Many Civilization 6 players associate Teddy Roosevelt with a Culture Victory, and for good reason. His “Bull Moose” persona, with its emphasis on breathtaking appeal and National Parks, seems tailor-made for attracting tourists. However, analysis on forums shows that this same ability, when properly understood and leveraged, can create a scientific powerhouse that leaves other civilizations in the dust. This guide will break down, in detail, how to achieve a surprisingly swift and straightforward Science Victory with Bull Moose Teddy Roosevelt.
The Bull Moose Advantage: Understanding the Engine of Your Science Victory
At the heart of this strategy is Teddy’s “Bull Moose” ability. It grants +2 Science to tiles with Breathtaking appeal adjacent to a mountain or Natural Wonder, and +2 Culture to tiles with Breathtaking appeal adjacent to a Wonder or woods. This might seem like a minor bonus at first, but with careful planning, it becomes the engine of your scientific progress.
To understand how to leverage this, it’s crucial to understand the concept of “appeal” in Civilization 6. Every tile in the game has an appeal rating, ranging from “Uninviting” to “Breathtaking.” This rating is influenced by adjacent tiles. For example, mountains, coasts, and Natural Wonders boost appeal, while marshes, rainforests, and industrial zones lower it.
The key to a successful Teddy Roosevelt science game is to manipulate the appeal of your tiles to create large areas of “Breathtaking” land. This, in turn, will generate a massive amount of passive science, freeing up your cities to focus on other priorities.
Early Game (Antiquity to Classical Era): Laying the Foundation for Scientific Dominance
The early game is all about setting up the conditions for your scientific explosion in the mid and late game. According to the player community, your first few turns are critical.
Starting Location: The Hunt for High Appeal
Your starting location is more important for Teddy than for almost any other leader. You are looking for a spot with a high concentration of features that boost appeal. This includes:
- Mountains: These are your best friends. They provide a significant appeal bonus to adjacent tiles and are also great for Campus adjacency bonuses.
- Natural Wonders: Spawning near a Natural Wonder is a massive boon. Not only do they provide a huge appeal boost, but they also trigger the science bonus from Teddy’s ability.
- Coasts and Rivers: These also provide a decent appeal bonus and are good for city growth.
- Woods and Oases: These provide a smaller, but still significant, appeal bonus.
Conversely, you want to avoid areas with a lot of marshes and rainforests, as these will drag down the appeal of your tiles.
Early Build Order: A Foundation for Growth
A popular strategy is to open with a standard build order:
- Scout: Your first priority is to explore your surroundings and identify potential city locations. You’re looking for those high-appeal areas we just discussed.
- Settler: Your second city should be founded as soon as possible, ideally in a location with good appeal and access to different resources than your capital.
- Slinger: A couple of slingers are essential for defending against early barbarian rushes and deterring aggressive neighbors.
The Preserve District: Your Secret Weapon
The Preserve district is the cornerstone of this strategy. It’s a unique district that enhances the yields of adjacent, unimproved tiles. The Sanctuary building, available in the Preserve, is particularly powerful. It provides +1 Science and Gold to Charming tiles, and a whopping +2 Science, +2 Production, and +2 Gold to Breathtaking tiles.
Many professional gamers suggest building a Preserve as your first or second district in every city. Place it in a location where it is surrounded by as many high-appeal tiles as possible. This will create a “science park” that will generate a significant portion of your early-game science.
Early Policy Cards and Pantheon: Setting the Stage
Your choice of early policy cards and Pantheon can further enhance your strategy.
- Policy Cards: Look for cards that boost production towards settlers and builders, as you’ll need a lot of both to expand your empire and improve your tiles.
- Pantheon: The “Earth Goddess” Pantheon is a strong choice. It provides +1 Faith from tiles with Breathtaking appeal. This faith can be used to purchase Naturalists later in the game to create National Parks, which further boost appeal.
Mid-Game (Medieval to Industrial Era): Accelerating Your Research and Expanding Your Empire
The mid-game is where your careful planning starts to pay off. Your science output should be starting to ramp up, and you should be looking to expand your empire and solidify your technological lead.
