Civ VI Leader Pass 2

[Hellenism Salesman]

it was far enough frm Paris that a mob from the city would hav trouble getting to it

And yet…

 

[Aurelesk]

The more I think about it, the idea of a Leader Pass #2 is implausible. Not because the game is finished (Anthology...). But if they were planning a new Pass, they will try to renew the formula instead of copying it.

The April 2021 update was almost an expansion on its own, with Balance change and new units such as the Trebuchet, the Man-At-Arms and the Line Infantry. I could clearly see they focus a new expansion on new units and balance for example.

For example, a Pass about Naval unit:

Spoiler :

The “Naval Melee” unit class would have the most Movement and would not require Strategic Resource. It would also enjoy from the “Escort Mobility” trait, which grants to units in formation to inherit all escort’s Movement speed. Its updated role is to explore, escort and, later on, protect against Naval Raiders. The new units are:

• Trireme: A new classical era Naval Melee unit unlocked with Shipbuilding. It allows a better bridge from the Galley to the Caravel.
• Modern Destroyer: A new information era Naval Melee unit unlocked with Lasers. It allows the unit line to have a proper end unit. Yeah, the name is really bad.

The “Naval Ranged” unit class would be slower but a deadly naval unit. Its role is to attack, either cities or land units. Should it have Bombard damage instead? The new units are:

• Cog: A new medieval era Naval Ranged unit unlocked with Education. It allows a better bridge from the Quadrireme to the Frigate.
• Dreadnought: The modern Naval Ranged units that replaces the Battleship. It works the same, except it has a new model, so we can use the Battleship as an Oil-based post-WWII unit. Even if a Dreadnought IS just as type of Battleship...
• Battleship: An “new” atomic era Naval Ranged unit unlocked with Rocketry. It allows a better bridge from the Dreadnought to the Missile Cruiser.

The “Naval Raider” unit class would not require Strategic Resource. It would have a significant increase in Ranged Strength, but lower Melee Strength. It also suffers from a penalty from attacking Cities and land units. Its role is to raid the coast and attack other Naval units.

• Torpedo Boat: A new industrial era Naval Raider unit unlocked with Economics. It allows a better bridge from the Privateer to the Submarine.

The "Naval Carrier" could have an ultimate version that would a sort of GDR of the Sea. Something like:

• Nuclear Carrier: A new information era Naval Carrier unit unlocked with Nuclear Fusion. It requires 1000 Production and 3 Uranium as strategic maintenance. It is a 100 Melee Strength unit with 7 Movement. It can carry 4 Air units, but cannot combine into Fleet or Armada. Something like that?

Embarked units could have +1 Movement at Mathematics, but Steam Power would only give +1 Movement instead of 2, so they would not be so sluggish in the early game to cross or even explore. The Melee promotion "Amphibious" could also give +1 or +2 Movement when embarked, and/or +5 or +10 Combat Strength when embarked too.

There are a lot of changes, so they could split it into 2. One around the Naval Melee and its rework, the Naval Carrier, and the Embarkation tweak. The other around the Naval Ranged, the Naval Raider and their rework. Maybe some unique unit should be changed accordingly. The Norwegian Longship could be a Trireme replacement, or the Indonesian Jong could be a Cog replacement.

If there is such a focus on the Naval side, they should also implement new Civilizations, Leaders or Personas linked to that side. Yet… I am running out of ideas. I can see Venice coming back with a Galleass as a Cog replacement, or a warlike Sejong Persona with a Panokseon as a Cog replacement, or the famous Turtle Ship as an earlier Caravel.

Or a Pass about Recon units:

Spoiler :

Recon units could be stronger and more sturdy with an increased Melee Strength. They could use it for Melee attack just like the Immortal unit. The change should make the unit more useful for exploration without dying prematurely, or escorting Civilian units more effectively. Clearing or dispersing a Barbarian Outpost would grant 5 XP. Their Promotion table has been changed accordingly, as it should no longer rely on the Ambush promotion to perform.

