As an informal experiment, I tried a 12-seat Prince game (Prince for no Culture modifiers) with the following rules:
- Above all, play suboptimally--keep pace with AI
- No Wonders
- Max Two Cities
- No Attacking Opponents
- No Religion
The payload was to get to Cold War with basically zero Tourism and see how possible/easy/fast it would be to simply win with Rock Bands.
Spoilers: It's pretty easy. As you know Rock Band total effect is based on three compounding RNG-curves, resulting that any one band can generate anywhere from less than 1k tourism to 200k+. It takes about
3 "super bands" (bands that make it to level 4 and perform several times after that) to win the game
from nothing against the "domestic tourists" associated with Cold War's level of cultural development. Based purely on anecdote, roughly 1/5 of my bands survive to this stage, and 3/5 die a quick and meaningless death.
Album Cover Art is far, far more valuable than any other promotions (for purposes of Culture Victory). It is over 4 times more valuable than Glam Rock, which is probably the 2nd "best" promotion. (Wonders give 4x Tourism, and there are more of them.)
At minimum, the impact of Rock Bands in general needs to come down, and something ought to be drastically changed about Album Cover Art. If you luck out and get it with Goes To 11, baby baby.
More broadly, something has to be done about the RNG ramp. Spies at least have a variety of conservative "training wheels" options alongside the high-risk high-reward options they can grow into, as well as policies and other mechanisms that can rig the deck. If Rock Bands are going to be Spy-style RNG based unique units, they at least need vaguely similar low-risk options that build into the ambitious results--like an early band playing at Campuses to get their start, before leveling up to Amphitheater, then Stadiums, until one day playing at Stonehenge.
If it were up to me to patch the system with minimal change, I'd just remove Wonders as a default option and separate the Promotions: (while optionally adding a few to fit)
Level 1:
- Arena Rock - Performs as if 2 levels more experienced on Entertainment Complex district tiles.
- Glam Rock - Performs as if 2 levels more experienced on Theater Square district tiles.
- New Age - Performs as if 2 levels more experienced on Campus district tiles.
- Reggae Rock - Performs as if 2 levels more experienced on Water Park district tiles.
Level 2:
- Indie - Performing a concert causes that city to lose 50 Loyalty.
- Pop Star - Earn Gold equal to 50% of the Tourism generated.
- Religious Rock - Performs a concert that converts the majority religion of that city to the religion founded by the player.
- Roadies - +4 Movement.
Level 3:
- Music Festival - Performs at National Parks for expected 1000 Tourism and 2 levels more experienced.
- Surf Band - Performs at Seaside Resorts for expected 500 Tourism and 2 levels more experienced.
- Space Rock - Performs at Spaceports for expected 1000 Tourism and 2 levels more experienced.
- National Anthem - Performs at domestic Broadcast Centers and Stadiums to lower war weariness.
Level 4:
- Album Cover Art - Performs a final concert at Wonders for guaranteed 25000 Tourism, but the unit will disband.
- Goes to 11 - Civilizations within 10 tiles receive 50% of the Tourism from this concert.
- Battle of the Bands - Concerts destroy enemy Rock Band units within 5 tiles.
- World Tour - Can perform at all City State districts for +2 Envoys.
This means
all bands have a good starter options, then get some unique utility, then a unique secondary option, then a capstone. It gates a retuned Album Cover at and Goes to 11 behind success, while also ensuring you cannot combine them. It also provides compelling alternate payloads--using experienced bands to deal with war weariness, Envoys, or even enemy Rock Bands.
To end on a positive note, for all their current flaws, Rock Bands
are an improvement to the Cultural Victory. It badly needed some sort of terminal point, some "finishing move" in the late game.
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