[R&F] First Governor?

[lindsay40k]

I tend to say ‘Pingala as usual’, especially as his starting bonus gets you to your second Governor promotion quicker, but I’m hearing a lot of hype for Magnus. How do things usually go for y’all early on?

 

[Flaxton]

Magnus. Chopping for campuses/holy stuff/settlers/troops outweighs Ping in my opinion.

 

[Hammurabbit]

I think there are a bunch of interesting openings:

- Liang for early additional builder charge
- Magnus for chopping and next promotion for avoiding shrinking cities when pushing settlers
- Amani for early city state suzerainship and free era score
Great observation about Pingala.

 

[Victoria]

All of these have their merits for first and I certainly have used all as first on occaision. I will use Pin when my culture is good and I do not need early builders or era score. If my culture is bad Amani is better because she will give me +2 culture as a cultural CS if there is one as well as a good chance of era score.
If I get Harvest goddess then it's definitely Magnus, not for the chop but for the Provision

Very similar thread a month ago

 

[Trav'ling Canuck]

I've also taken Victor first for "all hands on deck" moments when you're being swamped by early Deity AI rushes and need every edge to survive.

Ideally, though, you'll manage your affairs well enough that he's not needed.

 

[eleven11]

Magnus can help anything. Weak culture - chop a theatre. Want science? Chop a campus. Want to settle that Natural Wonder ASAP? Chop. Want that wonder? Chop chop. Surprise War? Chop. And if you plan to peacefully expand past 4-6 cities efficiently he'll need his 2nd promotion pretty quick.

That said, I have used Liang first at times but mostly because I need the extra builder charges for chops... I may have a chopping problem.

Also, I tend to slot in God King until I get a Pantheon so I have a decent shot at Goddess of the Harvest.. which I will turn around and spend that faith on more builders (chops) and settlers later on

 

[leandrombraz]

Magnus for Chop and to combo Provision with Ancestral Hall. Settlers that don't consume a Citizen and give you a free builder is pretty good.

 

[Mr. Shadows]

My go-to play is Magnus at Early Empire and Provisions at State Work Force. Depending on how things are going I'll slot the +50% settler card and stop it with one turn left so I can chop it in after Magnus'second promotion. I want to experiment with other governors first, but Magnus is so good for expansion that it's hard for me to justify.

 

[Fluphen Azine]

I am surprised that Magnus isn't everyone's first choice. Even though they nerfed him to 50% I don't think you have better value than using him first and promoting him first. I am not saying that others don't have value but Chop+Magnus+Policy Card is far too strong in my opinion. However, if you are not trying to exploit the game I would be of the mindset to never be allowed to use Magnus for chops. Unfortunately, I love the Bugs and Exploits of the Game so I have no problem with him or anything else.

Anything I read or watched from the Top Players always seems to be Magnus Oriented... I never seen any of them go to any else first. I usually read about them chopping galleys out with the Naval Card and building Large Armies. I read stories of them building 50 Chariots and Beeline to Knights and taking all Capitals out for very fast win times. I can't get to Knights fast enough and I have never been able to chop out 50 Chariots... I suck though.

 

[eleven11]

Production is the fundamental resource in the game and Magnus directly enhances it. Gold is the most efficient resource to convert to production. Faith is capable of being converted to production but is more restricted than gold. Science is about capability to use production on new things. Culture is a bit like Science in that respect but more about systemic efficiencies.

I wish he didn't exist because even nerfed he is way too useful. I say to myself going in to a new game that I won't chop. I want a gorgeous empire. Every time the end game rolls around I see nothing but grasslands and mines everywhere. I'm a terrible leader.

 

[Victoria]

I want to experiment with other governors first,

I am surprised that Magnus isn't everyone's first choice

Anything I read or watched from the Top Players always seems to be Magnus Oriented

The Magnus Provision allows more settlers early while maintaining strong production and is often best. However if you are not going to be pumping out lots of early settlers which can happen for a variety of reasons stronger culture is the next requirement. Chopping can be great but chop too early and you get little reward, sure it can get you something quicker that helps snowball but it is about how much spare chop you have. Try Amani for something different.

Every time the end game rolls around I see nothing but grasslands and mines everywhere. I'm a terrible leader.

The North island of New Zealand was covered in forest when the Pakeha arrives... now its just rolling hills... what you are doing is just what has happened everywhere

 

[Fluphen Azine]

The North island of New Zealand was covered in forest when the Pakeha arrives... now its just rolling hills... what you are doing is just what has happened everywhere

All one has to do is study the history of North America and the Good O'l USA... this place was a natural paradise. I forget the numbers but it is amazing how much forest we chopped out in 100-200 years. If you look into it we have a very small percent of the forest we started with. It is pretty amazing not only what was chopped in the USA but worldwide as Victoria has already stated.

