I see the aggressive AIs making buckets of coin from CS tributes. Has anyone developed an effective strategy that works on deity level where you build a large enough army to evoke tribute from CS, get lots of coin in tribute, then buy your way through the science you need to gain superiority, then wipe everyone out? It seems like it would be workable, and much more fun than the 4 city tradition strategy.
Tribute Stategy
- Thread starter txgregory
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McSaucy4418
Chieftain
I'm interested to see what people say. My first thought though is if it is even possible to surpass the cost of unit maintenance. Also before everyone shouts out gun boat diplomacy I am going to assume OP is talking well before that comes into play.
BroOfTheSun
Warlord
Not a full detailed strategy, but from what I've seen to make this work. Early game, go with Honor, build some units, and hunt barb camps. In between moving to barb camps, or waiting for them to spawn, send your units to CS and demand tribute. Use this money to fund your units, as you'll most likely be in the red for GPT.
CaptainPatch
Lifelong gamer
It really depends on how many CSs you have in the game. I always play Marathon, Huge map games with 41 CSs. Hitting the CSs up for tribute may get you lots of cash, but then you're pissing them off to where you don't get their Happiness (Luxuries), unit-building materials (Strategic resources), Faith, Culture, Food, military units, and occasional Great People. That's a LOT to be giving up just for a relatively small amount of cash.
From my perspective, CSs make MUCH better partners than they do as victims of a "protection racket". And to make things worse, victimizing them makes it that much easier for other civs to gain them as Allies.
From my perspective, CSs make MUCH better partners than they do as victims of a "protection racket". And to make things worse, victimizing them makes it that much easier for other civs to gain them as Allies.
Arachnofiend
Perturbed Pugilist
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A city-state's willingness to succumb to tribute demands is related to the military strength of any major civ that has pledged to protect it. Good luck getting a bigger army than Alex.
diety? no. but below that yes. but it usually involves civs with early game UU and it will usually only happen early game letting me maintain a large army for some early warmongering. enuf to keep unit maintenance up and buy a settler, i then transition into roads asap.
Noth worth the effort IMO. CS are more useful as allies so you can trade off your excess goods and still stay happy and supplied with horses/iron, after selling off all of your own. Patronage tree rapes for early sci boom once you've bought off the majority of CS's, and it keeps on giving. No better way to double your sci output IMO.
besides, you get less hate overall when you steal a worker than you do demanding cash over and over, and the free worker pays for itself, and gives you gold when you disband it later.
besides, you get less hate overall when you steal a worker than you do demanding cash over and over, and the free worker pays for itself, and gives you gold when you disband it later.
actually its very worth it, if ur going for domination victory or warmongering early as it will let u create and maintain an early army, u may have negative income but the lump sums in cash gained from bullying will keep u in the green until u expand or get some puppets and put some roads in.
greece is very good civ for this as cs relations will recover faster from the demands. infact i find it easyer to do with anny civ that has early uu
This is something I never really tried.
Maybe you could make it work with early Honor for the boost to melee production and a spearmen UU with a higher strength value than normal.
Persia, Celts and Greece are good contenders.
You probably need at least 4-6 on Immortal though. I'll test it ^^
Maybe you could make it work with early Honor for the boost to melee production and a spearmen UU with a higher strength value than normal.
Persia, Celts and Greece are good contenders.
You probably need at least 4-6 on Immortal though. I'll test it ^^
I find it easier when going for erly domination to just steamroll everything. I never need to use CS's for money, unless I'm capturing them for resources/lux's or stealing their workers to disband them for gold. I generally cut my army from heavily forested cities I capture, once I get rolling with 5-6 workers, a unit is chopped every few tyurns. I disband workers for cash, and keep ahead of my poor income by taking cities. As long as I raze the majority of cities i capture, I'm fine, and can even run a 18-20 unit classical army with positive GPT. I do this on diety when i'm angry with the world, and just want to kill everyone.
I should try demanding tribute again... but it feels cheap.
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