Is it advisable to found more than one religion?

[rvarnell]

Or do you just stick with one?

 

[Mesix]

I try to get as many holy cities as possible. When playing on easier difficulty levels (Prince and lower) it is possible to get three early religions founded in your 2nd city (capital +1 city) before expanding. This makes a great financial center if you can spread all three of them effectively and get the required GP to build the shrines. You may not even need economic buildings in your other cities if you can generate enough gold from your shrines. I find that in Monarch and above there is usually at least one civ that will beeline an early religion before you can get them all.

 

[Monkeyfinger]

It's always good to found AV so you can control (read: completely stop) its spread. Aside from that it depends on your great people, whether or not you want to do some switching to get multiple benefits (best for spiritual leaders), etc.

 

[Mesix]

I don't found AV unless I intend to use it. It is much more pleasing to watch the AC go up a bit, and then drive it back down by razing AV cities as I conquer them. This is how the "good" guys deal with the AV in my games.

 

[slowcar]

having some holy cities is nice for some extra mana if there are GP to spare.
on the other hand it is often better to research basic techs early and get only a single holy city.
conquering holy cities works quite well, too. especially rune-happy civs build the tables quite fast, you get the holy building on top.

 

[Methuselah]

It's always good to found AV so you can control (read: completely stop) its spread.

You are aware that if you research a religious tech, you get a disciple for that religion regardless of whether it has been founded already or not right?

 

[nealhunt]

Having an extra holy city rarely hurts. I was playing a game Tuesday night where I ended up with the Necronomicon and Nox Noctis in the same city. I also founded RoK and spread it everywhere for the bonus income. Once I built the Bazaar of Mammon and a Money Changer in the Necro/Nox city, I was running at 100% science with a positive income.

 

[Monkeyfinger]

You are aware that if you research a religious tech, you get a disciple for that religion regardless of whether it has been founded already or not right?

What does that have to do with my post?

EDIT: Wait, you're acting like an AI would ever research corruption of spirit if AV's already been founded and if it hasn't been spread to their lands enough for them to convert to it.

No, that's not how it works.

 

[Methuselah]

What does that have to do with my post?

It's always good to found AV so you can control (read: completely stop) its spread

If they can get a disciple and spread it to their own city, build a temple and then make more disciples, you haven't really stopped it now have you?

EDIT:

EDIT: Wait, you're acting like an AI would ever research corruption of spirit if AV's already been founded and if it hasn't been spread to their lands enough for them to convert to it.

No, that's not how it works.

Ah, I was basing it off of MP. My bad.

 

[Monkeyfinger]

Why would a human in an MP game rush and actively spread a religion they don't have the shrine for? Unless maybe they're playing Sheaim and are desperately trying to ratchet up the AC. If you were beaten to founding a religion by a human, he's going to beat you to the one-of-a-kind features like AV's Grimorie and Mardero, no?

 

[Methuselah]

Why would a human in an MP game rush and actively spread a religion they don't have the shrine for? Unless maybe they're playing Sheaim and are desperately trying to ratchet up the AC. If you were beaten to founding a religion by a human, he's going to beat you to the one-of-a-kind features like AV's Grimorie and Mardero, no?

I've seen a couple of people go for RoK for the gold from the temples even if they didn't found it (and I mean researching way of the earthmother, not just waiting for it to spread.) They can sometimes beat the founder to the heroes if the founder takes too long to get them, *or* they beat them to the followup tech required (example, losing way of the earthmother race but beating them to Arete.)

 

[hegemonkhan]

if it doesn't slow u down or interfere with your main strategy or focus, than it is good to get the holy city of religions (and possible holy shrines if u get the gp for it). u also get the other benefits too (like the usually example of getting FOL first for making AF, than switching it to the true-real religion u want) or if u can/are able to to spread the religions around for more happines/experience (if using religion/theocracy civics) or whatever benefit of spreading it.

but if it does slow u down or interferes with your main overall strategy and focus, espeically in an competitive mp (human or ai) game than do NOT. normally, u can really only go for 1 religion, more than 1 is usually impractical and hurts u more than helps u. ....sometimes....just going for a (1) religion can hurt u more than help u......the 2nd tier units come (their techs are sooner/faster/quicker) before religion units...(get religon tech which takes way longer than the 2nd tier military unit techs, spread the religion to other cities, and make the temples...)

 

[Luckmann]

Playing mostly elves, I almost always beeline for Fellowship of Leaves. Then, I try to grab as many religions as possible, without being detrimental to my research efforts.

Having multiple Holy Cities really help, because if nothing else, you get mana.

 

[popejubal]

I'll found one religion if I can since having the holy city is a very nice source of cash (especially if I can grab Nox Noctis)

The thing is that I won't necessarily switch to the religion that I found, though. I'll switch to Fellowship of Leaves, but there's about 0 chance that I'll found the religion before the elves do because they're just nuts about it and have a good economy. If I do get lucky enough to pop a Disciple of Leaves from a ruin/lair, I'll pretty much drop everything else I'm doing (after initial worker techs) to beeline Drama. Getting a Shrine along with a tech is a very lovely bonus.

Founding more than one religion is certainly nice, but I find that except for Early Religion + Nox Noctis later, founding more than one gets in the way of my long term plans.

 

[Jules.lt]

More shrines are good for the mana and money, but I mostly research additional religions for happiness with the Religion civic, shrine or not.
(and the various benefits of the temples)

 

[Caradoc]

If I get lucky with a goodie hut, I'll race the elves to FoL, just to make sure they will eventually be friendly, and plan to get my 'main' religion later. In the meantime, I get to make some Ancient Forests, Fawns, and Priests of Leaves that will be most useful later on. The culture adder also helps my new cities get started.

 

[Bitwise]

As the Amurites I try to get as many of the shrines as possible for the mana.

 

[Thunder_Gr]

If you can found them all, do it. The only reason not to found religions is if you are going for a religious victory.

Careful when having both Order and AV in the same city, however. There could be trouble, although I haven't seen an occurance or unrest for a very long time.

 

[Demus]

a short recap:
Pro's
1. Shrines add gold/science(AV) and mana.
2. Multiple religions allow for multiple temples, freeing up priest slots and adding happiness.
3. Secundary benefits (NN and DD) are useful.
4. Can contain spread of non-preferred religion (AV, order?)
5. More freedom for alignment switching, if you spread the religions properly.

Cons
1. Religion techs require breakers, which could be used for other (military/economical) techs.
2. Some religions conflict (AV+order), giving some negative events.
3. In case of nox noctis: shrine effect could be non-preferred.
4. A huge increase in the annoying "please adopt our religion" pop-ups.
5.

spreading multiple religions costs a lot of

Did i miss any?

 

[Sephi]

spreading multiple religions costs a lot of