Best Unrestricted Leader/Civ combo's you've tried

[BARBEERIAN]

Just wondering what some ppl's best combo's of Leader/Civ have been with the new Unrestricted leaders option. I've only played the one game like that so far, but Bismark of India was pretty disgusting. Expansive and Industrious + Fast workers and Mining/Mysticism as starting techs make for probably the best wonderwhore civ.

 

[hgthechinese]

Louis ruling over China (and soon enough the world). go peace, super culture, esp after pavilions; cities w/o building culture can easily achieve 200+; culture victory w/ease before UN. (Epic setting)

 

[Thedrin]

All games of BtS I've played so far have been random leader games with the unrestricted leader option activated. So the following may not be the best overall, but of the handful I've been assigned out of 1768 possible combinations the best is;

Zara Yaqob of the Greeks

I'm still only in the classical age but it's proving to be a powerful combination. The ability to expand rapidly offered by creative and organised (I went for code of laws fairly early) combined with a highly effective city raiding unit - a Vanilla axe; the phalanx. I haven't yet had the chance to build my half price odeons.

 

[GoodSarmatian]

I usually don't play with this option because it ruins balance and takes away a lot of the game's atmosphere but I did try some combinations and Hammurabi of Sumeria is the best so far.
Cheap Barracks and free Combat I for Vultures + double producion speed for the Ziggurat is the ultimate warmonger combo.
It is even better than Boudica of Rome: You can rush much earlier with Vultures than with Pratorians and it won't stress your economy.

 

[Lord_Zath]

I'm DeGaulle of Germany. Aside from the historical irony, it seems to be an interesting combo. Next up, I find a good home for Bismark

 

[GoodGame]

I'm experimenting with Lizzie of China, hoping that the money to culture will get the biggest bang out of the Pavilions, plus quick Great Artists.

 

[Landstander]

Elizabeth of Holy Rome -
financial + spirituality = founding many early religions.
financial + Rathaus = $$$

 

[Gyprsn]

Hammurabi of Sumeria is the best so far..

That's my favorite combination. I usually don't go for very big empires through both conquering and expanding, but with Hammurabi of Sumeria I pick up number 1 in land pretty quickly. I always rush for metal and early ziggurats, then conquer my nearest neighbor with city raiding vultures mixed in with whatever I'm up against (shock, extra combat promotion vs chariots) and usually , it doesn't take too much luck to get an early GG from the conquest either. So for my next war I have vultures with combat III, the second city raider promotion, medic 2 promotions, and the promotion against mounted units to deal with pesky chariots. Maintenance costs are all quickly compensated with rushing ziggurats.

 

[frob2900]

Frederick of Sumeria. Early SE.

 

[Otto von B.]

Boudicca of Rome,again some irony but also very strong praetorians and the chance to win Pangea maps around 1000AD.

 

[Bast]

I haven't played this option. But just had an idea about Victoria of the Netherlands.

Then it'll really be RULE BRITANNIA on an island/archipelago map with the great generals and the East Indiaman and the dikes turning all her empire into the workshop of the work.

 

[jackdog]

Still not sure if this is cheating. I'm probably being silly but I would not congratulate myself anywhere near as much if was bodecia of rome (woud be my first choice) as with a standard combo.

I'm sure its fun and sure will try it some time but it just seems at free starting advantage, do the AI's get to do it too with the settings allowed, would you still try it they had a few of their own combo's to hit you with???????, perhaps this would be fun..

 

[Spearthrower]

I also havent tried it yet (it's not cheating, it is cheesy! ), but it does look fun....

Churchill of the Native American Indians will probably be my first shot, working off the

Totem Poles archery units get +3 experience

Charismatic -25% XP needed for unit promotions

Protective Archery and Gunpowder units receive Drill I and City Garrison I automatically

 

[Admiral Willem]

Elizabeth of the Dutch
Tokugawa of the Ottomans (It's like giving Jannisaries steroids)

I do really enjoy playing a game with unrestricted leaders and random personalities. Makes for a truly unique game.

 

[Admiral Willem]

Still not sure if this is cheating. I'm probably being silly but I would not congratulate myself anywhere near as much if was bodecia of rome (woud be my first choice) as with a standard combo.

I'm sure its fun and sure will try it some time but it just seems at free starting advantage, do the AI's get to do it too with the settings allowed, would you still try it they had a few of their own combo's to hit you with???????, perhaps this would be fun..

Some of the AIs *will* have insane leader/civ combinations and they make for some interesting/fun/challenging antagonists. Some of the AIs will have crappy combinations, so this balances out.

If you want to get rid of that "I'm cheating" feeling, compensate for your awesome selection with a higher difficulty.

 

[DarkSchneider]

The most obvious overpowered combo is Darius of the HRE. It's easier to get a starting religion, and once you get CoL, your have the power of 75% courthouses, Organized and Financial together. Which means you should have a tech lead for the rest of the game.

 

[SkippyT]

Like someone pointed out, Hammurabi of Sumeria is more than overpowered. Super-Vultures and extremely cheap Ziggurats who cost less than granaries.

 

[Landmonitor]

I haven't played with random leader/civ combinations yet, but I think putting any financial leader on Portugal is probably broken, especially on Archipelago maps. Make it HC for the most severe leverage (IIRC he is Ind/Fin), since he can build a cheap Forge, whip up the Collossus extra quick even without copper, and once the UB is built, that's five commerce per water tile. Previously only possible during a golden age. Since you get Custom Houses and the ability to transport any kind of unit at optics, this would probably make it worth delaying Astronomy for as long as possible. The overseas empire would be much easier to support with an economy on the scale that this would generate.

Again, this is situational to water-heavy maps, but Boudica of Rome is arguably equally situational in needing iron and being on a Pangea/Lakes/Flat map to get the full effect.

 

[krille]

Wahaha. I was playing OCC @ Deity, and randomed Huayna Capac (Financial/Industrious) as Portugal with four x sea food + one x pigs and some additional six to eight water tiles for my capital, and guess what? Upon discovering Bronze Working I noticed I'd lucked BRONZE RIGHT UNDER MY CAPITAL! After trading for Metal Casting, getting The Colossus was a breeze. I was semi-tech leader for a long time.

 

[Stuck in Pi]

I've done Churchill as the Chinese (very scary Cho-Ku-Nu), or Hannibal of the Byzantines (haven't gotten to far there). But the first is very scary with them Cho-Ku-Nu.