A cultural victory with Bull Moose Teddy Roosevelt in Civilization 6 is a masterclass in landscape artistry and strategic foresight. It’s not achieved through brute force, but by sculpting the very earth into a breathtaking canvas of natural beauty and national pride. This guide delves into the intricate art of crafting the perfect city template for a Bull Moose Teddy culture game, a strategy that hinges on a singular, powerful concept: Appeal. By maximizing the Appeal of your tiles, you unlock a cascade of synergistic bonuses that will propel your civilization to a dominant cultural victory. This isn’t just about building districts; it’s about creating a sprawling, interconnected network of high-yield tiles that will leave other civilizations in awe of your cultural prowess.
The Foundation: Understanding Bull Moose Teddy’s Appeal Synergy
Bull Moose Teddy’s leader ability, “Antiquities and Parks,” is the cornerstone of this strategy. It provides +2 Science to Breathtaking tiles adjacent to Natural Wonders or Mountains, and +2 Culture to Breathtaking tiles adjacent to Wonders or Woods. Furthermore, all tiles in a city with a National Park gain +1 Appeal. This ability transforms high-Appeal tiles from mere aesthetic features into powerful engines of science and culture. The entire strategy revolves around creating as many Breathtaking tiles as possible and then leveraging them for immense yields.
The Power of Preserves
The Preserve district is the linchpin of the Bull Moose Teddy strategy. Unlocked with the Mysticism civic, the Preserve itself increases the Appeal of adjacent tiles by 1. Its buildings, the Grove and the Sanctuary, provide bonus Food, Faith, and Culture to adjacent unimproved Charming or Breathtaking tiles. This makes Preserves the ideal tool for amplifying the natural Appeal of your terrain and generating substantial yields from otherwise unimproved tiles. A well-placed Preserve can single-handedly transform a mediocre patch of land into a powerhouse of yields.
Early Game: Setting the Stage for a Cultural Renaissance
The early game is a delicate dance of exploration, expansion, and careful city placement. Your primary objective is to identify and secure locations with high intrinsic Appeal.
Scouting and Settling: The Art of Location
Your initial scouting should be relentless. You are not just looking for resources; you are searching for the perfect canvas for your future masterpieces. Prioritize settling near:
- Mountains: Mountains provide a significant Appeal bonus to adjacent tiles and are crucial for creating National Parks. A mountain range is a goldmine for a Bull Moose Teddy player.
- Natural Wonders: These provide a massive Appeal boost and are prime locations for your first National Parks. Settling near a Natural Wonder should be your highest priority.
- Coasts, Lakes, and Rivers: Water features provide a natural Appeal bonus. Coastal cities also offer the potential for seaside resorts later in the game.
- Woods and Old-Growth Forests: These tiles not only provide an Appeal bonus but also synergize directly with Teddy’s ability.
Conversely, you must be wary of features that reduce Appeal:
- Rainforests, Marshes, and Floodplains: These features have a negative impact on Appeal. While they can be useful for other purposes, they should generally be avoided in areas you intend to develop for high Appeal. It is often wise to chop rainforests to improve the Appeal of surrounding tiles.
City Spacing: Room to Breathe
Analysis on forums shows that a common mistake is to settle cities too close together. For a Bull Moose Teddy culture game, you need space. Aim for cities that are 5-6 tiles apart. This spacing allows for the creation of multiple National Parks, which require a diamond shape of four unimproved tiles. It also provides the necessary buffer to isolate your high-Appeal zones from the negative Appeal of certain districts.
Early District Planning: A Symphony of Synergy
Your first few districts should be chosen with care to maximize synergy and set you on the right path.
- Preserves First: As soon as you unlock Mysticism, start building Preserves. Place them in locations where they can boost the Appeal of at least four workable tiles. A well-placed Preserve is an investment that will pay dividends for the entire game.
- Holy Sites for Faith Generation: A strong Faith output is essential for purchasing Naturalists to create National Parks and for recruiting Rock Bands in the late game. Holy Sites also provide a +1 Appeal bonus to adjacent tiles. The Earth Goddess pantheon is a popular choice, providing +1 Faith for every Breathtaking tile.
- Theater Squares for Great Works: Theater Squares are your primary source of Great Works and tourism multipliers. Placing them adjacent to Wonders will provide an adjacency bonus and further boost the Appeal of surrounding tiles.
Mid-Game: The Grand Design Takes Shape
The mid-game is where your carefully laid plans begin to bear fruit. You will be expanding your empire, building key Wonders, and starting to generate significant tourism.
