Stonehenge...Do you use it?

[Azuarc]

I use it largely as a culture boon for new cities. In the early game when you're expanding, it's nice to not have to plan around being immediately next to the piles you want just because you aren't playing a Creative leader.

And that is also why I love the creative trait. It allows me to expand unimpeded by territorial borders. (My own borders anyway.)

[PJNagrom]

If you build Stonehenge as a Philos. ruler you immediately start generating Great Prophets. After pumping out a few and making them super specialists you get a very nice production/commerce bonus. (+2hammers/+5com) each.

Playing a game as Peter it allowed me turn Moscow into a great money AND hammer producer. I have 5 super priests in there. And if you build Angkor Wat you get an additional +1 hammer for your priests.

[Adagio]

Originally posted by poiuyt00
I always play Ghandi

What I don't get is why some people play all/most games as the same leader, what's fun by that? I've played many games, but only few Civs was played as a leader I've played as before

[benjaminx]

If you're playing as Ghandi, you should definitely build it and research either meditation or polytheism. If you found one of the early religions the wonder from the Great Prophet usually ends up bringing way more than 5 gold/turn.

[PJNagrom]

Actually, It can take many Missionaries and work spreading the religion to get +1 gold per city. If you get a good Great Person rate going and add 4 or 5 super Priests you end up with +20 to +25 AND +8-10 hammers. It really makes it a super city.

I still use one GP for the Shrine anyway tho...

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by PJNagrom
Actually, It can take many Missionaries and work spreading the religion to get +1 gold per city.

You also get the info though, which is always helpful.

[benjaminx]

Plus, spreading religion in other countries and getting them to convert is extremely important for good relations, and you always want at least a couple of allies. Without Stonehenge, it often becomes very hard to get a GP because most of your wonders are going to be in your capitol, and religious great person points won't be too frequent.

[grutz]

I tend to play with the Random leader selection myself, and I still almost always try to get Stonehenge. In the early game, it's perfect for quick border expansion allowing me to cut off / limit the AI's ability to expand. That being said, if I had to choose between it and the pyramids, I'd take the pyramids every time.

[Proteus_MST]

Originally posted by Quillan
I'd expect it depends on the civilization/leader you're playing. Most of my games now are as Catherine; since Cathy is creative and I get 2 culture per turn in all cities automatically, I don't need an obelisk to expand the borders. So, I skip it as Russia.

Same for me, as I play it either as Catherine/Russia or as Fredrick/Germany I don´t build stonehenge very often,
Only if I am able to get connected to a sourse of stone very soon in the game and therefore building stonehenge doesn´t take to long (after all another advantage of stonehenge is, that it gives GPP towards great prophet, something I can use as normally I´m able to get either hinduism or Judaism)

[Arrian]

Generally, no. I want the Oracle and maybe some of the other wonders (I'll take a shot at the pyramids if I have stone, the Parthenon w/marble, etc). Stonehenge gets built rather early generally, and at that point I'm trying to punch out a couple of settlers and some basic defense, while preparing for the Oracle.

-Arrian

[cal_01]

I usually favor Stonehenge over Oracle, simply because the culture bonus is far more valuable to me (even as a Creative civ) than an extra tech.

Though, it makes getting Code of Laws a whole lot easier!

[Arrian]

Or Civil Service, if you get to CoL before the Oracle completes (ideally, same turn).

-Arrian

[cal_01]

Oh man, that would be so hot.

Actually, to tell you the truth, I don't find Civil Service to be all that useful in the early game. More often than not, I beeline to Code of Laws, then round off my techs.

Basically, I can't build Macemen without Machinery (I think?), and I don't lay down that many farms in the early game. Bureaucracy is nice sometimes, though.

[Arrian]

+50% commerce and hammers in your capital, early, when your capital is (relative to the rest of your empire) one of a very few cities you own... it's pretty powerful.

I'm addicted to it, actually.

-Arrian

[Quillan]

On noble, bureaucracy in the early going gives you the ability to take a commanding tech lead, especially if you combine that with an academy and lots of cottages at your capitol. On higher difficulties, I expect it will go a long ways towards allowing you to keep up with AI research without having to trade.