Early envoys

[Sykes179]

I'm trying to win a domination victory on deity as it is the only victory type I haven't managed on deity. I usually play random leader as I think you should be able to win with any leader if you're good enough but I have been choosing the leader as I'm trying for a specific victory which I'm not very good at. Hence I've chosen Matthias so I can benfit from the city state levy.

But it's not going well. A couple of games I've been hugely outpaced in terms of envoys in the the very early game. My most recent attempt saw the Aztecs have 5 envoys in the one city state I'd met by turn 33/330. I had 1 from meeting it first. How did they do that?! I haven't even been given a quest yet.

 

[Sykes179]

I think I answered my own question in the next game. The Opposition must have got to Political Philosophy much quicker which gives them extra influence per turn and makes the charismatic leader policy card available which gives another 2 influence per turn.

It does make it clear that the early game relies quite a lot on luck.

 

[Alaindor]

Luck, but also on deity the AI gets upfront quite a few advantages, including +40% culture and 5 free techs and civic boosts if I'm correct, so that helps it, too

 

[HiRezAudio]

I tend to save Envoys (unless they will give me something I need) in case I run into a CS that I want to be Suzerain of.....

 

[qouigv93027]

I actually like to save envoys until I can use them with the Political Philosophy civic that doubles your first envoy to city-states where you have 0 envoys. I tend to run that a lot, just in case I discover city-states that haven't been discovered by anybody else (which therefore makes that bonus first free envoy from being the first civ, into two). And otherwise wait/save for city-states I'd have 0 with.