The Serfdom Card

[cephalo]

Having builders with 5 charges is a major, major boon, especially as builder costs go up as you make them. I'm thinking this is one card that stays in your hand the whole game. Am I wrong?

 

[Frank327]

You are partially wrong. It's definately useful for a while around feudalism, especially because around that time you unlock triangle farms and lumbermills. However pretty soon you'll have most tiles improved and the policies that double adjacency modifiers and policies that boost your trade routes become stronger. They give you things extra builder charges can't give you. Still, serfdom is great.

If you think this policy is really powerful by the way, play china. their builders have 4 charges instead of 3.

 

[juanpavo]

Perhaps. I find that it is a keeper most of the time.

 

[Aurave]

It's amazing for me. Pretty much always 100% slotted once its opened, but I also play larger maps.

 

[Kouvb593kdnuewnd]

It can be a pain because other economy cards also give very nice bonuses such as +100% building yield.

 

[Qin Shi Hung]

If you think this policy is really powerful by the way, play china. their builders have 4 charges instead of 3.

China seems like a civ with potential, but every time I play as China I get greedy for all the shiny wonders and fall behind in development.

 

[KrikkitTwo]

Having builders with 5 charges is a major, major boon, especially as builder costs go up as you make them. I'm thinking this is one card that stays in your hand the whole game. Am I wrong?

Actually you are... it goes obsolete with Civil engineering, which provides "Public works" card which is +30% production AND +2 charges to Builders

 

[Kouvb593kdnuewnd]

It is always a question about how much do this card cost to use because I can not use another card. Are +2 worker charges worth it compared to lets say +4 gold +1 faith from trade routes or whatever you would pick instead

 

[King Jason]

I only slot it when I'm actually building builders. Otherwise it's completely wasted.

 

[Nefelia]

It is best to pump out a lot of builder with this card and then switch out at the next opportunity. Of course, those who are constantly growing and expanding might need to hold on to it for much longer.

 

[joncnunn]

I would tend to agree that if possible it's better to be switching in and out of Serfdom than staying in it the whole time.

 

[Zenstrive]

strangely, this card is very useful mid or late game, if you keep on expanding

 

[lamaros]

You get new civics often enough that you should almost always be changing your policies every time you get one depending on what you're going to be doing in the next 10 turns.

If you get the timing right you can do some things like have two civics about to pop, queue up builders (or just buy them) to finish just after the first completes and then switch straight back to the other policies once the second completes and you have your builders.