• I - Ranger: Faster Movement in Woods, Rainforest and Marsh terrain.
• I - Alpine: Faster Movement on Hill terrain.
• II - Sentry: +1 sight range. Can see through Woods and Rainforest. (fusion with Spyglass)
• II - Survivalism: +10 Combat Strength when defending. +5 HP healed per turn outside of friendly territory. (weaker Ambush and split to focus on defense, nod to Civilization V’s Survivalism)
• III - Camouflage: Only adjacent enemy units can reveal this unit. Ignores Zones of Control.
• III - Ambush: +10 Combat Strength when attacking. Can move after attacking. (weaker and split to focus on offense, fusion with Guerrilla)
• IV - March: +1 Movement. Heals at the end of every turn, even if it moves or attacks.

Here a draft of the new Recon line, with both updated units and the new units:

• Scout: It requires 25 Production (-5).
  • Okihtcitaw: It requires 35 Production (-5), and keeps all its abilities. It upgrades to the Skirmisher but becomes obsolete with Exploration civic instead of Defensive Tactics civic.
• Skirmisher: It is available earlier in the Classical era with the Defensive Tactics civic. It requires 100 Production (-50). It has 25 Melee (+5) and Ranged (-5) Strength, 3 Movement, and 1 Range.
  • Warak'aq: It is also available earlier in the Classical era with the Defensive Tactics. It requires 115 Production (-50). It has 25 Melee (+5) and 35 Ranged (-5) Strength, 3 Movement, and 1 Range. It upgrades to the Explorer but becomes obsolete with Rifling technology instead of the Exploration civic.
• Explorer: A new Renaissance era unit unlocked with the Exploration unit. It requires 200 Production. It has 40 Melee and Ranged Strength, 3 Movement, and 1 Range.
• Ranger: It requires 360 Production (-20). It has 55 Melee (+10) and Ranged (-5) Strength, 3 Movement, and 1 Range. It has access to the Priority Target ability (new).
• Spec Ops: It requires 520 Production. It has 70 Melee (+10) and Ranged (+5) Strength, 3 Movement, and 2 Range. It has access to the Priority Target and the Paradrop ability.
• XCOM Squad: A new Information era unit unlocked with Nanotechnology. It requires 720 Production. It has 85 Melee and Ranged Strength, 4 Movement and 2 Range. It has access to the Priority Target and the Skyranger ability (Skyranger: may Paradrop up to 12 tiles away, or 20 if next to an Aerodrome or a Airstrip).

New production cards should be implemented, and Recon units should enjoys from the +25% XP from Barracks, Armories and Military Academies.

The Recon rework would work well with North America focus. It would allow the addition of the Iroquois and give them a more warlike Recon unit. Samuel de Champlain could be an alternative leader of Canada with a Coureur de Bois as a unique Explorer unit.

Or one around a the Cavalry. They could even introduce a new line!

Spoiler :

The Cavalry line would be the one with Strategic maintenance. In the early game, it should be Horses, then switch to Oil.

The Light Cavalry is mostly unchanged. But instead of requiring 20 Horses for units to be produced, it should instead have 1 Horse per turn. It also means you could train it early without having a ton of Horses, but then suffers from lack of Horses penalty quickly.

• Horseman: This unit is too powerful, which leads to a lot of rush that the Spearman cannot protect against. The Combat Strength is reduced to 30, which is fair since the unit can be produced earlier without waiting to stockpile 20 Horses.
• Light Tank: A new modern era unit unlocked with the Combustion technology. It allows a better bridge from the Cavalry to the Helicopter. It is mostly based on a Reconnaissance Tank. Which isn’t a combat tank, but I have run out of ideas.
• Helicopter: It is available later in the Information era with the Stealth Technology. I see it requiring 680 Production (+80) with Oil as Strategic maintenance instead of Aluminium, 90 Melee Strength (+4) and 5 Movement (+1). It allows the unit line to have a proper end unit.

The Heavy Cavalry is absurdly strong too. It will stay strong, but at the cost of having 2 Strategic resources requirements: 1 for the cost as Iron or Aluminium, and 1 for the maintenance as Horses or Oil.

