First time playing - Expansions or Standard ruleset?

[Catpuppy]

I got the platinum edition with the expansions, but I haven't played a Civilization game since 4 over 10 years ago, so I'm practically a complete noob to the genre. Is there going to be too much stuff for me at once with the expansions enabled? Should I start with standard ruleset or expansion(s)?

[ashvandam_uk]

Yes have your first game on standard, i would say.

[Exemplar]

i would play it with expansions enabled.

[Aachen]

Try the Vikings scenario!

[SamBC]

The game is much richer and deeper with expansion, but at the same time it is more complex. It depends how much you want to be learning all at once. Might be worth starting a standard game and playing until you feel like you have a handle on it, then introducing expansions.

[ElPrezCBF]

Play with at least the Rise and Fall expansion. Going for a normal/golden age in each era helps you to focus more on actions that help your empire to progress as efficiently as possible. Without this challenge, it gets really boring. The bonus options that come with each era also allows you to further enhance your development toward your preferred victory type.

[aimanoz]

Just dive in... heads first. Enjoy the whole experience with RaF and GS expansions. I'll be doing the same too... I haven't be playing Civ for the past 4-5 years actually. But that's the interesting part of Civ... the complexity and immense satisfaction once you get the hang of it.

[ashvandam_uk]

Originally posted by SamBC:

The game is much richer and deeper with expansion, but at the same time it is more complex. It depends how much you want to be learning all at once. Might be worth starting a standard game and playing until you feel like you have a handle on it, then introducing expansions.

I would agree with all the points raised, with these views 100%

However I would maybe consider either playing your first game with Barbarians switched off, (when you create a game),
OR if you don't want to do that maybe play a lower difficulty the first game instead.

[ElPrezCBF]

Depending on your settings and map spawn, barbarians can be a huge pain or less so, but often the former. Turning them off would make it too easy/boring, but enabling them could also result in ridiculous early game situations where they can attack you on two or more sides even before you finish your first or second unit/improvement! A lot depends on the roll of the map start location spawn dice. Another thing is turning them off and playing with Rise and Fall at the same time could actually make it harder to avoid a dark age since clearing barbarian camps adds to your era score. The other alternative would be this mod:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=881084587&searchtext=barbarian

[aimanoz]

So, OP in the end what did you do? Did you played it with or without the expansion?

[Catpuppy]

I started without the expansions, and played a little bit -- but once I got the hang of just the basics, I started a new game with the expansions. I also tried the Vikings scenario, but that didn't go too well! I couldn't figure out how to use siege weapons properly to attack towns -- they just got destroyed instantly and I couldn't even shoot once, so I kinda gave up. I'm gonna go back to the campaign next.

[Aachen]

Originally posted by Catpuppy:

I started without the expansions, and played a little bit -- but once I got the hang of just the basics, I started a new game with the expansions. I also tried the Vikings scenario, but that didn't go too well! I couldn't figure out how to use siege weapons properly to attack towns -- they just got destroyed instantly and I couldn't even shoot once, so I kinda gave up. I'm gonna go back to the campaign next.

Thanks for considering that one—it wasn’t wholly a tongue-in-cheek idea.

Scenarios are shorter, normally, than a full game, and I thought the restrictions on some game concepts might help to emphasize others—primarily district placement at it’s basics and the way combat handles in Six.

Alas, it wasn’t especially successful. Keep trying games and it’ll all come together.

As for quickly-killed siege units: they, as well as ranged-class, are much weaker on defense than offense. Avoid offering ‘em as targets much as is practicable.

[Catpuppy]

Yeah, I figured that -- my main problem was learning how range works and taking terrain into account... But even when I managed to get the range down right, got into position to attack at maximum range of enemy town, the trebuchet was instantly destroyed before I managed to get a turn in... So I just alt+f4 the game at that point. >.< I'm guessing I need to have melee units as bait between them? But even then it wouldn't really stop them from just shooting the trebuchet anyway, so I dunno.

[ashvandam_uk]

I think the regular game would be easier to win for a new person? Just thinking because there are 4 different victory types.