I've played all of them, either in the beta or since, and for me, they've multiplied the value of the game. Each one is so different from the epic game's flavor that they've refreshed my interest and fun, with just enough new stuff to learn and use. At the risk of blasphemy, I admit to ...um, getting a bit, well, bored with the same epic game tech tree, wonders, units, resources, abilities and victory criteria, game after game after game. Not to mention how long it takes to get to the later stages...
After so many games, the ancient age is like getting up and going to work the thousandth time. Predictable and dull, with variation creeping in during the day, and genuine variety at about late afternoon (which could take weeks of real time to reach.) Whereas the better Conquests are like stepping into another whole life, rich with a whole blend of new characters, choices, flavors, goals, and vocabulary. And they're good designs and were playtested, and are fairly balanced, interesting and FUN.
The shorter timespans freshen it too, but sometimes are too short. So then i go back to the eternal game, civ3.
I admit that being chosen for the public beta test was a huge thrill - how could i not like a game where my input mattered, and i invested months into?
Another factor might be that i disagreed with some of the changes to the epic game, like the FP/corruption mess, MGLs/SGLs, upgrade costs, some of the new units, etc.
In fact, some Conquests have things that should (imho) be in the real game, and i miss them when i go back.
So if I'm saying that variety is the spice of civ, why not just mod my own? That can be fun, but then it's a different animal that you can't even discuss with others; and the amount of fiddling to get a better product, could be endless. With the nine Conquests, i'm satisfied that the fiddling was done, by a large cadre of civ3 enthusiasts, and the results are mostly delicious.
If civ3 is your diet, the Conquests are nine different banquets!
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