What is your least-used civic?

[Martinus]

The title is pretty much self-explanatory.

For me it is definitely Police State - I don't think I ever used it, frankly. While there are obviously some civics I use more and some I use less (I prefer Specialist Economies), I think I have used every single one from time to time - even Serfdom if I needed to get Infrastructure fast. Except Police State.

Unless you get Pyramids, you get it very late in game, but even then you would be better off running Representation or even Hereditary Monarchy. The benefits are meagre, unless you plan to go on an endless war.

 

[Julian Delphiki]

That would be serfdom for me (i should remember to revolt it more often when playing spi leaders), i've used police state to combat war weariness.

 

[Martinus]

Yeah, I think both Serfdom and Police State could use some boost.

Serfdom, for example, could provide some extra food production (maybe +1 food on each plot producting 4 food or more), and Police State could work like a Caste System for Spy Specialists.

 

[oyzar]

Police state is good against war weariness yeah. Serfdom isn't very much used. Another one that isn't very popular is environmentalism. Personaly i very seldom get to use OR and teocracy given their placement on the techtree. I also tend to use vasalage pretty seldom as i often happen to get nationalism before it which in many ways is superior.

 

[Cam_H]

^ oyzar - not a fan of OR? Hmmm. Interesting ...

Another vote for Serfdom as the #1.

Prior to BtS ... Environmentalism was only embraced by United Nations decree.

I've rarely used Nationalism, but many players swear by it, so I fear I'm in the minority on this one.

Actually, while we're at it, throw Theocracy on the 'rarely used' pile.

 

[Charou]

universal suffrage, free market, I barely use.
I seldom have lots of cottages nor enough trade partners to justify the +1 trade routes.
has to do with my style of play.

Serfdom I use, because i tend to build few workers. I´d rather steal them.

 

[Elandal]

Police state is needed for large scale late game warfare where WW is crippling otherwise. If you plan for a war to end all wars, Police State + Mt Rushmore + Jail together eliminate all WW, allowing you to go to long large scale war.

I rarely go for that though, so Police State is indeed rarely needed for me. Then again, I don't go the draftwar route either, Nationhood being just as rare as Police State for me. Actually I think even rarer - I sometimes go to Police State in earlier game already if I have Pyramids.

Then there's Environmentalism. BTS has made it more useful and more needed, but I still don't use it much.

3/20 (not counting first row) that I use extremely rarely.

 

[Martinus]

I have used all religious civics to various degrees. Obviously this depends on getting an early religion, but if I have one, I almost always switch to OR as soon as I get Monotheism (usually though trade since I pursue the Metal Castic/Machinery path). After that it's either Pacifism when at peace or Theocracy when building up to war. I don't normally use Free Religion in my SE games, but when playing a trade economy and aiming for diplomatic victory, it is very useful.

 

[KMadCandy]

i don't think i've used serfdom at all since i learned how to whip.

 

[axident]

Vassalage, Serfdom, Caste System, Environmentalism

 

[intj_rational]

Environmentalism is my least used civic, followed by Serfdom and Universal Suffrage. If I'm not wrong, I have NEVER used Environmentalism before. For Environmentalism, I dont see a very large advantage in it and I find Slavery or Caste System more useful than serfdom.

 

[RuddagerRustin]

Never use Police State or Environmentalism. My favorites are Representation, Free Market for economics and Slavery, which is amazingly useful until sometime around 1000ad, then I might switch to Caste System.

 

[UncleJJ]

Police State and Nationhood are a great combination in the late and middle game for the warmonger. War Weariness gets worse as the game progresses (each age adds to its effect) and there tend to be many more units and you have bigger cities. If you only want to have a limited war and take 3 enemy cites and kill say 20 units maybe you can make do with a few jails in your big cities and the cultural slider to balance the WW unhappiness. But if you're intent on full blown conquests of say 8 cities and a war that lasts 30 turns and you kill 60 units and lose 20 yourself (typical medium sized war in the age of rifles and cannons) then WW will be horrendous without Police State (and Mt Rushmore as well, and jails in big cities).

I find the combination of Police State (for WW and 25% military production boost), Nationhood (for happiness in big cities and drafting in small ones, and espionage boost everywhere), Slavery (for building units and controlling happiness in home cities and getting essential infrastructure in captured cities) and Theocracy (for 2 exp that makes new units with 2 promotions and drafted troops with one), is great in the late game Domination push. I often delay my main push until these are available, a bit late perhaps but overwhelming.

And Serfdom is the weakest civic, I never use it unless Spiritual. It needs to give a 100% boost to worker productivity at least and maybe more to be worth the anarchy. Otherwise why not just build a few more workers?

 

[Indiansmoke]

Vassalage, Serfdom...all other have their uses. Envirometalism is even stronger in BTS I find myself using it once in a while.

 

[I tech faster]

Environmentalism and Vassalage are probably the less used civics.

 

[Tonifranz]

Serfdom and Environmentalism.

 

[Deepflow]

Serfdom for me, all the others seem to have their uses.

I'm not understanding the vassalage hate though, surely it's really powerful if you're constantly warring?

 

[Elandal]

When you get Vassallage, you're one step from Bureaucracy or you already have Bureaucracy. Many consider the latter better, and if available will rather choose Theocracy.

 

[ParadigmShifter]

I don't think I've ever used serfdom but was tempted in the only marathon game I have played (but by the time it was available I had loads of captured workers). I've never used environmentalism by choice either (in Warlords anyway), genetics gives +3 health and you can build hospitals and recycling centres around that time anyway (not that I've ever built a recycling plant - off to space in a few turns anyway).

Police State, Nationhood and Slavery combo is great for the transition from peaceful teching via SE (caste system/representation) to get Military Tradition from Liberalism then go on a cavalry/musket rampage to take over as much land as possible before anyone gets rifles (again, warlords game, I haven't got BtS). Don't forget the +25% troop production bonus from police state as well as the WW reduction.

EDIT: You can draft muskets as defenders and whip lots of cavalry very quickly, and you can out-tech everyone to mil trad with just 6 cities using representation/caste system and lots of farms.

 

[UncleJJ]

Vassalage is a great civic for an early war. It can give the decisive edge and everything needed to conquer your first one or two Vassals. Combine it with HR for happiness, it gives a good few free troops easing expenses of war, and the extra promotion makes a big difference at that stage. I only use it in the early times up to macemen. A swordsman with CR2 is a lot more likely to win against an archer on a hill, than only CR1.

Protective longbows make good attackers with Vassalage. One of my favourite BtS games before the patch was with Gilgamesh on Emperor (with no copper) and I did the Feudalism slingshot, getting early longbows with Drill 3 and they soon got to drill 4 and I had some guerilla 3 longbows too

Later in the game the WW becomes harder to deal with and battles get bigger, the experience points can be gained other ways with Theocracy and MIs, so I would use Nationhood in preference and combine with Police State as I posted above. If I had a very powerful capital then Bureaucracy can be better even in war, with extra output being more useful than better quality. That is especially true if you are making mounted troops that already get 2 promotions from the stable or if you're running Theocracy. The first 2 promotions are much more useful and easier to get than 3. I see Vassalage as just an easy way to get 5 exp troops in the early game and it one of my favourite early civics.