Civilization V and Later / Characters

This is a list of the various civilizations and their leaders appearing in Civilization V through VI.

No real life examples related to these civilizations, please.

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Added in Civilization V

Assyria

Assyria

Leader: Ashurbanipal (V)
Unique Unit: Siege Tower (V)
Unique Building: Royal Library (V)
Ability: Treasures of Nineveh (V)

The Sumerians may be the first civilization, but the Assyrians were among the first conquering empires. When the Sumerian and Akkadian civilizations collapsed, their remnants coalesced into Babylon in the south and Assyria in the north. Founded in 1813 BC, the Assyrian empire had a rocky start, quickly falling under the dominion of rivals like Babylon, collapsing into civil war, seeing a resurgence in the mid-14th century BC where it finally conquered its rival, only to fall into a dark age afterward. By the end of this, Assyria had transformed into a warrior culture, and in 911 BC a "Neo-Assyrian" empire was born that used its early mastery of iron weapons to dominate its rivals. At its height in 671 BC, Assyria ruled lands stretching from the Nile across northern Arabia to the Caucasus Mountains and Asia Minor, the largest empire the world had seen. Assyria gained a reputation for ruthlessness due to its policy of deporting the populations of conquered countries, but the famed emperor Ashurbanipal was also a great patron of learning and scholarship, who just happened to be willing to gain said knowledge through military means. Assyria didn't last long after his death in 627 BC, but Ashurbanipal left behind a Royal Library full of such treasures as the Babylonian creation myth and The Epic of Gilgamesh.

Assyria is set up as an interesting military/scientific hybrid due to its "Treasures of Nineveh" ability, allowing it to steal a technology known by another civ when Assyria captures one of their cities. Aiding this is the Siege Tower, a melee siege unit that not only deals increased damage against cities, but grants adjacent units that same bonus. Once an enemy city has been plundered, any great works of writing may be stored in a Royal Library, which not only increases an Assyrian city's research, but provides extra experience to military units trained in the same city if its Great Work slot is occupied. So let your enemies waste their time on non-military technology - you'll steal it anyway when you conquer them!

Crippling Overspecialization: Like the Huns' Battering Ram, the Assyrian Siege Tower can only attack cities.
Cultured Badass: Not only do Great Works stored in a Royal Library make military units trained in that city more effective, those libraries also let Assyria play the culture game very well by giving it more slots for Great Works of Writing.
Foil: To Babylon, gameplay-wise. While Babylon gets a science boost and extra thick walls, Assyria gets a powerful siege engine and the ability to take other civs' tech. Fitting, since the two were real-life rivals.
Genius Bruiser: Ashurbanipal is both a highly-aggressive leader and one who focuses on boosting his empire's science output. His greeting message even asks "have you come to view my library?"
Jack of All Stats: Assyria can crush rivals militarily with Siege Towers, maintain a tech advantage with its Royal Libraries and "Treasures of Ninevah," or even go down a cultural route with its bonus Great Work slots.
Power Copying: Assyria's unique ability lets them steal tech from cities it conquers. And if you haven't made enough Great Works of Writing to fill your Royal Libraries, you can always see what your neighbors have written in their cities...
Power Up Letdown: Be careful with "retiring" your Siege Towers; once upgraded to a Trebuchet, this unit loses all its advantages, including the Sapper promotion. As such, it may be the most reasonable decision to hold off on upgrading at least a few Siege Towers so that your melee units can continue to be more efficient at attacking enemy cities.
Siege Engines: An impressively complex one for the Iron Age, a combination ram and rolling tower that fires flaming arrows.
Status Buff: Siege Towers have the Sapper promotion that, when the Siege Tower is adjacent to an enemy city, grants nearby allies a 50% attack bonus against that city.
Unstable Equilibrium: Assyria's unique ability means it can spend the Ancient Era focusing on military techs and raising an army, go on a spree of conquest, and immediately gain all those non-military techs they skipped over, leaving it dominant both militarily and technologically, and controlling more cities than its peace-loving rivals. Not many civs snowball as easily as Assyria.
Zerg Rush: Assyria isn't quite as rush-y as the Huns, but those Siege Towers are almost as good as the Hun's Battering Rams and can be acquired early in the Classical Era.

Brazil

Brazil

Leader: Pedro II (V-VI)
Unique Units: Pracinha (V), Minas Gereas (VI)
Unique Improvement: Brazilwood Camp (V)
Unique District: Street Carnival (VI), Copacabana (post-VI: Rise and Fall)
Ability: Carnival (V), Amazon (VI)

Brazil was claimed by the Portuguese in 1500, after a fleet headed towards Africa's Cape of Good Hope got blown off course. Other nations' holdings in the region were attacked and absorbed, and by the 17th century Brazil was Portugal's largest and most lucrative colony thanks to its brazilwood forests, mineral resources, and other luxuries. In 1808 the Portuguese government formed a capital-in-exile after fleeing Napoleon, and the prince-regent João announced in 1815 that Brazil was a kingdom the equal of Portugal. He left in 1821 after appointing his son Pedro as Brazil's regent, but a year later the country declared its independence, which was recognized by Portugal four years later. Under Emperor Pedro II, from 1831 on Brazil enjoyed a fifty-year golden age as it won three wars, progressed in every cultural and economic category, and abolished slavery, but Pedro II was deposed in a bloodless coup in 1889, and Brazil entered a long period of military or oligarchical dictatorships. In 1985, following protests demanding direct elections and the ruling elites' doubts that the dictatorship was helping the nation, Brazil became a democracy, and today the country is South America's premier regional power and a powerful economy poised to take its place on the world stage.

That's the dry history of Brazil, anyway; the country is also one of the hottest tourist destinations on the planet, thanks in part to its yearly Carnival festival. Its special ability in Civ V means Brazil throws one of these instead of a usual Golden Age, doubling Tourism bonuses and producing Great People 50% faster, making the civilization perfect for a Cultural Victory. This doesn't mean that Brazil has to be peaceful, however - its Pracinha infantry uniquely earns points towards a Golden Age whenever it defeats an enemy, giving Brazil an excuse to get involved in some late-game wars. Finally, Brazil can get the most out of jungles with its Brazilwood Camps, which earn gold and later culture from such terrain.

In Civ VI, Brazil is equipped to generate Great People while making the most out of terrain other civs struggle in. Its "Amazon" ability lets rainforest tiles grant an appeal bonus rather than malus, as well as adjacency bonuses to scientific, commercial and religious districts. As of the Rise and Fall expansion, Brazil has two unique entertainment districts, the Street Carnival and Copacabana, which on top of the usual amenities yields can also start a Carnival project to attract Great People. This synergizes nicely with Pedro II's "Magnanimous" leader bonus allowing Brazil to recoup 20% of the cost of recruiting or patronizing a Great Person. This makes Brazil a well-rounded civ that can easily pursue a Cultural Victory, but if there's fighting to be done, the Minas Gereas is a powerful battleship that will either dissuade distractions from all these festivities or give Brazil an excuse to throw some victory parades.

Age Lift: Pedro II is much younger in VI compared to V, where he is already an old statesman.
Blessed with Suck: In Civ V, Brazil's jungle start bias means that it's stuck in marginal terrain it can't make good use of until the Medieval Era and, even worse, has a chance of being next-door neighbors to the Aztecs. The "blessed" part comes from their ability to convert those jungle tiles into Brazilwood Camps - by default they generate gold and culture, and with a University they produce science as well.
Difficult, but Awesome: Playing Brazil in V requires a fair amount of knowledge and skills. Not only do you have to keep your production levels up while surrounded by jungle to build vital wonders, but you also have to balance your population growth against happiness levels to ensure you can get to those precious ages, all the while keeping up a steady production of Great People to fill your great work slots. The result, though, is a late-game cultural powerhouse that can blow pretty much every other civilization out of the water in terms of tourism generation and Golden Ages and win the game in a handful of turns.
Hair-Trigger Temper: Pedro II's agenda in Civ VI is "Patron of the Arts," making him strive to get as many Great People as possible and hate competitors for their attention. Since Great People are useful to every civ, especially ones focusing on a Cultural Victory, expect him to be angry with you.
Pedro II: Your finest engineers and architects would be happier in a place where they could grow. Brazil, for instance.
Holding Out for a Great Person: All civilizations like Great People, but Brazil's whole shtick in VI is about getting more of them faster.
Jack of All Stats: In VI, Brazil's focus on Great People gives it an edge when going for a Cultural Victory, but Great People are so useful in general that they help any victory path.
Life of the Party: The focus of the nation, if not its leader. Emperor Pedro II in Civ V is always working hard at his desk.
Magikarp Power: In V the jungle start makes it difficult for Brazilians to grab hold of early-game wonders. However, once they have access to Brazilwood, their late game power begins to spike, and all those rainforest tiles become the most diversely useful terrain in the game, producing food, gold, science and culture.
Nice Guy: Pedro is one of the easiest leaders to befriend in Civ V. In Civ VI... not so much.
Soundtrack Dissonance: Brazil's war theme in V converts a well-known Bossa Nova piece, "Chega De Saudade" ("No More Yearning"), into a bombastic if not ominous military anthem.
War for Fun and Profit: Sorry about all your dead soldiers, but we were looking for an excuse to throw a party.

Denmark

Denmark

Leader: Harald Bluetooth (V)
Unique Units: Berserker (V), Norwegian Ski Infantry (V)
Ability: Viking Fury (V)

As the Viking Age wound down around 936 AD, King Gorm the Old began forging the Kingdom of Denmark, which was fully unified by his son Harald Bluetooth, the first Christian king of Denmark who also expanded into the rest of Scandinavia. By 1016, King Canute/Cnut controlled not only Denmark, but also Norway, parts of Sweden, and even England, which sent monks over to aid the conversion process as Canute paid a Danegeld for all those sacked monasteries. From 1397 to 1523, Denmark was part of the Kalmar Union that included Norway and Sweden, but around the Thirty Years' War the kingdom's power began to wane. During the Napoleonic Wars, England's concerns over Denmark's trade with France led to war, the destruction of Denmark's navy, and bankruptcy. Though neutral in World War II, the country was occupied by Nazi Germany, but Denmark nevertheless managed to save its Jewish population and scuttle its navy so the enemy couldn't use it. Following the war, Denmark became a member of both the United Nations and NATO, later joined the European Union, and today is a thriving economy and progressive innovator of wind power.

Don't expect Denmark to get any sort of improved windmill, however, its incarnation in Civ V is built around attacking from the sea. Its "Viking Fury" ability lets Danish units move faster while embarked, land on the coast without ending their turn, and allows melee units to pillage without spending movement points. Denmark dominates early Medieval warfare with their Berserker, a melee infantry unit that is faster than a Longswordsman, available earlier, and starts with the Amphibious promotion to aid in assaults by sea. These Berserkers can later be upgraded into Norwegian Ski Infantry, which get a combat bonus and double movement speed in snow, tundra and bare hills. Unsurprisingly, Harald Bluetooth likes to go for a Domination Victory, and though hard to get on your side, will rarely betray an ally - especially a fellow warmonger. All said, if Denmark's in the game, everyone else better look to their coasts!

Adaptational Personality Change: Harald Bluetooth is best known for being the first Christian king of Denmark, and the Civilopedia entry mentions the fact. Yet in game his iteration appears to be taken from before he converted, since he makes mention of the Norse Pantheon in his diplomatic dialogue with nary a mention of Christianity in sight.
Affably Evil: Downplayed. Harald isn't necessarily evil so much as he's a warmonger and conqueror. Nevertheless, Harald remains quite cordial to the player, if not just enthusiastic. He's also a very loyal ally to have, owing to his high loyalty score.
The Berserker: Their unique unit, a Dual Wielding warrior with an axe, wearing Pelts of the Barbarian. Though in some Gameplay and Story Segregation, they remain completely under your control instead of charging off in a frothing battle frenzy.
Blood Knight: Harald himself, albeit with more shades of Spirited Competitor than leaders like Montezuma - upon meeting the player for the first time, he excitedly refers to them as "new challengers" and judging by his dialogue seems to simply prefer war to diplomacy as a natural means to settling disputes. This is reflected in his tendencies - he is quick to become hostile and declare war, but surprisingly average when it comes to forgiveness. When you declare war on him, he even congratulates you on your Viking-esque boldness... while in the same breath "lamenting" having to kill you.
Bootstrapped Leitmotif: Harald's diplomacy music is actually a remix of a theme that first appeared in Civilization IV's Viking scenario.
Cool Boat: Embarked Danish units are represented by longships, naturally.
Decomposite Character: They and Sweden are this to the Viking civilization from past Civilization games. Denmark is themed to Viking Age Scandinavia while Sweden reflects early modern Scandinavia.
Graceful Loser: Force Harald to peace, and he's surprisingly sporting, but see Sore Loser below...
Harald Bluetooth: By Thor's hammer, you have proven yourself a Worthy Opponent today. I congratulate you.
Horny Vikings:
- Harald Bluetooth is presented this way, greeting you on his longship while wearing an ornamental winged helmet and talking about pleasing the old gods. In real life, Harald was a Christian convert who more or less had done away with the old Norse customs.
- The Berserkers refreshingly avert the stereotypical horned helmet in their unit models, and instead wear wolf-head caps, if not a proper bear-serk.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Harald is a very aggressive leader, and you'll likely see him declare war on you more than a few times. Despite this, he remains a great ally, owing to his high loyalty score, his high tolerance for fellow warmongers, and the fact that he's surprisingly forgiving when it comes to past transgressions.
Lightning Bruiser: Berserkers have 3 Movement compared to normal infantry's 2-hex movement range, pillage at no cost, and can transfer from sea to land nearly instantly. Sadly, the higher speed isn't kept when upgraded.
The Münchausen: When he meets the player for the first time, Harald's greeting text offers to regale them with tales of his many exploits.
Rape, Pillage, and Burn: A specialty of Denmark in general and Berserkers in particular. They can sail in from the fog of war, quickly embark on the shores of a weak city, ruin tiles, and then have movement left over to capture workers or pick off units. Other Danish melee units can similarly pillage at will.
Sore Loser: Ironically for someone who is enthusiastic for war, he doesn't really take his loss well, and chucks his helmet into the water before stomping out of sight.
Harald Bluetooth: Loki must have stood by you, for a common man alone could not have defeated me!
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Denmark is essentially Civilization V's version of the Viking civilization from earlier games, retaining the Berserker unique unit and focus on naval warfare.
This Looks Like a Job for Aquaman:
- Denmark isn't usually seen as one of the best civilizations in the game... but on a map with a lot of water, it's one of the few that can pull off an amphibious invasion with aplomb. Denmark is also extremely good at taking down Polynesia, since its units can easily make hit-and-run attacks, tearing up Moai all the while.
- As mentioned below, the Norwegian Ski Infantry's distinct advantage in snow and tundra tiles are a Useless Useful Ability due to the lack of snow and tundra tiles - unless you're playing on a Ice Age map, where the overwhelming presence of snow and tundra tiles makes the Norwegian Ski Infantry's unique ability almost game-breaking due to the massive combat bonus those kinds of tiles give to them, alongside the free movement bonus. They become even more dangerous if the map happens to be an Archipelago-themed map, in which the Danish's unique ability is at its best.
Undying Loyalty: Despite his warmongering nature, Harald's easily one of the best allies you can have, and shares Genghis Khan's base loyalty rating of 7. As a warmonger, he's somewhat difficult to befriend, but if you get on his good side, you'll have an alliance that will last you the entire game.
Useless Useful Ability: The Ski Infantry's combat bonus in snow and tundra terrain is nice and all, but those only exist at the top of the map and rarely have anything worth fighting over. Averted when it comes to hill terrain, although induces Fridge Logic instead (skiing on sand dunes?).
We Will Meet Again: Harald's defeat text declares that "Ragnarok is upon us, it is the only explanation" for his defeat, and says he'll see you soon in Asgard.

Hun

Huns

Leader: Attila the Hun (V)
Unique Units: Battering Ram (V), Horse Archer (V)
Ability: Scourge of God (V)

The Huns were a group of nomadic horsemen who migrated out of Mongolia, crossed into Europe around the 4th and 5th centuries, formed a confederation with other tribes, and proceeded to pillage everyone else they came across. A warlord named Rua was the first to forge them into a force to be reckoned with, leading a campaign into the Eastern Roman Empire, but it wasn't until his death and the rise of his son Attila to power that the Huns reached their greatest infamy. After compelling tribute from the Byzantines and conquering the Balkans, Attila led the Hunnic horde into Gaul, sacking his way to Orleans until a combined Roman-Visigoth force managed to defeat him at the Battle of Catalaunian Plains. Undaunted, Attila focused his attention on Italy proper, taking cities in northern Italy before reaching Rome itself. Whether due to the threat of Byzantine reinforcements or the words of Pope Leo I, Attila turned back, and proceeded to suddenly die of a nosebleed on his wedding night in 453. After his death, the Hun Confederacy dissolved into civil war, and within a few decades its remnants began to migrate back to Central Asia, so that the Huns vanished from history as suddenly as they appeared.

If it's worrisome to be next to the Mongols, Aztecs or Zulu at the start of a game, it's terrifying to have Attila for a neighbor. The Huns are the ultimate rush faction, highly aggressive and capable of knocking out another civilization before turn 50. Their "Scourge of God" ability lets the Huns start with Animal Husbandry, see any horses on the map, get more production out of Pastures, and raze cities at double speed. The Huns' special units are early game powerhouses, a Horse Archer that doesn't require Horses to build and lacks the Chariot Archer's rough terrain penalty, and more frighteningly a Battering Ram capable of pulverizing city defenses. This is mitigated by the fact that these strengths are made obsolete fairly quickly, cold comfort for those who fell to the Scourge of God before reaching the Classical Era.

