Blessings upon you, O great ruler.
Civilization: the game of global conquest. It spans thousands of years of human history, culminating in the rise of one civilization to either lead, or dominate, all others. Along the way, there are plenty of small victories and crushing defeats one must face before emerging as the victor of this zero-sum game. These little moments are the things that keep players coming back time and again for one more game, one more chance at eternal glory, one more turn...
"Someone STOLE my wonder."
Okay, theyre not literally stealing your wonder. No one is absconding with the Taj Mahal slung over his back in the dead of night. It just feels that way when someone else finishes the same wonder you were working on right before you, especially when youre, lets say, THREE TURNS AWAY from completion! Its a devastating moment, one that sends even the most seasoned players spiraling through the stages of grief. My wonder cant be gone. How could they do this? Maybe I could trade them something and get it back? And then you realize you could just invade that player, and thats where the grieving stops.
"I sunk your battleship, and the rest of your invasion fleet."
Play enough Civilization, and you start to develop a sixth sense for when someone is going to betray you. Your neighbor--lets call him Genghis Khan--has been awfully quiet these past few years. And he doesnt want to renew our trade agreement. Plus, he just denounced me. Obviously, someone is gearing up for a totally-not-a-surprise declaration of war. If Genghis Khan just happens to be on the same continent as you, shore up your defenses and get ready to weather the storm. However, if Khan is attacking from another continent, he may be in for a surprise.
"Yup, barbarians just claimed another settler."
Civilization's settlers have got to learn how to carry a sword or a hatchet or a boom stick or something, anything, to defends themselves. Too often do I send one of these units out into the wild--just a few spaces away from one of my cities--only to find them smack dab in the middle of a barbarian warband. And those barbarians, they sure do love gobbling up hapless settlers, dont they? Its right up there with "setting all my farms on fire" and "killing all my scouts" as one of their favorite activities.
"My spaceship departs next turn. Time for some payback."
The whole technological victory--which involves building a spaceship to colonize new worlds--is a total smoke and mirrors routine. You need a civilization thats big, but not too big, to manage both the scientific output and production capacity to eventually produce the spaceship parts. And you need an army thats big, but not too big, to deter attackers (without inadvertently provoking them). All this while also wheeling and dealing your way into getting the other civilizations to simply leave you alone. Its a very delicate balancing act.
"I am horribly outclassed and didnt even know it."
I sit in my castle, fingers steepled before me as I prepare to make war upon my enemies. Smoke drifts in from the forges below, carrying with it the scent of hot coal and iron. In the distance, shipwrights can be heard barking orders at one another as my fleets are assembled. Soon my armies will be ready to march, to sow death and destruction, and...hold up, was that a musket I saw just now? When did Nebuchadnezzar find time to research muskets? What even is a musket? Maybe I should call this whole thing off.
"The hill I built my capital on is actually a strategic resource. Score!"
Building your city atop a hill is always a good idea. Hills give you extra defense if your city comes under attack, as well as generate extra production, which helps your young empire get off the ground sooner. This production bonus is further enhanced if the hill you settled upon just so happens to contain a source of, say, iron. Now that extra iron will get added to your empire without you having to build a mine or other tile improvement on top of it.
"Whoops. I just ticked off the entire world."
This was an issue that plagued me more in the early years of Civilization V, before your relations with other civilizations became more transparent. A typical scenario might go like this: settling a new city. Thats it. Usually this is just my second city--but right after I settle it, no one wants to trade with me all of a sudden. Or talk with me. And Alexander has decided to declare war on me. What the flip happened? Come to find out, the other civs dont like it when you settle anywhere near them. Guess I shouldve settled in the boonies to avoid an international incident.
"There's a mod for that."
Over the years, the Civilization franchise has cultivated a creative--and highly active--modding community. This has culminated in a massive database of mods for Civilization V that touch almost every aspect of the game. Want to play as Canada? Theres a mod for that. Want a more realistic map of Asia to conquer? Theres a mod for that. Want a ludicrous amount of detailed information, including several charts and graphs, about every aspect of the game at all times? Yep, theres a mod for that too.
