lindsay40k
Emperor
If you dislike random events and play with them off, fair go. Some players like to RP, some players like to feel like their civ is part of an unpredictable world, some players like to break up the predictability of always doing X in Y turns. I'm usually one of the latter three, and when I'm not maximising balance this is my take on which ones my government invests in and which ones we dismiss as the unrealistic propositions of the misguided opposition party.
Can't remember all the Quests in detail? Check here.
Up to speed? Right, here's my thoughts:
Blessed Sea: be Buddhist, Confucian or Taoist; settle 12 landmasses: convert 20 own cities/free Temple in every city over 4 pop/free GPro
I would not attempt this quest in preference to spawning my own GPro by running Priests. It's only of use if you're going for Sushi anyway (lots of single tile islands with seafood) or to tip you over for an AP win; even then, I'd rather invest the hammers and upkeep involve in conquering someone and making them vote for me.
Holy Mountain: be Jewish, Christian or Muslim; build a bunch of religious buildings; settle revealed Holy Mountain: gain +1
everywhere forever
Unless I'm wanting to run non-Emancipation on a large map, or anticipate a LOT of war weariness, going out of my way for this is almost never worth it compared with trading for luxuries.
Horse Whispering: build 7 Stables: get 6 Horse Archers/free Sentry on all Mounted/+1 food on Stables
+1 food in 7 cities is great. Free units without promos are rarely good unless you've messed up a war here and now. I only need one Sentry in a stack; saving the cost of a Chariot is not worth turning my nose up at +7 free food.
Harbormaster: Build 7 Harbours and 4 Caravels: All ships gain Combat 1/All harbours gain +1 Gold/All ships gain Navigation 1
Naval warfare is a bloodbath; either one side has overwhelming odds and smashes the enemy, or else one side has a few crippled survivors limping home. +10% either way rarely seems to make a massive difference. +1 movement is only helpful early on, post-industrial ships have got massive movement anyway. But +7 gold scattered around isn't that great. It's cool if you're already building a GLH economy or planning on circumnavigating, but other than that it's an awful lot of hammers.
Classic Literature: Build 7 Libraries: Gain +2 beakers in one Library/Get a free Ancient tech/Add +1 scientist to GLib
The first two results are not worth the hammers and upkeep involved. The third result seems game-breaking, especially with PHI or Pacifism + GAge + NE, but it's effectively just +2 food and will take a while to achieve, putting it pretty close to SciMeth. I'll almost always try to win it, but it's overrated IMO. CRE halves the hammer cost, which is nice.
Master Blacksmith: build 7 Forges: Gain a free Copper/Give all Swordsmen Shock/Gain free Engineer
This takes a lot of hammers, and I've lost two great tech leads through stalling to win this quest with marginal cities. If you've no metal, free Copper is a lifesaver if you can do it whilst Macemen are still useful. If you're Rome, Toku or Stalin with Iron and 7 good sites, this quest is brutal. If you're IND or AGG with Iron and 7 suitable sites, this quest is good. A free Engineer is much better than Classic Literature's Scientist because Engineers are scarce until some time later.
Best Defense: build 7 Castles: give all Melee units CG1/gain +3 relations with all known AI/gain +25EP on TGW
Melee is going obsolete when this comes along. +3 relations is nice, but generally not worth delaying Economics. +25 EP, likely in your capital, is fantastic and often worth delaying Economics; if TGW is capturable and Free Market/Customs Houses won't be a massive boost, I'll strongly consider going out of my way to do this. Borderline win button for an Espionage Economy.
Sports League: build 7 Colosseums: Colosseum +1/+4 culture Colosseum/Free GAge if you have SoZ
If I or a weak neighbour has SoZ, I won't not go for this. I'm not sure which is best for a Culture game out of +4 culture or pumping out GArtists for a while from a GAge. If you don't have SoZ, +4 Culture can settle border disputes with a CRE neighbour.
