Poland, my new favourite

[Olleus]

The UA is good, very good, but the UB is where Poland really shines. On a quick reading it sounds like the only thing the ducal stable gives you is +15xp towards mounted units (which is all but useless) and +1 gold per horse/sheep/cattle (which is nice but not ground breaking). Then you see that it's also maintenance free which, hey, is a nice little additional bonus.

But then you read the small print and see that it is +15% production towards everything, rather than just +15% production towards mounted units. This is huugggge. Its like a free forge in every city, available earlier in the tech tree, which also gives you gold. It absolutely changes the game. Massive.

 

[TheMarshmallowBear]

The UA is good, very good, but the UB is where Poland really shines. On a quick reading it sounds like the only thing the ducal stable gives you is +15xp towards mounted units (which is all but useless) and +1 gold per horse/sheep/cattle (which is nice but not ground breaking). Then you see that it's also maintenance free which, hey, is a nice little additional bonus.

But then you read the small print and see that it is +15% production towards everything, rather than just +15% production towards mounted units. This is huugggge. Its like a free forge in every city, available earlier in the tech tree, which also gives you gold. It absolutely changes the game. Massive.

That sounds like a bug rather than design.

 

[Olleus]

I don't see why that must be the case. Sure, its very powerful, but not crazily broken like buying Wats and University with Jesuit Education. Its not that different to the Austrian UB that replaces the windmill production bonus to apply to everything rather than just buildings (except much better).

 

[Magma_Dragoon]

Those might and magic Sun Crusader guys are pretty cool looking too.

 

[raatmarien]

The UA is good, very good, but the UB is where Poland really shines. On a quick reading it sounds like the only thing the ducal stable gives you is +15xp towards mounted units (which is all but useless) and +1 gold per horse/sheep/cattle (which is nice but not ground breaking). Then you see that it's also maintenance free which, hey, is a nice little additional bonus.

But then you read the small print and see that it is +15% production towards everything, rather than just +15% production towards mounted units. This is huugggge. Its like a free forge in every city, available earlier in the tech tree, which also gives you gold. It absolutely changes the game. Massive.

I also think that's just another bad written description. Just like they wrote that the ducal stable only gave +1 production to horses, sheep and cow that have a pasture on it, although it turns out it works for all. Also it would make Poland waaayy to overpowered combined with their UA.

 

[Firesmacker]

Put me down as another fan of Poland for pretty much the reasons everyone else had said. It takes a bit of patience in the beginning but the pay off later on is huge.

Nothing like getting a free policy from the International Games (or The Oracle), just happening to have enough culture for another one and......oh, look I just entered a new era! Grabbing three SP's within one or two turns is pretty freaking sweet.

 

[sendos]

I am also a fan of Poland, thinking back to my failed pious autocracy game. Had a lot of fun with heathen conversion, nearly won a diplomatic victory. Lost to an AI science victory, which to me is the most common if not the only AI victory for me. Although I lost, I ended up with 2600 points.

I still don't know why some people portray Poland as a newbie civ. You may as well say the same for Greece and Venice in terms of diplomatic victories, for Brazil in terms of cultural victories and for Korea in terms of science victories.

 

[Magma_Dragoon]

I don't see why that must be the case. Sure, its very powerful, but not crazily broken like buying Wats and University with Jesuit Education. Its not that different to the Austrian UB that replaces the windmill production bonus to apply to everything rather than just buildings (except much better).

(+15% production and +15 xp) for mounted units

This is the correct way to read it

 

[Olleus]

I swear I was getting +15% production for everything... I'll load up some saved games and have a look. If that's the case, then Poland is good rather than amazing.

 

[Talcove]

The UA of Portugal just seems really bland: it's just a free social policy every era. I can see how that would help, in fact, it would be extremely useful. However, even with it being useful, it's not that interesting. The same, however, cannot be said about their other Unique traits. The Ducal Stables are quite interesting, but what really takes the cake is the Winged Hussar. By far, it is the most interesting UU in the game. Perhaps not the best, but the most interesting for sure.

And they have in my opinion the nicest colorscheme to (I'm a bit of a design freak).

I'd have to give that award to Portugal.

 

[secon]

A large part of the skill factor in Civ is making the most of the hand you're dealt. I played a game with Indonesia very much as you describe. It was a struggle to leverage either the UA or the UB, and didn't build the UU at all. It was both more challenging and rewarding moreso than being handed free sopols.

But to each their own.

yeah i just won a game with indonesia (my wife is indonesian so i was showing her) and ended up on an island but surrounded with very little room to expand. luckily all 4 cities i built were powerhouses and i turned into a gold/culture machine. eventually won by getting voted world leader. good stuff. although i never saw the option to build borobudur and meant to find out why. we went to visit there last year when we visited her family and i thought it would be fun to build it in the game.

 

[Knut_Are_M]

i only got +15% Production bonus to mounted units.

 

[Wojciech Rodzik]

Ducal stable:

Maintenance 1 GP

+ 15% Production and + 15 XP for mounted units

+1 Production production and +1 Gold gold per pasture.

They way I see it:

Only gives production bonus to cavalry. Nothing spectacular.
Can anyone confirm that it only gives production bonus to horse based units?

 

[JustinianIV]

I really wanted to like Poland, but their UA just seems like training wheels.

Perhaps if they earned their SPs through war (like how Assyria's UA works), or they could earn steal them through spying... just anything to get the ability to cost some effort or change in play.