What do you think of the Leaders?

I like most of the leader choices so far. Tubman is one of the most famous black women and abolitionists in history and is very well-known in America... the hate against her inclusion is rather undeserved in my opinion, especially so since Civilization VII is already making a clear shift toward prioritizing people of cultural significance. Benjamin Franklin is also a good choice. He was a founding father, prolific inventor, and his face is on the $100 bill for goodness' sake. I kind of wish we had a U.S. president as a leader, but Tubman and Franklin are good choices, and we don't need more than two leaders for America. Machiavelli and Tecumseh are good additions to the game as well.
 
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Lafayette - B

I think it's a B? Good lord. The Modern leader roster so far is white enough to start a self help club. He's an inspired choice in a vacuum, but Napoleon's lingering presence ruins this choice for me. Maybe the solution is to just give Napoleon an F when his First Look comes but it also bleeds into my opinion of any Euro leader still left to come.
 
Lafayette - S
He's the most inspired Leader choice so far.
He's iconic and well known, and perfectly exemplifies the merit of separating Leaders from civs.
He's going to be fun to play as (almost certainly my first game will be as him); much more importantly, he'll be a fun Leader to play with. I can see always including him in every game, similar to Kristina in VI due to her abilities
The only thing keeping him from getting an S+ is the fact that he's not Ronald Reagan, Cincinnatus, or Julian the Apostate
 
Going through the leaders, I have to say, almost all of the abilities are winners for me. Only Charlemagne and Harriet Tubman have abilities which feel uninteresting to me... And I like Tubman enough as a leader choice that I'll still probably want to play her.

While I'm feeling very mixed about the civ abilities - especially those after the antiquity era - the leaders have pretty consistently knocked it out of the park. I genuinely think Charlemagne is the only one I've no interest in trying...
 
Looking at the Leaders we have so far - what do you think of them?

Any you might gravitate towards playing?
Who do you think might be a nemesis?
Who are you already looking forward to being your best pal?
Who's going to be just annoying?

Here's a list of the Leaders and their Personas:

