Civics, Baby!

I have played and won about 5 Civ IV games now. I have also increased the AI skill level and still managed to win. I wouldn't consider myself a master, but I am much better than when I first began.

From some of the readings and in-class discussions the topic of society arises. Some of the primary points of separation between the different schools of economic thought spawn from how one proscription of economics will effect a society. Some of the most notable points would involve social stratification, slavery, welfare, graduated vs. flat taxation, public vs. private ownership, and an array of others. All of these terms pertain not solely to economics and society, but also to government.

There is an intangible triangle between Economics, Society, and Government. Each leg of the triangle effects, and is effected by, the other two legs of the triangle. In Civ IV the most obvious sign of these concepts comes from the Civics developments. Considering Civ IV is a game played for victory, which civic style you select should be aimed toward your ultimate victory goal. Chances are that you if you were developing a world that you were going to have to live in as an average citizen your selection would be weighed much more precisely. But, you're probably not playing that way. So, select the method that fits your game.

Each of the civics available for development in the game fall into a specific category. The categories are: Government Civics, Legal Civics, Labor Civics, Economic Civics, and Religious Civics. Each Civic developed beyond the original set of civics that you begin the game with requires the development of a certain technology. Every civilization will have at least one civic from each of these categories; each country today has their own selection of one of the above listed as well.

I have selected one from each of the 5 categories and made what my personal ideal world would look like (not that I play my game this way.) The following is my list:
Government Civics - Universal Suffrage (requires Democracy)
Legal Civics - Bureaucracy (requires Civil Service)
Labor Civics - Emancipation (requires Democracy)
Economic Civics - Free Market (requires Economics)
Religious Civics - Paganism (no requirement)

Do you have an opinion? Leave it in a comment.