Battering Ram: Replacing the Spearman, the Huns' Battering Ram can take out most early-game cities in one or two attacks, and since they count as melee units instead of siege units they can capture them too.
"Blind Idiot" Translation: Attila the Hun's voice actor isn't a native speaker, resulting in so many mispronunciations and grammatical errors that even those who know Chuvash have trouble understanding him. As Long as It Sounds Foreign may be in effect here.
Bring It: His response when attacked.
Attila: Now what is this?! You ask me to add your riches to my great avails? The invitation is accepted.
Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Attila's high aggression and low loyalty means that trying to befriend him is a waste of effort.
Crippling Overspecialization: The Battering Ram can One-Hit Kill most cities, but can only attack cities. This can be a problem if your starting Warrior gets the "upgraded equipment" result from Ancient Ruins, leaving you with a scouting unit with a 1-tile sight range and no ability to attack Barbarians.
Crutch Character: Attila the Hun is a nightmare in the earlygame, but once everyone else moves into the Medieval Era, he'd better hope he grabbed enough land to keep up.
Horse Archer: Like the Mongolians, they've got 'em, just a bit earlier in the tech tree. They function similarly to Chariot Archers, but do not require Horse herds to create, or suffer from the Chariot's weakness of losing all its moves upon entering rough terrain, and start with the Accuracy I promotion. Just a few of them can make short work of rivals' early-game armies, though it should be noted that, unlike the Mongol Keshiks or Arab Camel Archers, the Huns' Horse Archers can't move after attacking, so no Hit-and-Run Tactics against hard targets.
Interface Spoiler: The Huns' capital will always be "Attila's Court," but all their subsequent city names are taken from other civs on the map. Founding Hun cities in the first few turns can help reveal who else is out there in the Fog of War.
Jerkass: Attila is the most aggressive and hostile leader in Civ V, prone to backstabbing "friends" and conquering city-states.
Large Ham: To make up for his broken language, Attila will always shouts at the highest voice available, from his introduction to trade proposals, and especially when he declares war.
Attila: I grow tired of this throne of mine. I think I should like to have YOURS instead!
Not the Intended Use:
- "Scourge of God" lets the Huns raze cities at double speed, yes, but the production bonus from Pastures and free Animal Husbandry tech can just as easily be used to fuel peaceful expansion and win Wonder races, if the Huns don't feel like invading someone right away.
- The Battering Ram gets a whopping 300% combat bonus against cities, but it can only attack cities, and does a poor job defending them. If you don't have a good garrison unit to tag in for the Battering Ram, it can be better to just roll the Battering Ram out of the city and let the AI retake it, then attack the city again (especially since the AI prioritizes retaking lost cities over eliminating the units surrounding them).
Rape, Pillage, and Burn: Less looting and much more focus on burning. Huns raze cities at double speed, which is very useful for getting rid of the trash cities that are eating up your Happiness points and reducing the downtime between conquests. Remember, only enemy capitals count toward a Domination Victory, the rest need to go!
Zerg Rush: Neither the Battering Ram nor Horse Archer require any strategic resources to build, they're both fairly cheap, and the Huns can unlock them both in four techs. It's therefore very easy for the Huns to build up an army capable of wiping out a rival or two while they're still getting their feet on the ground.

Indonesia

Indonesia

Leader: Gajah Mada (V), Gitarja (VI)
Unique Unit: Kris Swordsman (V), Jong (VI)
Unique Building: Candi (V)
Unique Improvement: Kampung (VI)
Ability: Spice Islanders (V), Great Nusantara (VI)

Indonesia consists of a three-thousand-mile stretch of some eighteen thousand islands that have seen hundreds of city-states, kingdoms and empires over the centuries. For hundreds of years a number of Buddhist and Hindu domains rose and fell: the hegemonic confederation of Srivijaya, the kingdom of Singhasari, one of the few domains able to repulse a Mongol invasion, and most successfully the Majapahit Empire, which gained control of most of the archipelago under Queen Gitarja^* and Prime Minister Gajah Mada. The 13th century saw Islam become the dominant religion of the region, borne not through conquest but through trade and tolerance, giving rise to the sultanates of Mataram and Banten. But European colonial empires were soon attracted to these "Spice Islands," and in 1749 they were claimed by the Dutch East India Company. Dutch rule lasted 150 years until Imperial Japan invaded Indonesia during World War II, after which Indonesia declared independence, which international pressure forced the Netherlands to accept. Today Indonesia remains the world's premier supplier of spices like nutmeg and mace, and is working towards democracy following Cold War turbulence.

In Civ V, Indonesia can be thought of as a nautical version of Arabia, a religious/mercantile hybrid. Its "Spice Islanders" ability spawns exclusive luxuries - Nutmeg, Cloves and Pepper - beneath their first three off-shore colonies. The Candi, unlike the Garden it replaces, can be built regardless of water sources, and produces additional Faith when other religions are present in the city. To protect its wealth, Indonesia has the Kris Swordsman, which randomly receives a potentially powerful (or detrimental) promotion after its first battle. Combined, Indonesia is a civilization that encourages expansion, will always have luxuries to keep its people happy or for trade, and actually benefits from religious "conflict."

Civ VI further emphasizes Indonesia's reliance on coasts and islands. Its "Great Nusantara" ability gives districts an adjacency bonus when constructed next to coastal or lake tiles, while its Kampung improvement can be built directly on the water to generate food, production and later tourism. To protect its waters or claim new shores, Indonesia has the Jong, a highly mobile Frigate that can quickly ferry land units, whether they're peaceful settlers or invading armies, from island to island. Gitarja's "Exalted Goddess of the Three Worlds" leader bonus lets her purchase naval units with faith, and also helps Indonesia spread its religion by removing religious units' movement cost for embarking and disembarking. This all makes Indonesia a versatile civilization that can make the most of off-shore real estate, swiftly spread its religion across the globe, or use its powerful navy to dominate its rivals.

Badass Boast: Gitarja's response to a declaration of war stands out.
Gitarja: Truly? (laughs) Didn't you know my vengeance puts monsoons to shame? Soon you will.
Beware the Nice Ones: Invoked by Gitarja as soon as she meets you: "Those who thought us weak litter the ocean floor."
Born Under the Sail: In VI, Indonesia is a nautical civ that can make coastal Mega-Cities thanks to its water-based adjacency bonuses and unique improvement, while swiftly building a navy to control the seas. Meanwhile, Gitarja's "Archipelagic State" agenda makes her focus on settling island chains, and disliking rival civs muscling in on what ought to be her territory.
Composite Civilization: Indonesia is basically a combination of modern Indonesia (based on the city names) and Majapahit (Gajah Mada refers to his civ as "Nusantara," which is what the Majapahit called the archipelago that would become Indonesia). Makes sense, because the name "Indonesia" hasn't been conceived during his era.
Interface Spoiler: Your cities will only demand resources that can be found somewhere on the map, so if they start asking for Nutmeg, Cloves, or Pepper, it's a dead giveaway that Indonesia is one of the other civs on the map, as the only way for those to spawn is if Indonesia is present.
Luck-Based Mission: The Kris Swordsman unit in V has the Mystic Blade promotion. When it first enters combat, the ability will change to one from a list, and ranges from excellent (large defense boost and rapid healing, ability to attack twice coupled with extra movement, fully heal on kills) to fairly good (large boost to attack with a penalty on defense, act as a Great General, much stronger flank attacks) to completely negative (penalties to attack and defense, loss of health for every turn spent in hostile territory). Depending on the virtual dice rolls, you can either have an army of demigods or a force so incompetent that you have little hope of defeating anyone equal in tech without some sort of other advantage.
- Four-Star Badass: One of the possible Kris upgrades allows the swordsman to double as Great General, making them the only such unit that still fights personally.
Melting Pot: The Candi building gives +2 faith for every religion with at least one follower in its city. As trade routes exchange religious pressure, Indonesian cities will have at least 2 religions represented, and often 3 or more.
Settling the Frontier: "Spice Islanders" actively encourages Indonesian settlers to set up shop on far-flung islands and archipelagos to gain access to unique luxury resources. The Indonesians are the only empire that can actually gain happiness when settling a new city.

Morocco

Morocco

Leader: Ahmad al-Mansur (V)
Unique Unit: Berber Cavalry (V)
Unique Improvement: Kasbah (V)
Ability: Gateway to Africa (V)

Morocco saw Phoenician and Roman settlers in ancient times, and Arab conquerors in the 7th century, but in 740 its native Berbers revolted to establish their own kingdoms on the Islamic world's frontier. This golden age ended in the 900's when the Fatimids moved into the Maghreb, leading to centuries of conflict and successions of Berber dynasties. Starting in 1554 was a line of Saadi rulers who managed to preserve Moroccan sovereignty from powers like the Ottomans, Spain and Portugal, and the Arab-Berber sultan Ahmad al-Mansur was able to foster national unity, plunder the Songhai Empire, and usher in an age of peace, culture and construction. After his death and a time of unrest, the Alouite family led 150 years of modernization, reform and religious tolerance, but in 1912 Morocco was divided into French and Spanish protectorates. Decades of unrest and revolts ended when Sultan Mohammed V negotiated for Morocco's full independence in 1956, and today the country remains a liberal Muslim nation with close ties to the West and a strong economy.

A cultural/mercantile civilization, Morocco's "Gateway to Africa" ability grants it bonus gold and produces culture from trade routes to other civs or city-states, allowing it to pursue a Cultural Victory through routine economics. Though its start bias is in deserts, Morocco is able to get the most out of this terrain with its Kasbah improvement, which produces food, production and gold from such tiles, as well as providing the same defensive benefits as a Fort. Continuing this defensive theme is Morocco's special unit, Berber Cavalry, which get a hefty combat bonus in both deserts and within Moroccan borders. Ahmad al-Mansur is well aware of his country's strengths, and focuses on culture and defense while building good relations with other leaders - you can't trade when you're at war, after all.

Demoted to Extra: Is not playable in VI, though the Moroccan city of Fez is a city-state in that game.
Friend to All Living Things: Since trade routes to or from Morocco are more lucrative than standard, both it and other civs have a strong incentive to avoid conflict so trade can continue. Plus, Ahmad al-Mansur is programmed to be a pretty friendly guy.
Good Is Not Dumb: For all his friendliness, Ahmad al-Mansur is tied with Catherine and Nebuchadnezzar for having the highest "use of espionage" rating, so he'll be keeping tabs on his trading partners just in case they have more on their minds than commerce.
Home Field Advantage: Berber Cavalry gets bonuses to fighting within Moroccan territory and for fighting in deserts, which is where Morocco is more likely to settle so it can make use of its Kasbah improvements.
Modest Royalty: Ahmad al-Mansur isn't in a lavish castle like Harun al-Rashid, or a throne like a lot of other rulers, or even on the field of battle suited up for combat; he's dressed as a simple (if affluent) tradesman and his background is a desert camp under a beautiful night sky.
Nice Guy: Ahmad is quite easy to get along with, and quick to make declarations of friendship.
Proud Merchant Race: Morocco gets bonus gold and culture for every unique civilization it has a trade route with, and those other civs get extra gold out of it too, so Morocco's likely to be the target of a lot of foreign trade caravans.
Stone Wall: The Berber Cavalry is amazing when defending deserts within Morocco's borders, but is no better than a standard Cavalry unit when leaving them. Likewise, the Kasbah improvements dotting Moroccan territory give the same defensive bonuses as a Fort, but obviously can't attack.

Poland

Poland

Leader: Casimir III (V), Jadwiga (VI)
Unique Unit: Winged Hussar (V-VI)
Unique Building: Ducal Stable (V), Sukiennice (VI)
Ability: Solidarity (V), Golden Liberty (VI)

Poland's history is one of alternating progress and repression. Boleslaw I was crowned King of Poland in 1025, and the Piast dynasty would continue to expand and secure the country's borders while squaring off against pagan Lithuanians, Mongols, and The Teutonic Knights alike. The last Piast king, Casimir III the Great, turned Poland into both a center of learning in Eastern Europe and a haven for persecuted Jews, Armenians, and more. The Jagiellon Dynasty that followed made a step towards democracy in 1505 by placing legislative power in a parliament of nobles, and in 1569 formed the federal Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with elected kings and a focus on local assemblies. But Poland's successes threatened its neighbors, so that in 1772 the country was divided among Austria, Prussia and Russia. It was briefly liberated by Napoleon, and finally restored after World War I, only for Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia to again divide the country during World War II. After the conflict Poland was "freed" as a Soviet satellite and suffered terribly, yet was also said to be the least repressive of such Iron Curtain puppet states. But in the 1980s the Solidarnosc (Solidarity) labor movement began contesting the Communist Party's right to rule, and after the collapse of the USSR led Poland back into democracy, so that today the country is a part of NATO and the European Union.

If Poland has anything close to a specialization in Civilization V, it's cavalry - the Ducal Stable makes pastures produce gold and gives mounted units an experience boost a la the Barracks, while the Winged Hussar is a fantastic replacement for the Lancer that among other things can push back enemy units after winning a combat. Other than that, Poland doesn't have a dedicated play style; instead its "Solidarity" ability provides it with a free social policy each time Poland advances to a new era, allowing it to better pursue whatever victory its leader feels like. Casimir III is equally likely to declare war, focus on culture, or go for Scientific or Diplomatic victories, and you'd better believe he'll be fielding a lot of cavalry.

Poland is available as paid downloadable content in Civilization VI, and remains a versatile civ with a great cavalry unit. Its "Golden Liberty" ability converts one military policy slot to a wildcard slot, and also causes Polish Encampments and Fort improvements to create a Culture Bomb effect, allowing Poland to swiftly expand its borders, flip enemy tiles without war, or destroy rival wonders while they're under construction. This synergizes with Jadwiga's "Lithuanian Union" leader bonus, which makes any city that loses territory to "Golden Liberty" convert to Poland's religion, and also improves the value of relics and Holy Sites. Beyond the faith game, the Sukiennice is a superior Market, while the Winged Hussar returns along with its pushback ability. While Jadwiga's "Saint" agenda has her prioritize faith production, Poland has the foundation to pursue nearly any victory.

Hartman Hips: Jadwiga has very broad hips, contrasting with her apparent youth.
Jack of All Stats:
- Poland's unique ability in V grants it a free social policy with each advance in era, letting it quickly fill out whatever policy trees it needs to pursue a given victory... at the cost of having to rely entirely on those policy bonuses, without any other ability to back them up.
- In VI, "Golden Liberty" and "Lithuanian Union" make Poland a strong contender for a Religious Victory, but with the right wonders and policy choices it can also have a go at a Cultural Victory, or even dominate the battlefield with Winged Hussars. The difficulty for Poland is that it has a harder time switching from one victory path to another than other "versatile" civs like Japan or the Cree.
Knockback: Winged Hussars provide a rare Turn-Based Strategy example.
Lightning Bruiser: In V, Winged Hussars have a significant boost in strength and movement compared to the standard Lancer, while in VI they can ignore enemy zone-of-control when they move.
Mounted Combat: Poland's specialty in V, if not quite to the same extent as the Mongols. Ducal Stables provide gold as well as production bonuses on pastures, and they also act as an additional Barracks for mounted units, while Winged Hussars start with a free promotion already. When combined with all the regular experience buildings plus the Brandenburg Gate, Poland can pump out Hussars that start with Blitz or March, no warfare required.
Power-Up Letdown: Winged Hussars being faster and stronger Lancers makes their "upgrade" to sluggish Anti-Tank Guns even harder. While Anti-Tank Guns in turn upgrade to Helicopter Gunships that are even faster than Winged Hussars, the loss of being able to move after attacking takes away from their flexibility. At least the Heavy Charge promotion is retained.
Real Kings Love Jesus: Jadwiga's agenda in VI makes her generate as much faith as possible, respecting other rulers who do the same and disdaining those who fall behind.
Religious Bruiser: In VI, Poland's ability to instantly convert nearby cities to its religion guarantees it a few turns of benefits. Combine this with an aggressive, fast-spreading religion that provides bonuses to nearby Polish troops, and Poland has a very effective means of waging war on its immediate neighbors.
She Is the King: Jadwiga lampshades this in her introduction.
Jadwiga: A meeting blessed by God, I am sure. I am Jadwiga, the King of Greater Poland. Yes, a king.
Symbology Research Failure: In Civ V, Poland's colors are red and black, presumably because Austria already claimed red and white in an earlier expansion, which also applies to Poland's eagle emblem. Given that Poland has a history of being invaded by neighbors with black eagles on their flags, some fans took issue with this design choice, and there's at least one Steam Workshop mod that does nothing but swap Austria and Poland's colors.
What the Hell, Player?: In Civ VI, using "Golden Liberty" to destroy another civilization's wonder while it's being constructed by claiming the tile the wonder is being built on nets you an achievement titled "You Are A Terrible Person."
Wings Do Nothing: Winged Hussars. Historically, the upright wing was attached to the saddle to interfere with attempts by rivals like the Tatars to lasso the rider, but that obviously isn't relevant to a game of Civ.
You Require More Vespene Gas: Just like the Mongols, Poland needs horses to make the most of its unique unit. The Poles aren't completely crippled without horses, but will still want to prioritize them.

