Anyone uses the Caste System?

[LFaWolf]

I have experimented with other civics but I have never used Caste System. Has anyone used it? How and what do you use it for?

 

[MrUnderhill]

It's extremely useful when you have a bunch of high-population cities and you're trying to get Great People, or when you're low on cash and need merchants. Or you can use it with Pyramids->Representation, like Lord Olleus said while I was typing.

I find it more useful than any other labor civic and always use it when I can.

 

[Finite Monkey]

The unlimited Great Artist and Great Merchants is what I use it for. When going for a particular win (such as cultural) this can really give you a lot of flexibility in your game. That and it comes early enough to allow you to use it for quite awhile without any real competitors.

 

[Corlindale]

I often go with Caste System for the entire game. I love having rep and running alot of specialists, even though it might not be as effective as cottage spamming.
Hiring an artist in new cities also saves you the trouble from having to build cultural buildings before you can expand borders.

It also allows for some specialization in economy - hire Merchants in the city with Wall Street, Scientists in the city with Oxford's, and Artists in the city with the Hermitage to maximize output. It's almost like having seperate commerce slider for each individual city if your economy is specialized.

 

[DrewBledsoe]

The BIGGEST benefit by far (which no-ones mentioned) is that it gives you access to merchants and artists WITHOUT having discovered either currency or drama.

Dependant on your tech tree trip,on marathon, this can be 2000 years or more (last game I founded Code of Laws- allowing caste system) in 760 BC and didnt get drama tell 13th Century AD.

So purely for that reason , in some games in can be an invaluable civic.

 

[MrCynical]

Much as Caste System seems good on paper, I've only once found a game where I had much use for it. A city that's a great people farm usually has enough improvements and wonders to have as many as is sensible of any particular specialist type. The only other one was where I was struggling to reach a cultural victory inside the time limit, so I switched in order to piles 10+ artists into my two great people factories to get some quick great artists to boost the first city to legendary point. That said, the other civics before emancipation aren't very enticing either. I tend to go for slavery as it's cheaper though, and pop-rushing is occasionally useful.