When do you conquer city states?

[OneMoreTurnPerTile]

Even though I lean towards conquest for many games, I rarely attack city states. In my current Hungary game, I didn't meet any of the nearby city states first and Babylon was close by with a worker ripe for the taking.

I'm planning on taking the city, greatly increasing my population and army experience in the process, not to mention the other worker they built and piligage.

What do others do for city states that dont seem to have a boost for your victory path?

 

[Victoria]

I tend not to take them because there are good bonuses in the culture tree for being suzerain and dip points.
However, finding Kabul with my army and finding it full of enemy envoys I will of course destroy it. But there is also a good likelihood that if it is not near home it will flip to free and then to someone else.
Taking a CS very early is something that is powerful but I typically do not bother unless it is in the way of either my enemy or my Coliseum.

 

[Fluphen Azine]

Generally Speaking I always thought it was better to take out a close CS rather than not.
You get to level up the Troops, Perhaps Pillage and get a Free City snowballing your Empire.
I understand the reasons not to do it but I just can't help but attack them.
Seems harder these days but still worth it.

 

[Archon_Wing]

I will if it's in my way or if some enemy owns it.

Otherwise, it's a good stream of favor to sell. Also since I've been informed that military civ actually boost settler/builder production, I don't think any are that bad (well, trade ones are still the weakest)

With the boost from Kilwa or International Space Agency, it seems like a good idea to keep some CS's.

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

I generally don't. But on a few occasions, I've found a neighboring city-state that some other civ has filled chock full of envoys. And since building and promoting spies takes time and work, I just conquer it instead.

 

[tetley]

I really like worker-stealing from a CS whom I did not discover first. What's there to lose? I have 0 envoys anyway. Doesn't take too long to make peace again. Meanwhile you can pillage him, and make a little something other than xp and health. My one hesitation is if they have a fulfillable CS quest, and I can play the card "1 envoy counts as 2". 1 more envoy might get you to Suze. Maybe even first Suze (which is worth 2 era points).

Liberating CS and Protectorate War are totally my thing, though.

 

[Lily_Lancer]

If you have a Pericles in game and he sends 20 envoys to all CSs on your continent, you definitely want to destroy all those CSs.

 

[Victoria]

If you have a Pericles in game and he sends 20 envoys to all CSs on your continent, you definitely want to destroy all those CSs.

It is far better just to destroy Pericles?

 

[Isengardtom]

Taking a CS very early is something that is powerful but I typically do not bother unless it is in the way of either my enemy or my Coliseum.

Can you still get that wonder? Goes very quick these days

personally I almost never take them. Unless I’m really boxed in and need a city or two more.

 

[Lily_Lancer]

It is far better just to destroy Pericles?

Pericles has 116 city defense, a CS only have 80.

 

[Victoria]

Pericles has 116 city defense, a CS only have 80.

If Pericles is sending 20 envoys to each we are at t200 and have already won

 

[Lily_Lancer]

If Pericles is sending 20 envoys to each we are at t200 and have already won

Yes this is true for standard speed. However I play online speed and these situations usually happen.

 

[Victoria]

Can you still get that wonder? Goes very quick these days

it is not easy, early and chop is the only way. While the roughly 16 culture is handy and the amenities do pump up your positive it is disruptive to build losing opportunity value elsewhere.
The irony is, with a good culture start you have a better chance but need the culture less. Losing pyramids Gets me down but not so much the Coli. To the point where I have sorta stopped trying unless early culture is good.

 

[Kaan Boztepe]

i tend to attack city states after i get in the lead to prevent them helping other civs to catch up ( usually after turn 125-150 ), that being said , i dont like the religious game play much ,so any religious city state is automatically absorbed to the great empire

 

[enKage]

If CS is inside my territory and is likely to join my enemy in a war and pillage, it must be destroyred/ Also when I feel like I need intervention against me for era score / provoke Australians early game.
If a city has strong bonus that does not fit me in a particular game but can help others (for example Kumasi in Cree game, Cahokia in Persia game, RapaNui in China game, NanMadol with Indonesia as opponent and so on) and is close enough, it needs to die too.
I also usully kill Valetta, because flood barriers buying is a bug IMO and I don't want to be tempted late game

 

[gozpel]

I play with CS wall mod, so I rarely touch them, at least not in the early game. If they become as being suzzed by someone in the middle age, I might take action. I like having CS around.

 

[Rambo919]

Back when CS's still was raging war machines they were useful to utterly destroy nearby unprotected AI cities, now I just take one if it's on a strategic chokepoint with an warmongering AI but the last time the AI declared war with me at all it barely put up any fight..... this game makes me sad, I go whole games without being in any danger.

 

[Victoria]

I have had Hungary suze 2 nearby states and attack me but I was ahead in tech, however it was just the once. The AI does suzerain them more now but you have to play a few games to see it.
I have played as the Ottomans and levies their warriors into Jannisaries which is cool, I still levy a fair amount but with the CS hogging envoys they often counter it, you need to be ahead in culture really.
It is weird, but certainly border CS’s are often sized by who I want to attack. So when I declare war I pillage the CS lands for really nice gold (they tend to build mines a lot) and this gold help me attack they suzerain. After the war my envoys are still there because I did not declare a war directly on the CS. Often this pillage a CS is not my intention, someone else declares on me.
I just tend to like CS’s in the game for they variety they bring and they do oddly exert loyalty. Certainly I feel it is not a case of always capture.

 

[Dotsworthy]

I razed Kandy in my last Inca game as it's placement was messing up my terrace farms.

Sometimes you find yourself surrounded by city states and unable to expand outwards. That's when they become ripe for an attack. I've also noticed since the last patch they seem to settle next to natural wonders and I get greedy.

 

[Roy P Cat]

I generally let them live, the only exception being if I am playing as Germany; the +7 combat allows for quick early expansion.