When to use Caste system

[Ani]

Caste System - Unlimited specialists in your cities. Requires Code of Laws

What is the main benefit of this?

If i have understood it correct diferent type of wonders/buildings give you the opportunity to make specialists in your towns. But is this ability usefull?

I can see that if i got a size 30+ city i could whant to have more than 3 (?)citizen work at science but how usual is cities that big and how high is the actual specialist limits?

A bit messy english, but if any of you understand my question please reply

 

[Celaborn]

I don't have an answer to your question - I'm actually really curious about this as well, seeing as I've never found an effective use for the Caste System civic.

Maybe if you have a really great food production city, you could boost the number of specialists hoping to get a certain kind of GP born there? I'm not sure.

 

[Youri]

It's main use is for cities where you don't have the tech yet to build buildings that raise the specialist limit, but which need 'avoid growth' to prevent sick/unhappy people.

Pretty much useless once you have enough tech to build enough things to raise the specialist limit already.

Like a lot of civics, it's only usefull in a specific time period.

 

[mzprox]

If you need a GP "factory" it could be usefull. (I had a 14 size city with 9 scientist spec.. I generated greatperson only in that city (there was the national epic) and I've adopt the pacifism civic just for this.

 

[Volstag]

You can use 'em to generate Great People. As touched on above, with the right "combos" you can really crank 'em out (relatively speaking).

 

[Aeson]

Another use is if you don't have a built in culture source (CRE trait, Stonehenge, Culture slider high enough) you can expand borders by running a Artist in new cities for a few turns. Works extremely well with Mercantilism and/or Statue of Liberty for the free Specialists.

 

[Sovietof17]

I think caste system is bugged. I've been in games where I had it on, and it wouldnt let me over the normal specialist limit for a given category

 

[Aramazd]

Caste System + Representation is great every specialist you run gives you +3 science just run 2 specialists a city and you will have a huge amount of beakers. Plus, as mentioned above great for getting GPs.

Sovietof17, Caste System only allows Artists, Scientists, and Merchants to be unlimited IIRC.

 

[MrCynical]

The main advantage to caste system is to boost great people production in cities with loads of food and few hammers (e.g. coastal ones with lots of fish). I also occasionally find it handy to get some quick culture with several artists in cities which haven't got a religion.

 

[Reveilled]

I really wish it allowed unlimited engineers. That'd make it hella useful. I imagine that might make the thing too powerful, though...

 

[Gargoyle]

I found the caste civic very useful in my current game as Rome. I ran into 2 other civs on my contintent. The Chinese eliminated one, while I cut the contintent in half. The other half was mine for the taking, but Barbarians had set up 2 cities and I had a real war with them.

I founded Hinduism and took out the Barbs, but my income took a beating. But china adopted hinduism and it spread througthout their empire. So I switch to Caste, added as many specialist to rome as I could afford. It already had a preist for a long time, so almost garenteed a Prophet. Got him, and set up the shrine in Rome.

No more income problems, and Chinese adore me.