LeaderAbilityAgenda
Amina
Economic,
Militaristic​
Warrior-Queen of Zazzau: Increased Resource Capacity in Cities. Increased Gold per Age for each Resource assigned to Cities. Increased Combat Strength for all Units on Plains and Desert tiles.Desert of the Warrior Queen: If the player has more Settlements on Plains or Desert tiles than Amina, Decrease Relationship by a Medium Amount. If the player has no Settlements on Plains or Desert tiles, Increase Relationship by a Small Amount.
Ashoka, World Renouncer
Diplomatic,
Expansionist​
Dhammaraja: Adds Food in Cities for excess Happiness beyond a set amount. Increased Food in all Settlements during a Celebration. All Buildings gain a Happiness adjacency for all Improvements.Without Sorrow: Increase Relationship by a Medium Amount with the player with the highest Happiness yield. Decrease Relationship by a Medium Amount with the player that has the lowest Happiness yield.
Ashoka, World Conqueror*
Diplomatic,
Militaristic​
Devaraja: Increased Production in Cities for excess Happiness beyond a set amount. Increased Production in Settlements not founded by you. Declaring a Formal War grants a Celebration. Large increase to Combat Strength against Fortified Districts for all Units during a Celebration.Without Regret: Decrease Relationship by a Medium Amount with the Leader whose lands cover the most tiles and Increase Relationship by a Medium Amount for the one with the least.
Augustus
Cultural,​
Expansionist​
Imperium Maius: Adds Production in the Capital for every Town. Increased Gold towards purchasing Buildings in Towns. Can purchase Culture Buildings in Towns.Restitutor Orbis: Decrease Relationship by a Medium Amount for each Town in other players' empires. Increase Relationship by a Medium Amount for each City (excluding Capital) in other players' empires.
Benjamin Franklin
Diplomatic,
Scientific​
The First American: Increased Science per Age on Production Buildings in Cities. Increased Production towards constructing Production Buildings. Increased Science per Age from active Endeavors you started or supported. Can have multiple Endeavors of the same type active at a time.Civic Virtue: Increase Relationship gains with players that share a Government with him. Decrease Relationship with players that don't share a Government with him.
Charlemagne
Militaristic,
Scientific​
Father of Europe: Military and Science Buildings receive a Happiness adjacency for Quarters. Gain a set number of free Cavalry Units, once unlocked, when entering a Celebration. Increased Combat Strength for Cavalry Units during a Celebration.The Golden Shepherd: Increase Relationship by Medium Amount with whichever player has triggered the most Celebrations. If there is a tie, Increase Relationship by Small Amount to tieholders. Decrease Relationship by a Medium Amount with whoever has triggered the fewest Celebrations. If there's a tie, Decrease Relationship by Small Amount to tieholders.
Confucius
Expansionist,
Scientific​
Keju: Increased Growth Rate in Cities. Increased Science from Specialists.Guanxi: Increase Relationship by a Medium Amount for having the most Specialists in an empire. Decrease Relationship by a Small Amount for the leader with the least amount of Specialists in an empire. Only triggers if Confucius has at least one Specialist.
Harriet Tubman
Diplomatic,
Militaristic​
Combahee Raid: Increased Influence towards initiating Espionage Actions. Gain a set amount of War Support on all wars declared against you. Units ignore Movement penalties from Vegetated tiles.Veracity: Increase Relationship by a Medium Amount once for each formal war the player declared. Decrease Relationship by a Medium Amount once for each surprise war the player declared.
Hatshepsut
Cultural,
Economic​
God's Wife of Amun: Adds Culture for every imported Resource. Increased Production towards the construction of Buildings and Wonders in Cities adjacent to Navigable Rivers.Wonders of Iteru: Decrease Relationship by a Small Amount if you have more Wonders than Hatshepsut. Increase Relationship by a Medium Amount if you have less Wonders.
Himiko??????
Ibn Battuta
Wildcard​
The Marvels of Traveling: Gains multiple Attribute points after the first Civic in every Age. Increased Sight for all Units. Gain a Unique Endeavor called Trade Maps that lets you gradually see other Leaders' explored areas.Far and Wide: Increase Relationship by a Large Amount with the player who has uncovered the most Fog of War tiles. If there is a tie, Increase Relationship by a Medium Amount to tieholders. Decrease Relationship by a Small Amount with the player who has uncovered the fewest Fog of War tiles.
Isabella
Economic,
Expansionist​
Seven Cities of Gold: Gain Gold every time you discover a Natural Wonder, increased if the Natural Wonder is in Distant Lands. Receive additional tile yields from Natural Wonders, additional Gold towards purchasing Naval Units, and reduced Gold maintenance costs for Naval Units.Wonderlust: Decrease Relationship by a Large Amount per Natural Wonder in the player's borders. If no Natural Wonders are possessed by the player, Increase Relationship by a Small Amount.
Machiavelli
Diplomatic,
Economic​
Il Principe: Gain additional Influence per Age. Gain a set amount of Gold per Age when your Diplomatic Action proposals are accepted, or even more Gold per Age when they are rejected. Ignore Relationship requirements for declaring Formal Wars. You can Levy Military Units from City-States you are not Suzerain of.The Spider: If not at war with Machiavelli, increase Relationship by Medium Amount for each other war.
Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor*
Economic,
Militaristic​
Empereur des Français: Gain a unique Diplomatic Action that reduces the Trade Route capacity for a target civilization and causes massive Grievances. Bonus Gold per Age for every leader Napoleon is Unfriendly or Hostile with.???
Napoleon Bonaparte, Revolutionary*
Cultural,
Militaristic​
La Grande Armée: All army commanders gain extra movement. Gain Culture each time you defeat an enemy unit.???
Pachacuti
Economic,
Expansionist​
Earth Shaker: All Buildings gain a Food adjacency for Mountains. Specialists adjacent to Mountains do not cost Happiness maintenance.Mountain King: Increase Relationship by a Medium Amount for the player with the least Mountains in their territory. Decrease Relationship by a Medium Amount for the player with the most Mountains in their territory.
Tecumseh*
Diplomatic, Economic
Nicaakiyakoolaakwe: Increased Food and Production per Age in Settlements for every City-State you are Suzerain of. Increased Combat Strength for all your Units for every City-State you are Suzerain of.Suzerain of the World: Decrease Relationship by a Large Amount when a player disperses an Independent, and Increase Relationship by a Small Amount if player does not have an active "Befriend Independent" Project active.
Trung Trac
Militaristic,
Scientific​
Hai Bà Trưng: Gain a set number of free Promotions on your first Commander. Your Commanders gain additional experience. Gain increased Science in Cities on Tropical tiles; this bonus is increased during any Formal War you declare.Van Minh: Decrease Relationship by Medium Amount with the player who has the greatest amount of Promotions across all Commanders. If tied, Decrease Relationship a Small Amount with tie holders. Increase Relationship by Medium Amount with the player who has the least amount of Promotions across all Commanders. If tied, Increase Relationship a Small Amount with tie holders.
Xerxes, King of Kings
Economic,
Militaristic​
Crusher of Rebellions: Increased Combat Strength for Units that are attacking in neutral or enemy territory. Gain Culture and Gold per Age upon capturing a Settlement for the first time. Gain increased Gold in all Settlements, increased even further in Settlements not founded by you. Increased Settlement limit per Age.Lord of Fire: Decrease Relationship by a Medium Amount when a player is not at war. Increase Relationship by a Small Amount when a player is at war.
Xerxes, The Achaemenid*
Cultural,
Economic​
Silk Road: Increased Trade Route limit with all other leaders. Creating a Trade Route or Road with a Merchant provides Culture and Gold per Age. Increased Culture and Gold per Age on Unique Buildings and Unique Improvements.Lord of Coin: Decrease Relationship by a Medium Amount if player has a greater or equal number of Trade Routes compared to Xerxes. Increase Relationship by a Small Amount if player has fewer Trade Routes than Xerxes.
* Not part of the Base game
I think ignoring Black Male Leaders is a missed opportunity. For the first time in my life, I've found myself Playing & talking about a Civ Game at work & among Friends. The Harriet Tubman controversy drew in more attention than we may believe. However studies show most Male Games choose Male Avatars (About %70), you can include me in that %70. While I think adding Harriet Tubman Sparks interest, I probably won't be using her for a while, if at all. And while I'm excited for Civ 7, I may have to wait before purchasing it, because of how much Black Male Leaders contribute to my enjoyment of the Game.
 