• Destrier Rider → Cataphract: A new classical unit unlocked with the Construction technology. It requires 100 Production, 20 Iron and 1 Horse per turn. It would be a 35 Melee Strength unit with 4 Movement that ignore Zones of Control. Yeah, the name is bad. But it conveys the idea of mounted strong horse but not organized as in the Medieval era. Basically, a little more costly Swordsman with 4 Movement.
• Knight: It requires 200 Production (-20), 20 Iron and 1 Horse per turn. It keeps its 50 Melee Strength. It used to be insanely powerful because it was easy to access early, thus the Apprenticeship requirement added. With the introduction of 2 Strategic ressources as requirement and the Destrier Rider unlocked at Construction, maybe its technological requirement should be eased a bit? Like switching the Apprenticeship technology to Construction as requirement instead?
• Tank: It requires 560 Production (+80), 20 Iron and 1 Oil per turn. It has 80 Melee Strength (-5). This unit is either too cheap, too strong or too fast for the era. So it needed to be put in check.
• Modern Armor: It requires 760 Production (+80), 20 Aluminium and 1 Oil per turn. It keeps its 95 Melee Strength, and has 5 Movement (+1). As an ultimate unit, this sounds norma. It does require to update the Modern AT accordingly to be at 90 Melee Strength (and 680 (+100) Production).

A "new" unit class should be introduced: the Ranged Cavalry. It is basically the Ranged unit with more Movement. It should better link the Ranged Cavalry together such as the Egyptian Maryannu Chariot Archer, the Scythian Saka Horse Archer, or the Mongolian Keshig into the same line. It requires a whole new Promotion class. It would also rejoin an already existing unit class… the Air Fighter. Hear me out. It sounds weird, because it is. But being able to hit and run while being “unreachable” is basically both the theme of the Ranged Cavalry and the Air Fighter lines. To be fair, they should upgrade into Tank, as basically every Cavalry units, but at least it give a diversion path. It leads a lot of problems: how to upgrade into a Biplane? How to deal with Corps and Army? What about +XP% from Encampment? What about a Promotions?
I think it needs to introduce a new City-Center building that allow to slot 1 Air unit in order to encourage people to upgrade their Ranged unit. Like a "Airfield" buiding, which would be costly and high maintenance. Therefore, a new special mechanic should be added to only allow to upgrade a Ranged Cavalry into Air Fight if in City-Center, Airstrip or Aerodrome. In order to bypass the Corps and Army problem, I guess we should prevent the Ranged Cavalry class from forming Corps and Army entirely (not a perfect solution, but doable since Carrier does it). Which might be a handicap for the Industrial era Ranged Cavalry which is supposed to enjoy from Nationalism, or from Cultural player ahead in the Culture tree. The +XP% isn't as much a problem as an upgraded unit cannot enjoy the modifier from both the Encampment's and the Aerodrome's building at once.
So it needs a new Promotion class that units both lines and be useful to both. Which I don't provide yet.

