Civ 5: Civilizations/Leaders Wanted!

[Reedstilt]

My version

The Cherokee
Leader: John Ross
Capital: New Echota
Unique Ability: The Cherokee Phoenix -- Gain a free Great Writer with the discovery of Writing and Printing Press. Great Works of Writing provide +1
Unique Building: Newspaper (Zoo) -- +2 as well the usual
Unique Unit: Raven (Scout) -- A bit stonger and more expensive than usual; grants a combat bonus to friendly non-Raven units within Line of Sight. Bonus from Ravens does not stack.

 

[Sheershaw]

Yay, Canada! (I'm not Canadian, I just want to see them as a civ)

As I have no other civs that I have ideas for, I thought that I would take the Khmer and see what I can do with them:

Khmer Empire
Leader: Suryavarman II
UA: Majesty of Angkor
Whenever you capture a city with a World Wonder, receive double tourism there for ten turns. All cities with a wonder receive +50% gold and tourism off international trade routes.
UU: Siege Elephant, replaces Trebuchet. Requires one horse resource. 3 , no rough terrain movement penalty, no cost to set up.
UB-Baray, replaces Granary. +15% when building melee units, +2 when the city is supplying food to another city.

And that is my Khmer idea. My plan is to make them both a domination and cultural civ, able to produce units quickly and have a good reason to take cities. Their bonuses don't take long to kick in, and when they do, they are there for the whole game. Aside from the Siege Elephant (to an extent), the other uniques can be used effectively for both for a small empire and a large empire. So, any feedback? I checked this over, and I don't consider anything to be too OP/UP. That said, I haven't played around with Tourism too much, so I don't know if double tourism for ten turns is too long.

I really like this, but I have one suggestion. When I was brainstorming my own ideas for the Khmer, I had the idea of making the Baray a Unique Improvement, one that would serve as a placeable lake. It would provide an extra food to any farms adjacent to it (it would not stack with the bonuses provided by rivers and lakes).

I dunno. I just like Unique Improvements.

 

[Viregel]

First, I get what you mean with the Khmer trade routes now, and it makes sense. Second, I really liked your comments about the Cherokee. But, before I show you my rewrite, I want to explain something. The Chickamauga appears as a barbarian only outside your territory, so other civs won't try to kill it in your territory. The reason I have them look like barbarians is because it adds a war-like element to what's otherwise a really peaceful civ. So, you can still by good diplomatically as you're razing, pillaging, and generally terrorizing your opponents. Their promoted versions don't look like barbarians anyway, so it's relatively short-lived anyway. I don't want to seem like I'm ignoring you, because I'll fix everything else, but I want to keep the Chickamaugas generally as they are. I hope you like the other stuff I changed.

The Cherokee
Leader: John Ross
Capital: New Echota
UA: Five Civilized Tribes. Tiles that border a different civilization or city-state yield +. If you have an open borders agreement with the civ or are friends with the CS, those tiles provide an additional +, and the city receives a 15% production boost to building science buildings. (Not 15% for each, just in general.) If you have a declaration of friendship with the civ or are allies with the CS, each tile yields and additional + and a 5% boost to science in the city each.
UU: Chickamauga. Replaces longswordsman. Appears as a barbarian longswordsman outside of your territory. Has a promotion that gives it double movement and +15% combat strength on river tiles.
UB: Stomp Grounds. Replaces amphitheater. A Great Work of literature placed in the Stomp Grounds gains + and +2 for each era since it was written. The Great Work only gets this bonus if it was created by the Cherokee.

I think that's a little more complex, but it means that each city can produce a hefty amount of science, with increases depending on how friendly you are with the civ. I did the math a little, and if you expand right and you make friends with your neighbors, that's maybe 15 science per city, with a 25% science boost and the 15% science building production boost. It has the drawback that cities on distant islands or cities in your empire's center don't receive these bonuses, but you really can avoid it if you plan your expansion correctly. It's a natural balance check anyway. What do you think now? If the drawback is too big, I could buff it a little bit. I also could tinker with the Stomp Grounds a little, because I do have some other ideas for it.

As soon as you mentioned "pillage", I took an instant likening to the Chickamauga.

I like the new version, and I don't really have any comments. I would just clarify that the Chickamauga going into other player's territory didn't declare war, neither would pillage. Also, the UA description is quite lengthy, but that's a very minor problem.

