The path to victory in Civilization VI is often paved with military might or scientific superiority. However, a select few leaders can achieve dominance not through conquest, but through the sheer beauty of their empire. At the forefront of this aesthetic approach stands Bull Moose Teddy Roosevelt, a leader uniquely equipped to turn breathtaking landscapes into a wellspring of culture and science. For the discerning player, mastering the art of city planning with Teddy isn’t just about creating a pretty empire; it’s about forging a strategic engine that can power you to a decisive Cultural Victory. This guide will provide a comprehensive framework for planning your cities to maximize Appeal, transforming every mountain, forest, and coastline into a source of national power.
The Allure of Appeal: Understanding the Core Mechanic
Before one can effectively manipulate Appeal, it is crucial to understand what it is and how it is calculated. In Civilization VI, every tile has an Appeal value, which can range from “Disgusting” (-3 or lower) to “Breathtaking” (+4 or higher). This value is not merely for show; it has a direct impact on several game mechanics. High Appeal is a prerequisite for building Neighborhoods with high housing capacity and for establishing Seaside Resorts, a key source of tourism. For most leaders, this is where the direct influence of Appeal ends. For Bull Moose Teddy, however, it is just the beginning.
The Appeal of a tile is determined by its adjacent tiles. According to the player community, a simple way to think about it is a system of positive and negative modifiers.
Positive Modifiers:
* +2 Appeal: Adjacent Natural Wonder.
* +1 Appeal: Adjacent Coast, Lake, River, Mountain, Woods, or Oasis.
* +1 Appeal: Adjacent Holy Site, Theater Square, Entertainment Complex, Water Park, or Preserve.
* +1 Appeal: Adjacent Wonder.
Negative Modifiers:
* -1 Appeal: Adjacent Rainforest, Marsh, or Floodplains.
* -1 Appeal: Adjacent Industrial Zone, Encampment, Aerodrome, or Spaceport.
* -1 Appeal: Adjacent Mine, Quarry, Oil Well, or Offshore Oil Rig.
* -1 Appeal: Adjacent pillaged tile.
These modifiers stack, so a tile adjacent to a mountain and a forest will receive a +2 bonus to its base Appeal. Conversely, a tile next to a rainforest and a mine will suffer a -2 penalty. Understanding these fundamental interactions is the first step towards sculpting a high-Appeal empire.
The Bull Moose Advantage: Maximizing Teddy’s Unique Abilities
What truly sets Bull Moose Teddy apart is his “Antiquities and Parks” leader ability. This ability transforms high-Appeal tiles from a passive bonus into an active source of yields. Specifically:
- Tiles with Breathtaking Appeal (+4 or higher) provide +2 Science if adjacent to a Mountain or Natural Wonder.
- Tiles with Breathtaking Appeal (+4 or higher) provide +2 Culture if adjacent to a Wonder or Woods.
- Gain +1 Appeal for all tiles in a city with a National Park.
This ability is the cornerstone of the Bull Moose strategy. It means that a well-placed city, surrounded by mountains and forests, can generate a significant amount of Science and Culture from the very early stages of the game, long before Libraries and Monuments are even constructed. Many professional gamers suggest that the key to a successful Bull Moose game is to prioritize settling locations that can leverage this ability from the outset.
Furthermore, Teddy’s unique unit, the Rough Rider, gains +10 Combat Strength when fighting on Hills, which are often high-Appeal tiles. His unique building, the Film Studio, which replaces the Broadcast Center, provides a massive boost to tourism, further synergizing with a culture-focused playstyle.
The Art of Urban Planning: Strategic District and Wonder Placement
With Teddy’s abilities in mind, city planning becomes a delicate art of balancing the need for productive districts with the imperative to maintain high Appeal. Analysis on forums shows that the most successful players meticulously plan their city layouts from the moment of settlement.
A popular strategy is the creation of “green belts” – areas of high Appeal that are intentionally left undeveloped or are enhanced with Appeal-boosting districts. The Preserve district is a lynchpin of this strategy. On its own, it provides +1 Appeal to adjacent tiles. With its Grove and Sanctuary buildings, it provides additional yields to adjacent unimproved tiles, further rewarding the preservation of natural beauty. Placing a Preserve adjacent to a cluster of mountains or a forest can create a powerful engine for both yields and Appeal.
Conversely, districts that generate negative Appeal must be placed with extreme care. Industrial Zones, Encampments, and Aerodromes should be quarantined in a city’s “industrial sector,” far away from the tiles you intend to make Breathtaking. A common mistake is to place these districts haphazardly, inadvertently poisoning the Appeal of otherwise valuable tiles.
Wonders, too, play a crucial role in this delicate dance. Not only do they provide a +1 Appeal bonus to adjacent tiles, but they also trigger Teddy’s +2 Culture bonus on adjacent Breathtaking tiles. The Eiffel Tower is, without a doubt, the most important Wonder for a Bull Moose player. Its empire-wide +2 Appeal bonus is a game-changer, instantly transforming many tiles into Charming or Breathtaking. The Golden Gate Bridge is another powerful, albeit more localized, option, providing a +4 Appeal bonus to all tiles in its city.
