Is it worth switching to democracy?

[badams52]

Of course WW is a problem with democracy, but don't forget that workers work faster under democracy. If it's hard for me not to be industrialist since I love fast workers, imagine what I believe about democracy.

[Dr. A. Cula]

Democracy is well worth the effort. I always swicth, then use the increased income/production to quickly build Universal Suffrage, police stations, cathedrals etc., then build/upgrade my army. I then go to war with my neighbours, one by one. If it escalates to world war, I switch to war-time mobilization. By the time my people become unhappy, I can conclude the war(s) with a lot of profit.

[Laertes]

I play at Monarch, and find getting into Democracy hard but necessary to have any chance of a tech lead. My last two games were as Commercial, so perhaps that gets extra benefit from democracy.

Getting into demo is difficult - the GL expires several techs before hand, and you have Navigation, Physics, Magnetism, Theory of Evo etc all around, with al those wonders, Economics and Banking too. Usually I'm racing for at least one of these, and trying to get Dem first too, so it does require a sacrifice. But it is worth getting, for a builder

[Chemical Ollie]

The only advantage of democracy is the faster workers. It was better in previous Civ generations, where it was more or less corruption free. I rarely use it, unless I play a religious but non-industrious tribe and feel that my railroad network is growing too slowly.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Originally posted by Fergus Horkan
I play at Monarch, and find getting into Democracy hard but necessary to have any chance of a tech lead. My last two games were as Commercial, so perhaps that gets extra benefit from democracy.

Getting into demo is difficult - the GL expires several techs before hand, and you have Navigation, Physics, Magnetism, Theory of Evo etc all around, with al those wonders, Economics and Banking too. Usually I'm racing for at least one of these, and trying to get Dem first too, so it does require a sacrifice. But it is worth getting, for a builder

Yeah, this is what I was struggling with. I was going to go Demo after I completed Bach's cathedral, but by that time I was racing to complete Smith's; when Smith's was done, I was racing to complete Newton's, and Newton's then thrust me into a Golden Age. The GA just finished, but it's 1600 and I'm about to get Theory of Evolution (and am thus very close to getting Electronics and racing for Hoover). The window just wasn't there.

[Laertes]

I guess our more warlike colleagues would say we should make sure we are fighting during this period - to generate Great Leaders and solve the wonder problem that way.

In my current game as the English, I got the Library, and then maxxed my cash and went straight for Demo. I was able to buy the other techs, but the only wonder I got was Darwin (might be wrong) but I did not get Magellan, Sun Tzu, Adam Smith, JS BAch, Sistine etc

HOwever, I got such a big tech lead in the industrial age that I am whupping ass and miles ahead - I am now in Modern Age, wiped out biggest rival and have 4-5 science lead.

So Demo can work well, but as ever is not the only answer.

[Stuie]

I too have found Republic to be adequate in vanilla civ. But I don't play vanilla anymore.... with my modded version either Democracy or Communism are more attractive in the late game, though it is possible to stick with Republic or Monarchy and still win.