 

[Boyan_Sun]

At first anyone can be OK, depending on the map, just make sure you give Magnus 1 of the first 2 titles. But after spring patch, AI seemed to build wonders a bit faster, and classic era came earlier, so Magnus first was more stable to ensure key wonders (Pyramid for science/Oracle for culture) and era score.

 

[kaspergm]

Magnus can help anything. Weak culture - chop a theatre. Want science? Chop a campus. Want to settle that Natural Wonder ASAP? Chop. Want that wonder? Chop chop. Surprise War? Chop.

Funny thing about Magnus is that people always seem to assume that you have infinite amounts of forest tiles around your starting location.

 

[Fluphen Azine]

You kinda do the more you expand the more forests. I have a tough time moving him around and chopping. I try to get Limes and Chop in Walls but I grow tired of it constantly.

 

[Magma_Dragoon]

If I don't need to chop to get mines and farms up in my first two cities I go Liang first. If chopping is needed to get more then a couple tiles improved then Magnus first.

 

[Victoria]

You kinda do the more you expand the more forests. I have a tough time moving him around and chopping. I try to get Limes and Chop in Walls but I grow tired of it constantly.

Efficiency wise it’s worse than that, you move the builders too. 3 builders chop in a single turn then have 5 turns movement to get in position in the next city.
The speed can be better than the additional benefit. Think of Magnus as the overflow without the wall or unit. It’s a more ‘honest’ approach but more planned.
I think people get over complicated with the chop while the benefit is in Magnus, not the card. The first chop of the turn, sure.
Also slinger, galleys and walls are all great but other things less so, the more prod something is with less % card the less real value you get to the point where you were better off not bothering. The real value is in Magnus and 3 chops every 5 turns is being super efficient with the key unit, Magnus.
Personally it’s too much planning for me, I’m a but more of a speed player but I get the concept.

 

[eleven11]

Funny thing about Magnus is that people always seem to assume that you have infinite amounts of forest tiles around your starting location.

Generally speaking there is enough to make it worthwhile. Even if it's just 2-3 tiles per city. And it's not just forests that get the chop - toss pretty much every bonus resource on the list. Including the ones that give food. Stone. Especially stone.

Efficiency wise it’s worse than that, you move the builders too. 3 builders chop in a single turn then have 5 turns movement to get in position in the next city.
The speed can be better than the additional benefit. Think of Magnus as the overflow without the wall or unit. It’s a more ‘honest’ approach but more planned.
I think people get over complicated with the chop while the benefit is in Magnus, not the card. The first chop of the turn, sure.
Also slinger, galleys and walls are all great but other things less so, the more prod something is with less % card the less real value you get to the point where you were better off not bothering. The real value is in Magnus and 3 chops every 5 turns is being super efficient with the key unit, Magnus.
Personally it’s too much planning for me, I’m a but more of a speed player but I get the concept.

I usually keep Magnus in my capital early on and chop what's available according to need. I might move him out if I'm doing a 2nd city wonder or something. Once I get going on settlers though I'm usually in a golden age which means faith buys. With Goddess of the Harvest, the more I chop the more builders and settlers you can buy. I mean you know the drill. At that point in the game I'm running Limes overflow as well. Like @Fluphen Azine said though.. it gets tiring doing all that moving and planning just to be as efficient as possible. If I know a trick to get more bang for my buck I'm going to grumble and do it. What they need to do instead is allow a builder to build a Magnus unique tile improvement or something.. like Liang has. Counts an adjacency bonus to the IC or something. Leave chops in or whatever but don't make it "the most efficient way to play".

Actually if they just removed Goddess of the Harvest from the game I'd probably stop doing it. I played a France game where I was very much trying to keep the tile appeal as high as possible.. it was painful looking at all these sparkling choppable things and not doing it lol

PS I'm a speed player too.

 

[row2infinity]

Production is the fundamental resource in the game and Magnus directly enhances it. Gold is the most efficient resource to convert to production. Faith is capable of being converted to production but is more restricted than gold. Science is about capability to use production on new things. Culture is a bit like Science in that respect but more about systemic efficiencies.

I wish he didn't exist because even nerfed he is way too useful. I say to myself going in to a new game that I won't chop. I want a gorgeous empire. Every time the end game rolls around I see nothing but grasslands and mines everywhere. I'm a terrible leader.

You could just plant forests late game. Is there anything better to do late game? haha jk