Desert Folklore or Oral Tradition?

[Kalmah]

Can't decide between which I should choose. I feel like a culture game is possible due to OT and the fact that I'm isolated in a little corner cut off by choke points. However I've already put two points in liberty and Ramesses is already hostile towards me so I have no hang ups about destroying him and taking his wonders (I know I can puppet with no extra culture costs).

Feel like this is a game defining choice as to which path I take and I don't want to make a mistake.

http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/615012392340165893/4FCF995482FEBBF26A8FBE2EDA6A52BF7200F41A/

 

[sufficiency]

Of course Desert Folklore. It's a no-brainer.

 

[Karatekid5]

Actually, I'd say go for Goddess of Festivals. Your city will more likely work the Wine tiles than the desert tiles, and you'll get +1 and +1 for each wine (and incense) tile. This way you can get both an early faith bonus and an early culture bonus. The only luxury tile near your capital that wouldn't get a bonus is the spice tile.

 

[sufficiency]

I see at least 8 workable tiles that are deserts. That's +8 faith. More importantly, you will get some of the faith rightaway. Wine only gives bonus gold (even when improved), so working on those tiles are really not that interesting. If you like to constantly work on tiles that are +1food, +1hammer, +4gold, go ahead; but IMO they don't come into play until you have grown significantly.

 

[kaspergm]

Actually, I'd say go for Goddess of Festivals. Your city will more likely work the Wine tiles than the desert tiles, and you'll get +1 and +1 for each wine (and incense) tile. This way you can get both an early faith bonus and an early culture bonus. The only luxury tile near your capital that wouldn't get a bonus is the spice tile.

I'd probably go festivals also, and then make sure to get Monasteries when you found. Desert Folklore will give you more faith though, but Festivals will give you nommy-nommy culture also on these tiles, so if you make sure to expand north soon to grab the incense and then east to grab the wine, you can get some really god-like tiles with these two beliefs combined.

 

[Kalmah]

I forgot about festivals until after I started the thread. There are good arguments for both, I think it all depends on whether or not I should aim for a culture victory.

If I do go culture where should I settle? I'm thinking that grass hill north by the camp to get incense and have a coastal city as well as a bit east to get the wine (no desert there though, all plains) and east of capital to get the other wine.

I see at least 8 workable tiles that are deserts. That's +8 faith. More importantly, you will get some of the faith rightaway. Wine only gives bonus gold (even when improved), so working on those tiles are really not that interesting. If you like to constantly work on tiles that are +1food, +1hammer, +4gold, go ahead; but IMO they don't come into play until you have grown significantly.

I would probably be working them to get early GPT until markets and switch between production and gold when cities are sufficiently grown. What about if I get Petra and festivals to really pimp out my capital? Worthy trade off or not?

Also Mt Kailash is north-east somewhere in a grassy area. Could potentially settle there and offset some of the faith lost by not taking DF.

 

[kaspergm]

It's a bit hard to work out from the picture, but I would probably settle by the river just south-east of the Wheat resource by the reiver immediately north of Rome, claiming that spot before Egypt takes it, and then third city probably to east of Rome, on the coast next to the Oasis, in the spot where the Barb camp currently sits. But settling on the hill on the west coast might also be an option to get the fish, then maybe you can settle a city also east of that one, to claim the Wine and whatever is hiding in the fog.

 

[Zezima]

Goddess of Festivals was also my first instinct. However you are playing Rome, so I say screw culture and go all out expansion regardless of whichever pantheon you choose.

 

[whyidie]

I'd go with desert folklore, pursue the liberty tree and use the engineer to build petra in my 2nd city. The 2nd city would be over by the northern river. Would want to have the mountains within two tiles and maximize the desert hills.

The part I'm not mentioning is when Egypt builds Petra before I get my engineer, and I'm left with two dessert cities...which is very likely depending on the level.

 

[steveg700]

If you're doing faith hardcore, then you should try to generate as much faith as possible, and sooner rather than alter. Desert Folklore is the long-term power move.

Understand, you're not seeing the full picture here until you research Iron Working. There almost certainly muliple deposits to your west.

 

[steveg700]

OK, here's a good one I rolled up as a random map type. Offers a few potent possibilities, pantheonwise. Whaddya think?

http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/576731794527302472/07094A355E52AF3ED6AF9A9749FE2CD14D5A8DDF/1024x576.resizedimage

 

[Seabastian Civ]

Here's my handy flowchart.

Desert Folklore > Messenger of the Gods > Religious Idols > Stone Circles > Faith Healers > Goddess of Love.

In MP, I will usually take Goddess of Protection before Goddess of Love.

So to answer your question, I would take Desert Folklore.

 

[whyidie]

OK, here's a good one I rolled up as a random map type. Offers a few potent possibilities, pantheonwise. Whaddya think?

One of the oddest average rolls I've seen. You're on the only non-tundra part of Tundra Island. Which is offset by the amount of pastures, camps, and luxuries.

I'd take fertility rites

Or Goddess of the Hunt if it were a choice between that and open sky. Pasture locations do make for more interesting city locations though.

 

[steveg700]

It was a shuffle map, which seems to generate an awful lot of islands.

I have yet to find a map I really like. Continents and Continents Plus seem to always generate two continents with the civ's split between them. I'd prefer a more varied map where some guys are on islands by themselves and others share continents. Essentially, earth but not earth.

 

[krc]

It was a shuffle map, which seems to generate an awful lot of islands.

I have yet to find a map I really like. Continents and Continents Plus seem to always generate two continents with the civ's split between them. I'd prefer a more varied map where some guys are on islands by themselves and others share continents. Essentially, earth but not earth.

Try fractal. Sometimes you get one long snaky pangaea. Sometimes you get three or four small continents. The map in my current England story is fractal, and turned out to have four continents (containing 5, 2, 2, and 1 civs, respectively).

 

[sufficiency]

OK, here's a good one I rolled up as a random map type. Offers a few potent possibilities, pantheonwise. Whaddya think?

http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/576731794527302472/07094A355E52AF3ED6AF9A9749FE2CD14D5A8DDF/1024x576.resizedimage

With Egypt, sometimes you can consider Monuments to the Gods and hand-build Stonehedge.

 

[stii]

The issue with taking anything over than desert folk law is then you have to work the wine titles, which are awful.

You'd much rather work an irrigated flood plain tile than a plantation wine tile.

 

[steveg700]

I'd love to see what this map looks like after iron working.

 

[steveg700]

With Egypt, sometimes you can consider Monuments to the Gods and hand-build Stonehedge.

Yeah, that's always a fine go-to pantheon for them.

 

[Unresolved]

If I ever have a suitable desert start, I will always take desert folklore. No exceptions. The culture from pantheons is rather lacking if you ask me.