New Civ Game Guide: Republic of Pirates (Tides of Power)
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RockTheCazbah87
Pacal's pal
Funnily, I don't really think this bothers me at all. I know Norman England is deeply distinct from its successors (very much so with Tudor England, with a hefty cultural/time period difference from even Plantagenet England), but I feel perfectly fine with suspending disbelief/delaying my internal "well ackshually" and just treating them as Exploration England. Maybe if the civ design made more of their settling in Sicily, etc (there are a couple of Sicilian city names right down in the Norman list iirc), I'd be a little more put out.
Definitely take the point on civs feeling stuck between ages or having significant time in Civ VII's "dark ages" or unrepresented timeframes, but I also think Firaxis had to draw a line in the sand somewhere.
untitledjuan
Prince
Tbh, having a whole "Exploration Era" with mechanics centred around the European exploration of the New World is definitely much more eurocentric than having a Medieval or "Middle Ages". After all, a second age within a group of three ages would still be the "Age in the Middle", right?
Bootstrapbilly
Chieftain
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I felt the same, but the Bucaneer UU sounds interesting and you'd get to rename them to the renowned pirates.
stealth_nsk
Deity
Tbh, having a whole "Exploration Era" with mechanics centred around the European exploration of the New World is definitely much more eurocentric than having a Medieval or "Middle Ages". After all, a second age within a group of three ages would still be the "Age in the Middle", right?
- Exploration age surely has a lot of eurocentric and colonial elements, but the core is not unique to Europe. China did very long reach naval exploration and trade.
- Medieval is a particular term and it makes most sense for post-roman Europe
- But the more important thing is that exploration age is very distinctive from pure mechanical point of view - it gives access to new territories and lets build gameplay around them. Medieval would be much less distinctive.
Lonecat Nekophrodite
Deity
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It is clearly seaborne civ. made a living by robbing any lawful empires.Introducing the Republic of Pirates, a new Exploration Age Civilization!
(Reminder: this will be free to claim until January 5, 2026 for all Civ VII owners with the new Tides of Power DLC!
We'll share details on how to claim with the update next week).
Where there is wealth, there is greed. The scramble for new world riches in the early 18th century brought English, Spanish, French, and Dutch fleets – but the prospect of quick riches also brought pirates. These were rarely organized, but in 1706, one band, the Flying Gang, took over the island of New Providence in the Bahamas and set up a short-lived republic for all who sought fortune... and came with few scruples.
Unique Ability
Flying Gang: Increased Yields from Pillaging and Coastal Raiding with Naval Units. Settler Units cannot be trained or purchased, but you can capture other civilizations' Settlers. Naval Units, Treasure Convoys, and Buccaneer Units can move into other civilizations' borders without being at war or having Open Borders.
Attributes
- Economic
- Militaristic
Civic Trees
Articles of Agreement
Ports of Call
- Tier 1: Unlocks the Naval Station Unique Building. Unlocks the 'Press Gangs' Tradition.
- Tradition - Press Gangs: Increased Production by a set percentage toward Naval Units for every Fleet Commander you have.
- Tier 2: Buccaneers gain the Looting Promotion.
Enemy of All Nations
- Tier 1: Unlocks the Naval Arsenal Unique Building. Unlocks the 'Merry Life and a Short One' Tradition.
- Tradition - Merry Life and a Short One: Receive Gold equal to the Unit’s Production cost every time you defeat a Support Unit. Receive Gold equal to a set percentage of the Unit’s Production cost every time you defeat a Naval Unit.
- Tier 2: Increased Settlement Limit. Unlocks the Havana Harbor Wonder. Buccaneer Unique Commander Units gain a charge to create a new Settlement.
- Tier 1: Increased Combat Strength against Treasure Convoys. Unlocks 'Black Flag' Tradition.
- Tradition - Black Flag: Increased Gold from Plundering Trade Routes by a set percentage.
- Tier 2: When you capture a Treasure Fleet Unit, it is worth an additional Treasure Fleet Point.
Unique Infrastructure
Haven: Unique Quarter. Increased Gold for every Treasure Resource. Friendly Naval Units and your Naval Units receive increased Healing on this tile.
Naval Arsenal: Unique Building. Must be built on a Coastal tile. Gold Base. Gain Gold adjacency with Resources. Has no Gold maintenance.
Naval Station: Unique Building. Must be built on a Coastal tile. Production Base. Gain Production adjacency bonus with Military Buildings and Gold Buildings.
Unique Civilian Unit
Buccaneer: Unique Commander Unit. Gains a set number of charges to use the 'Raiding Party' Action every set number of Promotions.
- Action - Raiding Party: Targets an adjacent Treasure Resource. This Settlement instantly spawns a Treasure Convoy under your control equal to the number of Treasure Resources; this does not reset until another Treasure Convoy is available.
Unique Military Unit
Sloop: Unique Naval Unit (replaces Privateer). Can cross other civilizations' borders, Pillage Trade Routes between non-Allied civilizations, and attack Units of non-Allied civilizations without going to war. Can move after attacking and has a set amount of Movement.
Associated Wonder
Havana Harbor: Gold Base. This Settlement generates Treasure Convoys worth a set amount of Treasure Fleet points in the Exploration Age (effect scales based on game speed). Increased Economic Attribute. Must be built in Distant Lands on Coastal Tiles adjacent to non-Lake tiles.
Starting Biases
- Coastal
Gameplay Tip
Since the Republic of Pirates are unable to train Settlers, unlock the Ports of Call Civic to give the Buccaneer Unique Commander a charge to create a new Town.