I think ignoring Black Male Leaders is a missed opportunity. For the first time in my life, I've found myself Playing & talking about a Civ Game at work & among Friends. The Harriet Tubman controversy drew in more attention than we may believe. However studies show most Male Games choose Male Avatars (About %70), you can include me in that %70. While I think adding Harriet Tubman Sparks interest, I probably won't be using her for a while, if at all. And while I'm excited for Civ 7, I may have to wait before purchasing it, because of how much Black Male Leaders contribute to my enjoyment of the Game.
Hopefully Shaka or Cetshwayo is in the base game!
 
Lafayette - S
He's the most inspired Leader choice so far.
He's iconic and well known, and perfectly exemplifies the merit of separating Leaders from civs.
He's going to be fun to play as (almost certainly my first game will be as him); much more importantly, he'll be a fun Leader to play with. I can see always including him in every game, similar to Kristina in VI due to her abilities
The only thing keeping him from getting an S+ is the fact that he's not Ronald Reagan, Cincinnatus, or Julian the Apostate
Interesting you say he's well known.
As a Brit, I don't think most of us have heard of Lafayette. Ofc I realise he's much better known in the US and France, but I wouldn't consider him a globally known figure. I think most of the world is far less interested in or knowledgeable about the American Revolution than Americans realise. And in terms of French figures, I'd say he's quite far down the list.

I'm happy with him as a choice and love the excitement of unexpected leaders. My point is that I think he's a good choice because he's a curveball that shakes it up, much like Harriet Tubman, rather than being well known. From my country's perspective, I reckon more Brits today know about Tubman than Lafayette.
 
Interesting you say he's well known.
As a Brit, I don't think most of us have heard of Lafayette. Ofc I realise he's much better known in the US and France, but I wouldn't consider him a globally known figure. I think most of the world is far less interested in or knowledgeable about the American Revolution than Americans realise.
As an American its hard not to know him, (also I guess he's gotten a lot of limelight from pop culture recently due to the Musical Hamilton and a recent Apple TV Show about Franklin)
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There are a lot of places named after him here as well... Somebody just suggested Tadeusz Kościuszko as he fought in the American and Polish Revolutions (which he's been overshadowed by Casimir Pulaski) and I had no idea he existed today, so I can see where you are coming from. I think from the point of view of the Modern Age being framed just before the age of revolutions and revolutionaries tend to jump around to country to country, revolution to revolution like Fransisco de Miranda, Giuseppe Garibaldi, and Simon Bolivar to name a few fit the new "civ age switching mechanic of people who have lead more than one nation" very well.
 
Here are some leaders that I believe could be interesting with this game's mechanics who we haven't seen in Civ before:

El Cid
Alexander Nevsky
Tamerlane
Stephen I of Hungary
James VI and I
King Solomon
Tadeusz Kosciusko
Giuseppe Garibaldi
Rurik of the Rus'
Skanderbeg
I like all these picks for potential leaders, especially Skanderbeg, Garibaldi, King Solomon, and Tamerlane (god knows how much Tamerlane should've probably been in a civ game by now). I think James I is a hard pick, I would wish for Oliver Cromwell personally (I know its not going to happen) honestly though, I see all these leaders in an expansion pack styled like civ 4's Warlords or Beyond the Sword and not at release.
 