 

[phaethon16]

As soon as you mentioned "pillage", I took an instant likening to the Chickamauga.

I like the new version, and I don't really have any comments. I would just clarify that the Chickamauga going into other player's territory didn't declare war, neither would pillage. Also, the UA description is quite lengthy, but that's a very minor problem.

Thanks! I can edit the UA description down a little through re-wording.

 

[Viregel]

Khmer Empire (credit to steveg700)
Leader: Suryavarman II
UA: Majesty of Angkor
Whenever you capture a city with a World Wonder, receive double tourism there for the rest of the game. All cities with a wonder receive +50% gold and tourism when they have a trade route to another civ.
UU: Siege Elephant, replaces Trebuchet. Requires one horse resource. 3 , no rough terrain movement penalty, no cost to set up. Costs 135 .
UB-Baray, replaces Granary. In addition to the normal Granary effects, receive +2 and the ability to supply other cites with via internal trade routes. +15% when building melee units with a slurpus of 10 or more.

 

[phaethon16]

I like the new Baray more, because I think it makes more sense. Now, your population is giving you the extra production, not the other way around. The Siege Elephant was good before, and you didn't change it, and the UA may seem overpowered, but unless you capture a city with buildings like the Louvre, I don't think it's OP. Cool!

 

[Viregel]

I like the new Baray more, because I think it makes more sense. Now, your population is giving you the extra production, not the other way around. The Siege Elephant was good before, and you didn't change it, and the UA may seem overpowered, but unless you capture a city with buildings like the Louvre, I don't think it's OP. Cool!

Sorry, I only just realised that I forgot to up the production. I wasn't completely sure how OP the UA would be, but to me it's between letting the Khmer build the wonder and give them +50% tourism, or build the wonder yourself and let them take you over with 100% tourism. I'll just fix the production now to prevent them from being even more OP than the Siege Tower.

 

[Kurtbob]

Updating my Chola idea.

Chola
Leader: Raja Raja
Capital: Gangaikonda
Start bias: Coast

Unique Building: Gopuram. Replaces Temple. +2 . Religious buildings purchased with faith in this city produce +1 tourism. The Gopuram produces +2 tourism upon discovering Flight. 2 gold maintenance.

(wiki)A Gopuram is a monumental tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of any temple, especially in Southern India. They function as gateways through the walls that surround the temple complex. (/wiki) Since the Gopuram is an entrance to any temple, I figured it should grant a tourism bonus to faith purchased buildings as though it were drawing in more tourists to see the sites behind its entrance.

Spoiler :

Unique Unit: Thirisadai. Replaces Tririeme. Begins with Boarding Party I. While positioned on a naval trade route connected to/from your civilization, that trade route may not be pillaged by barbarian units (stays with unit after upgrade).

The Thirisadai is the largest vessel in the Chola Navy. It was very rugged and carried 400 marines aboard for the purpose of boarding. Like many of the ships of the Chola navy, the Thirisadai was primarily used to curb piracy.

Unique Ability: Sungu. Your sea trade routes have an additional 50% range. When your sea trade route is plundered, there is a 50% chance that the cargo ship will be returned to its home city to be reassigned instead of being lost. Receive a free cargo ship upon discovering Sailing (lost if no coastal city).

The Sungu is the customs and excise branch of the Chola Navy. Its primary purposes were to collect customs, enact maritime law, conduct intelligence of maritime affairs (both domestic and foreign), hiring of pirates, and maintaining the Karaipirivu (coast guard). Giving the Chola longer sea trade routes and a chance to receive plundered cargo ships fits the important role the Sungu played in Chola affairs.

 

[Highly Sassy]

I love that Chola civ! It seems very well-designed in regards to focusing on a few aspects of the game. You know, Egypt=wonders, Siam=city-states, and Chola=naval trade routes. With trade routes being such an integral part of the game now, I think we really could do with a civ that focuses on the more lucrative type. The Thirisadai sounds like a real lifesaver, and Sungu sounds wonderful.

Question: Would you need to upgrade your Thirisadais throughout different eras, or would they still protect your cargo ships from barbarian/rebel Battleships? Maybe they could just scare off barbs at closer tech levels and/or serve as a shield.

 

[Kurtbob]

I love that Chola civ! It seems very well-designed in regards to focusing on a few aspects of the game. You know, Egypt=wonders, Siam=city-states, and Chola=naval trade routes. With trade routes being such an integral part of the game now, I think we really could do with a civ that focuses on the more lucrative type. The Thirisadai sounds like a real lifesaver, and Sungu sounds wonderful.

