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Well, I HAVE been playing Spain lately, including a multi-player game with my friend (he's playing the Ottomons). I have found Spain VERY VERY USEFUL for warmongering (which I was forced into by the English, then the Arabs, then the Celts, then the Arabs again ALL declaring war on me). My Ottmon friend couldn't really help me because he was fighting Babylon and Germany on the other side (we sorta fought hordes of AI player while standing back-to-back).
Spain was VERY EFFECTIVE at building temples quick for preventing flips to the AI civs and was VERY EFFECTIVE at overcoming corruption with the large empire I have been amassing by conquering first England, then parts of Arabia, then the Celts, then the rest of Arabia.
That's my one MULTI-PLAYER GAME with the Spanish.
As for single-player...
My first game I did an excellent job of expanding very far pretty quickly (I was lucky to start very far away from my rivals on a large continent). I fought my first wars in the early mid Middle Ages and used conquistadores and medieval infantry to stomp all over first the Germans and then the French.
My other single-player game as the Spanish I beat the snot out of the Vikings with swordsmen (long before they ever got to building those beserks).
By far the best quality of playing the Spanish is the commerical trait because it makes a large and quickly expanding empire PROFITABLE. Having the religious trait to consolidate borders quickly helps a good deal with this. They have no real advantages for either a specific builder strategy (no industrialist trait) and none for warmongering, either (lousy UU and no militarist trait).
They're basically a midway civ between Builder and Warmonger strats that's most effective if you manage to survive and build a sizable empire. They ARE, however, more vulnerable in the early stages without industrious, militaristic, or expansionist (the best early-stage traits) or an early UU. If we survive to the Middle Ages, they can seriously rock with cheap Cathedrals, getting golden age with building either Michelangelo's or JS Bach's, and a late-medieval UU as insurance for that.
Oh, and EVERY SINGLE GAME I've played Spain, I started in a desert, though lucky enough to start on a river in the desert. Unfortunately, I only got 2-3 hills tiles in each of those games to put mines on... so Madrid's production has been lousy in all three of those games. That's entirely chance, of course
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CONCLUSION:
Carthage would be more survivable in the very early stages of the game, but DOES expand more slowly due to the price of the Numidian Mercenary. You can also end up with a very early GA if anyone attacks you that early. Their industrious and commercial traits, however, are VERY VALUABLE throughout the game, especially if they grow a sizable empire (commercial is more and more valuable the larger you get and industrious helps a fewer number of workers do the same work on a sizable empire).
Spain is somewhat vulnerable very early on due to the lack of militaristic, industrious, or even expansionist traits and the lack of an early UU. However, the religious trait can help early-on with border expansion and keeping populations content. Spain does have the ability (if their starting location is decent...) to expand quickly and take advantage of expanded outposts quickly (cheap temples and 25% reduction in corruption). Spain shines a bit later on with cheap cathedrals and marketplaces along with reduced corruption.
Spain was VERY EFFECTIVE at building temples quick for preventing flips to the AI civs and was VERY EFFECTIVE at overcoming corruption with the large empire I have been amassing by conquering first England, then parts of Arabia, then the Celts, then the rest of Arabia.
That's my one MULTI-PLAYER GAME with the Spanish.
As for single-player...
My first game I did an excellent job of expanding very far pretty quickly (I was lucky to start very far away from my rivals on a large continent). I fought my first wars in the early mid Middle Ages and used conquistadores and medieval infantry to stomp all over first the Germans and then the French.
My other single-player game as the Spanish I beat the snot out of the Vikings with swordsmen (long before they ever got to building those beserks).
By far the best quality of playing the Spanish is the commerical trait because it makes a large and quickly expanding empire PROFITABLE. Having the religious trait to consolidate borders quickly helps a good deal with this. They have no real advantages for either a specific builder strategy (no industrialist trait) and none for warmongering, either (lousy UU and no militarist trait).
They're basically a midway civ between Builder and Warmonger strats that's most effective if you manage to survive and build a sizable empire. They ARE, however, more vulnerable in the early stages without industrious, militaristic, or expansionist (the best early-stage traits) or an early UU. If we survive to the Middle Ages, they can seriously rock with cheap Cathedrals, getting golden age with building either Michelangelo's or JS Bach's, and a late-medieval UU as insurance for that.
Oh, and EVERY SINGLE GAME I've played Spain, I started in a desert, though lucky enough to start on a river in the desert. Unfortunately, I only got 2-3 hills tiles in each of those games to put mines on... so Madrid's production has been lousy in all three of those games. That's entirely chance, of course
----------------
CONCLUSION:
Carthage would be more survivable in the very early stages of the game, but DOES expand more slowly due to the price of the Numidian Mercenary. You can also end up with a very early GA if anyone attacks you that early. Their industrious and commercial traits, however, are VERY VALUABLE throughout the game, especially if they grow a sizable empire (commercial is more and more valuable the larger you get and industrious helps a fewer number of workers do the same work on a sizable empire).
Spain is somewhat vulnerable very early on due to the lack of militaristic, industrious, or even expansionist traits and the lack of an early UU. However, the religious trait can help early-on with border expansion and keeping populations content. Spain does have the ability (if their starting location is decent...) to expand quickly and take advantage of expanded outposts quickly (cheap temples and 25% reduction in corruption). Spain shines a bit later on with cheap cathedrals and marketplaces along with reduced corruption.
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. I believe that a small favor now might become a bridge for future cooperation in the game itself.
)
if everyone doesnt figure out that's our strategy... 
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