What's the best way to get a leader?

[saintides]

I read through the forum .. found some stuff on it. But.. need to ask the question again.

Game I got going now. I was a stinger with my mounty elite units. I took over Germany, the Aztecs, The French (I hate the French .. in civ3) and the Americans.

I didn't get one leader.

Bad luck?

The last game I played (Japan, with current patch), got a few leaders. This game, didn't get a one.

Is a leader a "roll of the dice" type thing?

 

[chiefpaco]

Bad luck is right. Chances of getting a leader after winning with an Elite unit are 1/16. After building the Heroic Epic, your chances increase to 1/12.

No other factors are proven to affect this from what I've seen. It is like the chance of rolling dice. You either win or lose by rolling the lucky number.

I've started counting in my games when they get generated, just for interest sake. In my last game, it took me 8 to generate my first. The game before, 38. But, after the 38, I got one the next turn. It's pure luck.

Also, you can not have 2 leaders at the same time, so if you have one, it is probably best to use it while you're fighting.

One thing you can do to help your chances is to win more victories with elites. Maybe you wish to throw them against weaker units. Also, playing militaristic civs is a benefit because their units are promoted to elite quicker. This means you will have more chances.

Good luck,
cp

 

[wohmongarinf00l]

throwing an elite unit to consecutive fights preferably against weaker units helps ur chances. the more wounded the elite unit, the more chances.
undocumented but observed especially at higher difficulties.

 

[BiatchGuy]

you can't have two leaders at once? Really?! I did not know that....

 

[nealpolitan]

Yes you can have more than one Great Leader at once. I just finished a game last night where I had two. I've had two before also. Just by law of averages you may only see one at a time, but I'm almost positive you can have as many GLs as you can generate.

 

[Park Ranger]

Originally posted by nealpolitan
Yes you can have more than one Great Leader at once. I just finished a game last night where I had two. I've had two before also. Just by law of averages you may only see one at a time, but I'm almost positive you can have as many GLs as you can generate.

!?! Never had this happen! This is new... common wisdom here has been that only 1 leader at a time...you sure you didn't turn the first into an army or something?

Once I went through 20+ turns of war, using 5-6 elites a turn (estimate, I didn't really count), waiting and waiting for a leader...then discovered I'd fortified one long before in the capital, saving him for the UN.

D'OH!

 

[Zachriel]

Originally posted by nealpolitan
Yes you can have more than one Great Leader at once. I just finished a game last night where I had two. I've had two before also. Just by law of averages you may only see one at a time, but I'm almost positive you can have as many GLs as you can generate.

You might want to post a save game of that one. No one, to my knowledge, has ever posted such a game before. Somewhere Firaxis posted that this would be some sort of bug, if true.

 

[rev063]

In my experience, it's not possible to have two leaders simultaneously. (It is however possible to generate a leader, use him up by creating an army or rushing a wonder, and then generate another leader in the same turn.)

This implies the following strategy for maximizing leader generation: Don't squander your opportunities for generating leaders. You can only have one leader at a time, and don't forget that promotions and leaders are generated with the same mechanism. If you attack with an elite unit while you have a leader, a promotion opportunity is wasted. So if you have a leader, focus your attacks with your regular and veteran units. Save your elite units for worker abduction and pillaging. That way, by the time you use up your leader you'll have plenty of elite units with which to generate the next one. Obviously, if you don't have a leader, use your elite units in every battle you're likely to win.

- rev

 

[Jason Fox]

The best way to get a leader is play as a militaristic civ. With such a civ I never have much of an issue getting leaders, they tend to come early and often.

With other civs, though, I've waited well into the industrial age before finally getting one (and then getting another one a couple turns later, like that makes up for not having an army to attack Hoplites with.)

I know it's statistical, and I'm not arguing that point, but it's one of those things that feels like it's more unbalanced than we expect.

 

[saintides]

Originally posted by Jason Fox
The best way to get a leader is play as a militaristic civ.

You think? From what I read, the odds the same(?). Not sure.

The last two games I played (playing Iraquois and India), I got one leader between the two of them. Probably bad luck (gave up on my India game early though, didn't look pretty).

The game I played before those two (Japan) I got quite a few of leaders. I suppose the odds do change between military civs and other civs because you are more likely to advance to elite.

It did help to see you can't get another leader when you already have one (unless it's put to use). I quite often would have one hang out some place, picking its nose ..waiting for a certain wonder to open up.