• Chariot Archer: A new classical era unit unlocked with the Horseback Riding technology. It requires 80 Production and 1 Horse per turn (+1). It is a 20 Melee Strength and 25 Ranged Strength unit with 3 Movement and 1 Range. It ignores Zones of Control but suffers from -17 CS against district defense and naval units. It upgrades to the Horse Archer.
  • Maryannu Chariot Archer: Unlocked earlier at Wheel, it requires 80 Production (-10) but 1 Horse per turn. It is a 20 Melee Strength (-5) and 25 Ranged Strength (-10) unit with 3 Movement (+1) and 2 Range. It ignores Zones of Control but suffers from -17 CS against district defense and naval units. It upgrades to the Horse Archer instead of the Crossbowman.
  • Saka Horse Archer: It requires 80 Production (-20) and 1 Horse per tun (+1). It is a 23 Melee Strength (+3) and 28 Ranged Strength (+3) unit with 4 Movement and 1 Range. It ignores Zones of Control but suffers from -17 CS against district defense and naval units. It upgrades to the Horse Archer instead of the Crossbowman.
• Horse Archer: A new medieval era unit unlocked with the Stirrups technology. It require 160 Production and 1 Horse per turn. It is a 35 Melee Strength and 40 Ranged Strength unit with 4 Movement and 2 Range. It ignores Zones of Control but suffers from -17 CS against district defense and naval units. It upgrades to the Dragoon.
  • Keshig: It requires 1 Horse per turn instead of 10 Horses. It is a 40 Melee Strength (+5) and 45 Ranged Strength unit with 4 Movement and 2 Range. It ignores Zones of Control but suffers from -17 CS against district defense and naval units. When in formation, shares its Movement with all units in the formation. It upgrades to the Dragoons.
• Dragoon: A new industrial era unlocked with the Ballistics technology. It requires 300 Production and 1 Horse per turn. It is a 50 Melee and 55 Ranged Strength unit with 4 Movement and 2 Range. It ignores Zones of Control but suffers from -17 CS against district defense and naval units. It upgrades to the Biplane. The Dragoon are the least bad industrial Ranged Cavalry unit I could find.
• Fighter: Requires Oil instead of Aluminium. Consumes Oil only when moving, attacking or patrolling.
• Jet Fighter: Requires Oil instead of Aluminium. Consumes Oil only when moving, attacking or patrolling.

I would love it introduce a new mechanic that would increase the Movement of non-cavalry unit such as:

• Ride (requires Horseback Riding): Grants the ability to Ride to land non-cavalry units. When activated, grants +1 Movement but consumes 1 Horse per turn. Can be deactivated. Cannot be used at the same time as the Motorize ability.
• Motorize (requires Combustion): Grants the ability to Motorize to land non-cavalry units. When activated, grants +2 Movement but consumes 1 Oil per turn. Can be deactivated. Cannot be used at the same time as the Ride ability.

If the Ranged Cavalry unit line is added, I think it would be an opportunity to add Morocco back with some Camel Archer or Berber Cavalry back. The Huns are also thematic. France could have Louis XIV which used its "Missionary" Dragoon as a way to "convert" the Huguenot families back to Catholicism. Which was highly detrimental, and vastly regarded as the time where the European primary power shifted from France to England... See Dragonnades to know more.

There a ton of unit which can been added. The Pike and Shot could be unlocked at Rifling in the Industrial era, so that the Halberdier would be the Renaissance unit, to have a smooth power progression (and defend better against Cuirassier, and not be defenseless againt Tanks when we didn't unlocked the AT crew yet). But... except if they are introducing Vatican City with the Swiss Guard, I don't see how the unit could introduce a new Civilization, Leader or Persona.

Infantry could have its Oil requirement removed and be a 70 Melee Strength unit again, but introduce Modern Infantry unit with 80 Melee Strength with Combined Arms. It would feel like the Great War Infantry vs Infantry in Civilization V, but it is somewhat coherent. Napoléon III or Charles de Gaulle could be introduced with its Foreign Legion if the change has been made.

A ton of Ranged unit can be introduced such as Composite Bowman (Iron Working?), Hand Cannon (Gunpowder? it could be a Crouching Tiger replacement), Gatling Gun (Replaceable Parts), and Bazooka (Guidance Systems) so that we could possibly make their Ranged Strength weaker by 5 since they are easily upgradable. But some of them were not really vastly used to justify their creation. Apart from English Longbowman for the Composite Bowman, I don't see how those unit could introduce a new Civilization, Leader or Persona.

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

Destrier Rider: A new classical unit unlocked with the Construction technology. It requires 100 Production, 20 Iron and 1 Horse per turn. It would be a 35 Melee Strength unit with 4 Movement that ignore Zones of Control. Yeah, the name is bad. But it conveys the idea of mounted strong horse but not organized as in the Medieval era. Basically, a little more costly Swordsman with 4 Movement.

You can use the name Cataphract.

 

[Lord Lakely]

Then you can't have alternate leaders really.

You can, if you go by Age of Empire 4's system of "variant civilizations" :3

Imagine it as a reskin of an existing Civ, with its own bonuses and flavour. Maybe not an ideal fit for Civ 6 but for Civ 7? Why the heck not?