Question: Would you need to upgrade your Thirisadais throughout different eras, or would they still protect your cargo ships from barbarian/rebel Battleships? Maybe they could just scare off barbs at closer tech levels and/or serve as a shield.

Thanks for the kind words.

The Thirisadais wouldn't need to be upgraded to protect naval trade routes; its ability works regardless of era. However, it would be a good idea to upgrade them so they aren't picked off by more modern ships.

 

[Kurtbob]

Another civ to break up the current India civ. The Chola were the first civ (southern India, Medieval), the Mauryan are below (Northeast India, Classical), and the Mughals will be later (Northwest India, Renaissance).

Civ: Maurya
Leader: Ashoka
Capital: Patalipurta (North East India)

Unique Unit: War Elephant - Same as current war elephant.

Boring, I know. However, the Mauryans did fight against Alexander's Seleucids and prevent further expansion into India using War Elephants, so it fits.

Unique Building: Pillar of Ashoka - Replaces Monument. +2. +10% growth in city while you are at peace.

(wiki) The pillars of Ashoka are a series of columns dispersed throughout the northern Indian subcontinent, erected or at least inscribed with edicts by the Mauryan king Ashoka during his reign in the 3rd century BC. (/wiki) The edicts of Ashoka contain his Buddhist ideals and are symbols of the peace India experienced at the end of Ashoka's reign. The growth bonus is supposed to reward the player who followed a buddhist 'non-violent' path.

Spoiler :

Unique Ability: Land of Ahimsa - When a Mauryan great prophet is born the Mauryans receive 33% of the faith cost back.

(wiki) Ahimsa is an important tenet of most Indian religions (Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism). Ahinsa means kindness and non-violence towards all living things including animals; it respects living beings as a unity, the belief that all living things are connected. (/wiki) I wanted a bonus that illustrated the importance of religion in India without just giving a faith bonus to rivers and buildings. While this bonus does not expedite acquiring your first religion, it does expedite enhancing a religion and building holy sites.

 

[Globular]

I just want new themes in the game.

A colonial Australian civ would be cool because it would represent an entire new continent: kangaroos, Aborigines, didgeridoos, boomerangs, the land down under, etc..

Link to video.


A colonial Mexican civ would also be cool; that's my favorite mestizo culture because it's so unique. You can then make a wild wild west / the Alamo / spaghetti western type scenario.

Link to video.

 

[chrissifniotis]

Now that some time has passed and I've had some log time on BNW I'll revise my Australia civ with some modifications to the last time I tried a BNW Australia idea;

Australia - Menzies
Lucky Country - All Coastal Cities produce +50% :c5tourism: Tourism. The Sea Trade Route bonus increases to triple Gold.
-
Unique Unit: Digger, replacing the Great War Infantry;
290 Production (320 - 30)
44 Combat Strength (50 - 6)
-Promotions and Abilities-
'Enhanced Discipline' (Discipline bonus is doubled to 30%.)
50% of the Combat Strength of killed units convert into Culture

Unique Building: Quay, replacing the Harbor;
135 Production (120 + 15)
2 Maintenance
-
Forms a City Connection to the Capital.
Sea Trade Routes increase range by 50% and produce 2 Gold and :c5tourism: Tourism.
Coast tiles and Sea Resources produce 1 additional Food.
---
Not long ago it occurred to me that the coast of the country is a very attractive part of the land - almost every major city is coastal - so I went with buffing the tourism of coastal cities and any international sea trade route to re-enforce the notion.

We need a tourism icon!

 

[Viregel]

Now that some time has passed and I've had some log time on BNW I'll revise my Australia civ with some modifications to the last time I tried a BNW Australia idea;

Australia - Menzies
Lucky Country - All Coastal Cities produce +50% :c5tourism: Tourism. The Sea Trade Route bonus increases to triple Gold.
-
Unique Unit: Digger, replacing the Great War Infantry;
290 Production (320 - 30)
44 Combat Strength (50 - 6)
-Promotions and Abilities-
'Enhanced Discipline' (Discipline bonus is doubled to 30%.)
50% of the Combat Strength of killed units convert into Culture

Unique Building: Quay, replacing the Harbor;
135 Production (120 + 15)
2 Maintenance
-
Forms a City Connection to the Capital.
Sea Trade Routes increase range by 50% and produce 2 Gold and :c5tourism: Tourism.
Coast tiles and Sea Resources produce 1 additional Food.
---
Not long ago it occurred to me that the coast of the country is a very attractive part of the land - almost every major city is coastal - so I went with buffing the tourism of coastal cities and any international sea trade route to re-enforce the notion.