This Civ signifies that Exploration Age should be the Third. begins at 1400, ends at 1700.
and I say there should be Middle Ages that has limited naval capability (that comes at the late era, but rather as flagging features rather than actual objective).
And Sloops are more or less anachronistic. as per current Exploration Age timeframe.
Sloop - Wikipedia
Bermuda sloop - Wikipedia
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Captain FlintI can't be the only one who was hoping that they would have gotten unique Great People.
I feel like there is an overabundance of unique commanders.
Long John Silver
Charles Vane
Max
Doesn't Teach have a raid without war thing? How is that different than this?
Lonecat Nekophrodite
Deity
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I created one
After Tides comes out I'll fix it to work with Oliver Cromwell and Teach
Cromwell is happiness nerf for production bonus and my England has free temples in colonial settlements and a "Truth to power" policy that boosts happiness.
There's a naval tree parallel to the religion tree (which favors domestic religion compared to foreign conversion). It's very powerful (mobility, sight, adjacency, fire effect on water). It should go well with Teach.
I had an idea of an Edo Japan that if you enact Sankoku will lose all distant lands settlements and not spawn treasure fleets but the wonder which is the dutch trading port, will spawn treasure fleets per culture yield. The idea was gold production in farming towns was going to be food, and ONE building in one city would convert food to gold (Osaka) and then in another city a unique building could convert gold into culture at a rate (Edo) with happiness bonuses between them in their connection (Tokaido).
To compensate for non Osaka connections, the Busho unit would reduce population to convert food to gold.
For sankoku, missionary units would be Sohei warrior monks that with sankoku instead of doing faith bombs create matsuri for happiness, which will trigger celebrations for more culture.
So culture will then create treasure fleets to come to Nagasaki. Asymmetry.
![Andrew Johnson [FXS]](https://civfanatics-data.community.forum/avatars/m/326/326908.jpg?1589646534){kind=avatar}
Andrew Johnson [FXS]
Firaxian
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Yep, these little blurbs are us situating who the Civ is referring to, historically.
Lonecat Nekophrodite
Deity
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And it shares timeframe with Normans. no... unless there's another Age for England. and this England is clearly 'Between Norman Rules and British Empire).I created one
After Tides comes out I'll fix it to work with Oliver Cromwell and Teach
Cromwell is happiness nerf for production bonus and my England has free temples in colonial settlements and a "Truth to power" policy that boosts happiness.
There's a naval tree parallel to the religion tree (which favors domestic religion compared to foreign conversion). It's very powerful (mobility, sight, adjacency, fire effect on water). It should go well with Teach.
The reasons why there should be another age before Exploration. and Normans fit well here.
Evie
Pronounced like Eevee
As opposed to the reason why there shouldn't be one, which is ages should be designed for gameplay, not for fitting civ timelines in.
You don't force yourself to create a whole new set of age gameplay just so you can have England on top of Normans. Either you deal with the pain of having both in the same age (not that big a deal) eventually, or else you just don't add England. You do not create a whole new era out of nothing just to fit more civs in.
You don't force yourself to create a whole new set of age gameplay just so you can have England on top of Normans. Either you deal with the pain of having both in the same age (not that big a deal) eventually, or else you just don't add England. You do not create a whole new era out of nothing just to fit more civs in.
j51
Blue Star Cadet
I think a mode where each civ is unlockable in the earliest age that they’re historically from could be a cool solution without adding any new ages. Chola and maybe Dai Viet would be the only civs to bump up to antiquity, but most of the modern civs should historically be available in exploration. Only America, Mexico, Meji Japan, and maybe Great Britain would be held all the way back to modern only unlocks in “historical” mode. The Imperial French and Qajar could be renamed France and Iran. Most of civs uniques would still be tied to one age but a few could overlap: the Kalam could be unlocked with navigation and the Garde Imperiale with gunpowder for example (allowing it to not replace 20th century infantry too).
queenpea
Emperor
I see they’ve got multiple ways to generate treasure, plus one bonus for stealing treasure fleets that gives extra gold — which is nice — but I was hoping they’d lean more into the stealing side of things (the piracy). It would’ve been cool to see a reworked economic victory path (à la Mongols) that really fits the pirate fantasy of plundering and raiding rather than just wealth generation. Perhaps the economic victory path would be too difficult if you gained points only by stealing treasure fleets, but this is more in line of what I was expecting.
Evie
Pronounced like Eevee
I mean, pirates getting gold by raiding settlements is *just as much* part of the pirate fantasy as getting it from capturing enemy ships laden with treasure. So to me the ability to force treasure out of enemy city with treasure resources (and capture it) is just as thematic as the getting treasure from attacking fleets.
stealth_nsk
Deity
It's split between PR and Blackbeard. PR raids settlements, while Blackbeard could raid ships and treasure fleets without declaring war. Together they provide full pirate experience.
queenpea
Emperor
Sorry, I don't understand your meaning. My main point was that I was hoping they had a unique play style / victory paths. In a way, you are basically going to be playing them similarly to other civilzations when it comes to exploring and colonizing the new world, spreading religion, placing specialists, etc.
Josephias
Emperor
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Sorry about the OT, but this is something that I have been thinking about too... but idea becomes to big that will take time to post. It will be probably a complete overhaul of Civ VII so maybe more an idea for Civ VIII: make civ/era change more dinamic, with your current civ cummulating "crisis" points along the years (faster either if you are one of the top dogs - leading to decadence, or in the bottom tier), this could either prompt you to switch to one of the newly available civs to reset your crisis status, or challenge you to stand the test of time with your original civ, supporting your internal crisis (maybe keeping in the middle of the table for a final sprint in order to cummulate not that many points), and being true to your traditions.
Maybe someday I'll have to time to develop the idea
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