A Cultural Victory in Civilization 6 is a testament to a civilization’s magnetic appeal, and no leader is better equipped to harness the raw, untamed beauty of the world than Teddy Roosevelt. As America’s steward, Teddy possesses a unique and powerful synergy with National Parks, transforming breathtaking landscapes into tourism powerhouses. This guide delves into the nuanced strategies and advanced tactics required to master the art of the National Park, turning your civilization into a global cultural phenomenon.
Analysis on forums and among dedicated players consistently highlights Teddy Roosevelt, particularly his Bull Moose persona, as a top-tier leader for a culture-focused game. His abilities are not merely a passive bonus but a directive, a clear strategic path toward victory that revolves around the preservation and celebration of nature. This guide will provide a comprehensive framework for achieving that victory, from initial city placement to late-game tourism optimization.
Understanding Teddy’s Unique Advantages
To effectively leverage Teddy Roosevelt, it is crucial to understand the specific mechanics of his two leader variations. While both are potent, they encourage slightly different strategic approaches.
Bull Moose Teddy: The Appeal Virtuoso
The Bull Moose incarnation of Teddy, introduced in the Gathering Storm expansion, is a cultural powerhouse whose abilities are tailor-made for a National Park strategy. His “Antiquities and Parks” ability is the cornerstone of this approach.
- Science and Culture from Appeal: Tiles with Breathtaking appeal provide +2 Science if adjacent to a Mountain or Natural Wonder and +2 Culture if adjacent to a Wonder or Woods. This ability transforms high-appeal terrain from a passive aesthetic into an active generator of essential yields.
- Enhanced National Parks: All tiles in a city with a National Park gain an additional +1 Appeal. This creates a powerful feedback loop, where building a National Park makes it easier to create more National Parks and further boosts the yields from his leader ability.
Rough Rider Teddy: The Continental Guardian
The original Rough Rider version of Teddy offers a more versatile, security-oriented approach that can seamlessly transition into a cultural game.
- Roosevelt Corollary: This ability provides a +5 Combat Strength bonus to all units on your home continent and grants +1 Appeal to all tiles in a city with a National Park. The combat bonus allows you to secure a large, uncontested territory early in the game, providing the space needed for sprawling National Parks in the later eras. The appeal bonus, while less potent than the Bull Moose version, is still a significant advantage.
For the purposes of this guide, the primary focus will be on the Bull Moose Teddy strategy, as it is the most direct and powerful path to a National Park-fueled Cultural Victory. However, many of the principles discussed can be adapted for Rough Rider Teddy as well.
The Foundation: Mastering Tile Appeal
The entire National Park strategy hinges on a single, crucial metric: Tile Appeal. A National Park can only be created on a vertical diamond of four tiles, all of which must have an Appeal rating of “Charming” (+2) or higher. Therefore, understanding and manipulating tile appeal is the most critical skill to develop.
Positive Appeal Modifiers
A popular strategy is to proactively cultivate high-appeal landscapes. This involves not just preserving natural beauty but actively creating it.
- Natural Features: Mountains, Coasts, Rivers, Lakes, and Oases all provide a +1 Appeal bonus to adjacent tiles. Woods also provide a +1 bonus to their own tile and adjacent tiles.
- Districts: Holy Sites, Theater Squares, Entertainment Complexes, and Water Parks are your friends, each providing a +1 Appeal bonus to adjacent tiles.
- Wonders: All World Wonders grant +1 Appeal to adjacent tiles. The Eiffel Tower is a game-changing wonder, providing a massive +2 Appeal to every tile in your empire. The Golden Gate Bridge also provides a substantial +4 appeal to its city’s tiles.
- Improvements: City Parks grant +2 Appeal to adjacent tiles. Certain unique improvements, like the Sphinx or Nazca Lines, also boost appeal.
- Preserves: The Preserve district is a powerful tool for boosting appeal. It grants +1 Appeal to adjacent tiles, and its buildings, the Grove and Sanctuary, provide bonus yields to adjacent unimproved tiles with high appeal.
Negative Appeal Modifiers
Just as important as knowing what boosts appeal is knowing what harms it. Many professional gamers suggest a careful and deliberate approach to city planning to avoid sabotaging your own efforts.
- Districts: Industrial Zones, Encampments, and Aerodromes are the enemies of appeal, inflicting a -1 penalty on adjacent tiles. Plan their placement carefully, ideally far away from your intended National Park sites.
- Terrain: Rainforests, Marshes, and Floodplains all carry a -1 Appeal penalty. These should be cleared in areas you wish to develop for tourism.
- Improvements: Mines, Quarries, and Oil Wells also reduce adjacent tile appeal by -1.
A key tactic is to use the Appeal Lens (default key ‘3’) frequently to visualize the appeal of your terrain. This will help you identify promising locations for National Parks and plan your city development accordingly.
The Strategy in Motion: A Step-by-Step Guide
A successful National Park strategy is a game-long endeavor. It begins with your first settler and culminates in a global tourism empire.
Early Game (Ancient to Classical Era)
Your primary goal in the early game is to lay the groundwork for your future cultural explosion.
- City Placement: Settle your cities in locations with high inherent appeal. Look for areas with mountains, rivers, and woods. Don’t be afraid to settle a city in a seemingly suboptimal location if it has access to a cluster of high-appeal tiles that can later be formed into a National Park.
- Faith Generation: National Parks are created by Naturalists, units that can only be purchased with Faith. Therefore, establishing a strong Faith economy is non-negotiable. Build Holy Sites in most of your cities. The Earth Goddess pantheon is an exceptionally powerful choice, providing +1 Faith from tiles with Breathtaking appeal.
- Early Wonders: While not essential, early wonders like Stonehenge or the Oracle can provide a significant boost to your Faith generation, accelerating your progress toward a religion and the ability to purchase Naturalists.
Mid Game (Medieval to Industrial Era)
This is the pivotal era where your strategy begins to take shape.
- The Conservation Civic: Your most important mid-game goal is to research the Conservation civic. This unlocks the ability to plant new forests with builders and, most importantly, allows you to purchase Naturalists with Faith.
- The Eiffel Tower: As you approach the Modern Era, prioritize the construction of the Eiffel Tower. The +2 Appeal bonus it provides to your entire empire is transformative, instantly making vast swathes of your territory eligible for National Parks.
- Identifying Park Locations: With the Appeal Lens active, start scouting for the tell-tale vertical diamond shape of four unimproved, high-appeal tiles. Remember, all four tiles must be owned by the same city. You can swap tile ownership between cities if necessary.
- The Role of Builders: Your Builders are no longer just for improving resources. They are now your primary tools for terraforming the landscape. Use them to plant forests on tiles that need an appeal boost and to remove improvements from tiles you’ve designated for a National Park.
Late Game (Modern to Future Era)
This is where your careful planning pays off. Your empire should be a tapestry of pristine wilderness and cultural landmarks, ready to attract the world.
- Purchasing Naturalists: With a steady flow of Faith, begin purchasing Naturalists and sending them to your pre-planned National Park locations. Each park you create will generate a significant amount of Tourism, based on the combined appeal of its four tiles.
- Synergistic Wonders and Buildings: The tourism from your National Parks can be further amplified by other buildings and wonders. The Film Studio, available in the Atomic Era, doubles the tourism output of a city. Seaside Resorts, which can be built on coastal tiles with Breathtaking appeal, also provide a substantial tourism boost.
- Rock Bands: According to the player community, Rock Bands are a powerful late-game tool for closing out a Cultural Victory. Purchased with Faith, these units can be sent to other civilizations to perform concerts, generating massive amounts of tourism.
Advanced Tactics and Synergies
To elevate your game from proficient to masterful, consider these advanced strategies.
- The Power of Preserves: The Preserve district, when placed correctly, can be incredibly powerful. A well-placed Preserve can boost the appeal of multiple potential National Park tiles simultaneously. The Grove and Sanctuary buildings also provide bonus food, faith, culture, and science to adjacent unimproved tiles, further enhancing the yields of your pristine wilderness.
- Great People: Certain Great People can significantly enhance your National Park strategy. Great Engineers like Alvar Aalto and Charles Correa can directly boost tile appeal. Great Merchants can provide bonus tourism and trade route yields.
- Strategic Removal of Features: Don’t be afraid to remove features that are hindering your appeal. Clearing a marsh or a rainforest might seem counterintuitive to a nature-focused strategy, but if it allows you to create a National Park that will generate far more culture and tourism in the long run, it is a worthwhile sacrifice.
Conclusion
Building a National Park empire with Teddy Roosevelt is one of the most rewarding experiences in Civilization 6. It is a strategy that requires foresight, careful planning, and a deep appreciation for the game’s intricate mechanics. By mastering the art of tile appeal, cultivating a strong Faith economy, and strategically leveraging Teddy’s unique abilities, you can create a civilization that is not just powerful, but also breathtakingly beautiful. The world will flock to your borders, not as conquerors, but as tourists, eager to witness the natural wonders you have so carefully preserved and celebrated.