
Here's a reminder as to De Gaulle's unique characteristics:
And, finally, here is the starting position:
Well this start is certainly interesting. I'm not sure if you can tell in the posted picture, but 2N of the warrior is coast. We can see two happiness resources, both of which we can get online pretty early. Also visible is a wet corn, and a lot of riverside grassland.
Points of Discussion
- How do we best use De Gaulle's traits and unique unit and building to lead us to victory?
- What strategies should we think about pursuing short term or long term (like building Stonehenge)?
- Where should we move the warrior?
We'll do similarly to the last ALC and move the warrior before deciding on where to settle. I wait for your thoughts on De Gaulle, the French, and the warrior movement with impatience.