Design your own Civ VI civ

[Patine]

Hello everyone. I'm back for a while after a long russian war-induced hiatus with a new civ in mind. Today I'd like to tacke a civilization which, in my opinion, should've been added to the main roster - Kyivan Rus, or just Rus, to be more academically correct. Having russia as the only representation of this fascinating and immensely significant culture is just awful and never make any sense to me - like Mussolini's Italy representing the Roman Empire.
Now, with this in mind, lets get to it. I'm not entirely sure about balancing, I haven't played for more than a year, so feel free to correct me and drop any suggestions and feedback of general sorts. Also I could use a bit of help with the wording of descriptions, I feel like they don't sound very smooth.

Civilization: (Kyivan) Rus
Civilization Ability: "From Varangians to Greeks"
Founding or conquering Cities on Rivers or Lakes provides Gold and a free Trading Post. Each Trading Post grants additional 1 Gold, as well as 1 Culture and 1 Faith to traders passing through them. Land military units ignore terrain penalties when moving near Rivers.

Unique Unit: Druzhina
Replaces Man-At-Arms. Can be immediately purchased with Gold or Faith.

Unique Building: Pogost
Replaces Market. Always provides +1 Trade Route Capacity, as well as Faith equal to Commercial Hub's adjacency bonus.

Leader 1: Yaroslav the Wise
LUA1: Districts provide +0.5 GPP and +1 of their primary yields per Governor's title. +20% Production towards constructing buildings and wonders with Great Work slots.

Leader 2: Volodymyr the Great
LUA2: Receive Production, Culture and Science proportional to the number of citizens when first converting your own cities to religion and Gold when converting foreign cities. Upon purchasing a Religious Unit or a building, 30% of the Faith cost is refunded.

Leader 3: Sviatoslav the Brave (WIP)
LUA 3: Land military units earn Gold when killing units and heal more HP when outside of owned territory.

Given your location on your avatar and your opening statement, I'm almost hesitant to point this out, but the Kievan Rus', as I understand it, is ancestral to all Eastern Slavs - Ukrainians, Russians, Belarusians, the extinct Ruthenians, and the very-small-in-number Rusyns - before they were distinguished from each other by anything but petty principalities. Of course, I understand this historical epoch/region was become somewhat of a focal point of Revisionist Ukrainian Nationalism (at least here in Alberta, where we have VERY amounts large of Ukrainian-Canadian citizens, and the world's first Holodomyr monument here in Edmonton, which I literally walk by almost every day), seemingly because of Kiev being the central and, "grand," principality. I understand you didn't specifically say, yourself, it was a strictly Ukrainian representation, I'm just hoping for historical accuracy, that is meant to portray the situation that Russian and Ukrainian as distinctions were alien concepts in the Kievan Rus' that would not be seen for many centuries from that point. I'm trying to be as delicate, yet historian-y, as I can, here.

 

[Problemedical]

Given your location on your avatar and your opening statement, I'm almost hesitant to point this out, but the Kievan Rus', as I understand it, is ancestral to all Eastern Slavs - Ukrainians, Russians, Belarusians, the extinct Ruthenians, and the very-small-in-number Rusyns - before they were distinguished from each other by anything but petty principalities. Of course, I understand this historical epoch/region was become somewhat of a focal point of Revisionist Ukrainian Nationalism (at least here in Alberta, where we have VERY amounts large of Ukrainian-Canadian citizens, and the world's first Holodomyr monument here in Edmonton, which I literally walk by almost every day), seemingly because of Kiev being the central and, "grand," principality. I understand you didn't specifically say, yourself, it was a strictly Ukrainian representation, I'm just hoping for historical accuracy, that is meant to portray the situation that Russian and Ukrainian as distinctions were alien concepts in the Kievan Rus' that would not be seen for many centuries from that point. I'm trying to be as delicate, yet historian-y, as I can, here.

Ethogenesis and national ancestry is a very complicated and convoluted topic, one which I'm not going to attempt to claim any real expertise in. I'm not denying russia it's ties to parts of Rus, I'm just saying that having russia Civ without Rus is like having Italy without Rome, especially considering the "Third Rome" ideology and russian historiographic tendencies to do exactly that - deny Ukrainians and Belarusians their equal footing in terms of ethnic genesis from Rus. I'm also not saying that Rus should be represented by a Ukrainian civ with Kozaks and Sich. I'm aware of the dangerous folly of extrapolating modern political dispositions onto thousand years-old history (I wish our north-eastern neighbours also were, but well, we got what we got).

Also I'm using the academically incorrect russian-derived term Kyivan Rus partly because it's still much more familiar to western audicences (heck, even here in Ukraine we still widely use this term in our national history curricula), and partly because I legitimaly worry a lot of people will have some difficulties discerning between Rus and russia. I was initially tempted to use Latin derivative of Greek "Rossiya", i.e. "Ruthenia", but this name has other historical and ethnic connottions already attached to it.