I like all these picks for potential leaders, especially Skanderbeg, Garibaldi, King Solomon, and Tamerlane (god knows how much Tamerlane should've probably been in a civ game by now). I think James I is a hard pick, I would wish for Oliver Cromwell personally (I know its not going to happen) honestly though, I see all these leaders in an expansion pack styled like civ 4's Warlords or Beyond the Sword and not at release.
I picked James VI and I because I think it makes sense to pick more leaders that have connections to multiple nations given the mechanics of this game.
 
I picked James VI and I because I think it makes sense to pick more leaders that have connections to multiple nations given the mechanics of this game.
Yea I see where you are coming from but with England technically any monarch past James and before Queen Anne could do that. Im sure the Scots won't be too happy about a joint king/queen leader anyways...
 
Yea I see where you are coming from but with England technically any monarch past James and before Queen Anne could do that. Im sure the Scots won't be too happy about a joint king/queen leader anyways...
James VI was king of Scotland before he was king of England. He was born in Edinburgh. If there's any dual monarch they'd be happy with, it would likely be him.
 
I would really like to see some of the Diadochi represented as leaders—Civ 7 is the best opportunity so far to have figures like Ptolemy I Soter or Antigonus in a civ game.
 
I like all these picks for potential leaders, especially Skanderbeg, Garibaldi, King Solomon, and Tamerlane (god knows how much Tamerlane should've probably been in a civ game by now). I think James I is a hard pick, I would wish for Oliver Cromwell personally (I know its not going to happen) honestly though, I see all these leaders in an expansion pack styled like civ 4's Warlords or Beyond the Sword and not at release.
I really wish Tamerlane is the last unrevealed leader. His inclusion would be good compensation for the lack of Genghis Khan.

Skanderbeg is an amazing big brain choice and surprisingly easy to put together. The Albanian dialects really haven't changed that much since the 15th century and finding a speaker should be fairly easy. If only the Balkans weren't so crowded with choices (with Vlad Tepes at the helm)
 
The leader choises seem to be pretty America centered, which is understandable. Im European (Finnish) and I was not familiar with Lafayette. I was quite familiar with all the other leaders except Amina before.

There are too many French/American leaders IMO, but its not a huge thing. Lafayette seems like an interesting character so its nice to learn more about him. After all learning new things about history is one thing that makes Civ so appealing. His distant land bonus fits him very well and makes him pretty unique and interesting leader. Isabella and Lafayette are only leaders so far that get distant land related bonuses.

I think Kublai Khan is strong candidate for a leader, because there are still 2 leader who have 2 personas and he is one of the most obvious leaders that could have different personas.
 
Lafayette - S
He's the most inspired Leader choice so far.
He's iconic and well known, and perfectly exemplifies the merit of separating Leaders from civs.
He's going to be fun to play as (almost certainly my first game will be as him); much more importantly, he'll be a fun Leader to play with. I can see always including him in every game, similar to Kristina in VI due to her abilities
The only thing keeping him from getting an S+ is the fact that he's not Ronald Reagan, Cincinnatus, or Julian the Apostate

I actually think he and Amina are the least known leaders out of all the revealed leaders if we are talking about the whole world and not just USA. (Just to add I think they are good leader choices, just maybe not that well known outside certain countries)
 
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Lafayette is going to be a popular choice because he seems to be one of the most powerful leader so far. Slot policies that give you influence which gives you more policies.
 
The leader choises seem to be pretty America centered, which is understandable. Im European (Finnish) and I was not familiar with Lafayette. I was quite familiar with all the other leaders except Amina before.

There are too many French/American leaders IMO, but its not a huge thing. Lafayette seems like an interesting character so its nice to learn more about him. After all learning new things about history is one thing that makes Civ so appealing. His distant land bonus fits him very well and makes him pretty unique and interesting leader. Isabella and Lafayette are only leaders so far that get distant land related bonuses.

I think Kublai Khan is strong candidate for a leader, because there are still 2 leader who have 2 personas and he is one of the most obvious leaders that could have different personas.
I think the ESRB leaks are ideal. Both from the age of “Enlightened Dictators”.
Enlightened Persona
Dictator Persona
 
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