We need a tourism icon!

Agreed. We do need a tourism icon.

Australia here strikes me as slightly OP, but too reliant on costal cities. I can see what you're going for here, and I know that Australia's population largely live in costal areas, but I think that you need to change the bonuses to make it more adaptable when it's inland. I'd make the UA benefit them in some other way, make the Digger tie into the rest of the uniques a bit more, but I like the Quay. Any tourism bonus for Australia would be good, though. I think that a Cultural victory would be perfect for Australia, but with that amount of tourism, they could be far too OP to mess with. Generally tone down the uniques, give them some other bonuses, any you're good to go. Nice work!

 

[steveg700]

Yay, Canada! (I'm not Canadian, I just want to see them as a civ)

As I have no other civs that I have ideas for, I thought that I would take the Khmer and see what I can do with them:

Khmer Empire
Leader: Suryavarman II
UA: Majesty of Angkor
Whenever you capture a city with a World Wonder, receive double tourism there for ten turns.
UU: Siege Elephant, replaces Trebuchet. Requires one horse resource. 3 , no rough terrain movement penalty, no cost to set up.
UB-Baray, replaces Granary. +15% when building melee units, +2 when the city is supplying food to another city.

And that is my Khmer idea.

Not to make a big thing of it, but your idea seems like a reworking of my original idea from some months past. Sorry if I missed you citing that somewhere.

Current, post-BNW revision:

KHMER
Leader: Jayavarman VII or Suryavarman II
Capital: Angkor Thom

Unique Ability: Majesty of Angkor. Cities building a wonder receive 100% more food or production from internal trade routes. World wonders generate extra for trade routes with other civilizations as if they were resources.
Unique Building: Baray. Requires Engineering, replaces aqueduct. As aqueduct, plus generates +2 food, and has an engineering specialist slot.
Unique Unit: Siege Elephant. Requires Physics, replaces trebuchet.
Cost: 120
Strength: 14
Ranged Strength: 14
Moves: 3
Faster and tougher than the trebuchet it repalces.

I dropped the bonus tourism, since trade routes and tourism have a nebulous, poorly-explained conenction.

You really don't need to add on benefits like ignoring terrain or no setup to a siege engine to make it powerful. A movement of 3 alone is strong because it allows it to move one tile, set up, and fire all in the same turn. That can be quite devastating to a defender.

 

[Kurtbob]

Now that some time has passed and I've had some log time on BNW I'll revise my Australia civ with some modifications to the last time I tried a BNW Australia idea;

Australia - Menzies
Lucky Country - All Coastal Cities produce +50% :c5tourism: Tourism. The Sea Trade Route bonus increases to triple Gold.
-
Unique Unit: Digger, replacing the Great War Infantry;
290 Production (320 - 30)
44 Combat Strength (50 - 6)
-Promotions and Abilities-
'Enhanced Discipline' (Discipline bonus is doubled to 30%.)
50% of the Combat Strength of killed units convert into Culture

Unique Building: Quay, replacing the Harbor;
135 Production (120 + 15)
2 Maintenance
-
Forms a City Connection to the Capital.
Sea Trade Routes increase range by 50% and produce 2 Gold and :c5tourism: Tourism.
Coast tiles and Sea Resources produce 1 additional Food.
---
Not long ago it occurred to me that the coast of the country is a very attractive part of the land - almost every major city is coastal - so I went with buffing the tourism of coastal cities and any international sea trade route to re-enforce the notion.

We need a tourism icon!

Please please please, tourism icon!

Wow, never knew Australia was such a huge tourist destination Also, I think it would be a shame to have an Australia civ idea without something connecting it to the outback.

The UA just seems OP. 50% tourism and triple gold (32 gold!!) from sea trade routes is insane. 50% and no more I say.

Does the digger begin with enhanced discipline or does it receive it after earning the discipline promotion normally? Beginning with 30% combat would be OP and you tack on a culture bonus too.

 

[steveg700]

Another civ to break up the current India civ. The Chola were the first civ (southern India, Medieval), the Mauryan are below (Northeast India, Classical), and the Mughals will be later (Northwest India, Renaissance).

