Civ 6 Georgia Guide: Tamar Strategy (Religion & Diplomacy)

Tamar’s Arsenal: Understanding Georgia’s Strengths

To master Georgia, one must first understand the intricate synergies of its unique abilities. These are not straightforward bonuses but rather a set of interconnected advantages that, when used correctly, create a powerful engine for growth and influence.

Glory of the World, Kingdom and Faith

This is the cornerstone of Tamar’s entire strategy. It has three distinct components:

• Double Envoys: For every envoy you send to a city-state that follows your majority religion, you get a second one for free. This is, without a doubt, one of the most powerful diplomatic abilities in the game. It allows you to become the suzerain of numerous city-states with half the effort of other civilizations.
• Faith from Kills: When you defeat an enemy unit, you gain Faith equal to 50% of its combat strength. This provides a steady stream of faith in the early game from barbarian encampments and can be a significant boon during defensive wars.
• Protectorate War: This unique casus belli allows you to declare war on any civilization that attacks a city-state you are the suzerain of, with no warmonger penalties. Winning this war grants a massive +100% Faith bonus for 10 turns, a surge that can be used to purchase a wave of religious units or key buildings.

Strength in Unity

This ability is all about momentum. It has two parts:

• Golden Age Chaining: When you earn a Golden or Heroic Age, you also receive the Normal Age bonus towards Era Score from your dedication. This makes it significantly easier to string together consecutive Golden Ages, keeping your civilization in a perpetual state of prosperity.
• Wall Production Bonus: You receive a +50% production bonus when building walls. This, combined with the Limes policy card, allows you to fortify your cities with incredible speed, making you a very difficult target for early aggression.

Tsikhe

This unique replacement for Renaissance Walls is a powerhouse of faith and, later, tourism. It provides a base +4 Faith, which is doubled to +8 during a Golden Age. After the Conservation civic is researched, it also provides a significant amount of tourism, making a surprise Cultural Victory a viable secondary option.

Khevsur

Georgia’s unique Medieval-era melee unit, the Khevsur, is a formidable defender. With a +7 combat strength bonus on hills and no movement penalty in that terrain, they are perfectly suited for Georgia’s often hilly starting locations. They do not require iron, making them easy to produce in large numbers.

The First 100 Turns: Building a Foundation of Faith

The early game for Tamar is a race against time with one singular objective: founding a religion. Many professional gamers suggest that failing to do so severely cripples her potential.

Early Game Strategy (Ancient to Classical Era)

• Priority #1: Founding a Religion: Your first district should almost always be a Holy Site. Look for high-adjacency locations next to mountains or natural wonders. Once the Holy Site is built, immediately begin running the Holy Site Prayers project to generate Great Prophet points. As soon as you research the Mysticism civic, slot in the “Revelation” policy card for an additional +2 Great Prophet points per turn.
• Pantheon Choices: Your choice of pantheon can significantly impact your early game. Divine Spark is an excellent choice to accelerate your Great Prophet generation. Alternatively, a faith-generating pantheon like Religious Settlements or Stone Circles can also be effective.
• Early Exploration and City-State Relations: While focusing on religion, do not neglect exploration. Use your starting warrior and a scout to explore the map and, most importantly, meet as many city-states as possible. Every city-state you meet is a potential future ally.
• Defensive Measures: Thanks to your production bonus, building walls is a quick and efficient way to deter early aggression. A few archers and your unique Khevsur units will be more than enough to defend your borders.

The Diplomatic Dance: Mastering City-State Relations

Once your religion is founded, the mid-game is where Tamar truly begins to shine. Your focus now shifts to spreading your faith and leveraging your double envoy ability to build a vast network of allied city-states.

Mid-Game Strategy (Medieval to Renaissance Era)

