Barbarians

[Croup]

Ok, this is a convoluted question so I'll try to qualify myself wherever I think is necessary.

The main question is: why do people play with Barbarians at all, especially Raging Barbarians?

Now, before we get into the easy answers: I understand that they can give your early units experience. I also understand that this is more of a challenge and therefore essential to anyone who needs to prove their worth.

Beyond those two reasons, are there any others? It creates a hassle through the entire early game and I don't know that that tradeoff works in favor of the extra experience. I'm willing to acknowledge that people want to challenge themselves, and if that's the main answer then so be it. But is there anything else?

For the record, I usually play with Barbarians because I feel like a complete wuss if I play with No Barbarians. But I can't bring myself to play Raging Barbarians because I find it annoying and not useful to regular play.

Anyone?

[Nacht]

Why play with any opponents at all really? They create a hassle through the entire game.

[UnOrthOdOx]

I've played with raging barbs so long that when I get into PBEM's where someone has regular barbs the game just feels wrong.

I don't know why I started playing Raging. Probably for the challenge. Now, though, it's genuinely boring without them.

Free XP is nice, yes. Free cities also (though rarely in an ideal location).

So, my other options with early units are to either not build them and focus on builderish things. (bleh) Or overcrowd the map and wipe out a neighbor.

My best advice to someone having difficulty with barbs is to stop defending your cities and improvements. (stop sitting your archer down inside the city, or on top of your gold, etc)


Get those units of yours out there removing fog and barbs don't crop up. Utilize every ounce of fog removal you can. Fight the barbs before they hit your border, etc.

[yin26]

I'm not a fan of barbs or wild animals. Why? They aren't full-fledged AI, and they inject too much luck in the early game. That said, I always leave them on because they add some character to the map when nothing else is going on. I also feel like they keep me more honest in having at least some military around in my early builds. It's kind of a warm up before the real AI attacks, I guess. Oh, it's also funny when barbs take an occasional AI city. NEVER funny if that happens to me, of course.

Random events in BtS will also introduce a similar element.

[Will9]

I like barbs because without them I wouldn't be making enough troops to defend myself early on.

[Dis]

I play barbarians, not raging.

if only for historical accuracy. yes we can debate how innacurate the game really is. but barbarians aren't going to live quietly in their huts while you slowly enevelop all their lands. They will attack.

raging doesn't seem as realistic, and is just a hassle.

the good thing about them is the provoke you into building a military. sometimes I forget to build one and learn the hard way.

[MrWhereItsAt]

Barbs teach you the good ability to focus on many facets at once. In the early goings your opponents are rarely near enough to you to be a threat, nor are they likely to declare war on you even if they were close. Having Barbs means that you are trained into the defense discipline before you need it against REAL opponents.

However, in my last two-three games I have been without Iron, Copper or Horses until mid-1st millennium AD, and that has REALLY sucked. I had two great cities razed because all I had to defend against that one Barb Axeman were Quechua and Archers. I'm starting to think even REGULAR Barbs are worth me turning off. Why is it Warlords gives me fewer resources, consarnit?

[Solver]

I play with barbs because they provide an early game challenge. The game is only good if it has some challenge. Now, at that early point in the game, the other AIs aren't a challenge yet. They're establishing the very basics of their civ, just like you are. So the Barbs serve as a challenge then.

And I like how they give you a reason to build some military. Without Barbs, I'd go without a military at all early on - but they make you build units to fogbust and defend cities and improvements. Besides, the XP you get is also nice

[Wiglaf]

I build the great wall just to see that wonder video. It is like an addiction. I fired up the game five times just tonight and tried to build that damn wonder just so I could see Firaxis' glorious 12-second CGI recreation of an ancient Chinese mound of dirt, magically extending itself like a snake throughout a prerendered hillside. Then, the bonus flashes: NO BARBS CAN COME INTO MY TERRITORY. That's my cue to restart a new game and try for it again.

[joncha]

[Dis]

I never build the great wall. I play on standard sized maps, and have little need to.

[joncha]

But it's so pretty!