Civ: Maurya
Leader: Ashoka
Capital: Patalipurta (North East India)

Unique Unit: War Elephant - Same as current war elephant.

Boring, I know. However, the Mauryans did fight against Alexander's Seleucids and prevent further expansion into India using War Elephants, so it fits.

Unique Building: Pillar of Ashoka - Replaces Monument. +2. +10% growth in city while you are at peace.

(wiki) The pillars of Ashoka are a series of columns dispersed throughout the northern Indian subcontinent, erected or at least inscribed with edicts by the Mauryan king Ashoka during his reign in the 3rd century BC. (/wiki) The edicts of Ashoka contain his Buddhist ideals and are symbols of the peace India experienced at the end of Ashoka's reign. The growth bonus is supposed to reward the player who followed a buddhist 'non-violent' path.

Spoiler :

Interesting. I'm a fan of busting the Mughals out of India. Sounds like you may have something here.

 

[Viregel]

Not to make a big thing of it, but your idea seems like a reworking of my original idea from some months past. Sorry if I missed you citing that somewhere.

Current, post-BNW revision:

KHMER
Leader: Jayavarman VII or Suryavarman II
Capital: Angkor Thom

Unique Ability: Majesty of Angkor. Cities building a wonder receive 100% more food or production from internal trade routes. World wonders generate extra for trade routes with other civilizations as if they were resources.
Unique Building: Baray. Requires Engineering, replaces aqueduct. As aqueduct, plus generates +2 food, and has an engineering specialist slot.
Unique Unit: Siege Elephant. Requires Physics, replaces trebuchet.
Cost: 120
Strength: 14
Ranged Strength: 14
Moves: 3
Faster and tougher than the trebuchet it repalces.

I dropped the bonus tourism, since trade routes and tourism have a nebulous, poorly-explained conenction.

You really don't need to add on benefits like ignoring terrain or no setup to a siege engine to make it powerful. A movement of 3 alone is strong because it allows it to move one tile, set up, and fire all in the same turn. That can be quite devastating to a defender.

Yes, my idea is pretty much a reworking of yours. As I saw it in the compiled part of the thread, which didn't give you credit as far as I remember, so sorry about that. The UU and UB are fairly generic, but I copied the UA's name off you. I will give you credit immediately.

As for the rework, I like the trade mechanics, but I would just put in some more synergy. I decided on my UA just because Siege Elephant-Conquers Cities, so I put in a bonus for that. The part in your UA about receiving extra food and production while building a wonder is interesting, but I just find it a bit too situational. The part about getting gold off trade routes is good (as you can tell by the fact that I copied it). The Baray is fine, and really helps with both and a lot, so it can be an incredibly powerful UB. The Siege Elephant is good on its own, but doesn't tie in much with the rest of the benefits for the civ, aside from capturing cities with wonders.

Thanks for the idea, and I will delete it if you want me to.

 

[steveg700]

Yes, my idea is pretty much a reworking of yours. As I saw it in the compiled part of the thread, which didn't give you credit as far as I remember, so sorry about that. The UU and UB are fairly generic, but I copied the UA's name off you. I will give you credit immediately.

As for the rework, I like the trade mechanics, but I would just put in some more synergy. I decided on my UA just because Siege Elephant-Conquers Cities, so I put in a bonus for that. The part in your UA about receiving extra food and production while building a wonder is interesting, but I just find it a bit too situational. The part about getting gold off trade routes is good (as you can tell by the fact that I copied it). The Baray is fine, and really helps with both and a lot, so it can be an incredibly powerful UB. The Siege Elephant is good on its own, but doesn't tie in much with the rest of the benefits for the civ, aside from capturing cities with wonders.

Thanks for the idea, and I will delete it if you want me to.

Like I said, it's not a big thing. I forgot that the ideas on the first page aren't credited to sources, so fair enough. Collaboration is a good thing.

If you look at the Khmer in my sig, you'll see a lot more detail about the design and strategy that went into it. Long story short, the Khmer were master builders and engineers.

 

[Viregel]

Like I said, it's not a big thing. I forgot that the ideas on the first page aren't credited to sources, so fair enough. Collaboration is a good thing.

If you look at the Khmer in my sig, you'll see a lot more detail about the design and strategy that went into it. Long story short, the Khmer were master builders and engineers.

Thanks, and after watching that video, I really see why you had that UA.