The Maya Rule...

[Koolaidking]

I am playing my second game of G&K with the Mayans and it is going great. Not having to tech anything for Pascal's UA lets you build range units instead of scouts, making my starting build the UU, worker, Pyramid. I am playing emperor, standard, earth; and i took down both Polynesia's cities with 6 UUs, 1 spearman, and 1 horseman before turn 80. I built the pyramids first in almost every city, and with my liberty start and domination style i could buy a missionary every 5 turns.

But there UA is really where they shine. Yeah the great person does count toward the normal increase to there respective spawn rates, but that just means you get to work great land tiles with your population and not worry about feeding specialists. The first GP i picked was the GA, and the insta-golden age let me make over 100 gold per turn during the renaissance! Next was a GM for some more money and influence. I used my GS to bulb chemistry, and my GE to build the PT that gave me another GE to build The Big Ben. However, i also had an extremely hard time trying to figure out the calendar system and unfortunately it made their UA seem like a proc instead of something i could plan for. I read above that someone wanted a GP countdown timer somewhere, and i cant help but think that's extremely appropriate.

Nevertheless i love this Civ! i see the Mayans as tile working civ that gets the benefits of a specialist civilization without having to have specialist cities. When i play other civs, i an usually inclined to only produce one or two types of GP, so it was a lot of fun for me to try and find times to use all of the GP stratigically, as well as an easy way to see all of the new abilities of the GP from the expansion in a real game setting (not just paragraphs in the civilopedia).

 

[Louis8k8]

I'm not good with the Mayans as I am with Napoleon or Babylon. What order do you guys get your GP's?

Mine:
1. GE
2. GS
3. GM
4. GG
5. gabkblarhaghrahgrhg everyone else.

I put them all as buildings. Not sure if that's a good way to play. Like ahawk mentioned, the spawns increase your GP production requirement. Maya seems lightly overrated based on purely how bad I am at playing them.

 

[Arkangelus]

There's probably a way that you can structure the free GPs that will let you still get some generated ones, I just dont know if the numbers work out. Prophets, Admirals and Generals shouldnt make the threshold for the next one increase, and an early Admiral can be more useful than you'd think since they can explore deep ocean, letting you explore the whole map. If you've got a lot of wonders you might be able to generate your own Engineer before the free ones make the cost too high... but its probably worth more long term to get the early academy instead of delaying picking decent GPs.

 

[WeneedmoreCivs]

There's probably a way that you can structure the free GPs that will let you still get some generated ones, I just dont know if the numbers work out. Prophets, Admirals and Generals shouldnt make the threshold for the next one increase, and an early Admiral can be more useful than you'd think since they can explore deep ocean, letting you explore the whole map. If you've got a lot of wonders you might be able to generate your own Engineer before the free ones make the cost too high... but its probably worth more long term to get the early academy instead of delaying picking decent GPs.

Great point about the Admiral, I just wish they would auto-explore like other units...I hate having to move them around manually.

I used my GP pop to put a Prophet on the land and vastly increase my faith production. Using the "you can buy units with faith" ability in my religion, I created an unstoppable army. You can even buy CANNONS with faith, and when you're generating ~100 faith a turn, you can pop out a Cannon every 7-8 turns independent of city production or gold. It really makes a huge difference.

 

[GAGA Extrem]

imo prophet is a waist, ur shrine/pyramid is already giveing u +2 and science ( the extra science will let u get to theology faster). get enganeer and rush stonehenge or another wonder. ur already going to be in the lead wit faith ( generaly speaking)

The faster you spread your religion early on, the more pressure you will create - making it harder for any enemy religion to spread over the map. If you can manage to pop some early missionaries - or even an early GP - to spread your religion to the AI, you will end up in a dominating position.

 

[Lyoncet]

The Mayans are crazy OP in so many ways all due to their UB really. Ancient ruin faith pops aside you should be the first to get your pantheon and the first to get your religion (and the first to anhance your religion, before the second religion is even founded if you want to). The value of that can't be emphasized enough.

As I understand it, you can't even get a faith hut until you found a Pantheon. So aside from high difficulties (AI starts with Pottery) and luck meeting Religious City-States, you're pretty much guaranteed. Unless the Celts/Ethiopia are in your game.

 

[GAGA Extrem]

As I understand it, you can't even get a faith hut until you found a Pantheon.

You can. I recently found one on turn 5.

 

[smallfish]

Start in Inforamation era, easyest that way.

No.

But if you do that, play it on Deity and with a civ like the Ottomans. It'll be much less of a snoozefest that way.

 

[MisterBoomBoom]

I've heard it restarts allowing you to pick any option again for your GP.

Thanks! Just used my last in the cycle...a great admiral on a highlands map (go figure right). Can't use him to start a golden age...can't even gift him to one of my allied CS's that is situated on the sea he appeared in either . So there he sits...alone...doing admirally things.

 

[Ulthwithian]

Seven: It is _very_ hard to out-Pantheon the Celts or Ethiopia. Depending on your Production, Civs that Hut Pottery and prioritize their Shrine may also beat you to a Pantheon.