Boy is my face red :(

[Spoonwood]

[Admittedly, though: (1) you've got to spend more in shields to build the military necessary to capture 300 slaves than to build 1 worker; and (2) this strategy is harder to pull off (or justify) if you follow a peaceful builder strategy.]

Yeah... I basically only BUY slaves.

With the flip difficulties, I'll add workers and deal with the slowness from now on.

 

[Aabraxan]

Oh, I also buy them. Forgot about that part.

 

[TheOverseer714]

After you research Replaceable Parts, your slaves work as fast as workers used to. I see so many complain about managing workers, but to me it is no big deal. I have a honed knowledge of worker turns, and I can rail faster than most anyone because of it. Joining slaves is always a bad idea, even from an extinct civ, the upkeep issue is the crowning reason for slaves. Joining native workers saves upkeep and native citizens seem to be happier than foreign ones. A slave saves 1 or more gpt over a native worker(if you are over unit support) and that adds up, especially in a Republic. I'd rather support a military unit than a worker. I might be biased.....

 

[Spoonwood]

Good point about Replaceable Parts Overseer. I generally don't have cash problems though since I build the GL, shut off research, then start researching at a deficit with my stashed cash, and then get rich from selling tech for gpt.

 

[anaxagoras]

Slaves to not get this government increase from what I've seen in my games.

Slaves get neither the democracy bonus nor the industrious bonus. The argument in favor of slaves is and will always be the fact that they are free. Therefore in some sense, it doesn't matter how fast they work, because it is always faster than zero.

 

[Aabraxan]

I remembered another funny story that I thought belonged in this thread. During my first solo All-War game, I picked China for my civ. I also decided to allow myself initial trading and decided that it would be a good idea to build the Great Library. The Americans were the first civ that I met and they found me early. I swapped something for Pottery and their gold, DOW'd and bumped off their scout. So far, so good.

Well, the first war started before I had Iron Working, but I had drawn an early leader, so I hid a bunch of archers under a spear army and continued to play Beat Up Abe. During the course of those festivities, I started the Great Library and met the Persians. I traded stuff with Xerxes, got Iron Working in the deal and DOW'd the Persians. OK. Now I had swords, so I sent them to join the party. So far, so good.

I don't think the Persians had their iron hooked up, because I never faced a single Immortal. Xerxes still didn't have Literature, but they were up on me by 2 or 3 other techs. The Americans had fallen behind me in techs. I finished the GLib. Then, just about the time I finished off the Americans, it hit me: "Wait. The GLib only gives me a tech if that tech is known to two other civs that I know. . . but I only know one civ now."

Oh, well. It really is a nice library.

 

[darski]

. Then, just about the time I finished off the Americans, it hit me: "Wait. The GLib only gives me a tech if that tech is known to two other civs that I know. . . but I only know one civ now."

Oh, well. It really is a nice library.

I love that story. We all do it.