Novice's Difficulty Level

[Caligulaesque]

I'm a complete newcomer to the CIV series (a refugee from Rome: Total War) but after a practice game I won my next two very easily by getting ahead and staying there but all the civs got stuck and the game stagnated. Can anyone give me a tip on which difficulty level to use for challenging but not impossible games?

 

[spiceant]

i would suggest moving up one difficulty after winning another one easily.
(if you win noble, go to prince)

 

[Kazz]

Noble is the "fair" difficulty in which you don't get any special bonuses and the AI doesn't get any special penalties, and vice versa. I prefer it for that reason.