Russia's Grand embassy and Netherlands' Radio Oranje

[Haig]

These two abilities dont look that strong, but have you found uses for them?

I had a Russia game (that I aborted as I was pretty behind my goals) and thought that maybe I should have built loads of trade routes to benefit from Grand Embassy?

Also how is the Radio Oranje that gives loyalty and culture, I think the description of it is hard for me to understand:
'Your trade routes to your own cities provide +1 loyalty per turn for the starting city. Trade routes to foreign cities or from foreign cities provide +1 culture for you"

So maybe it's good for colonizing and getting loyalty?

 

[Azedenkae]

I once settled a city far from the capital wedged in between other civs. Radio oranje helped me have enough loyalty to keep it.

 

[Kmart_Elvis]

Grand Embassy is an underated ability. It's not an ability where you can base a strategy around and win, but it's a nice bonus to have and does have value. The numbers are conservatively weak. It's not a true rubber band ability that will propel you to the front, but it's essentially free science and culture from trade routes that's easy to activate.

• It's fantastic on higher levels, especially Deity. You'll be playing catch up for the first half of the game, regardless of how good of a player you are. Might as well as get bonus yields.
• It's based on techs/civics, NOT raw science/culture. As Russia you'll be beelining, especially for Theology on the civics tree, and Military Science on the tech. You could actually be making more science/culture per turn than anyone, and still get this ability to activate!
• Send all your traders to a runaway civ, like Seondeok or Pericles. It will at least let you leech off their success. To make the most of this ability, send them to the leading civ.
• Use trade routes to balance. For example, maybe you're going for CV. You've made a ton of theatre squares and you are clearly in the lead in culture. Send your routes to the science leader to help compensate. Works fantastic with religious victory when you are focusing on making lavras instead of campuses/squares.
• Use monumentality and lavra faith to spam settlers in a golden age. Go wide as possible. Get hubs and harbors in every city.

Edit: as for Radio Oranje, that could turn into a really powerful ability if they just allowed you to cancel routes. Conquer a city and need 6 loyalty to stay afloat? Redirect your traders and get that bonus instantly. Really wished the game allowed you to do that.