Civilization V is my most played game on steam, with over 1700 hours. When Civilization VI was announced, I was thrilled. I followed every update eagerly, and couldn’t wait for it to release. Upon playing through my first time as Trajan, I knew this was a worthy successor to Civ V. I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth in further.

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And then, over the years, I just couldn’t. I don’t know if I ever even completed another game. Oh, I’d try, make it through the first era or two, and then just get overwhelmed and stop. Too many mechanics, too many decisions, just too much.

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And so I’d just go back to V instead. Every time I try to get into VI, I just get overwhelmed and stop. I don’t believe the game is intrinsically more complex than V. Maybe it is, but I think what’s really happening is I know V. I understand its systems and how they work together. I understand what I should be trying to do, how to consider tradeoffs, and what general principles I should be following. That allows my brain to focus on the specifics of my situation, without worrying too much about the fundamentals.

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I think what I want, for VI, is a basic model. In chess, even when you don’t know a lot about strategy, there are some general principles you try to follow: control the center, protect the king, activate your pieces. Those guiding lights help you wrap your head around intermediate goals and give you something to shoot for. In Civ V, my general outline would revolve around a few keys: Take tradition, try to get four cities early, focus on food/science, etc. I’m looking for a similar model to understand Civ VI.

Here are some specific questions.

• What Civs/leaders are the simplest to play?
• What should I be focusing on in the early game?
• What yields should I prioritize over others?
• How many cities should I try to build, esp within the first 100-150 turns?
• Are there key wonders, policies, or technologies I should generally prioritize?
• How important are Eurekas and inspirations? Should I go for them every time, when they’re convenient, only certain ones?
• Should I prioritize relationships with city states, and if so, at what point in the game?

An additional help would be a way of understanding how things might have shifted in Civ VI as opposed to Civ V. Is going wide more important than it was in V? Is Science still the most valuable resource?

Really, I guess what I’m looking for is 3-5 key ideas that can guide my gameplay, as well as a pretty basic opening. As I sink my teeth into the game, I’ll have chances to understand all the nuances, all the ways that the basic strategies break down, and all the complexities that allow me to fully leverage my Civ’s unique properties, the reality of my spawn position, and my general playstyle. But for now, I kind of want to be able to set strategic thinking on autopilot so that I can focus on just learning the game.

Thanks for reading.