 

[Bonyduck Campersang]

Monty Python Empire
Unique Ability: Flying Circus: Receive Amenities whenever a Great Person is expended. Can purchase Sketches with culture, which provide tremendous amount of cultural influence.
Leader: John Cleese
Leader Ability: You B------!: Denouncing or getting denounced by other civs generates Great Artist, Musician, Writer points, and has a chance of providing a culture boost as well.
Unique Unit: The Knight Who Says Ni: When defending, has a chance to send enemy unit 2 tiles away, without cost to its own movement.
Unique Building: Ministry of Silly Walks: Every unit trained trained in this city provides a small fractional value of amenities/culture for every tile it moves.

 

[Bonyduck Campersang]

Some ideas for a Leader Pass focusing on Indian history (no, Firaxis, this is NOT for you, go back to making Civ VII):

Ranjit Singh
Leader Ability: Lion of Punjab: Bonus to military unit production for cities with faith-related buildings. No combat malus for attacking across river. Gain access to the Nihang unique unit.

Tipu Sultan
Leader Ability: Tiger of Mysore: Bonus to science when at war with a more technologically advanced civilization. Gain access to the War Rocket unique unit.
Unique Unit: War Rocket: Ranged unit with devastating attack, but weak defense.

Sher Shah Suri
Leader Ability: Grand Trunk Road: Cities connected to the capital have increased production and gold yields, as well as amenities.

Rajendra Chola
Leader Ability: Bringer of the Ganges: Receive boosts to production and faith in all cities for every 3rd enemy unit of a major civilization killed. Upon conquering a city, receive a one-time boost to producing either a settler or a Wonder in the capital. Gain access to the Kalam, which replaces the Galley.

Akbar
Leader Ability: Din-e-Ilahi: 25% boost to Great Persons in cities with 3 or more religions. Can construct worship buildings for any religion in the empire in any city. Gain access to the Farsakh Cannon, which replaces the Bombard.
Unique Unit: Farsakh Cannon: Can fire at a range of 3 tiles.

Shah Jahan
Leader Ability: King of the World: Reduced cost for Wonder production during Golden and Heroic Ages, and Wonders give more than usual amount of Era Score. Gain access to the Qila unique improvement and Bagh unique building.
Unique Improvement: Qila: Unlocked at Castles. Provides defensive bonus for stationed units, as well as +1 culture and tourism points.
Unique Building: Bagh: Cannot be built more than one tile away from fresh water source. Provides culture, tourism and Great Person generation bonus.

Shivaji
Leader Ability: ???: Forts have ¼ of the usual maintenance cost, and provide +15 combat bonus to an Indian unit, but usual +10 combat bonus for enemy units. No build cost for constructing fort on coastal tiles. Gain access to the Pal, which replaces the Caravel.

Vikramaditya VI: Leader Ability: Tribhuvanamalla: Receive a Governor promotion every time you sign a Declaration of Friendship. Increased Great Writer, Great Scientist, and Great Artist points during peacetime.

Krishnadevaraya: Leader Ability: Ashtadiggajas: Bonus to Great Writer generation in cities not founded by India. Also receive a free Great Work of Writing each time you conquer an enemy capital.

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

Akbar
Leader Ability: Din-e-Ilahi: 25% boost to Great Persons in cities with 3 or more religions. Can construct worship buildings for any religion in the empire in any city. Gain access to the Farsakh Cannon, which replaces the Bombard.
Unique Unit: Farsakh Cannon: Can fire at a range of 3 tiles.

Shah Jahan
Leader Ability: King of the World: Reduced cost for Wonder production during Golden and Heroic Ages, and Wonders give more than usual amount of Era Score. Gain access to the Qila unique improvement and Bagh unique building.
Unique Improvement: Qila: Unlocked at Castles. Provides defensive bonus for stationed units, as well as +1 culture and tourism points.
Unique Building: Bagh: Cannot be built more than one tile away from fresh water source. Provides culture, tourism and Great Person generation bonus.

Some of these are similar to my Mughal design, especially the Qila (though I have it as a building that generates culture/tourism if built in a conquered city, and even more if it's a former capital, and the Farsakh Cannon (as a Bombard Replacement).

 

[DeckerdJames]

I don't have any details. I only have a general idea of a civilization.

The idea of a civilization that only uses green energy and nuclear power. It won't use coal or oil. It won't harvest anything living on land or sea. These are pretty drastic disadvantages and maybe there should be more added, but the civilization also receives drastic advantages. They get green energy technology earlier but it is less effective until the time when it would normally be discovered. They get bonuses when producing the Recapture Carbon city project. They get an advantage applied across the space program. They get an advantage that affects the Send Aid city projects somehow. They could get diplomatic advantages in other ways and would be geared towards a diplomatic or space race victory.

edit: Details

1. When multiple river names are on a hex tile, their commercial hub gets (double river adjacency bonus) +2 for each river name. They like to live near floodplains (especially river floodplains), lakes, and the sea. The more water the better. They also love the desert that makes glass just as much. Water resources provides +4 faith. Desert Hills provide +2 production.