Polynesia

Polynesia

Leader: Kamehameha (V)
Unique Unit: Maori Warrior (V)
Unique Improvement: Moai (V)
Ability: Wayfinding (V)

Polynesia is a roughly triangular section comprising 60% of the Pacific Ocean, with its three corners approximately at New Zealand, Easter Island, and the Hawaiian Islands. The Polynesian peoples who live on the many island chains within this triangle all share a common set of cultural, linguistic, and genetic similarities; modern historians and anthropologists believe that all these populations descend from a single group starting from Southeast Asia that expanded outward rapidly, settling Easter Island sometime in the mid-to-late first millennium, Hawai'i around 500 AD, and New Zealand in 1000 AD. Their skills as navigators are well-attested, allowing them to maintain an active web of communication and trade networks between islands even over thousands of miles. While no one island ever managed to dominate the entire region by itself, a number of islands and island chains served as hubs for great seafaring empires, such as Samoa, Fiji, and Hawai'i. Today the Polynesian people are minorities in their own post-colonial homelands, including the largest population, the Māori of New Zealand, but they continue the cultural traditions that helped them settle so far and make them exceptional sailors.

True to their real-life counterparts, the Polynesians are a seafaring people, reflected by their trait, their usual starting location and AI Polynesia's preference for naval units. The "Wayfinding" ability allows Polynesian land units to embark on water and cross oceans from the first turn of the game, and its early navy to similarly ignore restrictions that would normally limit them to coastal waters. This means by the time other civs start exploring the world in the mid-game, they're liable to come across well-developed Polynesian colonies already occupying the best lands. The Maori Warrior is Polynesia's early-game special unit with the ability to demoralize enemy troops, while instead of a special building, Polynesia can build Moai on coastlines, producing additional culture that increases with adjacent Moai. King Kamehameha is a pretty mellow leader who focuses on keeping his people happy, but he has little tolerance for warmongers, and will have built up a navy worthy of his far-flung empire.

Born Under the Sail: The overall theme of the civilization, mainly considering the fact that the Polynesians are the only ones who have the ability to move around ocean tiles from the beginning of the game, while all other civs have to wait until the Astronomy tech. On top of that, the leader of Polynesia, Kamehameha, is shown on his diplomacy screen standing on a beach with a couple of boats in the background and is heavily programmed to focus on things like building a large fleet and developing maritime infrastructure.
Composite Character: Technically speaking, there was never a single Polynesian nation, which is reflected by their appearance in game. Their leader and language is Hawaiian, their unique units are Maori Warriors (from New Zealand), their unique tile upgrade is the Moai (Easter Island Heads) and their city names are picked from across the Pacific.
Cool Boat: As a purely visual effect, all embarked Polynesian units are represented by catamarans.
Crutch Character: Their unique ability is extremely useful for mobility and exploration early in the game, allowing Polynesia to find more ancient ruins than rivals, snap up natural wonders or luxuries, make contact with distant civs or city-states for trade or alliances, or even dominate early naval combat by being able to move onto normally-impassible ocean tiles. But as soon as a rival civ researches Astronomy, "Wayfinding" is essentially obsolete.
Decomposite Character: In VI, the Māori civilization gets Polynesia's unique unit and its various embarkation-related bonuses, while the Rapa Nui city-state gets the Moai improvement.
Exact Words: "Wayfinding" lets you cross oceans and settle distant lands, yes, but it doesn't say anything about aiding city connections. Until you research Compass and build Harbors in those cities across the ocean, they're going to cost you extra gold.
Home Field Advantage: Another benefit of Moai improvements is that they confer a 10% combat boost to nearby Polynesian units.
Magikarp Power: In Brave New World, the Visitor Center and Hotel converts culture into tourism. The technology comes late, but when it hits it's easy to win the game solely through the tourism power of your Moai improvements.
Nice Guy: Kamehameha is a loyal leader to non-warmonger nations and likes to make declaration of friendships quickly.
No Celebrities Were Harmed: King Kamehameha looks a lot like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, whose mother is incidentally from a Samoan Wrestling Family.
Status Effects: The Maori Warrior's haka reduces any adjacent enemy's combat effectiveness by 10%, and retains this ability when upgraded to subsequent units. You'll want to build a lot of these guys.
This Looks Like a Job for Aquaman: Polynesia is almost entirely useless on a landlocked map, but will dominate an archipelago or islands map.

Shoshone

Shoshone

Leader: Pocatello (V)
Unique Units: Pathfinder (V), Comanche Riders (V)
Ability: Great Expanse (V)

The Shoshone tribes dwelt in America's Great Basin region, comprising the modern states of Utah and Nevada as well as surrounding lands as far as Washington. They migrated, divided into subgroups, and competed with rival tribes until being ravaged by smallpox in the late 18th century. Shortly afterward the Shoshone had peaceful interactions with the Lewis and Clark Expedition and white frontiersmen and traders, but tensions rose when settlers began arriving on Shoshone lands "acquired" through the Louisiana Purchase. The Eastern Shoshone cooperated with the whites and supplied scouts to the US Army in exchange for uniquely being able to choose which lands they would settle, while the Western Shoshone were able to peacefully coexist by virtue of living on inhospitable terrain the settlers didn't want. But the Northern Shoshone resisted, and beginning in 1860 chiefs like Pocatello and Bear Hunter began raiding farms for food and attacked wagon trains and telegraph lines in an attempt to dissuade further incursions. When the Americans mustered a force to counter-attack, Pocatello led his tribe in retreat to later surrender to reservation life, while Bear Hunter was killed in the Bear River Massacre. Today 12,000 Shoshone remain on reservations in Wyoming, Idaho and Nevada.

Continuing a theme of Native American civs being hard to invade, the Shoshone's "Great Expanse" ability provides their units with a combat bonus within their own territory, as well as a substantial increase in the territory around newly-founded cities. Besides this defensive theme, they have a phenomenal scout unit in the form of the Pathfinder, which both fights as well as a Warrior and also lets the Shoshone select what bonus they receive for exploring ancient ruins. For cavalry, the Shoshone have Comanche Riders, which are both faster and cheaper than usual, the better to patrol their vast territory. Pocatello plays to these strengths, emphasizing growing his borders and population, while building defenses and an army able to repel any invader.

Army Scout: Their Pathfinder is a unique scout that's as strong as a Warrior and lets the user manually select what bonus they get when they find an ancient ruin. This means a Shoshone player can personally decide what early bonuses they get, which can make their early game very strong.
Disc-One Nuke: At potentially Gamebreaker status. If that Pathfinder is able to grab lots of ruins, the Shoshone can get a substantial lead on their rivals - extra settlers, culture, religion, technology, whatever they want.
The Generic Guy: A lot of Pocatello's AI behavior traits, from "wonder competitiveness" to "friendship willingness," clock in at an utterly average 5 out of 10.
Home Field Advantage: Their units fight 15% stronger on home territory, and since their cities start with 8 extra tiles around them, they have a lot of extra home territory to be stronger on.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: The Shoshone are better at scouting than anyone else and grab lots of extra tiles when they found cities. Scouting and land-grabbing are also the specialties of America in Civ V, but the Shoshone do it better, so this has led to some jokes that they're the "real Americans" or "leveled-up Americans."

Siam

Siam

Leader: Ramkhamhaeng (V)
Unique Unit: Naresuan's Elephant (V)
Unique Building: Wat (V)
Ability: Father Governs Children (V)

The kingdom of Sukhotai seceded from the waning Khmer Empire in the mid-thirteenth century, and under its third king Ramkhamhaeng became a regional power stretching from Burma, Laos and the Malay Peninsula, often thanks to territories voluntarily joining his empire. A hundred years later a new Thai domain, the Kingdom of Ayutthaya, captured Sukhotai, took the Khmer capital of Angkor, and became the first people called Siamese. Conflicts with neighboring Burma led to Ayutthaya's sacking in 1569 and a devastating attack in 1767, but that same year a new capital was founded near present-day Bangkok that became a great trading center and the foundation of the next Siamese state. Uniquely for a Southeast Asian country, Siam was able to avoid colonization thanks to shrewd (if costly) treaties with and concessions to Western powers, but was drawn onto the Japanese side of World War II. The internal strife that followed heralded half a century of military coups, dictatorships, brief periods of parliamentary democracy, and mass protests; Thailand's last military coup was in 2014, and the country is still going through political turmoil.

If Greece is best at maintaining alliances with city-states, Siam is able to get the most of such arrangements, as its "Father Governs Children" ability boosts the food, culture or faith acquired from city-states by 50%. This makes a Diplomatic Victory an obvious goal, but there's really no wrong way to play the civilization; a Domination Victory can be attractive thanks the powerful Naresuan's Elephant special unit, one of the heaviest hitters of the Medieval Era, while the Wat produces culture alongside the normal scientific boost of a University, making those victory types viable as well. Ramkhamhaeng is less likely to go for a military victory than the other options, but certainly will not tolerate anyone picking on his city-state allies.

The Alliance: Siam receives larger benefits from befriending or allying with city-states than any other civilization.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Don't let those placid gardens in his palace fool you, Ramkhamhaeng is a very temperamental person and highly disloyal to his supposed allies. And as much as he dislikes warmongers, he won't hesitate to start dumping war elephants on your lands if you're getting in his way.
Hypocrite: Even though Ramkhamhaeng hates warmongers, he will not hesitate to declare war on others that he's angry with.
Jerkass: Ramkhamhaeng is notorious for being quick to pounce at opportunities to denounce you, even while you're his ally. If Siam's around and someone denounces you first, you can expect Ramkhamhaeng to follow suit afterwards.
Mighty Glacier: Naresuan's Elephant is very strong, but has lower movement than the basic knight.
Proud Scholar Race: Siam's unique building is a University that also increases culture, and its peaceful nature is conducive to a Science Victory.
War Elephants: Naresuan's Elephant is a Knight replacement; like the other elephants, it is slow and doesn't require horses. This one is the strongest in melee combat, and has a bonus against enemy mounted units.

Songhai

Songhai

Leader: Askia Mohammed (V)
Unique Unit: Mandekalu Cavalry (V)
Unique Building: Mud Pyramid Mosque (V)
Ability: River Warlord (V)

Perhaps one of the more obscure civilizations in the game, the Songhai were a major power in their heyday, and controlled Western Africa in the 15th and 16th centuries. Breaking off from the ailing empire of Mali after Mansa Musa's lavish pilgrimage to Mecca destabilized the gold market, the kingdom of Gao went on to reconquer much of that empire, capturing the great trade hubs of Timbuktu and Jenne. Though this made the new empire wealthy, its politics were unstable - Muhammad I Askia earned his name by usurping power from his predecessor in 1493, while his own son deposed him in 1528. Despite Askia's efforts to build a bureaucracy, tax code and education system capable of supporting the Songhai Empire, after his death a succession of lesser leaders struggled for power, until the country was conquered by musket-wielding Moroccans led by Ahmad al-Mansur in 1591.

The Songhai were better at taking money than making money, and in Civ V are made for pillaging. Their "River Warlords" ability triples the amount of gold received from capturing barbarian camps or rival cities, with the added bonus of letting Songhai units fight better while embarked. On top of that, their Mandekalu Cavalry lack the Knight's penalty to attacking cities, making them exceptional lighting-fast attackers of the Medieval Era. Askia was also a pious leader, and thus can build Mud Pyramid Mosques to generate both faith and culture without costing any upkeep, but true to life is highly aggressive and keen on accumulating gold through conquest. The Songhai's foes think they're safe behind their rivers and seas - prove them wrong.

Berserk Button: Askia has a high likeliness to declare war to begin with, and is second only to Ramesses of Egypt in terms of wonder competitiveness, so winning wonder races against him is a good way to get invaded.
BFS: That's an impressive greatsword you have there, Askia.
Blatant Lies: One of Askia's initial greeting on his text dialogue is him declaring that he comes in peace. He says this while the city of his previous victim burns right behind him.
Cool Boat: War Canoes! All of their units get amphibious promotions that allow them to fight over rivers better and see farther when swimming across the ocean.
Defiant to the End: Askia's defeat message has him warn "Enjoy your victory in this world - you shall pay a heavy price in the next!"
Don't Make Me Destroy You: Askia's diplomatic introduction also contains a dire warning.
Askia: I am Askia of the Songhai. We are a fair people - but those who cross us will find only destruction. You would do well to avoid repeating the mistakes others have made in the past.
Foil: Much like how Assyria counters Babylon, Songhai can be seen as one to Egypt. Both are African nations that have a special cavalry unit, a faith-producing building, and an ability that relates to plundering. However, Egypt is a largely passive civ that hates losing its cities, while Songhai is an aggressively expansive civ that loves taking over cities.
Obviously Evil: Askia is literally conducting diplomacy with you in front of the burning city of his previous victims.
Rape, Pillage, and Burn: In case the burning castle behind Askia wasn't a clue, the Songhai are really good at plundering their enemies; they get triple the gold from destroying barbarian camps and conquering enemy cities.
Religious Bruiser: Their Mud Pyramid Mosque building gives culture in addition to faith, and unlike a Temple costs nothing to maintain. This allows the Songhai to afford a larger army while still having useful infrastructure.
Scary Black Man: Askia, if that giant sword he's carrying and the burning city behind him didn't trip off any warning bells.

Sweden

Sweden

Leader: Gustavus Adolphus (V), Kristina (VI)
Unique Units: Hakkapeliitta (V), Carolean (V-VI)
Unique Building: Queen's Bibliotheque (VI)
Unique Improvement: Open Air Museum (VI)
Ability: Nobel Prize (V-VI)

During the Viking Age, the Swedes both pillaged the settlements of the Baltic Sea and also founded the state of the Kievan Rus' in the 9th century, before unifying under a single king in the late 10th century. For much of its history Sweden was a junior partner of the Danish-led Kalmar Union, but in 1523 Gustav I rebelled and was elected king of an independent Sweden. In the 17th century the country became a great power under King Gustavus Adolphus, who balanced diplomacy with the other Nordic states, modernized Sweden's military, and defended Protestant states during the Thirty Years' War. Though the elite Caroleans were some of the best soldiers of their era, the Great Northern War of 1700-1721 saw a Russian-led coalition prevail through sheer numbers, and after the Napoleonic Wars and other conflicts with Russia, Sweden began a tradition of neutrality, sitting out both World Wars while quietly helping Denmark smuggle Jews to safety. Today Sweden is a successful democracy known for its high standard of living and progressive government programs.

If Denmark represents early Scandinavia in Civ V, Sweden represents the Nordic countries once they've settled down somewhat. Its "Nobel Prize" ability makes Sweden perfect for a Diplomatic Victory, allowing it to gain huge amounts of influence with city-states by gifting Great People to them, which the country and its partners will produce 10% faster if they sign a Declaration of Friendship - a bonus that stacks for Sweden the more such treaties it signs. But just because it's good at diplomacy doesn't mean Sweden has forgotten its Viking heritage, and its Hakkapeliitta lancers and Carolean riflemen make Sweden a military powerhouse during the late Renaissance and early Industrial eras. So while he normally pursues a Diplomatic Victory, Gustavus Adolphus is willing and able to wage war on other civilizations, and his emphasis on training will make Sweden's army particularly dangerous.

Civilization VI updates "Nobel Prize" to fit with the game's new diplomacy mechanics, so that Sweden earns diplomatic favor whenever it recruits a Great Person, and its Universities and Factories provide more points towards Great Scientists and Engineers. Furthermore, Sweden's presence in a game unlocks three special competitions in the World Congress, which further reward civilizations that accumulate diplomatic favor and Great People. But Sweden can also play the culture game well, and its Open-Air Museum improvement provides bonus loyalty to a city, as well as more culture based on the variety of tiles within its borders. Queen Kristina was a famous patron of the arts, and her "Minerva of the North" leader bonus makes it easier for Sweden to increase its tourism by providing theming bonuses for buildings and wonders if all their Great Work slots are filled, and also unlocks the Queen's Bibliotheque building, which provides points for Great Artists, Musicians and Writers, six Great Work slots, and automatically themes them all when filled. Though Kristina isn't the military genius her father was, she can still command the Caroleons, which in Civ VI are superior anti-cavalry units that have higher movement than the Pike and Shot, and gain more power when they have unused movement points.

Bookworm: Even while conducting diplomacy, Kristina will rarely bother to glance up from her book.
Blood Knight: Gustavus' response to a declaration of war? He laughs and comments that "Captain Gars will be very glad to head out to war again."^note
Decomposite Character: Sweden, Denmark and Norway are this to the old Viking civilization, with Sweden representing early modern Scandinavia.
Demoted to Extra: Gustavus Adolphus returns in VI as a Great General, rather than the leader for Sweden, while his daughter Kristina becomes the leader.
Elite Army: Hakkapeliitta are designed to be used in small numbers, since they only gain a hefty combat bonus if they're sharing the same tile with a Great General. Meanwhile, Gustavus Adolphus' AI makes him prioritize building Barracks and the like to ensure that his army is better-trained than Sweden's rivals. Much like in real life.
Friendly Enemy: Gustavus Adolphus isn't above attacking his neighbors for more land if he needs it, but he's not quite as aggressive as warmongers like Napoleon and Montezuma, and also has above-average ratings for declaring friendship and forgiving transgressions. And unlike the aforementioned leaders, Gustavus is unlikely to backstab an ally.
Friend to All Living Things: Encouraged.
- In V, anyone who makes declaration of friendship with Sweden produces Great People 10% faster. Sweden also gets this bonus... and it stacks for each additional friend. On larger maps with more civs, the bonus can easily ramp up to 50 or 60% - as much as or more than Babylon's bonus to Great Scientist production, but for every type of Great Person. Furthermore, Sweden can gift Great People to city-states for a whopping 90 influence, when 60 is the minimum needed for an alliance. This makes them extremely good at winning a Diplomatic Victory.
- In VI, Sweden gains more bonuses to Diplomatic Victories. While most diplomatic favour is earned through Great People, having Sweden in the game also makes the Nobel Prize a world event, one of which is the Peace prize, which encourages good relations with as many people as you can.
Green-Eyed Monster: Kristina's "Bibliophile" agenda makes her hoard as many Great Works as possible, and dislike other civs who compete with her.
Kristina: I presume you only view art as good when it ties together the aesthetics of a room, you philistine dog.
Healing Factor: The Carolean in V starts with the March promotion, which makes it heal every turn, even if it moved or attacked. For every other infantry unit, this is only available much later. When coupled with Medic promotions to increase the rate of healing, an army of Caroleans can be nearly indestructible.
Sprint Shoes: The main purpose of the Hakkapeliitta lancer replacement. While normally no stronger than the standard, they allow Great Generals to match their movement if they begin their turn stacked with them and receive a slight boost while stacked.
Throw the Book at Them: Kristina will very nearly do this in her denouncement message, before restraining herself and hugging the book like she was consoling a child... that she was about to throw at you.
You Don't Look Like You: Bizarrely, the model for Gustavus Adolphus in V appears to be modeled on a portrait◊ of Eric XIV instead of one of the actual Gustavus Adolphus. The former portrait even appears in the background of Gustavus's leader screen.

