Navigation...at what cost? (Science 1300)

What are we willing to give up to get Navigation from the Chinese?

  • Give whatever techs they want to get Navigation and save our beakers for the next tech.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Duh! Don't give Gunpowder!

    Votes: 3 60.0%
  • Here's my list of what not to give them. (Specify below)

    Votes: 2 40.0%
  • Don't even bother trying to trade for it.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    5
  • Poll closed .

TimTheEnchanter

I...am...an Enchanter!
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Since our science rate looks like it will be low for a while, and there aren't a lot of big caravan payments on the horizon, our science goals do not need to be defined any further at the moment.

I only have one question for the poll, regarding how badly we want to get Navigation from the Chinese, so our research beakers can go to something else. I realize this probably infringes on the foreign minister's authority a bit, but since it focuses on obtaining a tech, I'll give it a go.

Obviously getting a tech that we want from an AI saves our own research beakers for something else. The question is: What are we willing to give up to get that benefit? The biggest issue probably revolves around Gunpowder since it is likely to be demanded, although there is an option to include a "personalized" list of techs to exclude from trade negotiations.
 
I'd like to get Navigation and not give away gunpwder. However, I also have doubts (but I'm not 100% sure) about giving away democracy. One reason is that we might want to build Statue of Liberty, not for Fundamentalism (I think for the challenge we should avoid fundy) but so that we can have 2 or 3 turn 'revolutions' once we start conquering Greece (we really should name that something else, maybe Hell :D). One turn (revolution) is really too short because the senate would immediately interfere and much more than 2 or 3 turns too long. I take it that not allowed to bribe cities also means not allowed to subvert.

Regarding science, once we have had 70% taxes for a few (3-5) turns I'd probably like to increase science a lot at least briefly so we can quickly get explosives (engineers).
 
I'm with Viking on this one: don't give away Gunpowder for sure; and don't give away Democracy unless we have to, and I don't think we do. If they'll take something else, go for it, otherwise forget the trade. Unless we're in a position to build SoL quickly it's taking too big a risk with other wonders on our list needing built.
 
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