 

[Patine]

I don't have any details. I only have a general idea of a civilization.

The idea of a civilization that only uses green energy and nuclear power. It won't use coal or oil. It won't harvest anything living on land or sea. These are pretty drastic disadvantages and maybe there should be more added, but the civilization also receives drastic advantages. They get green energy technology earlier but it is less effective until the time when it would normally be discovered. They get bonuses when producing the Recapture Carbon city project. They get an advantage applied across the space program. They get an advantage that affects the Send Aid city projects somehow. They could get diplomatic advantages in other ways and would be geared towards a diplomatic or space race victory.

What, is this a New Age/Hippy civ communing with Pleideans for such tech gifts?

 

[DeckerdJames]

What, is this a New Age/Hippy civ communing with Pleideans for such tech gifts?

Maybe they think so. Maybe they have been polishing glass for ages and they think the Pleideans live in an alternate dimension of the same reality and it can be glimpsed in the sunlight in the reflections they see in the glass. The reflections are hard to make out because you also see light through the glass. "The Seeing Glass", they call it. Somehow, over the ages they figure out solar power and now they are convinced that the Pleideans are with them.

 

[Caesar of Bread]

First actual post here so...
John Lennon leads England in Civilization VI

John Lennon:
Leader Ability: I Am The Walrus - 1.5x culture points per district providing amenities.
Leader Agenda: Imagine - Likes nations that share his ideology. Dislikes nations with opposing ideologies.

 

[Patine]

First actual post here so...
John Lennon leads England in Civilization VI

John Lennon:
Leader Ability: I Am The Walrus - 1.5x culture points per district providing amenities.
Leader Agenda: Imagine - Likes nations that share his ideology. Dislikes nations with opposing ideologies.

Does ANY nation, realistically, share his ideologies?

 

[Caesar of Bread]

I don't know of any other leader agenda that could work well, so...
yeah, I'd think of John Lennon as a choice for England. Mr. Bean should obviously be the leader of England

 

[Caesar of Bread]

I'd be happy to hear if you have a better leader agenda.

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

First actual post here so...
John Lennon leads England in Civilization VI

John Lennon:
Leader Ability: I Am The Walrus - 1.5x culture points per district providing amenities.
Leader Agenda: Imagine - Likes nations that share his ideology. Dislikes nations with opposing ideologies.

If you're going to put John Lennon as the leader, I feel you'd need to add in something about Rock bands producing diplomatic favor when they perform a concert.
His agenda should be more on the lines of likes civs that produce much diplomatic favor, and does not participate in wars.

 

[Caesar of Bread]

Leader Agenda: War Is Over - Likes nations that have multiple rock bands. Dislikes nations that participate in war.

 

[Zaarin]

Does ANY nation, realistically, share his ideologies?

I'm not sure I'd describe "drug-addled" as an ideology so much as a state of mind.

 

[Caesar of Bread]

I am referring to his avid ideas of utopian leftism and pacifism, some ideas that I happen to share.

 

[Zaarin]

That's what I said. (I flirt with pacifism--or its less radical cousin, nonviolence--but democide and police state is the only route to utopianism.)

 

[Caesar of Bread]

France for Civilization VII

Unique Ability - Belle Epoque: 2x culture points when your nation is not at war.
Unique Unit - Musketeer
Unique Infrastructure - Gothic Cathedral (or Buttress Cathedral): Replaces some kind of faith thing. +3 faith points when near a city center.

Henry IV "The Good"
Leader Ability - Paris Is Worth A Mass: +2 culture points per city converted to your religion.
Leader Agenda - Edict of Nantes: Likes nations that use their own religion. Dislikes nations that force religion upon other nations.

Phillip II Augustus
Leader Ability - First King of France: All units gain experience when a war starts.
Leader Agenda - Normandy Campaigns: Likes nations that retake land that they previously lost. Dislikes nations that keep on losing land.

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

Unique Infrastructure - Butresses: +3 faith points when near a city center.

Why a Butress as it's unique infrastructure? Is it just because of Notre Dame, because buttresses are found all over? What would it replace or look like?

 

[Boris Gudenuf]

Why a Butress as it's unique infrastructure? Is it just because of Notre Dame, because buttresses are found all over? What would it replace or look like?

Buttresses are found all over Now, but the first "Gothic" church using them was the Church of St Denis, in Paris, France in 1136 CE.
Since the buttress' (flying buttress, to be exact) is just an architectural feature of a building, I suggest a better candidate for this would be something like Buttressed Cathedral or Gothic Cathedral (even though, of course, both of those are found all over Europe as well) which supplies both Faith Points when built and also possibly Production Points because of the extra expertise among the master builders from erecting these structures - French masons and builders were hired to put up structures all over Europe in the late Medieval period, after all.