Crusade: Declare war on whoever controls your Holy City and don't stop hitting them until it's yours: Gain 4 draft units/Autobuild Shrine/spread religion to 7 cities
At the time this is relevant, 4 draft units aren't much help; definitely not as handy as +7 gold. It's brilliant when this happens whilst you're already aiming to grab the HC, but if you're peaceful with your brothers then it could be a tricky political decision to go to war.
Greed: Steal a resource tile: Get 4 free units that need the resource.
Again, four free units without any XP is a bit rubbish. But then I've not had this happen with Oil; four free Tanks could be fun. If you covet the resource anyway, it's not worth basing your plans for acquiring it on the quest deadline.
War Chariots: Build 8 Chariots: Chariots gain Combat 1
The only time this is good is if you're Egypt or Persia and have early Horses, whereupon you'll probably be doing this anyway. The techs that end the quest are so early, it's not worth delaying research to get it unless you've got a Chariot UU.
Edit: if you're isolated and intend to Chariot rush your one neighbour, and therefore don't care about Alphabet, this is amazing. Otherwise, preventing you from trading techs or using Oracle is major bummer.
Elite Swords: Build 8 Swordsmen: All Swordsmen gain CR1 or (with Monarchy) Drill 1
It's like a free settled GG, and easily do-able before your first proper war. If I have Iron, I'll probably build eight Swordsmen, making this effectively zero hammers. The only time I won't go for this is if I need to win the race to Music or Philosophy. Nice synergy with GLH & Colossus economy producing lots of GMs and using Vassalage/Theo to produce a load of CR3 Swords and upgrading them. I'm going to say that, in the hands of a human, this turns Toku from the weakest leader into top tier.
Warships: Build 7 Triremes: Triremes gain Combat 1/with GHL, Harbours gain +2 commerce
It's only in rare PvP situations that I find +10% on Triremes to be a winner. It's great with a GLH economy, and a borderline win button for Hannibal.
Guns Not Butter: Build 8 Musketmen: Musketmen gain Pinch/Vassalage gives you 400 Gold/Taj Mahal gives you ANOTHER GAge
I tend to find Muskets are obsoleted fairly quickly. But if they're going to be upgraded, it's a nice bonus that's relevant until Tanks and Bombers. 400 Gold you can get from a tech trade at this point. An extra GAge is worth quite a bit of procrastination if you get this quest a turn before Rifling or Railroad makes it obsolete; I'll even consider realigning to capture the TM for the sake of it. Perfect for Ethiopia, since you'll certainly be producing loads of Drill IV Oromo to upgrade.
Noble Knights: Build 8 Knights: Knights gain Flanking 1/Spread religion to 5 cities/Oracle gains settled GPro
If you're Justinian and this comes up, you've won the lottery. Oracle is fairly likely to be in a Holy City, which makes the GPro pretty much worth it. Five Missionaries are cheaper than eight Knights
Overwhelm: Build 4 destroyers, 2 battleships, 3 carriers and 9 fighters: All of the above (and Jet Fighters) gain Combat 1/Harbours gain +5 Commerce/Ban Nukes (if Mp has been built)
Broken beyond words.
I want at least this much in my Navy anyway, making it effectively a zero hammer quest.
+5 Commerce in every Coastal city is great. But if it has to be spelled out:
1: Build all but one of these units.
2: Build MP.
3: Maximise hammers to build as many Nukes as you can in six turns. Starve cities if you have to.
4: Build the last unit, ban everyone else from ever building nukes, use your stockpile for fun and profit.
Corporate Expansion: Spread your Corporation to 8 cities that don't have it yet: +10 gold on HQ
Again, you want to do this anyway, so for effectively zero hammers you get +30gpt (after Bank, Grocer, Market, WS).
Hostile Takeover: Acquire every resource for your Corporate HQ: Gain +20 gold on HQ
If I found a Corporation, I want this to happen. It's usually easy to find a weak victim who thinks Mr. Carnegie's new Coal mine belongs to them.
