If you could start out with any (except Ind/Phil) trait and tech combo...?

[MrCynical]

Traits - If I can't have Ind/Phi then I'll go for Fin/Phi. I like a hybrid economy, and there's no better trait combo for that.

Techs - Mining is an obvious choice, for quick access to Bronze working. Agriculture is the most reliable other option if I don't know the map type.

 

[Olodune]

Ag/Mining

Charismatic/Creative {Another missing combo, with fantastic early game potential and flexibility}

 

[r_rolo1]

Choosing with closed eyes to the map.....

Traits: Cha/Exp . Not your ordinary choose, I reckon.... but Cha gives extra along with a big warfare bonus and Exp gives extra health and cheap granaries ( good for the ). Good combo for whpping units for warfare or to simply let the cities grow big.

Techs: Agri/fishing . again not conventional, but in the early game food is power, far more than hammers ( you can always whip ). Agri/fishing will allow you to have a improved food tile to work in 20 turns regardless of you start coastal or not.

In resume, GW of the Americans

 

[vale]

Financial/Charismatic

The Wheel/Mining

You have the techs and traits for an early axe rush. If none is available, you also have the techs and traits for good peaceful growth.

How about be really creative. You get to pick your traits, your techs, and your UB and UU?

For at least some grins in that regards how about Charismatic/Protective, Hunting/Mining with Totem Poles and Skirmishers? Lots of synergy going on there with the UB giving an early happiness and boosting the early uncountered and trait boosted UU. Of course, if you have nobody to play with nearby this would be less fun.

 

[johnny_rico]

Ag/Mining

Charismatic/Creative {Another missing combo, with fantastic early game potential and flexibility}

Just beat me to it. This is a great combo for an all out warfare SE. Immediate happiness bonus, cheap libraries for scientists, cheap colosseums and theatres for happiness. With stone, pyramids, and monuments, you could be at 10 happiness (monarch) by 1000 BC yielding the ability to double whip early for warfare.

The other reason I find the combo attractive is because it doesn't exist.

I'd choose hunting and mining for techs. Love having that initial scout, researching BW or Ag first, AH right around the corner.

And if you wind up isolated, start over. Even if not isolated, it's a bummer if no one is closeby but at least you can rex.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

I'd of course prefer situational traits, but lacking those:

Techs: Agriculture, Fishing

Traits: Organized, Charismatic

AG and Fishing will let you build work boats when coastal, and early workers will almost always have something to do when not while you research other worker techs otherwise.

Of the warmonger traits, Charismatic is the most flexible, due to the early happiness and its bonus to ALL units produced. These things lend themselves to being useful anywhere.

Organized is interesting. I take it over financial because in the early game REX/early war phase, it actually tends to be stronger (especially if you REX a large area), and that's BEFORE you get courthouses. On top of this, it makes coastal games easier with its discounts to the lighthouse. It also has better synergy with warring than financial, since you can afford the otherwise costly civics pretty easily.

Edit: Expansive is probably equal to these for overall flexibility IMO, so I'm giving it honorable mention.

 

[Artichoker]

I'm still undecided on traits, especially the Financial trait.

Might try a game with a Financial leader soon.

 

[badger_md]

I pick Elizabeth due to her synergey with her techs and triats.

Financial works everywhere. Philisophical works everywhere.

Fishing is a VERY underrated starting tech, particularly when combined with the financial trait. If you have a costal start, you get that all-important workboat out sooner. Coastal tiles, of course, have an extra gold with financial.

Conversely, If you have a land start, there is a high probability that you will have a lake nearby. You can work the lake tile immediately for 2f 3c which boosts your research quite a bit early on.

Mining allows you to research BW immediately if on a costal start, thus letting you know right away where you stand with regards to finding copper for military and letting you whip sooner (you have to do something with all that excess food from your fishing boat.)

 

[Winston Hughes]

Spiritual/Charismatic - great for peace, even better for war.

Fishing/Mining - agriculture can be finished by the time your worker is built, whereas the lack of fishing really hurts in a seafood start.

 

[futurehermit]

Not a lot of love for starting with hunting? I really like the early exploration to know what opening might be best.

