Ethiopia will be an interesting challenge for us since we don't know exactly how to play as Haile. What type of victory do we go for? We usually have a plan from the start. Now that plan doesn't always work out, but it seems to help us in our decision making.
Ethiopia's special ability, Spirit of Adwa, gives us a 20% bonus when fighting units from a Civ that has more cities than us. Since puppets count for purposes of determining the Spirit of Adwa bonus, it doesn't seem like Haile's ability leads itself to domination. I can certainly be used defensively in a tall culture/science/diplo empire.
Looking at the Unique Building, the Stele is a great replacement for the Monument. It should ensure we get an early religion. As long as Boudica isn't on our map, we have a great shot at getting the first pantheon which might enable us to get the first religion as well.
The Mehal Sefari, Ethiopia's unique unit, is very strong near the capital which again leads me to believe it's a defensive unit that when coupled with the Spirit of Adwa will give us ample protection in the industrial era.
My thought is to focus on getting an early religion that supports either a cultural or a scientific victory. As for units, it will naturally depend on neighbors and map, but I'm assuming we want our units to play a more defensive role. If I'm wrong, please set me straight!
Speaking of map, here's our start:
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River start with lots of salt. Stone and wheat. I assume we should move our warrior a bit to scout prior to settling. Maybe to the desert tile east of the wheat? Desert Folklore might be really strong for us.
Once we settle, what should be our first few techs? What should we focus on building in Addis Ababa? If we a culture ruin, what policies should we be looking towards?
What would you do and why? Let us know in the comments below!
If you were to settle one hex to the south-east, you'd still have access to all of the salt, but you'd also be next to a desert to be able to build Petra.
ReplyDeleteI had a pretty similar start in my most recent game, and it was one of the smoothest games I've had in a while - salt is a really powerful resource to start next to.
I agree that salt is an awesome resource to start with since it's the only mine that gives extra food.
ReplyDeleteStone also helps in the early game, particularly if you build a Stoneworks early to take advantage of the extra hammers/happiness.
I've played many G&K games as Haile (I'm pretty much a defensive player who builds tall and he's great for that for reasons you've already surmised), but haven't played as him in BNW so I can't comment on him in BNW specifically yet, though I would still open with the Stele in pretty much any Ethiopia game. The 7-10 turns it saves from having to build a shrine and the early flow of faith by about turn 25 even if you get the second pantheon.
If I had this start, I would send my warrior to the desert hill tile across the river to have a look around before deciding whether or not to move my settler. If there is a lot of non-floodplain desert there, I'd go with the advice above about moving one tile southeast.
Obviously, you want access to mining and masonry early. If there is a good bit of desert west of that river, Petra + Desert Folklore can really make some tiles produce. What you want to do with a big glut of faith is a whole other decision tree. If you're going to go Petra, you might as well proceed to Civil Service and Chichen Itza because who doesn't love an extra long Golden Age from time to time?
Good luck, guys!
@Jesse - That's my initial thought too with regards to settling. I'm going to move the warrior to the desert hill first to get a better view of the area, but I'm betting I settle right where you suggest. Hopefully you'll visit us again!
ReplyDelete@SoRefined - I agree exactly with your assessment. We'll probably play until we get a Pantheon at which point we'll save and post another screenshot, update what's happened, and ask for more advice. Thanks for the good wishes and hope to see you back.