Venice

Venice

Leader: Enrico Dandolo (V)
Unique Units: Merchant of Venice (V), Great Galleass (V)
Ability: Serenissima (V)

The Most Serene Republic of Venice was founded in 726 AD, when the city revolted against the Byzantine Empire and elected the first of 117 doges to lead the city-state. Built on a cluster of islands in a lagoon on the Adriatic Sea, Venice was one of the greatest ports of the medieval world, and in the 12th century built up a navy capable of dominating the Mediterranean, snapping up coastal cities and islands from the ailing Byzantines to become a wealthy and enlightened mercantile republic. The machinations of Doge Enrico Dandolo saw Venice's rival city of Constantinople sacked during the Fourth Crusade, but after the Byzantine Empire collapsed, Venice inherited both some of its lands and its conflict with the Ottoman Turks. The Venice-led armada's victory over the Turks at the 1571 Battle of Lepanto marked the high point of Venetian power, and afterward the republic went into a steady decline, surpassed by the Atlantic naval empires and rising continental powers until Venice became part of Italy in 1866. Still, Venice holds the record as the longest-lived democratic republic in history, one famed (or infamous) for its mix of vibrant trade, masterful diplomacy, and shrewd political intrigue.

Venice is utterly unique in its playstyle - its "Serenissima" ability forbids it from founding new cities, and at most it can puppet captured territories, making it much more reliant on its capital than other empires. To offset this, Venice has double the number of trade routes as other civs, and during the Medieval Era its Great Galleass will be more than enough to protect the city's naval interests. Instead of normal Great Merchants, it creates Merchants of Venice, which uniquely can be used to puppet city-states without conquest. As might be imagined, Venice must carefully balance diplomacy, trade, and expansion to survive, ensuring it remains rich enough to keep pace with the other empires, and maybe encouraging its rivals to spend so much time fighting each other that they don't notice how one coastal city is quietly surpassing them.

The Chessmaster: Enrico is portrayed this way, and in the game it is generally the best way to play - for Venice, bribing one rival into attacking another is much more effective than openly attacking them yourself.
Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Enrico, who is tied with Montezuma and Attila for the lowest loyalty, and has the second highest deceptiveness. A Venetian player is also encouraged to play like this.
Crippling Overspecialization: Venice is almost entirely reliant on trade routes to survive, making blockades or embargoes absolutely devastating to it.
Demoted to Extra: Is not a playable civilization in VI, though it's still a city-state.
Department of Redundancy Department: As previously stated, Venice's special unit is the Merchant of Venice. When you mouse over the unit's icon, it shows their name as the "Venetian Merchant of Venice." Weird, but necessary when the Patronage line has a policy that gives city-states a chance to gift a random Great Person to their ally, resulting in oddities like a "Brazilian Merchant of Venice."
Difficult, but Awesome: A bad Venetian player will get conquered in the Ancient Era, while a skilled one will have an impenetrable capital with plenty of puppeted city-states to serve as meat shields.
Glass Cannon: A well-played Venice can rake in gold at an utterly absurd rate, allowing it to outright purchase whatever buildings and units are needed, and can puppet city-states when needed with its Merchants of Venice. But losing its capital is the death knell for Venice, crashing its economy and forcing it to try to muster a counter-invasion from what cities it puppeted previously... which, if the offending civ could actually conquer Venice in the first place, probably isn't going to be successful.
Hegemonic Empire: The only cities in the Venetian Empire are going to be its capital and whatever other city-states it puppeted through war or Merchants of Venice.
Land of One City: Venice can end up with other (puppeted) cities, but at least in the earlygame, Venice will only consist of its capital.
Magikarp Power: Venice can have a very problematic early game, when there are plenty of barbarians to plunder trade routes, and especially if its neighbors happen to be rush factions like the Huns or Aztecs. But once it gets its increasing number of trade routes set up and defended, Venice can start bringing in enough gold to instantly buy whatever units or buildings are unlocked by new technology, bribe every city-state in the game into becoming allies, or use Merchants of Venice to take over city-states and deny rivals votes in the World Congress.
Obviously Evil: The designers made an effort to make Enrico appear as sinister as possible, to play up his Manipulative Bastard reputation.
Proud Merchant Race: Venice gets twice as many trade routes as normal, and unlike larger empires won't be spending most of that gold on routine road or building maintenance. The result is more money that Venice may know what to do with.
Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: See above. Other civs get bonuses to building or unit production, or city-state diplomacy, while Venice just uses its vast wealth to buy whatever it needs and bribe other city-states to its cause.
Skill Gate Characters: In single-player games, Venice is a god-tier civ, but in multiplayer, the fact that a human opponent knows exactly what to do to shut down Venice completely - attack its trade units or pass an embargo - makes it a near Joke Character. Because of these weaknesses, whenever a player rolls Venice with the "random leader" option, they are allowed to reshuffle.

Added in Civilization VI

Australia

Australia

Leader: John Curtin (VI)
Unique Unit: Digger (VI)
Unique Improvement: Outback Station (VI)
Ability: Land Down Under (VI)

Discovered by the Dutch and claimed by the British, Australia was first settled by Europeans in 1788 with the founding of Sydney as a penal colony, and from there more settlements appeared all across the continent. Despite the early period being characterised by bloodshed with wars against the Aboriginal nations and colonial uprisings (with one such rebellion in 1808 actually succeeding), the seven colonies grew steadily up until the discovery of gold in 1851, leading to a major population boom and at-the-time progressive social reforms that carried on throughout the rest of the 19th century. A combination of cultural development, the aforementioned social reform and geographical isolation meant that Australia peacefully achieved independence in 1901. After a quiet first few years, Australia saw itself embroiled in both World Wars, where its soldiers gained a reputation for being unruly but brave. The post-war years saw Australia hit its stride, with increased political presence, cities such as Sydney and Melbourne becoming amongst the richest and most metropolitan in the world, and most importantly major economic growth, which let the nation weather the Global Financial Crisis virtually unscathed. Today, Australia is a young, vibrant and rising power with a seemingly bright future ahead of it.

In VI, Australia's abilities represent both its unique geography and its wartime history. Despite spanning an entire continent, 90% of Australia's population is concentrated in coastal cities fed by inland farms, and as such its "Land Down Under" ability grants Australia extra housing in cities built on the coast, while also improving the yields of districts built on tiles with high appeal, and letting Pastures trigger culture bomb effects. Said Pastures get boosted food and production the more Outback Stations that Australia builds around them, improvements that allow even marginal terrain to support huge cities. John Curtin led Australia through the latter years of World War II, so his "Perpetually on Guard" agenda drives him to form defensive pacts and liberate occupied territory, while his "Citadel of Civilization" leader bonus ensures that Australia can vigorously respond to any aggressor by granting his nation doubled production for 10 turns in a defensive war, or for 20 turns when liberating a city. To defend its borders or restore liberty to foreign nations, Australia has the Digger, a stronger Infantry unit that also gets combat bonuses on coastal tiles, as well as outside Australian territory. All-in-all, Australia is a late-game bloomer that can both foster the growth of its major cities while keeping (and upholding if necessary) the peace of the world.

The Alliance: Australia's special ability and Curtin's AI give it a strong incentive to form defensive pacts.
Awakening the Sleeping Giant: An explicit gameplay mechanic. Starting a war with Australia causes the entire civilization to double its production for 10 turns, giving it a perfect opportunity to get an army together. Note, however, that this bonus doesn't scale with game speed, so it's unimpressive on Marathon speed, but even more deadly on Quick or Online speed.
Awesome Aussie: Even without its bonuses on coasts or outside Australia's borders, the Digger is slightly stronger than a standard Infantry unit.
Bully Hunter: Curtin's agenda drives him to liberate occupied cities, and dislike leaders who conquer other nations' territory.
John Curtin: War can only bring us loss. Loss of lives, loss of productivity, loss of our very humanity!
Cattle Baron: Australia's unique ability allows it to quickly claim land around built Pastures, then improve them even further with Outback Stations.
Defiant to the End: Defeat Australia, and Curtin will angrily tell you that "The principles for which we have fought will survive longer than any nation you could ever build."
The Great Wall: Outback Stations will link their fences together, eventually forming a barrier that may extend across the whole of Australian territory. This has no real effect on gameplay, but might be a subtle reference to Rabbit-Proof Fence.
Kangaroos Represent Australia: Their symbol is the kangaroo, a species found in Australia.
Land Down Under: Of course. It's even the name of its UA.
Loophole Abuse: Curtin's leader bonus is triggered whenever someone declares war on Australia, and city-states allied to another civ will automatically declare war on anyone their suzerain is at war with. So if Australia attacks a nation with one or more city-state allies, those allies' retributive war declarations will trigger "Citadel of Civilization" and give it a production boom.
Magikarp Power: Like the other colonial civs, Australia starts off fairly weak, but once it researchs Guilds it gets access to Outback Stations, which get even better with later techs. Diggers come even later in the game, but their combat bonuses make them superb defenders as well as liberators, encouraging Australia to get the most out of its leader bonus. By the endgame, Australia will have sprawling coastal metropolises that make it a scientific powerhouse.
Nice Guy: John Curtin is loyal to his friends, and will have their backs if they do the same for him. His agenda also makes him get along well with other liberators.
John Curtin: I commend your perseverance. We share a common interest in protecting those who often cannot protect themselves.
Not the Intended Use/Emergent Gameplay: Another out-of-character way to take advantage of Prime Minister Curtin's leader bonus is to spend the game antagonizing and irritating your neighbors, to the point that even weaker civs get fed up and declare war on you, triggering that production buff for the sake of wonder races or routine production.
Palm Tree Panic: Australian cities on coastal tiles give +3 housing, and the civ has a starting bias by the beaches.
Promoted to Playable: Australia has the dubious distinction of existing in some form or another as a campaign-restricted nation since at least Civilization II before reaching a fully playable state, often showing up in World War II scenarios, as well as two separate city-states^note Melbourne and Sydney in Civilization V. That game also had the Sydney Opera House wonder, which was mechanically impossible for the city-state of Sydney to build.
The World Is Just Awesome: Or at least the Australians think so - tiles with high beauty give better yields when districts are built upon them.

Canada

Canada

Leader: Wilfrid Laurier (VI)
Unique Unit: Mountie (VI)
Unique Improvement: Ice Hockey Rink (VI)
Ability: Four Faces of Peace (VI)

Canada has been inhabited for thousands of years by tribes such as the Cree and Inuit, while Icelandic explorers were the first Europeans to reach it around the year 1000 AD. While the Vinland colony failed, centuries later Canada became a French possession focused on the fur trade, until the French and Indian Wars ended with the land passing under British control in 1763. In the century and a half to follow, Canada endured two failed invasions by the young nation of America, an armed rebellion that led to political reforms rather than full independence, and bloody clashes between Canadians settling the western frontier and the First Nations people already living there. But leaders such as Prime Minister Wilfried Laurier were able to hold the country together, fostering a Canadian identity shared by Anglo- and Francophones, Catholics and Protestants, and whites and mixed-race citizens. Canada fought with distinction alongside the United Kingdom in World War I, and declared war on Nazi Germany independently of Britain in World War II, but for the past century Canada has preferred multilateral diplomacy to armed conflict, and can be considered the inventor of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force. Today Canada is one of the world's most developed, diverse and progressive countries, working to resolve conflicts abroad and those stemming from its own colonial history.

In Civilization VI, Canada can thrive in cold terrain and become a diplomatic powerhouse. Wilfrid Laurier's "The Last Best West" leader bonus lets Canada build Farms on tunda tiles, get more out of Mines, Lumber Mills and Camps, and purchase snow and tundra for cheaper, while the Ice Hockey Rink improvement can be built on cold lands to provide some culture, amenities, production and food. Meanwhile, Canada's "Four Faces of Peace" ability makes it unable to declare Surprise Wars, while preventing other civs from doing the same. The same ability also lets Canada earn diplomatic favor as it produces tourism, and doubles the reward for completing International Emergencies or Competitions, so Wilfrid Laurier will naturally get involved in as many as he can. To defend its borders, Canada gets the Mountie, a light cavalry unit that can found National Parks and gets a combat bonus when fighting near them. All said, Canada can expand without conflict by settling lands other nations dismiss as useless, play the culture and diplomacy game well, and can be counted on to resolve the world's crises.

Ascended Meme: Canada was up there with Georgia in terms of requests for a proper civ; now, both are finally in the game.
Canadian Equals Hockey Fan: Of course Canada gets Ice Hockey Rinks for its unique improvement.
Chronic Hero Syndrome: Those emergencies aren't gonna solve themselves. Laurier's "Canadian Expeditionary Force" agenda leads him to get involved in as many of these as possible, and Canada can enjoy more diplomatic sway on the world stage as a result. Anybody who consistently refuses to get involved in emergencies can look forward to icier relations with Canada, as well.
Wilfrid Laurier: Why do you not help resolve the crises that affect the world? Are you unmoved by the plight of others?
Courteous Canadian: The legendary Canadian politeness is represented by its "Four Faces of Peace" ability that makes Canada unable to declare, or be the target of, surprise wars. Even the in-game Civilopedia entry for Canada leans into stereotypes at its end by apologizing for being unable to convey the full depth of its history and achievements.
Grim Up North: Averted. Canada can purchase tundra tiles for cheaper, build Farms on them to let their cities grow, get double resource extraction from them, and can use them to build hockey rinks for a whole bunch of bonuses.
Moose and Maple Syrup: The stereotypes are all there - snow, Mounties, hockey, and being "nice". Even the Civilopedia entry apologizes at the end for skipping over a lot of stuff about Canada's history, and to top it all off, their theme has the national anthem playing instead of obscure folk songs or traditional melodies.
Nature Hero: Mounties can not only found National Parks, they get combat bonuses from them as well, especially within their home territory, helping Canada secure a Cultural Victory.
Nice Guy: Laurier's inability to declare a Surprise War means you don't have to worry about him wiping you out with an early rush (unless you become the target of an Emergency). His agenda is also easy to meet, as it only requires you to participate in an emergency or a scored competition, which are common in the mid to late game.
No-Sell: Since Canada can't be the target of Surprise Wars, Cyrus' Persia can't utilize his unique leader bonus against it. That said, since Canada can't declare Surprise Wars either, Cyrus will always have at least one reason to be annoyed at Canada.
Promoted to Playable: Several Canadian cities existed as city-states in Civ V, while the CN Tower was a wonder in the same game.
Switch to English: True to history, Laurier speaks both English and Quebecois French.

Cree

Cree

Leader: Poundmaker (VI)
Unique Unit: Okihtcitaw (VI)
Unique Improvement: Mekewap (VI)
Ability: Nîhithaw (VI)

The Nehiyawak, called the Cree by outsiders, are a group of tribes united by a common language, and make up Canada's largest First Nation, with traditional territories ranging from the West Plains to Northern Ontario on the Hudson Bay. They were one of the first indigenous peoples encountered by European settlers in what would become Canada, and were able to exchange furs for Western goods like firearms, which helped the Cree and their allies form an "Iron Confederacy" that dominated central Canada, expanding into the lands of rival tribes through both conquest and diplomacy. But declining bison numbers, exasperated by increasing white settlement of the west, forced the Cree to engage the Canadian government. Some leaders, such as Poundmaker, worked for peaceful coexistance and signed treaties with Ottawa, but other Cree chose armed resistance, leading to the collapse of the Iron Confederacy in 1885 and the relocation of the Cree to reservations. Today some 117,000 Cree speakers live in Canada, and the nation is making a comeback, reclaiming their native language, history, and customs thanks to the tireless advocacy of the Cree and Canadians alike.

In Civilization VI, the Cree are one of the most flexible civs in the game, with bonuses to diplomacy and trade. Their "Nîhithaw" ability grants them an extra trade route, and lets their Traders claim neutral tiles near Cree cities as they move between trade stops, helping the Cree's borders grow quickly through routine economics. Meanwhile Poundmaker's "Favourable Terms" leader bonus generates food and gold for receiving and sending trade routes based on the number of Camps and Pastures at their destination, while making any type of alliance provide shared visibility between signatories. The Okihtcitaw is a much stronger Scout that starts with a free promotion it can use to effortlessly traverse rough terrain, while the Cree's Mekewap is a versitile improvement that provides housing, food, gold and production based on adjacent bonus or luxury resources. This helps the Cree create a large and prosperous nation as early as the Ancient Era, building a strong foundation of economics and alliances that they can use to pursue any victory type.

