Teach me and you. Give me a gem.

[bestbrian]

One of the first cities you build should be your Military Production City (aka Gun Pump). This is the city that will do pretty much next to nothing all game but crank out your units. Barracks, Stable, Forge, HE, and just enough health/happy buildings to stay, well, happy and healthy. This city also gets your settled Military Instructors. Even if you're not a warmonger, the units keep you up on the powergraph to deter attacks, and a capable standing army allows you to take advantage of "opportunities" that may arise. This all counts for double if you have the bad habit to indulge in builder tendencies (like moi).

Also, don't take advice on winning games from a Cubs fan. That's like asking a dolphin to describe the mountains. (Sorry, Shul, couldn't resist).

 

[Stoney the I]

23: try to do your revolutions and conversions during your Golden Ages. if you dont play a Spi-leader, it can save you a few turns during the game.

24: Dont overexpand!

25: When in a peacefull Golden Age, switch to pacifism the first turn of the GA. you'll get 200% extra great ppl generation. also switch on a few more specialists for extra effect. one turn before the GA is over, switch back to the original civic. (I tend to run SE and that makes this a golden tactic for popping some great ppl a few turns earlier.)

26: never trade away oil, coal or uranium.

 

[Ian Kognitow]

26: never trade away oil, coal or uranium.

I think this is quite bad advice. As a general rule:
27: Trade excess resources to weaker civs for gold.
27a: Regularly renegotiate since strategic/luxury resources they don't have, you can usually get all their available gold per turn (in addition to possible surplus resources for your corps)

 

[Iranon]

Re 24: It's only ovexpansion if can't get out of tech hell - usually happens when stuck researching towards Code of Laws or Currency.

Re 25: Pacifism does nothing special for Golden Ages - you get a regular +100% multiplier. It is usually worth to attempt to run a few additional specialists though.

28.: Look for meat grinders. If an AI keeps reinforcing a flatland city where you pick apart their units without casualties it might to do more for your war effort than conquering it outright.
Often you can do this for a few turns until the AI collapses in on itself because it doesn't have an army or the population to produce/whip one.

29. War doesn't have to be decisive. Stealing workers, pillaging them dry, then bullying them for a tech or two is fine even if you don't take a single city.
Against Protective or Creative leaders you might declare war just to annoy them and slow down their expansion, because they are annoyingly hard to dislodge.

 

[eris]

I can't believe no one has made this point yet.

30. The less you automate, the more you win.

Not that I'm especially good at following that advice....

 

[Ian Kognitow]

I can't believe no one has made this point yet.

30. The less you automate, the more you win.

Like most things, that's quite contingent on the particular game. Some people are really bad players.

 

[afa2000]

29. War doesn't have to be decisive. Stealing workers, pillaging them dry, then bullying them for a tech or two is fine even if you don't take a single city.
Against Protective or Creative leaders you might declare war just to annoy them and slow down their expansion, because they are annoyingly hard to dislodge.

Not a good advice IMO. Fight fast and useful wars, or war weariness plus extra maintenance costs (troops in enemy territory cost gold per turn) will kill you soon.

 

[Bostock]

31. Save keys to open doors!

32. Build a bigger navy than you think you need - the spares can bring siege (guarded by defenders) to the gates of coastal cities early -- useful since your conquest usually moves at the speed of your siege.

 

[shulec]

33. If you are playing a game and don't want to go to war you can still pop a great general. Use privateers against you neighbors to gain enough experience to pop a great general. (Or discover fascism first.)

 

[Branded Swine]

If you are tired - Play more civ.
If you are bored - Play more civ.
If you are angry with someone - Play more civ.
If you are hungry - Play more civ.
If you get fired - Play more civ (only for those employed though).
If you...

well I think you get the point.

BS

 

[thungrim]

Never fight a land war in Asia.

Also: Never play against a Sicilian when death is on the line.

 

[btgwynn]

Montezuma isn't doing anyone any favors. Take him out.

 

[shulec]

34. Demand money, resources or techs that you are at least 3/4 finished researching from civs that are pleased with you. Do not ask more than every 20 turns (I am not sure if this applies to epic or marathon). Demand from your weaker neighbors as well, but only if you can take the diplomatic hit.

 

[Antilogic]

The classic strategy line from Civ1, I think:

"Never, ever, trust an Aztec with a nuke."

 

[SirDrake]

35. Chop early.

If you have six cities and chop to hurry a wonder, you might be saving 10 turns in that one city. But if you're building your first Settler in your capital, then your entire empire is waiting on that Settler. Ten turns saved then means your whole empire will be 10 turns further along at any given point in the future.

 

[Captain_Chaos]

36. Espionage is a powerful weapon. Learn how to use it and you will have an advantage over most players.

 

[Bostock]

Do not [beg] more than every 20 turns (I am not sure if this applies to epic or marathon).

Nothing diplomacy-wise scales with game speed, so this still applies to epic or marathon. (Although 30 turns is a safer bet, at all speeds, IMO.)

EDIT: it means the difference between a random refusal chance of .95^20 (36% chance) and one of .95^30 (21% chance) IIUC, plus 10 more turns for your "debt" for the value of the preceding gift to decay. What I don't know is if your random refusal counter and perhaps also your debt are also incremented for unsuccessful begging... I always assume for safety's sake that they are.

 

[crazyunits]

Build production cities on hills and/or location with lot of hills, save Ironwork and all your G Generals for your most productive production city and watch as you roflstomp Shaka, also put spread + food corporation into that city to increase productivity

Try to ally with the strongest civ by converting to their religion, take out heathen civs/weaker civs with the same religion, then just rolfstomp your precious ally

Yeah.....

 

[Kito]

37. If you want a lot of gold with corporations, you must fund Sid's Sushi, Aluminium Co., Creative Constructions, and Civilized Jewelers Inc. in your wall street city....and expand them.
38. Remember save a GM, GS, GE, and GA for 37....

 

[Peteyboy]

Wow lots of really good cracking points, I think I'll add....

39. At regular intervals, check cautious or worse opponents for 'we have too much on our hands already' and look if the computer is preparing something potentially against you.
The computer will not always give you a trigger to see it against you (especially so if they have greater power than you)

Too many games can be lost (or significantly damaged) by a fairly random seemingly unprovoked war with a neutral opponent.