Or, "how do I compete against faith-focused leaders?"
Last game I was in, the Mayans opened with piety first and grabbed a bunch of wonders that would put them in a position to spread their beliefs across the land like a stubborn weed. Following their building of the Mosque of Djenne and the Borobudur, my previously dominant religion was starting to suffer significantly against the Mayan Great Prophet from their reformation belief and the three trice-spreading missionaries that they were able to grab.
It wasn't enough that I tried to tell Pacal to stop spreading his faith across my lands, so I had to take the logical step and make a DoW against the Mayans and captured, deleted his missionaries that somehow managed to convert one of my cities. Now I'm strapped in a holy war against a juggernaut of a religious foe, whose belief is going to take a considerable effort to completely overthrow within my borders and neighbors.
Simply put, when faced against someone who can effectively make light of your efforts to spread your own religion, what can one do other than go the piety route and spam Great Prophets? This would be challenging, considering the amount of faith the other side is racking up is assuredly sickening compared to my own. That and anytime that he can see an attempt to convert a city, he will take it.
Last game I was in, the Mayans opened with piety first and grabbed a bunch of wonders that would put them in a position to spread their beliefs across the land like a stubborn weed. Following their building of the Mosque of Djenne and the Borobudur, my previously dominant religion was starting to suffer significantly against the Mayan Great Prophet from their reformation belief and the three trice-spreading missionaries that they were able to grab.
It wasn't enough that I tried to tell Pacal to stop spreading his faith across my lands, so I had to take the logical step and make a DoW against the Mayans and captured, deleted his missionaries that somehow managed to convert one of my cities. Now I'm strapped in a holy war against a juggernaut of a religious foe, whose belief is going to take a considerable effort to completely overthrow within my borders and neighbors.
Simply put, when faced against someone who can effectively make light of your efforts to spread your own religion, what can one do other than go the piety route and spam Great Prophets? This would be challenging, considering the amount of faith the other side is racking up is assuredly sickening compared to my own. That and anytime that he can see an attempt to convert a city, he will take it.