Can't remember all the Quests in detail? Check here.
Up to speed? Right, here's my thoughts:
Blessed Sea: be Buddhist, Confucian or Taoist; settle 12 landmasses: convert 20 own cities/free Temple in every city over 4 pop/free GPro
I would not attempt this quest in preference to spawning my own GPro by running Priests. It's only of use if you're going for Sushi anyway (lots of single tile islands with seafood) or to tip you over for an AP win; even then, I'd rather invest the hammers and upkeep involve in conquering someone and making them vote for me.
Holy Mountain: be Jewish, Christian or Muslim; build a bunch of religious buildings; settle revealed Holy Mountain: gain +1
everywhere foreverUnless I'm wanting to run non-Emancipation on a large map, or anticipate a LOT of war weariness, going out of my way for this is almost never worth it compared with trading for luxuries.
Horse Whispering: build 7 Stables: get 6 Horse Archers/free Sentry on all Mounted/+1 food on Stables
+1 food in 7 cities is great. Free units without promos are rarely good unless you've messed up a war here and now. I only need one Sentry in a stack; saving the cost of a Chariot is not worth turning my nose up at +7 free food.
Harbormaster: Build 7 Harbours and 4 Caravels: All ships gain Combat 1/All harbours gain +1 Gold/All ships gain Navigation 1
Naval warfare is a bloodbath; either one side has overwhelming odds and smashes the enemy, or else one side has a few crippled survivors limping home. +10% either way rarely seems to make a massive difference. +1 movement is only helpful early on, post-industrial ships have got massive movement anyway. But +7 gold scattered around isn't that great. It's cool if you're already building a GLH economy or planning on circumnavigating, but other than that it's an awful lot of hammers.
Classic Literature: Build 7 Libraries: Gain +2 beakers in one Library/Get a free Ancient tech/Add +1 scientist to GLib
The first two results are not worth the hammers and upkeep involved. The third result seems game-breaking, especially with PHI or Pacifism + GAge + NE, but it's effectively just +2 food and will take a while to achieve, putting it pretty close to SciMeth. I'll almost always try to win it, but it's overrated IMO. CRE halves the hammer cost, which is nice.
Master Blacksmith: build 7 Forges: Gain a free Copper/Give all Swordsmen Shock/Gain free Engineer
This takes a lot of hammers, and I've lost two great tech leads through stalling to win this quest with marginal cities. If you've no metal, free Copper is a lifesaver if you can do it whilst Macemen are still useful. If you're Rome, Toku or Stalin with Iron and 7 good sites, this quest is brutal. If you're IND or AGG with Iron and 7 suitable sites, this quest is good. A free Engineer is much better than Classic Literature's Scientist because Engineers are scarce until some time later.
Best Defense: build 7 Castles: give all Melee units CG1/gain +3 relations with all known AI/gain +25EP on TGW
Melee is going obsolete when this comes along. +3 relations is nice, but generally not worth delaying Economics. +25 EP, likely in your capital, is fantastic and often worth delaying Economics; if TGW is capturable and Free Market/Customs Houses won't be a massive boost, I'll strongly consider going out of my way to do this. Borderline win button for an Espionage Economy.
Sports League: build 7 Colosseums: Colosseum +1
/+4 culture Colosseum/Free GAge if you have SoZIf I or a weak neighbour has SoZ, I won't not go for this. I'm not sure which is best for a Culture game out of +4 culture or pumping out GArtists for a while from a GAge. If you don't have SoZ, +4 Culture can settle border disputes with a CRE neighbour.
Crusade: Declare war on whoever controls your Holy City and don't stop hitting them until it's yours: Gain 4 draft units/Autobuild Shrine/spread religion to 7 cities
At the time this is relevant, 4 draft units aren't much help; definitely not as handy as +7 gold. It's brilliant when this happens whilst you're already aiming to grab the HC, but if you're peaceful with your brothers then it could be a tricky political decision to go to war.