Campus Districts: The Traditional Path to Science
While your Preserves will be generating a lot of passive science, you shouldn’t neglect the traditional path to a Science Victory: the Campus district. Build a Campus in every city, and prioritize the construction of Libraries, Universities, and Research Labs.
Analysis on forums shows that the ideal placement for a Campus is adjacent to mountains, as this provides a significant adjacency bonus. However, don’t be afraid to place a Campus in a less-than-ideal location if it means preserving a high-appeal tile for a Preserve.
Key Technologies: Charting a Course to the Stars
Your research path should be focused on unlocking the key technologies needed for a Science Victory. These include:
- Education: Unlocks Universities, a crucial building for any science-focused empire.
- Scientific Theory: Unlocks Research Labs, the most powerful science-generating building in the game.
- Computers: Unlocks the final tier of science-boosting policy cards.
The Eiffel Tower: A Game-Changing Wonder
The Eiffel Tower is the single most important Wonder for this strategy. It provides +2 appeal to every tile in your empire. This is a massive boost that will turn many of your tiles into “Breathtaking,” supercharging your science output.
Start planning for the Eiffel Tower early. It’s a competitive Wonder, so you’ll need a city with high production to build it quickly. A popular strategy is to save a Great Engineer charge to help rush its construction.
Late Game (Modern to Future Era): The Final Push to the Stars
The late game is a race to the finish line. You should have a significant technological lead, and your focus should be on completing the space race projects as quickly as possible.
The Space Race: From Earth to the Cosmos
The Science Victory requires you to complete a series of space race projects:
- Launch Earth Satellite: The first step on your journey to the stars.
- Launch Moon Landing: A giant leap for your civilization.
- Launch Mars Colony: The final project, which secures your victory.
These projects require a massive amount of production, so you’ll need to have a few cities with high production output.
Spies: Protecting Your Technological Advantage
As you pull ahead in the technology race, other civilizations will start to take notice. They will likely send spies to your cities to try and steal your technologies. To counter this, you’ll need to build and deploy your own spies to protect your Campuses and Industrial Zones.
Late-Game Policy Cards: Fine-Tuning Your Empire
Your choice of late-game policy cards can provide the final push you need to secure victory. The “Rationalism” policy card is a must-have. It provides a significant boost to science from Campus buildings, especially in cities with high populations.
Advanced Strategies and Nuances: Insights from the Community
Beyond the core strategy, there are a number of advanced techniques and nuances that can further optimize your path to a Science Victory.
Strategic Industrial Zone Placement
Industrial Zones are a double-edged sword for this strategy. On the one hand, you need the production they provide to build wonders and space race projects. On the other hand, they lower the appeal of adjacent tiles, which can hurt your science output.
A popular strategy is to designate one or two cities as your “industrial hubs.” These cities will be responsible for the bulk of your production. Place your Industrial Zones in these cities, and make sure they are located away from your high-appeal “science parks.”
The “Chop and Replace” Strategy
Sometimes, you’ll find a perfect spot for a National Park, only to discover that it’s covered in woods or rainforest. Don’t be afraid to chop down these features to make way for your park. You can always plant new woods later in the game with the “Conservation” civic.
Balancing Production and Appeal: The Eternal Struggle
The biggest challenge of this strategy is balancing the need for production with the need for high appeal. There will be times when you have to make tough choices, such as whether to build a mine on a high-appeal tile or preserve it for a Preserve.
There’s no easy answer to this dilemma. It will depend on your specific situation. However, a good rule of thumb is to prioritize appeal in the early game, and then shift your focus to production in the late game when you need to build the space race projects.
Conclusion
While it may seem unconventional, a Science Victory with Bull Moose Teddy Roosevelt is not only possible, but it can also be one of the most enjoyable and rewarding ways to play the game. By understanding and leveraging his unique abilities, you can create a scientific powerhouse that will leave your opponents in the dust. Careful planning, strategic district placement, and a willingness to think outside the box are the keys to success. So next time you’re looking for a new challenge in Civilization 6, give this strategy a try. You might be surprised at how quickly you can reach the stars.