The Alliance: Poundmaker's leader bonus and "Iron Confederacy" agenda drives him to make as many of these as possible, and dislike civs that stand alone.
Poundmaker: Choose your friendships wisely - but you must choose.
Army Scout: The Okihtcitaw is a unique Scout that's as strong as a Warrior and starts with a free promotion, giving them an early edge in exploration. This comes with the Necessary Drawback of a higher production cost, making trying a rush with them impractical.
Boring, but Practical: The Mekewap unique improvement may not have the same flair as a lot of others, but it does provide a base amount of production and housing, and can also provide gold or food depending on adjacent resources, making it one of the most utilitarian improvements in the game.
Egopolis: One of their city names is Pihtokahanapiwiyin, which is Poundmaker's Cree name.
Jack of All Stats: The Cree have some well-rounded bonuses, and a strong early game, but the fact that their abilities don't emphasize one victory type over another means that it takes more focus to get the Cree over the finish line than other civs with an obvious victory preference.
Mega City: With the housing added by the Mekewap unique improvement, Cree cities can have massive populations, even without Neighbourhood districts.
Nice Guy: Poundmaker is incredibly easy to befriend and highly loyal, making him a potential ally throughout the entire game.
Proud Merchant Race: Encouraged, as their "Nihithaw" ability grants them ownership of any unclaimed tile a trader passes through within three tiles of a city centre, and generates a free Trader and an extra Trade Route upon the research of Pottery. If you don't have a ton of trade routes going, you aren't playing the Cree right.
Reluctant Warrior: Poundmaker's war declaration.
Poundmaker: I do not care to inflict the terrors of war upon you - but justice requires it.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To the Shoshone, another Native American civ that can expand its borders quickly and has a superior scout unit.

Eleanor of Aquitaine

Leader: Eleanor Of Aquitaine
Special: May be leader of either France or England, combining her leader bonus with their civ ability and unique units and structures.
Leader Bonus: Court of Love (VI)

One of the most powerful women of Medieval Europe, Eleanor was born in 1122 to the duke of Aquitaine, a wealthy patron of some of the first troubadours. She brought that culture to Paris when she married King Louis VII, and even accompanied her husband on the Second Crusade, but disagreements over strategy and her failure to produce sons led to their marriage being annulled. Eleanor soon remarried to Duke Henry of Normandy, simultaneously bringing notions of romantic chivalry to England and embroiling it in a lengthy conflict with France. She spent the rest of her life playing a major role in English politics, alternately encouraging a son to revolt against her husband, spending years in prison, ruling England in another son's name while he was off on crusade, and helping a daughter secure the throne of Castille, until her death in 1204. But Eleanor is also known for presiding over her "court of love," rendering judgment with other nobles over matters of courtly love and chivalry, and spreading their ideals through troubadours, thus giving the High Middle Ages their distinct character.

A first for the Civilization series, Eleanor of Aquitaine is a ruler who can be selected to lead either England or France due to her strong connection to the royal families of both. Her "Court of Love" leader bonus inflicts a loyalty penalty on other civs' cities for every Great Work stored in her own nearby settlements. Moreover, if such cities lose enough loyalty to rebel, they immediately flip to her control with no Free City stage in between, allowing Eleanor to conquer with love, peace and art rather than war.

Adaptational Dye-Job: The real-life Eleanor was historically depicted with red hair, while here she's blonde.
The Assimilator: Her leader bonus makes this her main method of expansion in later stages of the game.
Disaster Dominoes: She can easily inflict this on any of her neighbors who fail to keep her in check. Once she successfully causes one city to rebel, the city's population will add to the loyalty pressure exerted from "Court of Love," in turn leading to more cities rebelling. Eventually, the loyalty pressure, plus the yields she gain from the new cities, becomes so overwhelming that her neighbors are essentially defeated.
Flowers of Femininity: The English version of Eleanor wears a crown of roses, since that's where she historically set up her "court of love."
Magikarp Power: As her signature power requires Great Works in order to be utilized, Eleanor has much less going for her in the early game than Victoria and Catherine, and she'll be focusing on attracting Great People for their Great Works, which can leave her vulnerable in other areas. But once Eleanor has enough Great Works and sufficient means of applying loyalty pressure, nothing short of open warfare can stop nearby cities from rebelling and joining her empire.
Manipulative Bitch: She can be played this way, causing rebellions in foreign cities with her leader bonus and gaining control over them, while remaining friendly with their former owner. It's also difficult to get an AI Eleanor to accept a Cultural Alliance (since it nullifies all loyalty pressure from her cities), which may not bode well for you if you enter a Dark Age and she's your closest neighbor.
Meaningful Name: "Judge of the Court of Love" sounds harmless until you realize she's sentencing your cities to become hers without so much as hurting a fly in your lands.
Meet the New Boss: Referenced by the "Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss" achievement, requiring the player to use Eleanor's leader bonus to flip a city from another Eleanor.
My Future Self and Me: If both England and France are in the same game, it's possible for them to be led by different iterations of the former Duchess of Aquitaine.
Nice Girl: Eleanor is very easy to befriend, especially when she's your most immediate neighbor, since her "Angevin Empire" agenda makes her like civilizations with high population cities close to hers, and most players will want to grow their cities as much as possible.
Obvious Rule Patch: Prior to Eleanor's release in Civ VI: Gathering Storm, England had the "British Museum" ability that gave it easy Great Works theme bonuses and extra space to store them. This would have been unbelievably powerful under Eleanor, so it was shifted to Kristina of Sweden and replaced with "Workshop of the World," a bunch of industrial bonuses.
Princess Classic: She has the look and speech style down to a T, especially as the ruler of France where she's portrayed with a crown, and she can even choose pink as her empire's color scheme. Her in-game behavior, though, can play it straight or avert it.
Red Baron: Judge of the Court of Love. Pray she doesn't revoke your sovereignty over your cities...
Velvet Revolution: Her leader bonus allows her to instantly take over neighboring cities through sheer cultural appeal, menaing no warmonger penalties, no diplomatic grievances (since they joined voluntarily, they do not count as militarily occupied), and no damage to the city's population or infrastructure.

Gaul

Gaul

Leader: Ambiorix (VI)
Unique Unit: Gaesatae(VI)
Unique District: Oppidum (VI)
Ability: Hallstatt Culture (VI)

The Gauls were a Celtic people who lived in western and central Europe, united by their language, religion and social structure rather than beneath a single ruler. They were among the most frequent enemies of Rome, sacking the Eternal City itself in 390 BC under the warlord Brennus, and allying with Hannibal Barca against Rome in the Second Punic War. In the last years of the Roman Republic, Julius Caesar launched a string of invasions to bring Gallia to heel, and while the Gauls fought fiercely under the direction of chieftains such as Vercingetorix, Ambiorix, and Boduognatus, in the end their lands fell under Roman dominion. Though the Gauls were ultimately assimilated by their conquerors, they left their mark on history by becoming part of the cultural heritage of modern France, Belgium and Switzerland.

In Civilization VI, the Gauls have a unique and versatile playstyle. Their "Hallstatt Culture" ability improves their Mines by giving them a culture bomb effect, extra cultural output, and an adjacency bonus to all districts, at the cost of preventing specialty districts from receiving adjacency bonuses or being built next to city centers. The Oppidum is a unique district that replaces the Industrial Zone but is unlocked as early as Iron Working, automatically researches Apprenticeship upon first being built, gets a stronger adjacency bonus from resources than other districts, and has the defensive and ranged attack capabilities of an Encampment once its city has built Walls. Meanwhile, Ambiorix's "King of the Eburones" leader bonus both gives Gallic military units a combat bonus when they're adjacent to each other and generates culture from training them, and the Gaesatae is a unique Warrior that gets a combat bonus when up against stronger units, and when fighting district defenses. Combined, this means the Gauls can be an early-game military powerhouse that can overrun a neighbor and resist even the strongest invader, a mid-game industrial power reliant more on Mines and resources than district combos, or even a late-game scientific or cultural civ with the proper application of their production potential.

Adaptational Modesty: The Gaesatae were Gallic warriors infamous for leading a Full-Frontal Assault (even providing the trope image), but the in-game Gaesatae (at least the men) settle for a Walking Shirtless Scene.
Composite Character: A geographic instance. While the term "Gaul" is normally associated with the region that would become France, their leader Ambiorix hails from what is now Belgium, while their ability refers to the Hallstatt region in what is now Germany. Then again, the Gauls were known to stretch from Spain to Asia Minor.
Decomposite Character: They and Scotland are this to the Celtic civilization from past Civilization entries. Gaul is themed to the Celts of antiquity while Scotland is themed to the Celts from the Dark Ages onward.
Gender Is No Object: A Gaesatae unit has women as well as men fighting in its force, as well as in its Historical Achievement art.
The Horde: Ambiorix's unique bonus grants units additional combat strength for each adjacent combat unit, encouraging players to build up a proper barbarian horde, which is aided by Gaul's production bonuses. His "Scourge of Rome" agenda drives him to train as many soldiers as possible, and approve of other leaders who do the same.
Ambiorix: So many troops! Ha ha! Look at them all!
Proud Industrious Race: Along with Germany, one of the only two civilizations that has their own replacement for the Industrial Zone district. The Gauls' Oppidum not only gives extra Production points but also costs less, has defensive capabilities, becomes available earlier, and, most interestingly, unlocks Apprenticeship technology from the Medieval Era upon construction completion of the first of them. Thus, it is not difficult to guess where the lion's share of the Gauls' success lies.
Proud Warrior Race Guy: Ambiorix's speeches sending or receiving war declarations has him eager to test his strength against yours to see who is the better chief. And then there's his agenda disapproval message.
Ambiorix: Your lands are quiet and peaceful. And weak.
Stone Wall: The Gauls' gameplay leans heavily towards a defensive playstyle. Their unique districts are defensible with ranged attacks and they receive major production bonuses for settling in areas with hills, which themselves are naturally defensible terrain.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To the Celts from previous games, but with a more specific focus.
Suspiciously Specific Denial: To judge by his lines, Ambiorix is rather, shall we say, crafty:
Ambiorix: (invitation to capital) Will you come to my city? We have opened a cask of wine that is, I promise, entirely safe to drink and not at all poisoned.
Ambiorix: (player accepts declaration of friendship) Welcome to my camp! I promise that there is no one hiding in the closet with a sword. At this time.
Ambiorix: (offering alliance) Let us sign a binding agreement where no one can betray each other. I'm serious this time.
Underdogs Never Lose: The Gaesatae has a small combat bonus against units with higher combat strength, which coupled with Ambiorix's leader bonus means groups of Gaesatae can overhwelm much stronger units.

Georgia

Georgia

Leader: Tamar (VI)
Unique Unit: Khevsureti (VI)
Unique Building: Tsikhe (VI)
Ability: Strength in Unity (VI)

Georgia is a small nation nestled in the Caucasus along the Black Sea coast that has been settled since the Paleolithic, grew into the states of Colchis and Iberia during the Classical Era, and was contested between Rome and Iran into the Middle Ages. But Georgia truly came into its own during the 12th and 13th centuries, in a golden age brought by a series of hyper-competent monarchs: David IV the Builder, Demetrius I, and Tamar. Georgia's first female ruler had one of the most celebrated reigns in history, and beyond overseeing a renaissance of Georgian art, culture, religion and commerce, Tamar consolidated control over her empire and built a network of vassal states and allies to project its power. Although this golden age came to an end with the Mongol invasions, and Georgia eventually passed into Russian and later Soviet orbit, the nation maintained its unique bearing even under the rule of foreign empires. Today, Georgia is a young but stable and growing democracy in Central Asia that is eager to recall its glory days.

In Civ VI, Georgia is a defensive and religious civ that makes the most of Rise and Fall's new age mechanic and is encouraged to engage in city-state diplomacy. Its "Strength in Unity" ability means that when Georgia enters a golden or heroic age, dedications also grant their normal age bonuses toward Georgia's era score, giving Georgia a reliably repeatable way to chain golden ages. The same ability also gives Georgia a production bonus towards city walls, such as the Tsikhe, which are both cheaper and twice as effective as Renaissance Walls, while providing faith as well as city defense. Meanwhile, Tamar's "Glory of the World, Kingdom and Faith" leader bonus rewards Georgia with doubled faith output for 10 turns after declaring a Protectorate War, and similarly doubles the effectiveness of any envoys sent to city-states that share Georgia's religion. While Georgia flourishes from its alliances with city-states, its Khevsur, a Medieval Era melee unit, can ignore the terrain penalty of hills and gains a combat bonus when fighting in them, dominating the highlands. With these strengths, Georgia can easily build the foundation for a Religious, Cultural or Diplomatic Victory, potentially while celebrating a golden age for era after era.

The Alliance: While Georgia doesn't get more from city-state alliances than any other civ, it has a much easier time securing those alliances, provided it spreads its faith to its city-state partner.
Ascended Meme: During a promo for the upcoming Civilization VI, Firaxis released a blurry image of a female leader, which some fans fervently insisted was Tamar. It turned out to be Gorgo of Sparta, and "it's Tamar!" became a minor meme to be used whenever something about the game was teased, but apparently someone at Firaxis noticed how excited some players were at the prospect of Georgia being included, so two years later...
Bully Hunter: Georgia gets a whopping double faith bonus when declaring Protectorate Wars in defense of city-state allies, allowing for a variety of options depending on how the game has gone.
The Clan: The Khevsur unique unit is this, being a distinct ethnic group who serves Georgia as elite warriors.
Historical In-Joke: While by no means particularly warlike or unpleasant in game terms, Tamar talks and acts very standoffish when conducting diplomacy, with her introductory greeting being a brusque "I am Tamar of Georgia. Say what you will and be on your way." Given that a sultan once sent a diplomat to tell her she'd be forced to either convert to Islam and marry him or remain a Christian and be his concubine, though, she may have just come to expect this kind of rapey threat...
Insult to Rocks: Tamar's denunciation text.
Tamar: To call you a thoughtless cur is an insult to curs.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Tamar has a rather unpleasant personality, to put it mildly. Even friendly interactions result in sarcastic or demeaning comments from her, or at least in her seeming to expect the worst from others: her text response when accepting a declaration of friendship, for example, is "I thought this a cruel jest, but upon reflection, I note your sincerity." That said, Tamar is actually very easy to befriend and a loyal ally, due to her agenda preferring civilizations that fortify their cities with walls, which most players are very likely to do early. She'll even give you a genuine compliment with no hint of sarcasm or insults with her agenda approval message.
Tamar: I appreciate the walls you build for your people. You have a Georgian spirit.
Religious Bruiser: Georgia combines both religious and martial focus, benefits strongly from evangelism to city-states, and sees a boost in piety when it has to fight to defend them.
Tamar: (war declaration) God fights with us. You stand alone.
Stone Wall: Georgia gets a production bonus towards all city defenses, its Tsikhe are much-improved midgame walls, and Tamar's "Narikala Fortress" agenda makes her like other civs that focus on having the best city defenses possible. If Georgia settles in hills, where its Khevsur gets some hefty bonuses, it can be all but impregnable.
Unstable Equilibrium: Having the ability to take the normal age dedication on top of the golden age bonus means Georgia has the potential to snowball into a win very early on. However, this makes both establishing a religion and getting a golden age at the very start absolutely vital to Georgia's success.

Gran Colombia

Gran Colombia

Leader: Simón Bolívar (VI)
Unique Unit: Commandante General, Llanero (VI)
Unique Improvement: Hacienda (VI)
Ability: Ejército Patriota (VI)

When Napoleon invaded Spain in 1807, the empire found its grip on its New World territories beginning to falter, and many of its colonies began demanding independence. Among the South American revolutionary leaders was one Simón Bolívar, who became commander of the Venezuelan army in 1811 and proceeded to liberate the continent from Spanish rule in a series of stunning campaigns, culminating in his victory at New Granada in 1819. This resulted in the birth of Gran Colombia, intended to become the United States of the Southern Hemisphere. However, difficulties in maintaining a unified government, post-revolution unrest, and ideological differences between himself and his allies led to Bolívar having to propose increasingly unpopular authoritarian measures, and he was eventually forced to resign in 1830. A year later Gran Colombia itself dissolved into various states, which today make up the nations of Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, Ecuador, and Guyana.

Gran Colombia is one of Civilization VI's most dangerous military powerhouses, designed to sweep the map with terrifying speed. Its "Ejército Patriota" ability grants a +1 movement boost to all Gran Colombian units, from military units to Settlers and Builders, while also allowing military units to be promoted without ending their turn. Not only does Gran Colombia have access to the Llanero, a cheaper Cavalry that gains a combat bonus when adjacent to more of its kind, but Simón Bolívar's "Campaña Admirable" leader bonus generates a Commandante General, a superior military suport unit, whenever Gran Colombia advances to a new era. The nation's war machine is fueled by the Hacienda, a lategame improvement that provides bonus gold, production and housing, with extra food from adjacent Plantations and extra production from other Haciendas. With revolutionary fervor, Gran Colombia can pursue a Domination Victory at a pace no other civ can match.

