Which Leader do you play the most and why?

[AfterShafter]

The fact is Aftershafter I play exclusively marathon games were each epoch truly counts and you can make a diference, as an empire, in just one period of the game (tech tree). This is a limitation to my so called claim.
Of course Egypt ,specially Hatshepshut for her culture expansion grabing resources advantage, and Cyrus are excelent for early rushes as well, but they are still horse dependant for this matter ;you can get it much later than you wish or not at all.
With Huayna, Pacal II or Sitting Bull their advantage is guaranteed, for the latters you may even get BW in a tribal village (worth 40-50 turns of early research in marathon) without the dangerous need to have copper nearby nor a worker to conect the metal. I once got bw with Pacal while researching hunting. By the year 2000 BC I had already subdued 4 civilizations, including the obliteration of Summer (protective) and Persia (who never got to grab those horses within a second city spot.. as if). This was a huge continent with around ten civs which I ultimately dominated by the middle ages. Emperor level, no bragging intended, seriously.
Moreover, with Pacal your Mayan empire becomes almost immune to chariot, imm, war-chariot rushes. And well, you can already imagine what is it that Sitting Bull doesn't need to fear from.
Needless to mention, I'm leaving out of the topic their traits and UBs here, perhaps you care to discuss After..
If I had to choose I'll keep the good and old Pacal II anytime, but the other two are close enough.

Well, I play exclusively huge, marathon, emperor, big and small, 14 civs, and Pacal is one of my very favorite guys (he's on my flip list and play him often)... And my experience doesn't match up to your "I often subdue 4 civs with him."

On huge maps (and this is my condition I impose on my statements) the distance involved in great enough that it is *incredibly* rare for me to be able to get even a second civilization with a Holkan rush, let alone the four you're talking about. I find their greatest use is the "forest hill stasis" on enemy civs, finding other civs very early and camping a few warriors, and then Holkans on hills right beside their capitals, effectively freezing them at one city until you can come back and wipe them out later.

But, in my experience, wiping out two civs, let alone four, on huge, big and small, marathon, emperor level games, is *very* difficult. It's obvious we're playing on different settings though, but for the settings I play, even Pacal who I am very fond of, is simply not the ultimate power player you're painting him to be. He's a spectacular Civ, but his special unit just doesn't measure up to the two war chariot specials.

 

[The Rook]

HC for me these days. Brilliantly versatile. Can early rush without any tech or resources using their UU. Even if you don't rush, the Quechua is an excellent defensive unit in the early game on Monarch or above, no need to connect copper/iron/horses early. The UB is very strong too, a granary with +2 culture. This more or less translates to +2 culture per city, since every city will have one anyway.

Inca are equally good for peaceful victories. Financial and Industrious are top tier traits for cultural wins (wonder spam or cottage spam, depending on terrain). Financial is great for beelineing to techs that yield wonders, and Industrious gives you a realistic shot at building them. Even if you fail to complete the wonder, you are effectively building wealth with an extra 50% modifier (great for funding future research). Industrious is very underrated at higher levels IMHO.

In certain conditions you can even found an early religion at the higher levels with Mysticism+Financial+Oasis).

 

[Mesix]

The Incas kick a lot of ass.

Their UU is a warrior that gets a bonus against archers. They rage for an early rush strategy.

The leader traits are Financial and Industrious. They work well with almost any strategy.

I generally do a military rush to take out 2 or 3 nearby opponents (anyone who is not protective) early. By turn 100 or so I generally have a pretty good start. After my early war mongering, I switch to a building strategy for awhile. Taking the early capitol cities is a huge bonus that gets the game started right.

Lately I have been going for random leaders. The Inca strategy got old, and I like to try new things with each game.

 

[CHEESE!]

Not SE though.

 

[Squarg]

I play Hannibal quite a lot because I just love all the cothon+GLH+free market trade

 

[Antilogic]

Inca are equally good for peaceful victories. Financial and Industrious are top tier traits for cultural wins (wonder spam or cottage spam, depending on terrain). Financial is great for beelineing to techs that yield wonders, and Industrious gives you a realistic shot at building them. Even if you fail to complete the wonder, you are effectively building wealth with an extra 50% modifier (great for funding future research). Industrious is very underrated at higher levels IMHO.

Industrious tends to be overrated, I think. I prefer Philosophical and artists for a culture win (Pericles is particularly adept at this strategy), and you can always take wonders and their benefits from others using your armies. Also, those same troops you used against one opponent can be used against others as well if you don't waste them and only fight where you have the advantage. Thus, the same production input for your army nets you not only multiple wonders from opposing Civs, production, people, money, etc., but you can also bully them into giving you stuff for simply having them around.

