Vanilla Saladin / 'Priest Economy'

[ohjames]

Hello!

A strategy that has been working for me really well lately is Saladin (Phil/Spi) for cheap temples, matched with Angkor Wat for a super-high-efficiency specialist economy.

I am interested in streamlining the way I usually go about this. My early start is kind of like–

research to BW & chop worker-worker-settler;
research to Priesthood (hopefully picking up a religion for the second city, on the way, but odds are low that this'll happen)
do the Oracle -> MC -> Pyramids sling; keep on line for a second Great Engineer;
REX while researching through Pottery (to cottage up the capital) -> Writing -> Alphabet -> Drama -> Philosophy;
GE rush Angkor Wat;
spam Temples everywhere, enjoy awesome Priests.

Is there any way to make this even more viable? A GS could pop Philosophy, if I researched Mathematics to block that off, but I'm not sure how easily I could force pop a GE->GS->GE. Is it viable?

 

[madscientist]

Best religious economy for Sal, works on BTS or Vanilla.

Tech poltheism, food techs, archery, target monarchy. Use oracle to get theology for free. Tech CoL and Philosphy (this is safer than relying on a GS, although he is PHILosophical and can get a GS in a second sity). THe GE is a gambit and safer to be prepared to build. Use prophets for shrines.

 

[DaveMcW]

I don't know why you're so obsessed with 2 priests. Any kind of hill (even tundra!) gives better production.

And a single priest is unlikely to generate a prophet, since you increased the cost to 400 by burning your first three.

 

[King of Town]

the priest specialist also gives you a gold which hills don't. Angkor wat is awesome, it boosts your hammer production and gives you tha ability to run 4 priests. I mean you don't do it the while game because I think a windmill becomes a better investment even later, but if you're running a SE priests are great. You get the ability to found religions, build the shrine, and they are awesome when they are settled.

 

[JBossch]

Also keep in mind that this strat is usually employed with pyramids and representation giving them +2 hammers/+1 gold/+3 beakers. Now that is better than a tundra hill.
Its not that the absolute values are better than any tile. A bonus tile like, say, marble, is better and is still getting worked. Its just better than a cottage early until late game, even if riverside and financial.
I did a variation of this strat with Saladin on Emperor pretty successfully. I kept only scientists in my capital which was a super-science GP farm and produced all the GS's i needed. Out lying cities were running priests and though they popped GPs less often, i still got enough for a shrine and a few settled.

 

[madscientist]

The preist economy revolves more arround the Great Prophets and multiple shrines than the extra 1 hammer from Ankor wat.