Composite Character: Like the original Gran Colombia, this civilization is a combination of several modern South American states, as shown in the names of its cities, the names and abilities of its Commandantes Generals, even the civ's theme music.
Elite Army: Bolívar's "Carabobo" agenda has him prioritize building Encampments and ensuring his units have as many promotions as possible, with some choice words for other leaders who don't.
Simón Bolívar: May I offer a friendly word of warning? Change your ways, friend, or those who lead promoted armies will change them for you.
Four-Star Badass: Commandantes Generals are like an even better Great General, since their bonuses aren't tied to a specific era on the tech tree, making them useful the entire game. And if you do choose to retire them, they each bestow a unique and powerful benefit. The wiki entries for each of them note how they were all outstanding military commanders.
Lightning Bruiser: +1 movement for every single unit is enough to qualify the civ as this. The power of the Llanero, backed up by the Commandante General, is just the icing on the cake.
Promoted to Playable: Bogotá was a City-State in V, and Bolívar was a Great General in VI prior to Gran Colombia's addition.
Rebel Leader: Bolívar sure talks like one, mentioning breaking "the chains of servitude" or serving "the Revolution" when accepting or offering declarations of friendship. He also refers to the player as a "tyrant" and "oppressor of the people" when denounced by you.
Zerg Rush: Gran Colombia's universal speed boost and guaranteed Commandante General in the Classical Era makes it well-suited for an early-game blitzkrieg. Things only get worse for its enemies when the Llanero becomes available, a fast, cheap cavalry unit that gets stronger when fielded in large numbers.

Hungary

Hungary

Leaders: Matthias Corvinus (VI)
Unique Units: Black Army (VI), Huszár (VI)
Unique Building: Thermal Bath (VI)
Ability: Pearl of the Danube (VI)

The Principality of Hungary was founded in the 10th century, when a federation of Magyar tribes exchanged their nomadic ways for feudalism and Christianity. Hungary grew into one of the great powers of Central Europe, a multiethnic society with elected kings and whose nobles enjoyed a great degree of liberty. In the 15th century, Hungary reached a golden age under Matthias Corvinus, a brilliant leader who, while occasionally harsh when it came to taxation or punishing rebellious nobles, was also a great patron of learning and a military innovator who created his famous Black Guard, one of Europe's first professonal armies. His successors failed to maintain these accomplishments, and after the disastrous Battle of Mohacs in 1526, Hungary was partitioned between the Ottoman and Holy Roman Empires, and soon the remnants of Hungary were fighting both Hapsburg ambitions in the west and Turkish invasions from the east. After years of rebellions and demands for reform, the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary was created in 1867 as an attempted compromise, but collapsed after World War I. After fighting with the Axis Powers in World War II, Hungary became a Soviet satellite state, despite an attempt to leave the Warsaw Pact in 1956 that was brutally crushed. Since the collapse of communism, Hungary has regained its independence and joined NATO and the European Union.

In Civ VI, Hungary is a mid-game power that can quickly turn the tide of any war and become a military juggernaut with the help of its city-state allies. Matthias Corvinus' "Raven King" leader bonus makes units levied from city-states faster, stronger, and much cheaper to upgrade, and raising them also grants Hungary additional envoys to the city-state in question. This is not to say that the Hungarian military is lacking - Matthias' Black Army is a stronger Knight that receives strength bonuses for adjacent levied units, and it upgrades into the Huszár, a superior Cavalry unit that is stronger the more alliances Hungary has signed. Beyond the battlefield, Hungary's "Pearl of the Danube" ability greatly encourages river settlement, as districts or buildings constructed across a river from a City Centre are built in half the time, so Hungarian cities can get some quick infrastructure going. And after a long day of battle, Hungary's citizens can relax at the Thermal Bath, a replacement for the Zoo that grants amenities and production, as well as additional tourism and amenities if there is a nearby geothermal fissure. With enough city-state allies, Hungary can easily attain a Domination Victory, or use its river-based production bonuses to quickly build the infrastructure needed for other victory types.

The Alliance: A big priority for Hungary, whether it be with other major civs or city-states. Matthias' "Raven Banner" agenda drives him to become suzerain of city-states so he can levy as many troops from them as possible, and approve of other leaders who do the same.
Matthias Corvinus: The quickest way to success is to levy the strengths of your little allies, wouldn't you agree?
The Cavalry: Hungary's usage of city-state mercenaries can make or break wars, and can be upgraded much cheaper than normal.
Healing Spring: Those Thermal Baths, while they don't provide health bonuses, certainly make the cities happier and more productive.
Hired Guns: Matthias (and any good Hungary player) will prioritise the use of this. It's noted that his Black Army and Huszár units were historically mercenaries as well. In his agenda disapproval message, Matthias even seems to disdain soldiers who fight for ideological reasons.
Matthias Corvinus: They say you pay your auxiliaries in patriotism. Heh, that and two pennies will buy them a beer.
Mounted Combat: Both of Hungary's unique units are cavalry. Its default unique unit is the Huszár, which acts as a light cavalry unit that gains bonus combat strength for each active alliance. The Black Army unique unit is exclusive to Corvinus, and are Knights that gain bonus combat strength from nearby levied units.
Promoted to Playable: Budapest was a militaristic city-state in Civ V. Interestingly, the capital of Hungary in Civ VI is not Budapest but Buda (historically accurate for Matthias' time), with its other constituent cities Pest and Óbuda being founded later with no chance of unification.

Kongo

Kongo

Leader: Mvemba a Nzinga (VI), Mbande Nzinga (VI)
Unique Unit: Ngao Mbeba (VI)
Unique District: Mbanza (VI)
Ability: Nkisi (VI)

Kongo was founded sometime around 1390, and through conquest soon expanded to become one of Africa's greatest and wealthiest kingdoms. After the Portugeuse encountered it in 1483, they found both a rich trading partner and a valuable ally in Mvemba a Nzinga, who after a vision helped him win a battle against his brother, converted to Christianity and took on the name Alfonso I, adopting it as the state religion. Despite this initially positive contact, the situation in the kingdom began to decline, as the Kongolese slave trade intensified under European demand for New World labor, and internal political squabbles were exasperated by foreign meddling. Portugal played a larger and larger role in the Kingdom of Kongo until it became an official vassal state in 1857, and only regained independence in 1960, after suffering through some of the most horrific abuses of any European colony. Kongo's modern successors are the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola and Gabon, each with varying levels of prosperity and stability.

In Civ VI, the Kongolese are uniquely a religious civ that can't build Holy Sites. Instead, Mvemba a Nzinga's "Religious Convert" leader bonus means that Kongo gets all the benefits of any foreign religion that has spread to its cities, and generates a free Apostle upon construction of a Theater Square or Kongo's unique district, allowing it to pick and choose which bonuses to keep and defend themselves from religions of less value to them. Kongo's "Nkisi" ability makes relics, artifacts and sculptures generate food, production and gold as well as the standard culture, gives the Kongolese Palace extra Great Work slots, and grants a 50% boost toward creating Great Artists, Musicians, Writers and Merchants. Meanwhile, the Mbanza district comes much earlier than the Neighbourhood, and automatically provide a set amount of housing, food, and gold no matter the appeal, but can only be built in woods and rainforests. To defend their forests, the Kongolese can train the Ngao Mbeba, a replacement Swordsman that suffers no sight or movement penalties in forested areas, doesn't require iron, and can shrug off onslaughts of ranged attacks. The end result is an unorthodox civ that can grow rapidly in the middle of rainforest, use religion and its various bonuses to stay rich while pursuing a Cultural Victory, and use both its military and terrain to defend itself.

Nzinga Mbande focuses on building tall: her "Queen of Ndongo and Mtamba" ability gives Kongo's capital and cities on the same continent as the capital 10% yield bonuses, at the price of a 10% yield penalty to Kongolese cities on other continents. Unlike Mvemba a Nzinga, Mbande Nzinga is able to found her own religion, making it easier for Kongo to gain relics to get bonus production, food, faith, and gold.

Annoying Arrows: The Ngao Mbeba has an inheirent +10 bonus to defense against ranged attacks, and like all other melee units can be promoted to have another +10 after just a few battles. This makes them capable of shrugging off many, many arrows from the contemporary Archers and Crossbowmen, or even cannon fire.
Ascended Extra: Kongo was previously an NPC city-state in V.
Cultured Badass: To compensate for its inability to found a religion, Kongo has huge bonuses for culture generation - its capital palace has many slots for Great Works, it can produce cultural Great People much faster than normal, and it gets extra money and even food from Great Works of Art or relics.
Easy Evangelism: Most leaders want nothing to do with your religion if they have founded their own. Not only is it impossible for Mvemba to found a religion, but his "Enthusiastic Disciple" agenda means he will actively welcome the words of your missionaries, and spawn Apostles for your religion from his cultural centers and Mbanza. In fact, he'll feel insulted if you don't try to convert his cities.
Mvemba a Nzinga: (agenda approval) I welcome the words of your prophets and priests. We learn so much from their good works.
Mvemba a Nzinga: (agenda disapproval) I can only assume your reluctance to spread your religion comes from lack of conviction.
Ghibli Hills: Any Mbanza is made out to be this, and Kongo has a starting bias towards rainforests in general.
Mega City: Kongo's cities can get very large, very early, since the Mbanza is unlocked two eras earlier than the Neighborhood. The catch is, the district can only be built in forests or rainforests.
Nature Hero: The narrator emphasizes how the Kongolese people know the dense woods and rainforests as their home, and the Mbanza - their Neighbourhoods - can only be built on (rain)forests, while the Ngao Mbeba moves just as fast through rainforests as other units do on flat land. How "heroic" Kongo is probably depends on whether you're at war with them, of course.
Proud Merchant Race: Kongo's "Nkisi" ability lets it earn Great Merchants 50% more quickly than normal would, while their Mbanza district generates gold on top of housing.
You Bastard!: Mvemba's defeat message is blunt and to the point.
Mvemba a Nzinga: You are nothing but a glorified barbarian. Cruel, and ruthless.

Kublai Khan

Leader: Kublai Khan
Special: May be leader of either Mongolia or China, combining his leader bonus with their civ ability and unique units and structures.
Leader Bonus: Gerege

A grandson of the infamous Genghis Khan, Kublai was born in 1206 and proved a quick study in both the ways of war and Chinese art and literature. As a governor, he fought corruption with reforms and was tolerant of other faiths and cultures, while as a general he could show mercy toward the people he conquered. After serving his brother Möngke as a viceroy, Kublai won a civil war to succeed him as Great Khan in 1259, and set about consolidating and expanding the Mongol Empire. By 1278 he had conquered China and established himself as the head of the Yuan Dynasty, and while the highest levels of government were filled by Mongolian appointees, Kublai took care to rule in a manner that the Han Chinese were familiar with. His high taxes promoted infrastructure such as roads, schools and ports across his empire, trade along the Silk Road flourished, and Western merchants, envoys and missionaries were allowed access to the Far East. The Mongol Empire under Kublai stretched from modern Iraq to the Korean Peninsula, and Japan was only spared invasion seemingly by divine intervention. After a productive reign of thirty-four years, Kublai Khan died in 1294 following the loss of his favorite wife and eldest child.

While Kublai was a variant leader for the Mongols in Civ IV, in Civ VI he can lend his talents to either Mongolia or China. Kublai's "Gerege" leader bonus gives him an extra economic policy slot, and also provides a random eureka and inspiration whenever he establishes a new trading post in another civ's city. The full ramification of this depends on which civilization Kublai is leading - China's "Dynastic Cycles" ability will maximize the gains from Kublai's leader bonus, while Mongolia's "Örtöö" ability will let Kublai trigger his leader bonus immediately, on top of the Mongols' usual diplomatic visibility and combat bonus against trading partners' cities. This emphasis on trade and technology means Kublai Khan can position himself to win a Scientific or Cultural Victory as the head of a wealthy, enlightened Yuan Dynasty, or he can embrace his Mongol roots and learn all he can from his trading "partners" before conquering them.

Intrepid Merchant/Proud Warrior Race Guy: Kublai Khan is both at once! His leader bonus is all about benefiting from international trade routes and encourages him to keep finding new markets, while his "Pax Mongolica" agenda means that he'll try to maximize his empire's wealth while fielding as large an army as possible, and only respect other leaders who do the same.
Kublai Khan: If you cannot rule well, a better ruler will come and overthrow you. All of history teaches us this.
Significant Wardrobe Shift: Like Eleanor, Kublai looks different depending upon which empire he leads, though in his case his physical appearance is the same, he just wears a white silk robe with gold trim as the leader of China, and an orange velvet robe lined with fur when leading Mongolia.
The Smart Guy: Gain inspirations and eurekas through trade, which is boosted even further by China's civ ability. When leading Mongolia, however, Kublai is more of a Genius Bruiser who follows up on those inspirations with an invasion.
Warrior Poet: The real-life Kublai was a prolific writer of Chinese-style poetry, and Civ VI's writer tried to evoke such texts in some of Kublai's spoken and text messages.
Kublai Khan: (declaring friendship) Oh, prince of friends! The grasses sing of you.

Macedon

Macedon

Leader: Alexander the Great (VI)
Unique Unit: Hypaspist (VI), Hetairoi (VI)
Unique Building: Basilikoi Paides (VI)
Ability: Hellenistic Fusion (VI)

Macedon's rise from a small kingdom on the periphery of the Greek world into a far-flung empire in the space of two reigns is the stuff of legends. When Phillip II ascended to the throne in 359 BC, he swiftly reinvigorated and reformed his kingdom's weakened military until it was able to smash the threats around him and subjugate Greece. After his assassination in 336 BC, his son Alexander assumed the throne, purged any would-be rivals, and launched his father's planned invasion of Persia. A military genius, Alexander was able to deal the Persians a string of devastating defeats until they were forced to surrender, then went on to conquer Syria, Egypt, Babylon, and kept pushing east until he reached the Indus River. But after a costly victory against an Indian king, Alexander's men begged him to end the campaign, and the young conqueror reluctantly returned to Babylon to get on with the boring business of ruling his empire, only to die in 323 BC. His empire splintered into several warring successor states, and when the Romans annexed Macedon in 148 BC, few shed a tear.

In Civ VI, Macedon is a civ built to wage war from the very start of the game, and never stop. Alexander's "To World's End" leader bonus means that Macedonian cities never suffer from war weariness, and capturing a rival city with a wonder in it completely heals all nearby Macedonian units. At the same time, Macedon's "Hellenistic Fusion" ability also means that conquering a city grants a free technological Eureka if it has a Campus or Industrial Zone, or a cultural Eureka if it has a Theater Square or Holy Site. For special units, Macedon has the Hypapist, a replacement Swordsman that is better at besieging districts and gains a combat bonus when adjacent to friendly units, and the Hetairoi, superior Horseman that starts with a free promotion, gets an additional combat bonus when paired with a Great General, and helps generate them faster. Finally, the Basilikoi Paides is a replacement Barracks that on top of the normal benefits also generates science whenever it trains a military unit. From the Classical Era on, Macedon can keep its momentum going as it conquers city after city, using its bonuses and unique improvement to stay competitive technologically and culturally while it focuses on conquering the world.

Always Chaotic Evil: Due to Alexander's agenda of disliking peace, expect Macedon to be constantly attacking everybody for the entire game. This often results in Alexander being the target of Emergencies mid-game and late-game, with other leaders considering Macedon a threat to world peace. And if you're playing as Macedon, why wouldn't you be taking advantage of the empire's strengths?
Apathetic Citizens: Unlike other civilizations, who have to worry about placating their citizens in prolonged combat by hoarding Amenities, declaring certain Cassus Belli or adopting certain Policy Cards, Alexander can just freely commit war crimes and launch nukes at others on a whim with nary a care from the Macedonian populace.
Badass Bookworm: Macedon's Basilikoi Paides generates bonus science whenever a non-civilian unit is produced, as fitting for an empire led by a student of Aristotle.
Blood Knight: Alexander's "Short Life of Glory" agenda favours civilizations that are a war and makes him dislike those who are a peace. See also his response to a war declaration.
Alexander: Peace was never of all that much interest to me anyway.
Decomposite Character: After spending every previous game as a leader of the Greeks, Alexander's native Macedon became a separate civ for the first time in VI, in part because of Macedon's murky status in the Greek World.
Egopolis: Take a look at the Macedonian city list, and you'll see that almost all of their city names are different variations on "Alexandria". Not only was Alexander incredibly vain, he apparently wasn't terribly creative when it came to city names, either.
Face of an Angel, Mind of a Demon: Alexander is depicted as a charismatic, handsome young man and will introduce himself in a very jovial and friendly manner. Pretty much every diplomatic scene you will have with him after that point, Alexander just forgoes the pleasantries and either is him threatening you or declaring war on you.
Forever War: The "To the World's End" leader bonus makes it so Alexander's cities never suffer war weariness... EVER. Unlike every other civ, he can sustain being enemies with everyone until the cows come home.
Jerkass: If you thought Alexander was a warmongering asshole in Civ V, now he has an agenda that makes him dislike peaceful neighbors, a leader bonus that lets him wage war constantly without penalty, and an extremetely territorial playstyle. Whether you are neighboring countries or not, expect to never be on friendly terms with Alexander.
No-Sell: Gandhi's leader bonus doubles the war weariness suffered by a civilization that fights him. This means that Alexander's citizenry will get twice the amount of zero war weariness.
Power Copying: Macedon's biggest impetus to keep constantly conquering is the tech and civic boosts it gets for every district in enemy cities they take. It can't steal techs outright like Assyria in V, but on the other hand, the nature of "Hellenic Fusion" means Macedon still benefits even when fighting rivals that are less advanced than it.
Take Over the World: In keeping with the ambitions of Alexander, Macedon is perfectly suited to waging war and conquest, and was made for a Domination Victory.
World-Healing Wave: Okay, maybe not the whole world, but every single unit in Macedon's army heals to full if Alexander conquers a city with a world wonder in it, giving them a second wind so they can push on to the next conquest. You could call it a "World Wonder Healing Wave"...
Worthy Opponent: If you meet Alexander's approval with your own warmongering ways, he admits as such.
Alexander: I hope we never meet in battle, it would be a shame to lose such a worthy foe.

