Great Leader strategies

remconius

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Jun 22, 2003
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Amstelveen, NL
Getting Great Leaders
(written before game was released, based on previews)

I think one of the biggest changes to Civ is the way great leaders are generated. You now have control and can calculate when you get them just like when your city grows.

In Civ 3 you could only get leaders by fighting and fighting a lot. In my last civ3 game I killed 3 civs and warring with number 4 when I got my first leader... This is no longer the case and you can now plan to have lot's of leaders.

Your choices
First of all, if you want great leaders, take Philosphical trait (no brainer). Combination with Creative could be good for more artists or spiritual for great prophets. Frederick (Phi and Cre) could be good or Saladin (Phi and Spi)

When you get the chance choose the following civics:
Representation - +3 science for specialist
Caste System - Unlimited specialists
pacifism - double gp birth rate

Specializing
To get the most leaders you need to generate GL points, done by specialists and wonders. It's probably wise to dedicate 1-2 cities to each type of leader so you can influence which leaders you are getting. Each specialised city should build the improvements which give corresponding GL points and have several specialists in that category. So build a library, university and dedicate several scientists. Or build temple, cathedral and several priest specialists. This way you can control the leaders you are getting.
Als make sure if you build wonders that benefit a type of leader, you build it in a corresponding city. This is especially true for wonders that you build with great engineers.
Keep an eye on GL birth bars, so you can "force" the order they appear in. If you want your great scientist first, slow great leader points in other town to make sure the science leader town is filled first.

Getting Great Engineers
It's probably wise to try to get your first 1-2 GLs to be great engineers, so they can build wonders and speed up GL production more. To do this find a high production city, build the forge and dedicate as many specialists as possible to be engineers. When you get the engineer, rush the pyramids in this city to focus more on engineers. Probably best to do this with your first GL, because they become more and more expensive as they are born.

More when I get the game ;)
 
Thanks for the invaluable info.
 
remconius said:
It's probably wise to try to get your first 1-2 GLs to be great engineers, so they can build wonders and speed up GL production more.

On the other hand, getting a Great Prophet early would also be beneficial because you get the Shrine early (assuming you've founded a religion, of course). That helps with culture (assuming they still have the doubling after 1000 years). You're not likely to be able to spawn the other kinds of Great People early because of the improvements that accumulate GPP for them, with the possible exception of the Great Artist.
 
One more civic would be Mercantilism (so Caste + Mercantilist + Pacifist is the best for Great People... Representative doesn't help you get great people, but it does get a bonus in those cities that are going for great people (+3 science from the specialists...It does help Great People in the sense that it helps keep those big cities happy)
 
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