Minor Nations.. Grr

[glaciermi]

I'm sure this has been brought up before, but does anyone find these minor nations to be a pain to kill, too expensive to manipulate, and they take up way too much of the good land?

Maybe it's just me, but unless I am 100 tech years ahead of them (at least) they will give me a whipping.

Keeping them allies more than anything else will just drain my wallet to sand.

I think of them as handy worker fodder, and am glad the AI gets a whipping from them also.

I guess the two options are to cut them out in creation or spend all your policies in Patronage and play as Alexander.

Any tips on how to include them more into my game?

Thanks!

 

[strijder20]

I suppose you are talking about city-states?
Religion is a way to get free influence (I do not have G&K, so someone else will have to give more precise info about this).
Completing their quests is another one.
The benefits you get from them are great. You get their resources - both strategic and happy. Cultural CSes can immensely speed up your policy gain rate in the early game, maritime ones are great for tall games (not so much for games where you don't have a lot of happiness to spare), mercantile city states give more happiness which is always welcome and you can get unique units from other civilizations from Militaristic CSes.
As you already pointed out, they are great meatshields against the AI. Let the AI suicide their army against one of your CS allies before you attack, and then wipe them out.
With coups from spies you can steal another player's influence for free.
They are generally not that hard to take out because they have a limited number of units and limited production. Usually they shouldn't be able to take your cities if you are prepared for war with them (it's worse when one of your enemies allies a city-state in the middle of your empire in the middle of a war).

 

[Shadow717]

As for the religion bit Strijder mentioned, If a CS shares your religion your "resting point" with them (the amount of influence you will drain or gain towards each turn) goes up by 15 points. If you pledge to protect them it also goes up 15 points, so by doing both of these things your minimum influence with said CS will be 30, which is enough for friends. There is also a religious founder belief which adds another 15 points to that, meaning you can get it to 45 or be friends without having to offer protection.

*Note, my point values may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure each one is 15. At the very least, I'm positive it is possible to make your resting point with them friends. There may even be a way to make it high enough to be allies

 

[TheMarshmallowBear]

Resting Point is the "0" for each city state or the "neutral zone". Adopting certain policies (Patronage policy), Protecting a City-State or adopting the aforementioned founder belief increases this up to 40 resting point, meaning that for each city state that has all of the traits present, you will be guaranteed to have minimum of 40 influence points. Influence decays but will not decay below (thus, being the "0" or "neutral zone", and if it's below, it will increase up to 40.

Protection is 10, Patraonge policy is 15, and I think the Founder belief is also 15.

 

[headcase]

Pledge to protect moves the resting point up 10 points.
If you take the Papal Primacy, CSs following your religion add 15 to their resting point
Aesthetics from the Patronage tree adds 20 to the resting point.

So for permanent friends, you need aesthetics, and then either protect the CS, or give it your religion with Papal Primacy.

Even without Papal Primacy, drain is slower with you if they follow your religion.

Sometimes, if they're not following your religion already, they will ask for it as a quest.

The other advantage for having them follow your religion is the benefits from the founder belief.

 

[Matthew.]

I believe their city strength matches the highest base city of all players, so they will always be as strong as a capital. If you really want to kill one and don't have the brute force to do so, use 3-range attack units like artillery guns or battleships.

 

[sufficiency]

Greece + Patronage Opener + under your religion = no influence decay.

 

[HeraldtheGreat]

I love the title... so original and makes me laugh.

 

[compwiz1202]

Even without Papal Primacy, drain is slower with you if they follow your religion.

Awesome, I didn't know that one.

 

[Browd]

Yes. If CS has your religion, rate of influence decay is 25% lower (e.g., for hostile CS, it would be 1.12 points per turn instead of 1.5).

 

[Love CiV]

CS'es are lovely. Think of all the time you don't need to waste getting a settler out, moving your worker, and guarding a newfound city for some spices!

Honestly, I like having city states. It's less work for me to get my goods. I don't need to waste a settler on a terrible location, or wait until its borders expands to get a resource when the city state is there.

 

[compwiz1202]

CS'es are lovely. Think of all the time you don't need to waste getting a settler out, moving your worker, and guarding a newfound city for some spices!

Honestly, I like having city states. It's less work for me to get my goods. I don't need to waste a settler on a terrible location, or wait until its borders expands to get a resource when the city state is there.

I agree. They are nice to get We Love the King. I absolutely love when you can get a quest chain reaction by allying a CS with a resource that another CS wants for a quest, which allies them for another resource........

 

[Tyrone.Biggums]

I agree. They are nice to get We Love the King. I absolutely love when you can get a quest chain reaction by allying a CS with a resource that another CS wants for a quest, which allies them for another resource........

Sweden is the best at this, especially with educated elite. It's so great getting a gifted GP that another CS wants, that CS having a resource that another CS wants, than using your UA to give the GP to yet ANOTHER CS.