Māori

Māori

Leader: Kupe (VI)
Unique Unit: Toa (VI)
Unique Building: Marae (VI)
Unique Improvement: Pā (VI)
Ability: Mana (VI)

The Māori settled the islands of a land they called Aotearoa through waves of canoe-bound colonists over the 13th Century, and for the next several centuries developed in isolation from the rest of the world. Though they never created a written language, the Māori sustained their culture with a rich oral tradition that passed down stories of mythic heroes such as Kupe, who allegedly discovered their homeland while pursuing a giant octopus. But the year 1642 marked first contact with Europeans, who eventually began settling on what they called New Zealand. Foreign diseases ravaged the native Māori, the introduction of firearms triggered the bloody intertribal Musket Wars, and unequal treaties led to conflict with the Europeans that ended with the Māori being driven to the fringes of their homeland. Today over 775,000 Māori live in New Zealand, which has thankfully shown a commitment to promoting the Māori's culture and redressing colonial injustices.

In Civilization VI, the Māori are based around being unconventional. They start the game sailing on the ocean, which they can cross from turn one while enjoying faster movement and combat strength for all embarked units, and their leader's "Kupe's Voyage" leader bonus provides the Māori with science and culture each turn they spend searching for an ideal homeland to settle, as well as boosts to help their capital catch up with longer-established civs'. Their "Mana" ability also improves the production from unimproved woodlands, and lets Fishing Boat improvements yield extra food and a culture bomb effect to claim tiles, at the cost of preventing the Māori from harvesting resources or generating Great Writers. To counterbalance this, the Māori can build the Marae, which lacks an Amphitheater's slots for Great Works, but has no upkeep cost and grants extra faith and culture to any passable features in its city, and later generates tourism. To defend or expand their borders, the Māori can train the Toa instead of the Swordsman, which does not require iron, decreases the combat strength of adjacent enemy units, and can use its build charge to construct a Pā fort that provides defensive bonuses and heals units taking shelter in it. The Māori thus have a unique path toward a Cultural or Religious Victory, and are encouraged to protect rather than exploit their lands.

Angry Dance: The Toa have the unique Haka War Dance promotion, which causes any non-Māori adjacent unit to drop in effectiveness. Kupe himself does a rather vicious haka if he declares war, complete with Badass Boast.
Kupe: You choose death! Your people wail and moan! The pillars of your houses shake, all your lands are shaking!
Born Under the Sail: The truest example in the franchise's history - the Māori start the game in the middle of the ocean, which they can traverse at any time. They can also grab extra tiles by building Fishing Boats.
Decomposite Character: In V, the Polynesians could build both Maori Warriors and Moai. In VI, the Māori get their own civilization, while Rapa Nui appears as a city-state.
The Engineer: The Toa have a build charge, with which they can construct a Pā. Any Māori unit ending their turn in one gets healed for 10 HP, and the healing ramps up if they fortify on it.
Gaia's Vengeance: Kupe's agenda makes him hate polluters, leading to the possibility of him declaring war over another civ's negative effects on the environment.
Kupe: You pile filth on the land and dump it in the sea! You waste and spoil the world!
Gender Is No Object: A Toa unit has women as well as men fighting in its in-game model, as well as in its Historical Achievement art.
Large Ham: Kupe won't hold back at showing off his haka dance at the player during his displeased animations, and when sufficiently pissed will display his tongue on the diplomacy screen (this is the pūkana, and is less "I Shall Taunt You" and more "I will eat you"). A particular highlight is his reaction to a declaration of war.
Kupe: Look at the big civ leader over there with the war declaration! (gives a cheesy thumbs-up) Great job, mate. Really shows off how hard you are.
My Rules Are Not Your Rules: Kupe can keep up with competitors without even founding his first city, gets an extra boost in infrastructure when he does, can get tourists to flock to his civilization without any works of writing at all, and can be nice and productive by leaving nature be.
Nature Hero: The best way to play the Māori is to not interfere too much with the natural world, and instead focus mainly on the ocean. Kupe's "Kaitiakitanga" agenda makes him like other leaders who do things like plant forests, create National Parks and minimize their contributions to climate change.
Kupe: Your land stays green and your waters are clean and clear. Choice!
Never Learned to Read: The Māori are incapable of generating Great Writers, but get extra culture from the world around them instead.
Status Effects: Just being next to Toa warriors hits enemy units with a -5 combat strength penalty.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Like Polynesia in V, they can cross oceans from the start of the game and have an early melee unit that reduces nearby enemies' strength. The Māori just have a stronger emphasis on the natural world and more quirks like having to sail for a bit before settling their capital.

Mapuche

Mapuche

Leader: Lautaro (VI)
Unique Unit: Malon Raider (VI)
Unique Improvement: Chemamull (VI)
Ability: Toqui (VI)

The Mapuche are a loose confederation of several South American indigenous groups with a shared linguistic, cultural and economic structure. Though they never united under a single government, they cooperated through trade and against invaders, and were able to repel the Inca in the Battle of the Maule somewhere in the late 15th or early 16th Century. Unfortunately, the Spanish Conquistadors that arrived in Mapuche lands in 1536 proved to be a more dangerous foe, as did the diseases the foreigners brought. Though some Mapuche leaders such as Lautaro were able to adapt to the invaders' tactics and put up a tenacious resistance, the Mapuche were gradually driven to the fringes of their homeland by both Spanish colonizers and the post-colonial governments that replaced them. Today close to two million Mapuche live in Chile and Argentina, and are still struggling for equality and recognition.

Capitalizing on the new mechanics introduced in Civ VI: Rise and Fall, the Mapuche's "Toqui" ability makes military units trained in cities with an established governor earn promotions faster, and governors increase their cities' culture and production yields, and these bonuses are tripled if the city was acquired through conquest or loyalty. To help to bring foreign cities under Mapuche control, the Mapuche governors extert both loyalty pressure and support to cities of any civilization within nine tiles and Lautaro's "Swift Hawk" leader bonus grants all Mapuche units gain a combat bonus against free cities or rival civilizations enjoying a golden or heroic age, and makes enemy units killed in the territory of enemy cities reduce those cities' loyalty (and the loyalty loss is doubled if the enemy civilization is in a golden or heroic age), making protracted campaigns against the Mapuche dangerous even if they don't besiege cities directly. The Malón Raider is a light cavalry unit that gets a combat bonus near (but not necessarily inside) Mapuche borders and can pillage more easily, while the Mapuche can also get in on the culture game with the Chemamull improvement, generating culture and later tourism from high-appeal tiles. Combined, the Mapuche have an unorthorox approach to a Domination Victory, or can use the terrain to help secure a Cultural Victory.

Elite Army: "Toqui" lets Mapuche military units a 5% or 30% boost to combat experience, so long as they were trained in a city with a governor founded or conquered by the Mapuche respectively. This lets the Mapuche quickly establish an army of well-promoted units after even a brief period of warfare.
Home Field Advantage: The Malón Raider plays with this, since they get a +5 combat bonus within 4 tiles of friendly territory, so they can help defend Mapuche lands or cross the border for a sortie or two.
Spark of the Rebellion: The Mapuche's biggest focus is on weakening the resolve of the enemy during combat. Successfully destroying enemy units reduces loyalty in an enemy city, so a particularly large engagement practically guarantees that the city will turn into a Free City (or if it's already a Free City with its own units, killing those units are likely to sway it to the Mapuche's side.)
The World Is Just Awesome: The Chemamull unique improvement can only be built on "Breathtaking" appeal tiles, and generate culture worth 75% of the tile's appeal. They also provide tourism upon researching flight, meaning the Mapuche can easily bloom into a dominant cultural civ by the late game.
Underdogs Never Lose: Your civilization is in a golden age? That just makes the Mapuche fight even harder against them, with a flat +10 combat bonus.
Undying Loyalty: Mapuche governors give loyalty to any city, both friendly or foreign, within range and Lautaro's "Spirit of Tucapel" agenda makes him try to maximize cities' loyalty, and respect other leaders who do the same.
Lautaro: Your people take great pride in where they come from. It is clear they follow your lead.
Zerg Rush: Discouraged, which is unusual for a Domination-focused civ. Instead the Mapuche's special ability encourages them to develop their military infrastructure and get some governors settled in their cities before building up their army.

Norway

Norway

Leader: Harald Hardrada (VI)
Unique Units: Berserker (VI), Viking Longship (VI)
Unique Building: Stave Church (VI)
Ability: Knarr (VI)

Norway rose to prominence during the early Viking Age, when Norwegian raiders, merchants, and settlers carved out a massive sphere of influence that included Scotland, Iceland, the Faeroe Islands, Ireland, and England. When not raiding distant shores or fighting with its immediate neighbors, Norway also served as an early center of religion and culture in Scandinavia, and its royal court backed many of the famous Icelandic skalds. Its petty kingdoms were first united in 1015, and while the death of Harald Hardrada at Stamford Bridge in 1066 meant that the English crown would slip from its grasp, Norway was able to annex Iceland and Greenland during its golden age, and sent its merchants as far as Russia and the Middle East. Norway prospered when it was incorporated into the Kalmar Union, though it was governed from Copenhagan, and when that Union failed in 1523, Norway went through centuries of intermittent conflict until it found itself ruled by Sweden following the Napoleonic Wars. In 1905, Norway finally achieved independence again, and after sitting out World War I and enduring Nazi occupation during World War II, today Norway is a thriving center of commerce, science and culture whose citizens enjoy some of the highest standards of living in the world.

In Civilization VI, Norway rules the seas and can menace any nation with a coastline. Its "Knarr" ability lets Norwegian ships cross ocean tiles with the Shipbuilding tech rather than Cartography, as well as heal in neutral territory, while Norwegian land units pay no movement cost for embarking or disembarking. Harald Hardrada's "Thunderbolt of the North" leader bonus gives Norway a hefty production boost toward melee naval units, and not only gives all such units the ability to launch coastal raids, but doing so also nets Norway some science, culture or faith points on top of the standard looted gold, depending on which improvements are being pillaged. The Viking Longship is a superior Galley that can make the most of Hadrada's bonus to raid coastal tiles, and similarly the Berserker only needs to spend one movement point to pillage, and gets a speed boost in enemy territory. However, Norway also excels at religion with the Stave Church, a replacement Temple that generates extra faith from adjacent woods tiles, and provides bonus production for every coastal resource worked by its city. While a Domination Victory via amphibious assault is an obvious route for Norway, snapping up favorable coastal terrain - and raiding neighboring civs for extra science, culture and faith - can help Norway pursue whatever victory it feels like.

Ascended Extra: Norway was playable in the "1066: Year of Viking Destiny" scenario in V as a reskinned clone of Denmark, but VI promotes them to a fully-fledged civ.
The Berserker: The third such unit in the franchise. Norway's Berserker actually lives up to its name somewhat, by gaining a +10 combat bonus when attacking, but suffering a -5 combat penalty when defending.
Blood Knight: Harald loves to fight, and when you declare war on him, his response text boasts "This will make a great saga! The skalds will sing of my valor!"
Bullying a Dragon: Harald suggests as such if you attack him.
Harald Hardrada: You suppose you are to control the fire you have started. Heheheheheheh - no! It is too great for you!
Glass Cannon: Due to the Berserker's defensive combat penalty, the Civ Wiki advises treating it as a sort of 1-tile ranged unit, good for smashing down a target but not holding the line.
Large Ham: Harald, from his very introduction.
Harald Hardrada: Harald Sigurdsson stands before you, a Viking unlike any the seas and lands have ever known! Hahahahahaha, are you afraid?
Harald Hadrada: (declaring war) To victory! To Odin's halls!
Lightning Bruiser: All of Norway's units ignore additional movement costs from embarking and disembarking, making them perfect for performing quick surprise attacks from the sea.
Not Afraid to Die: Defeat Harald, and it seems like he thinks he got the better deal.
Harald Hardrada: So, I will join the einherjar and feast in Valhalla... while you toil away here.^note
Rape, Pillage, and Burn: But of course. Harald's special ability allows all of his naval melee units to pillage coastal tiles, and the Berserker's ability to spend only one movement point to pillage, and gain extra movement points in enemy territory, helps it sack tiles the Longboats can't reach.
Religious Bruiser: While mostly focusing on domination and military conquest, Norway's unique building is a Temple replacement that gets more faith when it's built next to woods, giving the civ an edge for a religious victory as well.
- Norway is particularly able to take advantage of the Work Ethic founder belief^note which, coupled with the right choices in pantheons, policies and Holy Site placements can see a Norwegian Holy Site generate as much as 18 or even 30 production.
The Rival: Gameplay-wise, Norway and the Māori rival one another for sea exploration civs with a side-order of class and enjoying pristine forests. The biggest difference is that the Māori are in the deep ocean right from the start, but Norway is not far behind and can embark or disembark units from the coast with no movement cost.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Norway's abilities are basically a mixture of Denmark and Polynesia's special abilities from V.
Worthy Opponent: Harald's "Last Viking King" agenda means he respects leaders with a strong navy, but hates those with a weak one.
Harald Hardrada: Your seas are unprotected, friend. All too easy to raid.

Nubia

Nubia

Leader: Amanitore (VI)
Unique Unit: Pitati Archer (VI)
Unique Improvement: Nubian Pyramids (VI)
Ability: Ta-Seti (VI)

Located in modern Sudan around the Nile's Great Bend, Nubia was in its heyday a great center of trade and a military power known by their rival Egypt as "The Land of the Bow." Nubia had a well-developed state as early as 2000 BC, forged an ill-fated alliance with the invading Hyksos against Egypt in 1580 BC, and spent the next several centuries beneath Egyptian dominion for its trouble. But Egyptian culture spread south along the Nile, to the extent that the Nubian kingdom of Kush was able to invade a weakened Egypt in the 8th Century BC to establish its 25th Dynasty. Conflict with the Neo-Assyrian Empire led the Nubian pharoahs to abandon Egypt for their homeland, and eventually Nubia became a Roman protectorate. Queen Mother Amanitore was able to revitalize her kingdom when she came to power around 1 BC, constructing pyramids and helping Nubian culture flourish, but dynastic infighting would later weaken Nubia, and it was eventually conquered by the Ethiopian kingdom of Aksum in the 4th Century AD.

Nubia in Civ VI can quickly construct the foundation of a great empire, and unleash a hail of arrows upon its enemies. Amanitore's "Kandake of Meroë" leader bonus speeds the construction of all districts, especially if a city center is next to a Nubian Pyramid improvement, which bring in a variety of yields based on which districts border them. Nubia's "Ta-Seti" ability makes its mines yield extra production or gold based on whether they have a strategic or luxury resource beneath them, and also boosts the production speed and starting experience of Nubian ranged units, such as the fearsome Pítati Archer. Nubia can use its superior ranged units to win a Domination Victory, but with careful city planning, it can easily create the infrastructure to achieve any victory it feels like.

Badass Boast: Amanitore has them to spare, the best being when she declares war.
Amanitore: We have arrows, finely honed. We shall deliver them freely to your throat.
Bling of War: The Nubian Pítati archer models are bedecked in golden earrings and bracelets.
Construction Is Awesome: One of the main focuses of the civ is building, and Amanitore's "City Planner" agenda drives her to build the maximum number of districts in her cities, and appreciate other leaders with well-built cities.
Amanitore: Your cities are built properly. For each task, a place to perform it.
Improbable Aiming Skills: Nubian archers were famous for this, having been rumored by the Persians to target the eyes of their foes, and it shows in-game with the Pítati Archers' superior ranged damage.
Jack of All Stats: Nubia's bonus to district production makes it a simultaneously very strong and very flexible civ, even if the only victory type it has an inherent bonus towards is Domination.
Lightning Bruiser: Nubia's Pítati archers are both stronger and faster than normal archers.
Master Archer: Nubia's archers earn promotions more quickly than other units, and their signature Pítati Archers are simply put the most dangerous ranged unit of the Medieval Era.
Promoted to Playable: Nubia used to be only represented by their city Meroë, which served as one of Egypt's cities.
Proud Industrious Race: Due to Amanitore's leader ability, Nubia is, first and foremost, an innate architect of districts, which becomes even more apparent should they fulfill the condition required for doubling the bonus. Moreover, to complete the picture, Nubia's civ ability gives them +1 Production for Mines over strategic resources and +30% Production toward Ranged units.
Pyramid Power: Nubian Pyramids gain a wide array of yields from adjacent districts, and they speed Nubia's district production even futher if built next to a city center. The only catch is that they have to be built on desert, desert hills, or desert flood plain tiles, so some planning is needed during city placement to make the most of them.
Sassy Black Woman: Amanitore has her moments, though she keeps it classy even then.
Amanitore: (response to declaration of war) As predicted, you know only how to take. Come, then — choose the manner of your defeat.
Shining City: Nubia is one of the best civs for making these, due to both Amanitore's agenda and the Nubian Pyramids.