• Spreading Your Religion to City-States: This is the heart of Tamar’s strategy. Train missionaries and apostles and send them to nearby city-states. Converting a city-state to your religion is the key that unlocks your diplomatic dominance.
• The Power of Double Envoys: With your religion established in a city-state, every envoy you send counts as two. This allows you to quickly and efficiently become the suzerain of multiple city-states, far outpacing your rivals.
• Governor Spotlight: Amani and Moksha:
  • Amani, the Diplomat: Amani is your most valuable asset. Her ability to be assigned to a city-state and instantly add two envoys is incredibly powerful. With the “Puppeteer” promotion, she doubles the number of envoys you have in that city-state, making it nearly impossible for other civilizations to challenge your suzerainty.
  • Moksha, the Cardinal: If you are pursuing a Religious Victory, Moksha is essential. His “Patron Saint” promotion grants your apostles an extra promotion, making them incredibly effective at spreading your faith. His “Divine Architect” ability, which allows you to purchase districts with faith, is also a game-changer.
• Essential Wonders:
  • Apadana: This wonder grants you two envoys upon completion and two more for every wonder built in that city. It is a must-build for any diplomatic game.
  • Kilwa Kisiwani: This is arguably the most powerful wonder in the game for a diplomatic victory. It provides massive yields based on your suzerainty of different types of city-states.
  • Mahabodhi Temple and Potala Palace: These wonders provide a significant boost to your diplomatic and religious efforts.
• The Protectorate War: Do not be afraid to use this unique casus belli. If a rival attacks one of your city-states, declare a Protectorate War. The massive faith bonus you receive upon victory can be used to purchase a wave of religious units to further spread your faith or to purchase key buildings and units during a Golden Age.

The Khevsur: Georgia’s Hill-Dwelling Warriors

While Tamar’s primary strengths lie in faith and diplomacy, the Khevsur provides a potent military option, particularly for defense.

Tactical Guide to the Khevsur

• Offensive and Defensive Strategies: The key to using the Khevsur effectively is to fight on hills. With their +7 combat strength bonus, they can go toe-to-toe with much stronger units. Use their superior mobility on hills to outmaneuver your opponents and strike from fortified positions.
• Unit Composition: While strong, Khevsurs are not invincible. They are vulnerable to knights and crossbowmen. It is crucial to support them with a mix of ranged units and anti-cavalry units.
• Synergy with Tamar’s Abilities: Remember that every Khevsur kill generates faith. A successful defensive war can not only protect your borders but also fuel your religious expansion.

The Path to Victory: Religion or Diplomacy?

In the late game, you will be in a powerful position to pursue either a Diplomatic or Religious Victory. The choice will depend on the specific circumstances of your game.

Late-Game Strategy (Industrial to Information Era)

The Diplomatic Victory Path

• Dominating the World Congress: By this point, you should be the suzerain of a vast number of city-states. This will give you a massive amount of Diplomatic Favor, allowing you to control the World Congress and vote for resolutions that grant you Diplomatic Victory points.
• Maximizing Diplomatic Favor Generation: Build the Országház wonder and form alliances with other civilizations to maximize your Diplomatic Favor income.
• Key Wonders: The Statue of Liberty is a must-build for a Diplomatic Victory, as it grants you a significant number of Diplomatic Victory points.

The Religious Victory Path

• Building a Powerful Religious Force: Use your strong faith income to build a large army of apostles and gurus. The “Exodus of the Evangelists” Golden Age dedication is particularly powerful, granting your religious units more spreads and movement.
• Overcoming Religious Competitors: Use your highly promoted apostles to engage in theological combat and eliminate rival religions.

The Cultural Victory Path

While not her primary path, a Cultural Victory is a viable secondary option for Tamar. The tourism output from your Tsikhes, especially during a Golden Age, can be significant. By building cultural wonders and using the governor Pingala to boost your culture and tourism, you can surprise your opponents with a late-game cultural victory.

Navigating Challenges: Overcoming Obstacles as Tamar

Tamar’s path to victory is not without its challenges. Here are some common pitfalls and how to avoid them:

• Failing to Found a Religion: As mentioned earlier, this is the biggest threat to your success. Prioritize religion above all else in the early game.
• Early-Game Aggression: If you find yourself the target of an early rush, use your production bonus to build walls and churn out Khevsur units. A successful defense can turn the tide in your favor.
• Managing a Wide Empire of City-States: While being the suzerain of many city-states is powerful, it can also be a drain on your resources. Use your envoys strategically, focusing on the city-states that provide the most valuable bonuses for your victory condition.

Conclusion

Playing as Tamar of Georgia is a unique and rewarding experience. She is a leader who thrives on careful planning, long-term strategy, and the subtle art of influence. By mastering her intricate web of religious and diplomatic abilities, you can transform Georgia into a global powerhouse, capable of achieving a decisive victory not through brute force, but through the enduring power of faith and the unbreakable bonds of alliance. Analysis on forums shows that a well-played Tamar can be one of the most dominant forces in the game, a testament to the fact that in Civilization 6, the pen, and the holy book, can indeed be mightier than the sword.