 

[The Rook]

Industrious tends to be overrated, I think. I prefer Philosophical and artists for a culture win (Pericles is particularly adept at this strategy), and you can always take wonders and their benefits from others using your armies. Also, those same troops you used against one opponent can be used against others as well if you don't waste them and only fight where you have the advantage. Thus, the same production input for your army nets you not only multiple wonders from opposing Civs, production, people, money, etc., but you can also bully them into giving you stuff for simply having them around.

Interesting. It sounds like you pursue a far more aggressive style of cultural victory than I do. If I'm aggressive, it is normally just in the very early game to rush a very close neighbour with Quechuas, and take their capital. Most of my games finish with just 6 (or at most 9) cities, unless I accidentally flip some rival ones .

It seems that opinion on the Industrious trait is polarized, perhaps more so than any other trait (possible exception Creative?). Simply invading the enemy to steal their wonders, doesn't really fit with my plan, much of the reason I am building the wonders is for their base culture rather than their affect, and I want them in my three legendary cities (which are normally acquired early). The only two wonders I prioritize are Stone Henge and Oracle. Oracle founds Confucianism, and my first Great Prophet can be used to lightbulb Theology (if I don't have nearby religious neighbours). Without the Industrious trait, I am doubtful whether I could realistically pursue this route at Emperor/Immortal, unless I fluke stone/marble in the fat cross. Even if these are the only two wonders I build, it would be worth it for the expanding borders, religion, and guaranteed early Great Prophet(s).

Just making a few "speculative" comments with regard to Pericles (I haven't tried using him for a cultural win, and I'm still learning)... I like the Creative trait, but I'd have thought that it would be of dubious value for a cultural victory. The +2 culture doesn't really count for anything in your super culture cities. The cheap Libraries and Theaters are nice, but I wouldn't want to work scientist specialists, and Theaters are very cheap to build anyway. Philosophical is obviously one of the most valuable cultural victory traits, but unfortunately there are no Industrious/Philosophical leaders, and I'm sure that this is no accident.

If you don't mind, could I ask a few Qs? How many Great Artists do you generate with Philosophical? When do you stop researching, and redirect the economy into culture (assuming stop researching)? When abouts do your cities achieve legendary culture (I know this will vary somewhat, but roughly)? Which settings do you play? Thanks.

 

[DarkSchneider]

Why not just play Darius or Hannibal of the HRE.
Darius and Hannibal have the best trait combinations, and the HRE has the best UB.

 

[scottvwgti]

I usually play as Bismark, his UB really allows for some cities to pump out military units when I'm at war. Have also played as Remmesses, but he seems to be better for cultural/religious.

 

[Thedrin]

The Rook:
Just making a few "speculative" comments with regard to Pericles (I haven't tried using him for a cultural win, and I'm still learning)... I like the Creative trait, but I'd have thought that it would be of dubious value for a cultural victory. The +2 culture doesn't really count for anything in your super culture cities. The cheap Libraries and Theaters are nice, but I wouldn't want to work scientist specialists, and Theaters are very cheap to build anyway. Philosophical is obviously one of the most valuable cultural victory traits, but unfortunately there are no Industrious/Philosophical leaders, and I'm sure that this is no accident.

Much as I love the creative trait I absolutely agree that it isn't that good for a cultural victory. But then I don't rate industrious that highly for it either. Philosophical and spiritual are my preference. Philosophical for the great artists as mentioned above and spiritual for half price temples - not a huge concern for your culture cities but you want your non culture cities to be spending as little time as possible away from performing their other roles - research and military. My earliest cultural victory was in the late 16th century - 1592 I think - and that was without turning my entire economy over to culture at

 

[The Rook]

Philosophical for the great artists as mentioned above and spiritual for half price temples - not a huge concern for your culture cities but you want your non culture cities to be spending as little time as possible away from performing their other roles - research and military.

Interesting, I assumed that the culture cities would be the spine of your research. Do they not generate most of their culture through commerce? Normally I find I am short on hammers when pursuing peaceful cultural wins, the non-culture cities seem to be constantly whipping temples and units. I'd like to give Gandhi a try though, his traits have good synergy, and being able to occupy a forest and start chopping in the same turn would be great for early development.

My earliest cultural victory was in the late 16th century - 1592 I think - and that was without turning my entire economy over to culture at

Impressive, was this at marathon speed (just noticing the 2 year increment)? My best is a comparatively modest 1775 (normal speed, Emperor). I need some luck to pull it off on Immortal. Starting on the same continent as Shaka is a nightmare, if he is outside Quechua range.

 

[petepetepetep]

Justinian, because the holy labarum ruuuulles