What civilizations/scenarios/maps are best for beginners?

[ShahJahanII]

Say I had a friend that was new to the civ series, and I wanted to teach him how to play in a a way that won't be too hard or put him off.
What civilization's/scenarios/maps are best for this?

 

[asmartlittleman]

That's hard to say probably a standard or smaller map so it's not to overwhelming maybe Pangea but continents is also good since he or she can get use to navies and learn about embarking. The civ is the tough part obviously don't pick a civ that's to restricted in a certain style of play but also ask he or she what civ they like because if they are playing on a low difficulty level it won't matter to much what civ they are and they will enjoy it more if they like the civ they are playing. Just explain to them the advantages/disadvantages of the civ they might pick.

 

[OmegaKabob]

The tutorial is good, but if you don't use that then I agree with playing as the civ he wants to play as. Say a place that he's interested in. I recommend Continents and Settler or Chieftan difficulty.

 

[Blue Oyster]

The difficulty should be low, of course. And the speed should be fast. This is because it is an introduction, and one would wish the beginner to experience many things.

But the type of map, era, and the civilization, perhaps should depend to some degree on the person. For example, if your friend is a marine biologist, you may want a water theme for map and civ. A geologist, then get a land-dominant map, and let them pick the age of the planet. An Anglophile? Easy one. Warmonger? Perhaps raging barbarians. I'd just try to match the interests as much as possible.

And maybe how the teaching will be done is a factor: hot seat, or tutored, or multi-player? Not sure.

 

[Roxlimn]

I think Standard/Standard is fast enough for play as a beginner, especially with the lower diff player bonuses. For maps situation, I would pick Continents so he/she can play with all the various mechanics. For leader, I would pick Napoleon/France. Ancien Regime allows the new player to get a ton of Social Policies without really knowing what they're doing, and the free border pops on new cities is also a vital aid for beginners who do not want to mess with Culture so much.

 

[jtb1127]

Continents (to explore all the units), chieftain (to get used to the game without getting pwned) and try to get a science victory for the same reason as continents.

 

[ShahJahanII]

I think Standard/Standard is fast enough for play as a beginner, especially with the lower diff player bonuses. For maps situation, I would pick Continents so he/she can play with all the various mechanics. For leader, I would pick Napoleon/France. Ancien Regime allows the new player to get a ton of Social Policies without really knowing what they're doing, and the free border pops on new cities is also a vital aid for beginners who do not want to mess with Culture so much.

That is what I'm looking for.
I also thought of Germy because it mighit be fun to run around and convert barbs.

 

[jtb1127]

i thought that was fun when I first got the game.

 

[Edgar Allan Bro]

The French is a good start.

 

[TW_Honorius]

any civ on arci on chieftain.