sumerians

[bryanwallace]

have always avoided them as they seem to have a v weak uu-but could sumerians be quite good incertain circumstances?
they have a great trait combo and i spose the unit gives cheap spearmen-does anyone use thme and in what circimstances are they worth playing with??

 

[DWetzel]

They are a VERY hopd civ for research based games. If you can avoid a really early GA especially. The UU is not great but handy for barb hunting.

 

[Taras Bulba]

its nice to have a good defender early on, and Agricultural and Scientific are pretty good traits.... I like them, although the UU could be better

 

[TheOverseer714]

Their traits make up for the weak UU, especially if you get Iron early. Only use the Enkidu for barb defense, unless you get in a pickle. Agricultural makes for good growth on average maps and explosive growth on a good map, and Scientific means cheap Libraries. All around, they are a good generalist tribe, good for all victory types.

 

[The Professor]

I think they are great for 100k victory conditions, and good for almost anything else. The Enkidu is not a great UU, but having cheap MP's is good for Feudalism.

 

[bryanwallace]

yes,but surely you have to avoid any early wars to have any chance-otherwise you trigger a very early golden age.

 

[darski]

It has just occurred to me while reading this that it would be very easy to trigger a very early GA for the AI Sumerians. one reg warrior could set them off and it would be a wasted GA early in the game.

 

[TheOverseer714]

The Sumerians can be good to teach you not to build defensive units, unfortunately the Enkidu does replace 2 units(Warriors and Spearmen), leaving you having to build Archers for mps to avoid the early GA in a warmongering game. If you play carefully and lock in Iron, you won't miss having Spear defense, Swords have the same defense rating. No Iron would be a huge handicap for Sumeria.

 

[Mursi lives]

An early despotic GA is not necessarily a bad thing. If most of your worked tiles produce only one shield, it is ok. If the GA is what you need to crush you closest neighbor, it is ok.

IMO the ekindu is rather strong in early wars: stacks of 2 or 3 are very cheap, very hard to kill, and can pillage ressources, cut roads and paralyze the enemy civ. They are also good at making MGLs: send your first reg ekindus popping huts and they soon will be elites

 

[Spoonwood]

No Iron would be a huge handicap for Sumeria.

If you want to war with them perhaps. In many games, I doubt you'll need to do that.

Arguably, Sumeria makes for the best research tribe. This means that for a diplomatic or spaceship victory they might work out as the best in general. They'll grow fast at the beginning, have cheap libraries, universities, research labs, and have a free tech in each era. Do you want to play possibly your fastest spaceship game ever at any level? Pick Sumeria, put mass regicide on and crank the level down to Cheiftain with sedentary barbarians on a standard sized map with all scientific rivals. Use your king units as scouts, pop your way into the middle ages, use the "what's the big picture" to trade for the AIs scientific techs, and hope you get Theology as your freetech.

Don't count Sumeria out or as weak in a 20k game, since the agricultural trait gives your 20k city faster growth and an extra shield or two at size 12 if you use it right. Getting a free tech at each age also can help with the 20k, as well as having cheap libraries and univeristies. And on higher level? Sumeria *still* makes for excellent researchers. As an example, see the game here: