Last week I wrote briefly about my first game of Civilization VII, which was still in process.  At the time, I was in the Exploration Age, playing as Spain with Benjamin Franklin.  My plan initially was to play as the United States of America in the Modern Age, but then I unlocked Siam.

While the USA was clearly the more fleshed-out Modern civ, the incongruity of going from ancient Rome to Middle Ages Spain to modern Siam was too tempting—and with Benjamin Franklin as the leader, it just seemed like a total blast.  Indeed, it was:  Siam was fun to play, especially their elephant-mounted ranged riflemen.

Siam’s whole conceit is to cultivate international influence, so I found myself edging towards the Economic Victory.  The idea is that you build enough railroad depots and ship enough goods to accumulate 500 railroad points, at which point the possibility of establishing the World Bank opens.  To open the World Bank, you have to establish a branch office in every foreign capital, which involves spending both money and influence (think of influence as the “currency” of diplomacy).  The cost increases in civilizations that are hostile to you.

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