Can someone explain Corporations?

[BigWilly1974]

I've now played about 6-8 games on Monarch, and in each game to date, I've bypassed Corporations as I was under the impression that 1) the maintenance penalty was stiff, 2) I didn't want to convey advantages to the AIs, and 3) generally, I don't really have a good understanding of the pros/cons of starting corporations.

Anyone care to boil it down for me, the major pros and cons, and reasons why you start Corporations or don't in your games? Thanks.

[Kuciwalker]

Actually, Corporations are a great (too easy) way to kill the AI. Found it in a city with market + grocer + bank + wall street, spread it to an AI, and the AI will have huge maintanence costs while you rake in 15 gold per city. And the AI loves to spread corps, it's pretty dumb about it.

[pauli]

at the very least, you want to control them so the ai won't.

[snoopy369]

You need to found corporations in your 'wall street' city. IE a city with Wall Street, market, grocer, bank, so you get +200% bonus to your HQ income. Then, you need to intelligently found corporation(s) that help your chosen victory type - cultural ones for cultural victory, ones that increase your income if you are going for domination or tech, etc. Finally, run free market and have courthouses everywhere. That will make your corporations useful

With spreading to the AI, just spread ones that won't help the AI's victory choices. If the AI is obviously not winning a cultural victory, send it Civilized Jewelers. You'll make a fortune and the AI will gain little.

[jbp26]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker
Actually, Corporations are a great (too easy) way to kill the AI. Found it in a city with market + grocer + bank + wall street, spread it to an AI, and the AI will have huge maintanence costs while you rake in 15 gold per city. And the AI loves to spread corps, it's pretty dumb about it.

this is right on. found a corporation in your city with the most gold multipliers. actually you can found multiple corporations there if you want. typically i'll spread it in my civ where its useful, and then to the AI. if its a civ i'm definitely stronger than, i will spread every corporation to every city. if we're at parity or theyre stronger, i'll only spread the corporations to their small cities. the maintenance costs will drive their research down in short order, and you will rake in gold. in my last game i founded two corporations in my wallstreet city and spread them like mad. that one city alone was bringing in 1000 gold a turn at 90% science. at that point, the extra hammers/food/gold/whatever you're giving to the AI is irrelevent.