How do you play Charlemagne?

[MyOlde]

I'm wondering if anyone likes playing as Charlemagne and, if so, how you play him successfully. I've tried a couple of games with him at Noble but with no winning success.

[Verrucosus]

I like him a lot, but this is less about Charlemagne himself than about the maintenance discount from Holy Rome's Rathaus building. If I can get Code of Laws early enough (maybe with the Oracle), I can expand so quickly that it almost feels like playing Civ2 again. I don't think that there are any special tricks here, it's just an example of making the most of a civilization's strength.

[Nikomakkos]

He's Imperialistic and Protective, right? I've never played him but I would guess warmongering and specialist economy (SE). With these Rathauses you should be able to have a decent number of cities at a low maintenance cost, each with two scientist specialists. So you can have the science slider set at a low percentage giving you the money to maintain a big military. Landsknechts seem to be very useful units in the Medieval era, the era in which I most often wage war anyway.

Go for it, with these Landsknechts you should rule the fields easily and then you can have a few Macemen and Trebuchets to take cities.

[Nikomakkos]

Against the Chinese you're gonna have to be careful though. They'll build a lot of crossbowmen, 'cause their UU is a crossbowman. Take out the Chinese in the Ancient or Classical age if you can.

[Nikomakkos]

Oh, and remember to pillage your opponents land. I'd think it would be a good idea to beeline Engineering and build a few Landsknechts while researching Machinery and Civil Service. Then take them to your opponents land to pillage everything while you build your Macemen and Trebuchets. If you can do this before he gets crossbowmen, you're set.

[Supr49er]

Originally posted by Verrucosus
I like him a lot, but this is less about Charlemagne himself than about the maintenance discount from Holy Rome's Rathaus building. If I can get Code of Laws early enough (maybe with the Oracle), I can expand so quickly that it almost feels like playing Civ2 again. I don't think that there are any special tricks here, it's just an example of making the most of a civilization's strength.

Yeah, get COL quickly, then build the UB Rathauses everywhere.
I'm not as excited by the Landsknecht UU as some, but it makes a pretty good field unit and a good city defender.

[Blaupanzer]

Imp/Pro is not the best trait combination unless you can get the other civs to attack you. The Landsknecht is disruptive, its counter is the crossbowman. So if you start as the HRE, beeline IW, then CoL, then Engineering. Can you build Pikemen without machinery? If you can, then maybe you can field a force before the AI fields the CB counter. If not, then I'm not sure how cheap settlers/quick generals and improved archers leads to major conquest. The Rathaus really helps financially if expansion is not all over by CoL. That possibility is mostly a function of map size and number of civs. Play on a large, non-pangea map with the usual or lesser number of civs and clean up!

[Krill]

need machinery and construction for engineering.

[DirtyMartini]

Just try to pretend he doesn't look like the Burger King.

[rah]

I'm glad I'm not the only one that thought that.

[DirtyMartini]

I think Ming and I have had the same exchange somewhere along the line.

[Unimatrix11]

Well, when you play as him, you hardly ever see him (i think only in the relations-screen) - at least he wont pop up on you with some rediculous demand, when he could as well say ´eat my buns´...

[MyOlde]

Thanks for all the suggestions but I've pretty much given up on Charlemagne. I must have tried 15 games and I consistently run out of money and/or fall badly behind almost everyone else and/or get invaded half way through.

I had originally hoped to play a peaceful game with him but think that's probably not possible.

[Blaupanzer]

Imperial is not a peaceful trait, and enhanced units lend to warmaking as well, especially post-gunpowder. Got to build those Rathauses to keep from being financially overwhelmed from the cheap settlers.

Wodan11 said he was taking him out for a spin on another thread. Perhaps he will chime in.

Charlemagne looks more like a drunken clown than the Burger King, but I see the resemblance now that you mention it.

[Hauptman]

I always have great success with Charl. I mean, as in, he makes the game too easy for me. The landsknechten come into play right when my military power is begining to rise in order to catch up to the massive armies the AI has already built up. So with fewer units I can deal a whole load of damage as his pikes only weakness is the crossbow, a unit the AI rarely builds.

Then after you beat the snot out of your neighbors, Better x-bows and longbows of your own make it easier to hold onto, and the Rathaus makes them all profitable. Both his UU and UB are overpowered.