Snuggle or abuse?

[AnaNg]

So lately I've been playing continents games. Instead of being one of the lucky ones on the big continent with 3 or so civs, I'm generally on the equivalent of New Zealand (not that it's not pretty! Just a titch cramped) with someone else.

I've been doing the early war thing just so, you know, I can put my stuff where *I* want to instead of with a mind to blocking someone off or because they've plunked their city down around where I wanted mine to be.

But it occurs to me, when I off the guy and I finally make contact with the rest of the world - I'm the backwater. The conquered civ rarely has anything more than some early religious techs researched so the tactic of declaring Faux Peace for trade doesn't really net me much.

Even if cramped, does it make sense to let them live a while to get better techs? The problem there is I can't periodlicly weaken them as if we war their tech slider goes nowhere just like mine so it ends up being deulling banjos with an emphasis on the hayseed.

So - take the chance of them being the stronger one with the better resources when it's time to kick someone off the island, or is early offing still the better play?

 

[Shoot the Moon]

So lately I've been playing continents games. Instead of being one of the lucky ones on the big continent with 3 or so civs, I'm generally on the equivalent of New Zealand (not that it's not pretty! Just a titch cramped) with someone else.

I've been doing the early war thing just so, you know, I can put my stuff where *I* want to instead of with a mind to blocking someone off or because they've plunked their city down around where I wanted mine to be.

But it occurs to me, when I off the guy and I finally make contact with the rest of the world - I'm the backwater. The conquered civ rarely has anything more than some early religious techs researched so the tactic of declaring Faux Peace for trade doesn't really net me much.

Even if cramped, does it make sense to let them live a while to get better techs? The problem there is I can't periodlicly weaken them as if we war their tech slider goes nowhere just like mine so it ends up being deulling banjos with an emphasis on the hayseed.

So - take the chance of them being the stronger one with the better resources when it's time to kick someone off the island, or is early offing still the better play?

If you are the only civ they are in contact with, they will not trade you any techs because they consider the techs to be monopolies. So it would be better to kill them and take the land for yourself.

 

[Strategos]

Maybe something in between ... try and make them your vassal. You'll get extra happiness, access to their resources, and a de facto ally in any war against you. All without having to prosecute a prolonged war leading to infinite war weariness and a tech lag.

 

[AnaNg]

Maybe something in between ... try and make them your vassal. You'll get extra happiness, access to their resources, and a de facto ally in any war against you. All without having to prosecute a prolonged war leading to infinite war weariness and a tech lag.

Heh, someday I'll get with it and get an expansion pack that will make the dream a reality (that does sound great - more incentive for me, I guess)

StM - I'm not really thinking tech trading as a long term strat. I'm thinking, let them develop some USEFUL techs before I pull the whole "I'll trade techs for peace but what this really means is I want to heal my stack and bleed you dry before I crush you for good, you fool."

 

[Strategos]

Heh, someday I'll get with it and get an expansion pack that will make the dream a reality (that does sound great - more incentive for me, I guess)

Ah. Gotcha.

 

[AnaNg]

Eh, no worries, usually I mention that I'm a big honkin slacker.

 

[Shoot the Moon]

But why let them waste the land? Trust me, you can get way more out of that land than the AI (especially in vanilla before the Better AI). I say it would be better to just get it over with and use the extra research to get the techs you need yourself.

Oh, and in terms of vassals, again, I would rather be the one in control of that land if at all possible. I would recommend accepting capitulation only if the remaining land is crappy or you are sick of fighting the war and want to get it over with.

 

[Gnarfflinger]

I don't like vassal states in BtS. They become a reason for cities that you want to keep to leave your empire and little you can do about it.