Chinese Pyramids + X

[EscapedGoat]

I'm having the most fun with CIV VI now trying odd things that are not necessarily most efficient, like Brazil + sacred paths + work ethic (20+ production from a holy site is fun!) Pingala/Oracle GP super city, etc etc - so strategies that are strong, but not necessarily "optimal" play, but that should work reasonably well at least at immortal.

I thought about China which I have not played much. Building the pyramids with 6 charges from 2 workers will net you the pyramids (hard-build the rest in 6 turns it takes to expend the charges), give +1 charge to each remaining worker upon completion (use only 3 charges from each worker) and give you a new worker with 5 charges also upon completion. So it's use 6 charges to gain 7 charges, which is basically an even trade and a "free" wonder. The culture from the pyramids also equates to a monument in terms of yield (and hammers saved).

So once this "gambit" is done, you are either free to start improving tiles, or to use the charges on a new wonder. However, what I think is a good perspective on this is that every third worker you now build, you can essentially get a wonder for free: +2 builder charges vs other civs due to china ability + pyramids and you only need 6 charges to complete a wonder + a little hard-build (or wonder policy card). A lot of the ancient and classical age wonders are pretty good!

Isn't getting a free wonder every 3 builders a pretty darn good civ ability? The main problem with building wonders is the opportunity cost of building them. Doesn't this in a way mostly negate the opportunity cost of building wonders, seeing as you will be building workers anyway (or getting them for free with the ancestral hall upon expansion)?

 

[Vargas1]

I haven't played China to completion in a game, but the challenge with their civ ability (in my limited experience, and based on how others discuss it) is that the opportunity cost of building the wonders still exists. You'll end up getting more wonders than if you hard built them or chopped them in, but if you rush a bunch of early wonders you're still setting yourself behind in building a military, settling new cities, improving your tiles to grow your cities, and building up districts. If you wait and go for the wonders later, then you've negated a portion of the civ ability because the AI will build some of them before you can. So it is a good ability, but not completely smooth sailing.

 

[Equilin]

The main limiting factor is the desert terrain for the pyramids, but i guess you can reroll maps for that huh.
Yes China is incredible with Pyramids.

Although it should be reminded that China ability only works with ancient/classical wonders, and not all of which are useful. Also by building builders you are not buildings settlers or units to guard your civ against barbs, or districts.

 

[EscapedGoat]

It's not a requirement to have desert on your starting patch, but I guess you should have it in city nr. 2 at least? (workers will build the Pyramids). It would help to have stone perhaps for eureka on masonry.

What I think though, is that yes, if you significantly detour from your gameplan to build extremely early or very expensive wonders, it will obviously have opportunity costs.

However, for the sake of argument say that you do not really deviate that much from your normal gameplan which I guess anyway involves building quite an early 2nd city, and getting a couple of workers out relatively soon to improve the tiles.

You then use either the 1st and 2nd worker or your 2nd and 3rd worker (that you would build anyway, right?) for the Pyramid gambit. You have to time the worker construction a bit, and then you send them both off for 6 turns to build the pyramids. Obviously cities should be close. Then they come back with the same charges you expended basically, just spread over 3 workers instead of 2. What have you really lost? you have lost some turns of improved tiles, but gained +2 culture and a permanent boost to all subsequent workers.

What you do after this is up to you: you could play "normally" and have supercharged builders, or you could spend some of the builders on Wonders. it's practically 1.2 builders = 1 wonder. That's cheap for the 400 prod wonders.

 

[Siddharth Venkatesh]

The pyramid gambit works with any civ as long as you can find some forests to chop in the city that is building it. It is 100% worth it to build this wonder if you can for any civ. China has easier access, but actually gains less from a relative standpoint, since gaining 1 charge is a bigger proportional increase when you have fewer charges. I've never felt like I couldn't use more builders with other civs, so even though China does have extra uses for builders, builders are still always useful.

The Pyramids is the best wonder in the game and you should try to build it in every game. With China, I would also try for the Apadana, Oracle, Artemis and the Colosseum for sure, and sometimes Jebel, Petra, Mausoleum, depending on terrain. The other classical and ancient era wonders are pretty mediocre.

In general, I'm not a fan of wonders in civ 6 compared to civ 5. I think some wonders are very nice and impactful but there are far too many mediocre or worse wonders in civ 6, and wonders in civ 5 felt more impactful on the whole.