The OP asked and emphasized which civ is the most fun to play, not which civ is the best, and it seems that most of the replies are answering the other question.
I'm gonna go with three civs that I rarely play because I feel they definitely satisfy the "fun" criteria but I rarely play them because I consider all mid-tier or lower.
1.) Cleopatra- I find it very interesting that some civs get bonuses to building wonders and some civs get a bonus to building districts, but Cleopatra is the only civ that gets a bonus to both. Furthermore, the civs that get bonuses to building wonders (China and France) only get that bonus during specific eras, whereas Cleopatra is the only civ that gets a wonder bonus for all eras, provided the wonder can be built along a river. Also the floodplain thing is pretty neat, food in the desert seems to be all or nothing, either you have so many floodplains that the city just grows into more growth, or the city can't grow at all. For the former situation, she can get some yields out of those tiles other than additional food with sphinxes, which most other civs can't do because farms are the only standard improvement for FPs and even most unique improvements are blocked by FP terrain. Or you could use those tiles for wonders, which other civs can't do.... simply more options. Finally, while it's well established that internal trade routes are better than external trade routes, her bonus of +4 gold is nothing shabby, especially once the foreign territories start getting their districts built. Her bonus in combination with the external trade route card in combination with the Kumasi suzerein bonus leads to some pretty interesting yields from city-state TRs.
2.)Russia- to found a religion or not to found a religion? Is it worth the investment? The answer is generally a very reluctant "no", but in the case of Russia it's an overwhelming "yes." For half the price, you get a district that produces double the prophet points, effectively quadrupling your ability to found a religion. Then you get to enjoy the bonuses of a religion like more housing, better city-state type bonuses (my favorite) or more gold, and combat bonuses when the troll near you attacks. Also, having a strong religious game means having a strong culture game since the lavra produces 1 of each of the artist cass great people points, you just build a lavra in every city and only build theaters when you need to house the great works that your holy sites provided. Finally, tundra tiles effectively become unfarmable plains with a faith bonus, so as long as the city can be fed it can become one of your most productive cities that also adds a great faith boost and, here's the kicker, it's an unattractive city location for other players... I bet this is incredible in multiplayer since you're usually the least attractive option to attack.
3.) Pericles- as alluded to earlier, I just love the city state bonuses, particularly the trade CS type bonus and the suzerein bonus of, in my order of preference, Kumasi/Carthage (the combo is insane), Buenos Aires, Stockholm, Zanzibar, and Non Midal. The fact that in addition to the type bonus AND the suzerein bonus there's an additional PERCENTAGE bonus to your CULTURE! mind... blown.
I'm gonna go with three civs that I rarely play because I feel they definitely satisfy the "fun" criteria but I rarely play them because I consider all mid-tier or lower.
1.) Cleopatra- I find it very interesting that some civs get bonuses to building wonders and some civs get a bonus to building districts, but Cleopatra is the only civ that gets a bonus to both. Furthermore, the civs that get bonuses to building wonders (China and France) only get that bonus during specific eras, whereas Cleopatra is the only civ that gets a wonder bonus for all eras, provided the wonder can be built along a river. Also the floodplain thing is pretty neat, food in the desert seems to be all or nothing, either you have so many floodplains that the city just grows into more growth, or the city can't grow at all. For the former situation, she can get some yields out of those tiles other than additional food with sphinxes, which most other civs can't do because farms are the only standard improvement for FPs and even most unique improvements are blocked by FP terrain. Or you could use those tiles for wonders, which other civs can't do.... simply more options. Finally, while it's well established that internal trade routes are better than external trade routes, her bonus of +4 gold is nothing shabby, especially once the foreign territories start getting their districts built. Her bonus in combination with the external trade route card in combination with the Kumasi suzerein bonus leads to some pretty interesting yields from city-state TRs.
2.)Russia- to found a religion or not to found a religion? Is it worth the investment? The answer is generally a very reluctant "no", but in the case of Russia it's an overwhelming "yes." For half the price, you get a district that produces double the prophet points, effectively quadrupling your ability to found a religion. Then you get to enjoy the bonuses of a religion like more housing, better city-state type bonuses (my favorite) or more gold, and combat bonuses when the troll near you attacks. Also, having a strong religious game means having a strong culture game since the lavra produces 1 of each of the artist cass great people points, you just build a lavra in every city and only build theaters when you need to house the great works that your holy sites provided. Finally, tundra tiles effectively become unfarmable plains with a faith bonus, so as long as the city can be fed it can become one of your most productive cities that also adds a great faith boost and, here's the kicker, it's an unattractive city location for other players... I bet this is incredible in multiplayer since you're usually the least attractive option to attack.
3.) Pericles- as alluded to earlier, I just love the city state bonuses, particularly the trade CS type bonus and the suzerein bonus of, in my order of preference, Kumasi/Carthage (the combo is insane), Buenos Aires, Stockholm, Zanzibar, and Non Midal. The fact that in addition to the type bonus AND the suzerein bonus there's an additional PERCENTAGE bonus to your CULTURE! mind... blown.
combat strength with religious units and Phillip's +4