Phoenicia

Phoenicia

Leader: Dido (VI)
Unique Unit: Bireme (VI)
Unique District: Cothon (VI)
Ability: Mediterranean Colonies (VI)

The Phoenicians were a Semitic people who inhabited what is now modern-day Lebanon, and were thus commonly believed to be related or to be the same people as the biblical Canaanites. Though never a single empire, the coastal city-states of Tyre, Sidon and Byblos created a maritime trade network that unified the Mediterranean for a thousand years, and during Phoenicia's height between 1200 and 800 BC, its colonists settled on islands across the Mediterranean as well as Tunisia and Spain, while their trading vessels went as far as the British Isles and central Africa. The Phoenicians' relationship with their neighbors was complex, and they alternately warred and traded with the likes of the Hebrews, Persians, Greeks and Romans, though the Phoenicians tended to be ruled with a light hand by any conquerors, and allowed to continue their trading and ship-building. Eventually the Phoenician heartland became a Roman province and its people faded from history, but their contributions include disseminating the first known alphabet across the Mediterranean world, establishing Tyrian Purple as the color of nobility, and of course for founding the city-state of Carthage that would play such an important role in Roman history.

Phoenicia in Civilization VI is a maritime power that can spread across the coasts while also solidifying control over its holdings. Its Bireme is a faster, stronger Galley that also protects nearby seaborne Traders, while the Cothon is a replacement Harbor that on top of the normal benefits is faster to build, grants a production bonus toward naval units, heals any damaged ships within the city's borders, and speeds the production of Settlers in its city. This synergizes with Phoenicia's "Mediterranan Colonies" ability, which beyond providing a Eureka towards Writing at the game's start, lets its Settlers see and move further when embarked, and shift between land and sea without penalty. Furthermore, all Phoenician cities on the same continent as its capital will always have maximum loyalty, which in turn combos with Dido's "Founder of Carthage" leader bonus, which lets cities with a Cothon complete a project to move Phoenicia's capital, on top of giving Phoenicia an extra trade route upon completing a Government Plaza and boosting the production of districts in that city. The result is a civ that can quickly create a widespread merchantile empire, then move its capital to a choice landmass to lock down control of its cities there and guide Phoenicia towards nearly any victory type.

Ascended Extra: While Carthage has always been present in games since II, the Phoenician settlements of Byblos, Tyre and Sidon were city-states in V.
Badass Boast: Dido's war declaration.
Dido: Now we have war between us. Look to the seas - already the horizon is crowded with the sails of my fleets.
Born Under the Sail: As one of the earliest nautical civilizations in history, Phoenicia naturally gets an improved Harbor and Ancient Era naval unit.
Composite Character: Phoenicia is basically Civ VI's version of Carthage, which thanks to its "move capital" project can indeed become its capital.
Graceful Ladies Like Purple: Dido is dressed in a bright purple tunic which straddles the line between tasteful and alluring. A given for the queen of Phoenicia, the empire where the association of purple with wealthy, noble and powerful originates.
Green-Eyed Monster: Dido's "Sicilian Wars" agenda makes her try to settle along the sea, and dislike civs who compete with her for coastal real estate.
Dido: We have no interest in the land - that is for you to claim - but the seas and the shores are Phoenician.
No-Sell:
- Phoenicia is more or less immune to civs trying a Domination Victory against it, since it can simply move its capital to someplace more defensible if threatened.
- Similarly, "Mediterranean Colonies" makes Phoenicia ignore Eleanor of Aquitaine's leader bonus... unless the "Secret Socities" game mode is active, in which case enough Cultist units can eventually deal enough loyalty damage to make Phoenicia's cities flip.
Proud Merchant Race: Phoenicia's gameplay revolves around its superior Harbor districts, its special unit protects coastal traders, and it can create more trade routes than usual.
Proud Scholar Race: It's a small thing, but that starting Eureka towards Writing can help Phoenicia get a Campus out early, getting it started on the long path to a Science Victory.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To Carthage from earlier Civ games. It trades the War Elephants and ability to cross mountain tiles for political maneuvering and extra sea power.

Scotland

Scotland

Leader: Robert the Bruce (VI)
Unique Unit: Highlander (VI)
Unique Improvement: Golf Course (VI)
Ability: Scottish Enlightenment (VI)

Scotland's history has been one of struggle, against Roman invaders in the 1st Century AD, Viking raiders in the 9th Century, and its on-again, off-again rival to the south. The land was first united under King David I in 1124, but some two hundred years later, English ambitions would force heroes such as William Wallace and Robert the Bruce to fight for Scotland's independence. Though Scotland's sovereignty was eventually secured, five hundred years later the 1707 Treaty of Union brought the realms of Scotland and England together in a new United Kingdom. At around the same time, with the Industrial Revolution in full swing, Scotland entered a golden age of flourishing culture, productivity and scientific achievement, celebrated as the "Scottish Enlightenment." Today Scotland maintains its rich, unique national identity and continues contributing to world culture and science.

If Gaul represents the Celts of antiquity in Civ VI, Scotland represents the Celts that survived into modernity. Its "Scottish Enlightenment" ability grants bonus science, production, and Great Scientist and Engineer points from Campuses and Industrial Zones when Scottish cities are happy, moreso if they are ecstatic, while Scotland's midgame Golf Course unique improvement generates amenities, gold, culture, and later housing. But Scotland is also perfectly capable of defending itself with Robert the Bruce's "Bannockburn" leader bonus, which boosts the speed of Scottish units and doubles the production of Scotland's cities for 10 turns after declaring a War of Liberation. And, of course, the famous Highlanders make an appearance as a superior Ranger that gets a combat bonus in hills and woodland. So while a happy Scotland is well-positioned to secure a Science Victory, it can also use its industrial might and leader bonus to punish those who antagonize it.

Awaken the Sleeping Giant: Like Australia, Scotland gets doubled production under certain cassus belli, specifically Wars of Liberation. However, its units also get +2 movement as well, meaning that anyone who wants to take Scottish cities by force had better be ready to defend them tooth and nail lest Scotland take back what they lost, with interest besides.
Badass Bookworm: Its "Scottish Enlightenment" civ ability gives Scotland the means to be the preeminent scientific and industrial power in the game, provided their cities remain happy. The "Badass" part comes from the Highlander and Robert the Bruce's leader bonus bringing the hurt on anyone who tries to take Scottish cities.
Berserk Button: Robert's "Flower of Scotland" leader agenda means he'll never declare war on his immediate neighbors, unless they break a promise to him. In a similar vein, warring on one's neighbors is sure to tick him off.
Robert the Bruce: Keep your wars distant, or else you shall track the muck through your own lands.
The Clan: The ever-famous Highlanders appear as Scotland's unique unit, a stronger replacement of the Ranger which gets even stronger when in forests or hills.
Everything's Louder with Bagpipes: Roughly half of Scotland's ambient tracks have bagpipe music, as do half of the variations of its Ancient Era theme. The pipes skip the Medieval Era, but return late in the song for its Industrial and Atomic Era themes.
Martial Pacifist: Robert hates warring on his borders and will avoid it when possible, but god help you if he decides to take back what's his.
Robert the Bruce: (declaring war) War lingers in our hearts. Why carry on with a false peace?
National Stereotypes: Scotland gets golf courses as its unique improvement.
Standard Snippet: Scotland's music tracks in VI are all based on "Scotland the Brave".
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: They may not look like it at first, but they are in fact a more specific version of the Celtic civilization from past games, specifically as it appeared in Civ V, where the Celts used Edinburgh as their capital and Scotland's blue and white color palette for their borders.
Violent Glaswegian: Robert is an interesting subversion, focusing on production and science and hating those who war with their neighbors. However, he is perfectly capable of declaring wars of aggression in the right circumstances, he warns, "You'll dine on your own teeth before you set foot in Scotland!" when you attack him, and his denouncement speech has him threatening to brain you with an axe.^note

Scythia

Scythia

Leader: Tomyris (VI)
Unique Unit: Saka Horse Archer (VI)
Unique Improvement: Kurgan (VI)
Ability: People of the Steppe (VI)

"Scythia" is a Greek name dating back to the 8th century BC, referring to the central Eurasian lands east of the Vistula River and north of the Black Sea, which was inhabited by a loose confederation of initially-nomadic people. Little is known about them since they never developed a written language, but their mastery of mounted warfare and the presence of armored women in their burial mounds may have inspired Greek tales of centaurs and Amazons. The Scythians were situated along the Silk Road, and enriched themselves through both the slave trade and by raiding their neighbors, like Macedon and Persia. One account of the death of King Cyrus, as related by Herodotus, is that the Persian ruler used treachery to capture the son of the legendary Scythian warrior-queen Tomyris, and after Cyrus refused her demand to release his hostage, Tomyris' son killed himself, driving Tomyris to annihilate Cyrus and his army in a rage. But eventually Roman expansion drove other tribes like the Sarmatians and Goths into Scythian lands, so that by the second century AD, all the remained of the Scythians were their legacy of horsemanship and their distinct burial mounds.

In Civ VI, Scythia can build a Kurgan burial mound to help get out a pantheon early, but for the most part they're a military-focused civ specializing in mounted combat. Their "People of the Steppe" ability gives Scythia a free copy of any unit of light cavalry, or their unique Saka Horse Archer, that they train, allowing them to build a massive number of fast units in an alarmingly short time. Queen Tomyris will use her cavalry horde to dominate the battlefield, and her "Killer of Cyrus" leader bonus lets her forces more easily dispatch wounded foes, but her strict code of honor prevents her from attacking those who declare their friendship with her. Rivals who declare surprise attacks, or betray an ally, will quickly find themselves the target of her wrath.

Action Girl: Tomyris is the only female leader in Civ VI to don a full set of armor, and the one of the only female leaders beside Gorgo and Lady Trieu to get a combat-focused bonus.
Armour-Piercing Question: Her message if defeated.
Tomyris: The empress falls, but I will be remembered. Will you?
Ascended Extra: In Civ III and IV, some of the tribal goodie huts or barbarian units on the map could be labeled Scythian.
Bully Hunter: Tomyris has a strong dislike of leaders who launch surprise attacks against other civs. Such as Cyrus, for example.
Coup de Grâce: Tomyris' units get a bonus when fighting wounded foes.
The Horde: The resident one in the original release of VI, where neither Attila's Huns nor Genghis Khan's Mongols are featured.
Horse Archer: Saka Horse Archers, to be precise. Oddly, they don't require any Horse resources to build or maintain.
Life Drain: Tomyris' bonus allows units to heal 30 HP whenever they kill an enemy.
Never Be Hurt Again: Tomyris' greeting message is to threaten that "I will repay treachery with blood!" Which makes perfect sense to those familiar with her legend.
Not the Intended Use:
- An early exploit, patched a month after the game's release, was to abuse Scythia's "buy one get one free" approach to light cavalry by just selling off whatever you produced. With the right civics, you could purchase cavalry units for less than their resale value, for infinite gold income.
- As per Religious Bruiser below, their various combat bonuses apply to the metaphorical "theological" combat of apostles, missionaries, and inquisitors, allowing them to spread their power through religion very effectively.
Religious Bruiser: They're able to build primitive Faith-generating tombs called Kurgans at the start of the game, but what really qualifies them for this is their civ's natural ability to heal units after a successful combat. This even extends to their religious units like Apostles, which normally can only heal when retreating to a Holy Site. Which makes Scythia a shoe-in for religious victories as well as military ones.
Treachery Is a Special Kind of Evil: Tomyris dislikes those who declare Surprise Wars, and hates civs who do so against former friends or allies.
Tomyris: Loyalty is its own reward. Do you not know this?
You Require More Vespene Gas: Scythia without horses isn't nearly as threatening as Scythia with horses. Thankfully (for them), they get a bias towards starting near pasture tiles.
Zerg Rush: Their incredible bonuses to light cavalry production lets Scythia make fast and devastating attacks with Horsemen and Saka Horse Archers. And even though their unique unit becomes obsolete rather quickly, the ability to get a second light cavalry unit never does, which means that Scythia will also get a free helicopter when building one in the late game.

Vietnam

Vietnam

Leader: Bà Triệu (VI)
Unique Unit: Voi Chiến (VI)
Unique District: Thành (VI)
Ability: Nine Dragon River Delta (VI)

Vietnam has been settled since the Bronze Age, and its people have managed to flourish in a lush, tropical climate despite having to struggle against numerous invaders, from the various dynasties of neighboring China to imperial powers across the globe. The Trung Sisters rebelled against the occupying Han Dynasty in 40 AD, and Bà Triệu ("Lady Triệu") resisted the Eastern Wu during China's Three Kingdoms era, but it wasn't until 938 that Ngo Quyen managed to drive out the Chinese and secure Vietnam's independence. In 1010, Ly Thai To established the Ly Dynasty from his capital of Thang Long (modern Hanoi), but just two centuries later, Vietnam would have to repel multiple Mongol invasions, then in the early 15th Century the Ming Dynasty occupied the country. Le Loi was able to once again liberate his homeland and establish the Le Dynasty, and over the next few centuries Vietnam reached its peak, expanding south into the Kingdom of Champa and part of the Khmer Empire. Unfortunately, infighting weakened Vietnam so that the French colonized the country in the 19th Century, and then Imperial Japan occupied it during World War II, prompting the communist leader Ho Chi Minh to establish the Viet Minh resistance movement. When both the Japanese and French were driven out, the country fell into a civil war between Minh's supporters in the north and an ostensibly republican south, which prompted the United States to send an increasing number of troops to prevent a feared "domino effect" of Southeast Asian countries falling to communism. After years of bitter fighting, the Viet Cong's stubborn resistance and faltering domestic support for the war in America led to the US withdrawing, and Vietnam was quickly reunified as a communist state. Economic reforms have allowed Vietnam to enjoy high GDP growth, and today it is on surprisingly good terms with the rest of the world.

In Civ VI, Vietnam excels at two things, thriving in difficult terrain and making invaders' lives hell. Its civilization ability, "Nine Dragon River Delta," restricts specialty districts to tiles with rainforest, marsh or wood features, but lets buildings there generate additional science, production and culture, respectively. Vietnam can also plant forests as early as the Medieval Era, as well as build the Thành, a variant Encampment that is cheaper, costs no population, and brings in bonus culture and later tourism based on the number of adjacent districts. Meanwhile, Lady Triệu's "Drive Out the Aggressors" leader bonus gives Vietnamese units a speed and strength boost while in green cover, a bonus that is doubled inside Vietnam's borders. As if that weren't enough to dissuade invaders, Vietnam also has the Voi Chiến war elephant, a stronger, faster Crossbowman that can move after attacking, allowing it to strike and then vanish into the woods. Vietnam can thus use terrain to work toward a Culture or Science Victory, secure in the knowledge that it can outmaneuver and outfight anyone who trespasses in its jungles, or it can venture forth and use the enemy's woodlands against them.

Action Girl: Lady Triệu is one of the few female leaders in Civ VI with a combat-related bonus, though as the name suggests "Drive Out The Aggressors" is most powerful on defense. She also proudly totes her spear on the diplomacy screen and is not afraid to brandish it in the event of hostilities.
Ascended Extra: Hanoi was a city-state in V.
Badass Boast: Lady Triệu's war declaration.
Bà Triệu: You are at war with the army of Vietnam. Do you hear the sounds of the rallying drums? Or perhaps the thunderous roars of the war elephants? Our army is rushing out to battle!
Breaking Old Trends: Vietnam is one of two civilizations in the game (the other being Zululand) whose capital does not match up with its leader - the city of Thang Long, AKA modern-day Hanoi, would not become the Vietnamese capital until 1010 AD, long after Lady Trieu died.
Cultured Badass: Vietnam's civ ability grants natural culture from woods (which it can plant with the Medieval Faires civic), and its replacement for the Encampment generates bonus culture from adjacent districts, while its leader bonus makes it excel at guerrilla warfare.
Defiant to the End: Lady Triệu, natch.
Bà Triệu: You thought you have defeated me? I will ascend to heaven to become the sacred spirit of the rivers and mountains, never to submit!
Hidden Elf Village: Lady Triệu gets along well with civs that mind their own business and don't cause trouble with her. On the other hand, her leader bonus can also be applied offensively, albeit to a less dramatic extent, so this can be subverted.
Bà Triệu: You have never plotted to destroy me, so I will not do that to you.
Home Field Advantage: Lady Triệu's leader bonus grants Vietnamese units +5 combat strength and +1 movement in rainforest, woods or marshes, bonuses which are doubled if those tiles are within Vietnamese territory. That stacks with any other defensive bonuses and pretty much means that invading Vietnam is the last thing any leader wants to do. Or will do, for that matter...
Nature Hero: Vietnam can only build land specialty districts on woods, marshes and jungles, but gains additional yields from those features, and can plant forests several eras earlier than its rivals.
Revenge: Lady Triệu's "Defender of the Homeland" agenda means she remembers those that keep peace with her and those that declared war on her, with a negative opinion modifier that increases for each turn a war drags on, and which never decays. When accepting friendship, she cheerfully informs you that she has taken you off her revenge list - and when you reject hers, she casually reminds you of "what happens to my enemies". This can descend into Revenge Before Reason or ascend into Roaring Rampage of Revenge, depending on her relative strength...
Bà Triệu: Vietnam is keeping an eye on you.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To Civ V's Native American civs. Vietnam can move quickly through woodland and prospers there like the Iroquois, and also enjoys a combat bonus within friendly territory like the Shoshone.
Stone Wall: Much like in history, Vietnam is hard to invade, and its units can do well in difficult terrain.
Sturdy and Steady Turtles: Their emblem in VI is Kim Quy the Golden Turtle God, a deity known for lending powerful weapons to Vietnamese rulers. It's also a Stealth Pun on their strong defensive capabilities.
War Elephants: The Voi Chiến provides a ranged example, and a surprisingly fast and sneaky one for a pachyderm, since its ability to engage in Hit-and-Run Tactics is amplified in dense terrain.

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