[GS] Favorite GS civ

[Disgustipated]

This is not the best civ, but your favorite. Whether it be from a role playing perspective or just a civ whose mechanics you really enjoyed. We've all had some time to play them all hopefully. Feel free to explain your choices. For the purposes of this poll I'm counting Eleanor as a civ, her mechanic is unique enough that warrants separation from vanilla England and France.

This is a tough one to answer for me. I like them all really. I would say Phoenicia for me, just barely edging out Mali. I thought I would like Mali more, but honestly I like coastal civs more. Even if they are considered bad, I'm still not seeing it. It's also why I like England Eleanor over France Eleanor. Least favorite is Canada, though I do want to play them at least once more since recent changes. Going into the expansion I thought I would like Mali and Maori the most. I didn't really care for my Maori game that much, still have only played them once. Too easy. Though I still want to play them post patch as well.

 

[Archon_Wing]

My favorite civ here is Sweden because it's a good mix of diplomacy and culture. I hear there was some other civ that was supposed to do that too, but so far, only Sweden.

I also like Mali because they're so different.

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

I think my #1 favorite is Mali, which I didn't expect, since it doesn't especially favor any one victory type, but its unique playstyle focuses so much on purchasing that it reminds me heavily of Civ V Venice (sans buying up city-states).

My second is Eleanor. I don't have a preference for which civ she leads. It's just plain fun to Borg all the neighbors.

I also quite liked Inca, Maori, and Hungary.

Canada has a special place in my heart because they are challenging to synergize.

I found Phoenicia, Ottomans, and Sweden to be a bit dull.

 

[Midgardsormr]

Tough question. Maori is fun, although I haven't yet found the opportunity to try a strong Toa rush. I'm just too neighborly most of the time.

Although I don't care as much for a civ that doesn't push me toward a specific victory type, I enjoyed playing the Incas. The mobility from that early tunnel is just insane if there are sufficient mountains in the world. And being able to build them with workers is crazy good.

I just finished a game with Canada and liked it more than I expected. The puzzle of cramming as many National Parks into my lands as I could was fun. I was a little disappointed when I won the game because I had at least four more spots that I was planting trees in to try to make more.

 

[Kmart_Elvis]

Eleanor England. My cultural victory with her took absolutely forever (my swedish victory with the same settings/map/strategy finished 50 turns faster), but I loved seeing me start from 4 humble cities to a sprawling pink empire that covered half the map. I didn't need to conquer a single city. The micromanagement due to shuffling works between cities was the only negative thing I can say about playing her.

England itself is not home to write about, but Eleanor is straight up fun. As for overall civ... Then maybe Sweden. They have a nice synergy, and I've always been a player that likes to play defensive and conservatively the first half of the game then go out and win the second half. Sweden's power spike is great for that.

 

[Leucarum]

Favourite civ: Canada, they are a fun challenge, in to make them work you have to be planning ahead from turn 1. But when you do that their tourism generation can be awesome and the payoff feels great. I also prefer peaceful games so they fit my playstyle well.

Civ I was most surprised by: Hungary. I wrote them off as a civ that wouldn't interest me during the previews. But they are a very interesting civ that can be played in a lot of different ways.

Civ I like playing the least: Inca. I know they are really good but they play like a giant logic puzzle balancing terrace farms against mines and campus spots and I just don't enjoy it.

 

[Phoenix1595]

I have played several games as Mansa, and each time I am floored at how well they do and the immensity of Mali’s Songs of the Jeli and the suguba in crafting large, flourishing desert cities. Even the production handicap doesn’t seem too onerous. I thoroughly enjoy playing Mali—they are my blue ribbon choice.

The Inca and Phoenicians are also pretty solid, and mix things up a bit. I have yet to play the domination-heavy Ottomans and Hungary at any length, so I can’t comment on them with any authority. Sweden, Canada, and Eleanor are respectable, but I personally prefer the others. Oddly, I keep planning on finally starting a Maori game, but never get around to it. Maybe I will do it this weekend.

 

[Zyxpsilon]

Phoenicia.. good (enough) generic gameplay assets for a balanced experience & i just like that cool purple theme -- duh!

 

[Tech Osen]

I'm OCDing about filling the HoF so I only played each new civ once. I loved my Maori peaceful culture win but that was before the rebalancing.
I finished a game with all of them and actually enjoyed all of them. Nice selection of abilities with good diversity.