 

[futurehermit]

Here are the totals so far:

Ag 14
Fish 4
Myst 1
Hunt 4
Wheel 2
Min 15

Fin 10
Phil 5
Ind 2
Cre 4
Spir 5
Org 4
Exp 2
Char 8
Prot 1
Imp
Agg 1

If we were to pick one to represent the community right now it would be Fin/Char Ag/Min. I'd say that is a pretty powerful setup.

 

[CivCorpse]

Gotta jump on the mining/agg bandwagon. Mining means you can get to work on any gold/silver/gems plots from the beginning. Sometimes I even mine the grassland/hillpiggies in the beginning for a super tile that can build without slowing growth. Basically it becomes a plains cow. Also mining opens up masonry if I start with marble or stone in my BFC. Agg is always useful and is one of the most expensive starting techs. If I am playing a civ with those starting techs I usually go straight to BW.
Sorry FH but I have to list a third trait. the whel. You can always use more roads and it is expensive as well. Starting with both vs starting with hunting/mining is almost a free tech. Agg/wheel is exactly ONE beaker less than teching BW. If you have nothing to build a camp on and no bare hills, what exactly does your worker do? I usually play on marathon speed where it takes 24-30 turns to build a worker and 43 turns to research BW. I believe you play more on normal. so it will take you 15 more beakers to research bw and the wheel to connect it. And you still can't build a farm. The 45 beaker difference between hunting/mining and agg/wheel is most of the 59 beaker cost of hunting or fishing. Never underestimate the value of early beakers.

But i like mining nonetheless. Just not thrilled with getting a cheap tech like hunting.

The number one reason to take mining as a starting tech? BW FROM A HUT!!!

 

[TheMeInTeam]

Not a lot of love for starting with hunting? I really like the early exploration to know what opening might be best.

You have better exploration and hut popping, but can not worker steal.

 

[Gliese 581]

I would go with Agriculture/Mining, Charismatic/Financial.

Edit: Of those I'm sure off Mining and Charismatic, Hunting and Philosophy are contenders for the other two.

 

[DaveMcW]

Techs: Agriculture + Mining
Resources: Corn + Gems

Traits: Who cares?

 

[LordKestrel]

Hunting/Mining.

You start out with a Scout, and have a decent chance of popping BW or AH from a hut.

Cha/Exp is probably what I'd prefer for traits, extra happy/health in every city is too useful to pass up.

 

[Snovvdog]

Financial and Aggressive

Mining and aggriculture.

 

[Iranon]

Industrious/Expansive. Techs: Mining and Agriculture (most likely to have direct applications; worker stealing + choking > better scouting).

The traits provide pretty much the ultimate production setup - the worker discount gives a head start, cheap granaries and forges make for very efficient whipping everywhere and the capital can spam wonders for settled GPs.
I find the saved early hammers universally useful - I can use them for steady expansion, for a quick war or two or for peaceful infrastructure that more than compensates for not having a money-earning trait.

 

[r_rolo1]

Somewhat off topic:

Some of the posters clearly or implicitely presume a close neighbour to rush or worker steal.... and that is not what hermit meant in the OP ( hemispheres does not mean that you have contact with another civ before astro, and even if you have, it may not be worthwhile to rush/worker steal ). Some of those combos would be clearly subpar in those conditions.

 

[JTMacc99]

If we were to pick one to represent the community right now it would be Fin/Char Ag/Min. I'd say that is a pretty powerful setup.

I sure as heck wouldn't be upset if a random start gave me that grouping.

I agree that Fishing is unappreciated. I've recently played a couple games as India, and it is just SO SAD to look at those clams and/or fish and not be able to use them to grab an early religion.

Having said that, I would say that Fishing/Agriculture would be my choice, but that is only because Financial is going to be one of my traits. With the extra commerce on the water tiles, I'll be set for quick research and almost certainly an abundance of food with any coastal start. AND, if I'm not on the coast, I can't imagine that I wouldn't be on a river with some sort of food and hopefully some precious metal in the area. My first research item will then either be to work some animals or to mine some gold. After the resources are on line, it is time for cottages.

I really don't know what second trait would be best. Creative is most excellent early in the game, but I think I'd take Industrious. That one just makes an impatient guy like me happy sometimes.