Greed: Steal a resource tile: Get 4 free units that need the resource.
Again, four free units without any XP is a bit rubbish. But then I've not had this happen with Oil; four free Tanks could be fun. If you covet the resource anyway, it's not worth basing your plans for acquiring it on the quest deadline.
War Chariots: Build 8 Chariots: Chariots gain Combat 1
The only time this is good is if you're Egypt or Persia and have early Horses, whereupon you'll probably be doing this anyway. The techs that end the quest are so early, it's not worth delaying research to get it unless you've got a Chariot UU.
Edit: if you're isolated and intend to Chariot rush your one neighbour, and therefore don't care about Alphabet, this is amazing. Otherwise, preventing you from trading techs or using Oracle is major bummer.
Elite Swords: Build 8 Swordsmen: All Swordsmen gain CR1 or (with Monarchy) Drill 1
It's like a free settled GG, and easily do-able before your first proper war. If I have Iron, I'll probably build eight Swordsmen, making this effectively zero hammers. The only time I won't go for this is if I need to win the race to Music or Philosophy. Nice synergy with GLH & Colossus economy producing lots of GMs and using Vassalage/Theo to produce a load of CR3 Swords and upgrading them. I'm going to say that, in the hands of a human, this turns Toku from the weakest leader into top tier.
Warships: Build 7 Triremes: Triremes gain Combat 1/with GHL, Harbours gain +2 commerce
It's only in rare PvP situations that I find +10% on Triremes to be a winner. It's great with a GLH economy, and a borderline win button for Hannibal.
Guns Not Butter: Build 8 Musketmen: Musketmen gain Pinch/Vassalage gives you 400 Gold/Taj Mahal gives you ANOTHER GAge
I tend to find Muskets are obsoleted fairly quickly. But if they're going to be upgraded, it's a nice bonus that's relevant until Tanks and Bombers. 400 Gold you can get from a tech trade at this point. An extra GAge is worth quite a bit of procrastination if you get this quest a turn before Rifling or Railroad makes it obsolete; I'll even consider realigning to capture the TM for the sake of it. Perfect for Ethiopia, since you'll certainly be producing loads of Drill IV Oromo to upgrade.
Noble Knights: Build 8 Knights: Knights gain Flanking 1/Spread religion to 5 cities/Oracle gains settled GPro
If you're Justinian and this comes up, you've won the lottery. Oracle is fairly likely to be in a Holy City, which makes the GPro pretty much worth it. Five Missionaries are cheaper than eight Knights
Overwhelm: Build 4 destroyers, 2 battleships, 3 carriers and 9 fighters: All of the above (and Jet Fighters) gain Combat 1/Harbours gain +5 Commerce/Ban Nukes (if Mp has been built)
Broken beyond words.
I want at least this much in my Navy anyway, making it effectively a zero hammer quest.
+5 Commerce in every Coastal city is great. But if it has to be spelled out:
1: Build all but one of these units.
2: Build MP.
3: Maximise hammers to build as many Nukes as you can in six turns. Starve cities if you have to.
4: Build the last unit, ban everyone else from ever building nukes, use your stockpile for fun and profit.
Corporate Expansion: Spread your Corporation to 8 cities that don't have it yet: +10 gold on HQ
Again, you want to do this anyway, so for effectively zero hammers you get +30gpt (after Bank, Grocer, Market, WS).
Hostile Takeover: Acquire every resource for your Corporate HQ: Gain +20 gold on HQ
If I found a Corporation, I want this to happen. It's usually easy to find a weak victim who thinks Mr. Carnegie's new Coal mine belongs to them.
Taking the free units for Horse whispering isn't so bad as Hannibal if you can get it done in a fair amount of time...
problems. Or to run an extra FIN riverside Plains cottage.