Creating Natural Masterpieces: A Guide to National Parks
National Parks are the ultimate expression of an Appeal-focused strategy. They are a significant source of Tourism and Amenities, and for Teddy, they provide an additional +1 Appeal to all tiles in the city where they are located. Creating a National Park is not a simple matter, however. It requires a Naturalist unit, which is purchased with Faith, and a specific set of tile conditions:
- A vertical diamond of four tiles.
- All four tiles must be owned by the same city.
- All four tiles must have an Appeal of “Charming” (+2) or higher.
- All four tiles must be unimproved (no districts, wonders, or improvements).
The tourism generated by a National Park is equal to the sum of the Appeal of its four tiles. Therefore, the goal is not just to create National Parks, but to create the most beautiful National Parks possible. This is where the synergy of all the previously mentioned strategies comes into play. By carefully managing adjacent districts, planting forests, and building the Eiffel Tower, you can create National Parks with a total Appeal of 20 or even higher, generating a massive amount of tourism each turn.
A popular strategy is to “paint” your empire with National Parks. This involves identifying potential park locations early in the game and carefully preserving them. It also requires a strong Faith income to purchase the necessary Naturalists. The Earth Goddess pantheon, which provides +1 Faith from tiles with Breathtaking Appeal, is an almost mandatory choice for a Bull Moose player.
The Power of Improvements: Cultivating a Beautiful Landscape
While National Parks require unimproved tiles, the rest of your empire will be filled with a variety of improvements. Choosing the right improvements is crucial for maintaining high Appeal.
The most important tool in the hands of a Bull Moose player is the ability to plant Woods. Unlocked with the Conservation civic, this allows Builders to plant new forests, which provide a +1 Appeal bonus to adjacent tiles. This is an incredibly powerful tool for “fixing” the Appeal of tiles that are adjacent to negative modifiers. A well-placed forest can negate the -1 Appeal from a mine or an Industrial Zone, for example.
Seaside Resorts are another key improvement for a high-Appeal empire. They can only be built on coastal tiles with Breathtaking Appeal, and they generate Tourism equal to the tile’s Appeal. With the Eiffel Tower and careful planning, it is possible to create long stretches of coastline dotted with highly productive Seaside Resorts.
Conversely, it is important to be mindful of which improvements to avoid. Mines and Quarries, while necessary for strategic and luxury resources, should be placed away from your intended high-Appeal areas. The same goes for Oil Wells and Offshore Oil Rigs in the late game.
Advanced Strategies for a Breathtaking Empire
Beyond the fundamentals, there are several advanced techniques that can take your Appeal game to the next level.
- Governor Liang: The Surveyor governor, Liang, has a promotion called “Parks and Recreation” that causes all City Parks to grant +1 Amenity and +2 Appeal to adjacent tiles. This can be a powerful tool for boosting the Appeal of a city’s core.
- The Biosphere Wonder: This late-game Wonder provides Tourism from all sources of renewable power, including Solar Farms, Wind Farms, and Hydroelectric Dams. While these improvements do not directly affect Appeal, they can be a significant source of late-game tourism, and the Biosphere itself provides a +1 Appeal bonus to adjacent tiles.
- Great People: Certain Great People can also contribute to a high-Appeal strategy. Great Engineers like Alvar Aalto can plant Woods, while others can rush the production of key Wonders like the Eiffel Tower. Great Merchants can provide unique luxury resources, which can boost Amenities and, indirectly, the overall productivity of your cities.
The Path to Victory: Translating Appeal into Dominance
Ultimately, the goal of a high-Appeal strategy is to win the game. For Bull Moose Teddy, this almost always means a Cultural Victory. The massive amounts of Culture generated by his leader ability will allow you to speed through the Civics tree, unlocking key policy cards and governments that boost tourism. The Science from his ability will ensure you don’t fall behind in technology, allowing you to unlock crucial Wonders and buildings like the Film Studio.
The tourism from your National Parks and Seaside Resorts will be the primary engine of your victory. As you accumulate more and more tourism, you will attract international tourists to your civilization. Once you have more visiting tourists than any other civilization has domestic tourists, you will achieve a Cultural Victory.
In conclusion, playing as Bull Moose Teddy Roosevelt offers a unique and rewarding path to victory. It is a strategy that requires careful planning, a deep understanding of game mechanics, and an appreciation for the beauty of the natural world. By mastering the art of city planning for maximum Appeal, you can transform your empire into a cultural powerhouse, a beacon of science, and a testament to the enduring power of a well-preserved landscape. It is a strategy that is not only effective but also deeply satisfying, allowing you to win the game not by conquering the world, but by making it a more beautiful place.