Wonder Construction: Monuments to Your Greatness
Certain Wonders are so powerful for this strategy that they should be considered essential.
- Eiffel Tower: Many professional gamers suggest that the Eiffel Tower is a “drop everything” Wonder for Bull Moose Teddy. It provides +2 Appeal to every tile in your empire, instantly transforming your landscape and dramatically increasing your yields.
- St. Basil’s Cathedral: This Wonder provides three slots for relics and boosts the tourism output of all relics in that city. Combined with a strong Faith game, this can be a powerful source of tourism.
- Mont St. Michel: Another excellent Wonder for a relic-based strategy, Mont St. Michel provides two relic slots and grants your Apostles the Martyr promotion, which creates a relic upon their death in theological combat.
The Role of Governors: Your Trusted Advisors
Your governors can provide crucial bonuses to support your cultural ambitions.
- Reyna (The Financier): Her “Forestry Management” promotion grants +1 Appeal to unimproved tiles in her city, a direct and powerful boost to your strategy.
- Moksha (The Cardinal): Moksha can provide additional Culture and Faith, further accelerating your progress towards a cultural victory.
- Amani (The Diplomat): Amani is invaluable for securing suzerainty over city-states, which can provide a wide range of powerful bonuses.
The National Park Boom: America’s Best Idea
The mid-game is when you will begin to create your first National Parks. A National Park must be created on a diamond of four Breathtaking, unimproved tiles, all owned by the same city. The park itself generates a massive amount of tourism, and its creation grants +1 Appeal to all tiles in that city. The key is to identify potential National Park locations early and to carefully manage the surrounding tiles to ensure they reach Breathtaking status.
Late Game: The Final Flourish
The late game is about maximizing your tourism output and closing out the game. Your empire should now be a stunning tapestry of National Parks, Wonders, and high-yield tiles.
The Green Revolution: Planting a Forest of Tourism
The Conservation civic unlocks the ability for Builders to plant woods. This is a game-changer. A popular strategy is to train a large number of Builders (some players suggest aiming for around 30) and use them to plant woods on every available tile that is not being used for a Wonder, district, or resource. This will dramatically increase the Appeal of your empire and supercharge your tourism output. The Serfdom policy card, which grants Builders two extra charges, is essential for this phase of the game.
Rock and Roll All Nite: The Power of Rock Bands
Rock Bands are a powerful tool for generating a final burst of tourism. With a strong Faith output, you can purchase multiple Rock Bands and send them to perform in other civilizations. Focus on civilizations with high culture and tourism to maximize the impact of your performances.
Seaside Resorts and Ski Resorts: Coastal and Mountain Tourism
Don’t neglect the tourism potential of your coastal and mountain tiles. Seaside Resorts can be built on Breathtaking coastal tiles, while Ski Resorts can be built on Breathtaking mountain tiles. These improvements provide a steady stream of tourism and can be a valuable addition to your overall strategy.
The Perfect City Template: A Visual Guide
So, what does the perfect Bull Moose Teddy city look like? It’s a city that is carefully designed to maximize Appeal and synergy.
- The Core: At the heart of the city is a cluster of districts that do not negatively impact Appeal, such as the City Center, Theater Square, and Holy Site. These are ideally placed adjacent to Wonders to maximize adjacency bonuses.
- The Greenbelt: Surrounding this core is a “greenbelt” of Preserves and unimproved tiles. This is where you will find your highest-yield tiles, benefiting from the bonuses of the Preserves and Teddy’s leader ability.
- The National Parks: The outer ring of the city is dedicated to National Parks. These are vast, pristine areas of natural beauty that generate immense tourism.
- The Industrial Zone (Out of Sight, Out of Mind): Districts that negatively impact Appeal, such as the Industrial Zone and Encampment, are placed on the outskirts of the city, far away from your high-Appeal zones. According to the player community, it’s often best to have a few dedicated “industrial” cities that are not focused on tourism, to avoid compromising the Appeal of your cultural centers.
A Symphony of Nature and Culture
A cultural victory with Bull Moose Teddy is a rewarding and deeply strategic experience. It requires a different mindset than a typical domination or science victory. You are not just a conqueror; you are a custodian of the land, a patron of the arts, and an architect of natural beauty. By understanding the intricate interplay of Appeal, Preserves, National Parks, and Wonders, you can craft a civilization that is not only culturally dominant but also a testament to the enduring power of nature. The perfect city template is not a rigid blueprint, but a flexible framework that allows you to adapt to the unique challenges and opportunities of your map. By following the principles outlined in this guide, you will be well on your way to achieving a decisive and deeply satisfying cultural victory.