 

[Sostratus]

I really just love the Incans. It's the total pachacuti package. Such unique interaction between terraces, workable mountains, early tunnels, aqueducts and fresh water... it just feels so good to pull off.
They were almost too good at the Civ5 BNW meta, but I feel like this time if you don't start in an amazing mountain valley region or really abuse waraks, they are fun but not ridiculous. Production and food... if you can snag Machu Picchu it's absolute builder paradise.

Second place is the Mali, who are just Sand Germany for me. I do enjoy racking up the districts yields between desert folklore and sugubas.

I feel like hungary's economic abilities + UUs are up my alley but every time I try them I get too focused on attempting a CS levy rush. But they have a lot of great qualities.

Playing Canada is as disheartening as the long winter. Between the meme tier design around cold biomes and hockey they are basically Minnesota: the civ, so I should like them... but tundra starts as not russia are just brutal. You wait the whole game to build an okay improvement (hockey rinks) on crappy tiles. Sorry, eh.

 

[Mahasona]

Inca are totally OP and great fun, get a builder out and Bang - choose how to win the game.

Played seven civs so far, my only total fail was with Mali, couldn't figure out how to get them started.

 

[AmazonQueen]

Picked Hungary but its a hard choice.
Picking those I don't like would be easier. Canada and English Eleanor.

 

[Weraptor]

Sweden > Phoenicia > Hungary > Maori > Ottomans > Inca > Mali > Canada; haven't played Eleanor enough yet

 

[qadams]

Phoenicia, because I love trade routes and I love going wide. Dido makes it fun again!

 

[kb27787]

Used to be Maori before the nerf made them quite subpar...
I guess Frelenor is now my fave. Conquering by love!

 

[Leathaface]

I like Canada the most. The AI's inability to Surprise War you on Deity is powerful, they can create farms in Tundra which opens up an area of the map that is hostile to all other Civs bar Russia plus being able to create National Parks with production is pretty powerful when going for a Culture victory. Extra production from tundra hills/snow hills was a nice buff too.

I see posts a lot of the time saying Canada are bottom tier but I just don't see it.

Playing Canada is as disheartening as the long winter. Between the meme tier design around cold biomes and hockey they are basically Minnesota: the civ, so I should like them... but tundra starts as not russia are just brutal. You wait the whole game to build an okay improvement (hockey rinks) on crappy tiles. Sorry, eh.

When I play as Canada I settle my first 4/5 cities a bit North/South of tundra then expand there when the space around my cities is getting filled up. I don't settle solely in tundra before the late Medieval/Renaissance era.

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

I like Canada the most. The AI's inability to Surprise War you on Deity is powerful, they can create farms in Tundra which opens up an area of the map that is hostile to all other Civs bar Russia plus being able to create National Parks with production is pretty powerful when going for a Culture victory. Extra production from tundra hills/snow hills was a nice buff too.

I see posts a lot of the time saying Canada are bottom tier but I just don't see it.



When I play as Canada I settle my first 4/5 cities a bit North/South of tundra then expand there when the space around my cities is getting filled up. I don't settle solely in tundra before the late Medieval/Renaissance era.

I wouldn't call Canada powerful. But power is not necessarily fun. And a lot of people aren't working hard enough to utilize Canada's special abilities to their fullest extent, I feel.

 

[Wingednosering]

I wouldn't call Canada powerful. But power is not necessarily fun. And a lot of people aren't working hard enough to utilize Canada's special abilities to their fullest extent, I feel.

Agreed. They really aren't bad at all. I think people see tundra powers and just settle entirely in tundra with their first few cities.

Leathaface has the right idea. Just like the real Canada, most of your population should be off tundra with border half in tundra and half out. Actual tundra cities should only be settled for resources or national parks. I think these placement rules actually make Canada one of the few civs that geographically represents the real thing if you're playing it optimally.

I will say that the extra diplo favor from tourism is absolute trash. Everything else is fine.

 

[Navelgazer]

Between Mali and Phoenicia for me, as just the most interesting gameplay differences throughout the entire game. And lotsa lotsa cash. Went with Mali here but could be Phoenicia on another day.

 

[Leucarum]

The AI's inability to Surprise War you on Deity is powerful

I'm about 50-50 on this point. I definitely think this ability is at its best on deity. That said it means you are almost guaranteed not to get defensive tactics' eureka which slows down your progress to feudalism, and you can't swipe settlers... But both of those are a bit RNG for any civ. At the same time being able to be a passive aggressive jerk to the AI without fear of retaliation is very nice...

Clarification: Talking about the whole four faces of peace ability not just the surprise wars part