When to build first worker/settler?

[Ruler]

How is it that you can create a settler first, and then get him out there to grab early copper or horses? If you're crafting a settler first, you *definitely* do not have BW (so don't know where the copper is) and as often as not do not have AH (so don't know where the horses are).

This is not something calculated or studies so there maybe holes in it. Imperialistic and capital on +3H hill I can think of. But usually with common capital +2H+2F+1C and a worker on +2F+1H (Grass Forest, should be quite common) tiles it should take 38 turn. Hunting and Mining are both little over or less 10 turn and BW and AH are 20. So that's less than 38 turn but you can't have both of them but if you start with hunting or mining and wait 10 turn after your settler you are pretty close to get them both, but if you don't want to wait, what I like to do in this case is a build a city and research archery for barbs and still it's good solid start the best in my opinion if you aren't going for early wonders.

 

[MT5678]

I used to always have a premeditated W/S/warrior/stonehenge plan.
It works sometimes on Noble.
Sometimes not.
I will have to see how my game turns out.
I have learned a lot here about potential stratagems here.

 

[Ankh-f-n-Khonsu]

This is not something calculated or studies so there maybe holes in it. Imperialistic and capital on +3H hill I can think of. But usually with common capital +2H+2F+1C and a worker on +2F+1H (Grass Forest, should be quite common) tiles it should take 38 turn. Hunting and Mining are both little over or less 10 turn and BW and AH are 20. So that's less than 38 turn but you can't have both of them but if you start with hunting or mining and wait 10 turn after your settler you are pretty close to get them both, but if you don't want to wait, what I like to do in this case is a build a city and research archery for barbs and still it's good solid start the best in my opinion if you aren't going for early wonders.

Well, sure, you can build a settler first and have him sit around for 300 turns, then plop him down on aluminum to ensure a supply I'd say if you're going to have your settler sit around for ten turns, you'd be better off waiting ten turns to generate him -- you can probably add a pop during that ten turns, which will then generate the settler even faster, and either way you'd establish the new city at about the same time.

 

[Ruler]

This's kind of my new bad habit to start with a settler and get copper or horses asap so sometimes I just wait 10 turns but my winning rate on Monarch is above 80% so I like this start and good side of this is if it looks like there will be no barbs you can build workers on both cities then connect resources and let to grow to size of 2-3 then chop/whip settler on both cities and you have 4 cities or you can save settlers for further expanding in no time.

 

[cabert]

settler first feels bad IMHO most of the times, because you need other units first to
- explore the land to find a good spot
- fogbust the way to this spot

I never build a settler before I have enough units for those tasks, and often a worker is better than a settler anyway.