On the concept of slaves....What are they?

[wvfoos]

Ok, i see some of you talking about slaves and "whipping" them, and how to best use them.

I'm not sure what you are calling slaves. Do you mean captured (or bought) worker units, or do you mean citizens of some other culture in captured cities. I'm thinking you mean the former, but I'm not sure.

If you DO get captured worker units, they only work at less than peak efficiency, right? So, not much use in using them to improve tiles. So is it better to just add them to a city? However, then you get a citizen of that culture in your city. Does that citizen cause you any problems BECAUSE he's some other civ's guy? Like, is he always unhappy to start?

Am I right in assuming that most of you never let other civ's worker units build tile improvements, because of their slow pace? So that only leaves joining a city?

I'm also assuming that 'whipping' means in despot (and communism too?), reducing population to finish production, ie the means of "rushing" in a despot/comm regime.

[WarpStorm]

I always use other civ's workers for tile improvements when possible. Sure they're slow, but you don't have to pay upkeep for them. For important jobs that I need now, I use my workers. For those jobs that can get done when they get done, go for the slaves.

You are correct about whipping.

[Ethelred]

I'm not sure what you are calling slaves. Do you mean captured (or bought) worker units, or do you mean citizens of some other culture in captured cities. I'm thinking you mean the former, but I'm not sure.

Yes. Captured or purchased workers from another do not have a per turn upkeep like your own workers. So if you have one hundred workers and 50 are foreign workers you only have to pay 50 per turn for your own workers and the slave workers are, well enslaved and don't get paid.

If you DO get captured worker units, they only work at less than peak efficiency, right?

One half the speed of your own workers. Not one half of their speed for their civ. One half the speed of your workers wether you are industrious or not and wether their original civ was industrious or not.

So is it better to just add them to a city? However, then you get a citizen of that culture in your city. Does that citizen cause you any problems BECAUSE he's some other civ's guy? Like, is he always unhappy to start?

Yes it can cause problems. Especially if you go to war with their original civ. Also foreign citizens increase the chance of culture flipping. If you control all twenty-one of a cities tiles AND have no foreign citizens your city will never flip. If you control all twenty-one of your city's tiles but have foreign citizens your city may flip.

So don't add foreign citizens to cities that are subject to cultural attack. Best not to add them if their original civ is still living either. However civs don't it when their workers are slaves either. They want them back. They like it if you add them to your city. They don't like it if you disband them. Of course if the civ is dead that doesn't matter.

Am I right in assuming that most of you never let other civ's worker units build tile improvements, because of their slow pace? So that only leaves joining a city?

Usually its best to keep them working. Only add them to cities that will still have a majority of native citizens because that way they will eventually become natives. Most people just keep them working. So they are slow, they don't cost anything except for being more tediuos to use.

I'm also assuming that 'whipping' means in despot (and communism too?), reducing population to finish production, ie the means of "rushing" in a despot/comm regime.

Yes. Even the manual uses the term whipping. Not as popular a strategy as it once was because of changes in how unhappiness due to pop rushing works. Now a city can be pretty much made worthless for a very long time by pop rushing or drafting.

[vmxa1]

I use captured workers, they are free and just use twice as many as you would for your own workers. Once I get a bunch, I reduce my own by adding them into cities, they cost money to keep.

[sun_tzu_159]

Dear All,
An interesting question.
If a Civ loses its last city what happens to the workers purchased from that Civ, do they disband automatically or do they remain with the dead Civs nationality or convert to the nationality of the Civ that bought them?

I am of the opinion that the captured or purchased workers should only work at one third speed and cost one third of the upkeep of your workers. They are too big an advantage as they are set now.

Regards
Sun_Tzu

[WarpStorm]

Originally posted by sun_tzu_159
If a Civ loses its last city what happens to the workers purchased from that Civ, do they disband automatically or do they remain with the dead Civs nationality or convert to the nationality of the Civ that bought them?

They remain with the dead civs nationality.

FWIW, keeping slaves ticks off the country whose race they are.

[Kingof the Apes]

Originally posted by sun_tzu_159

I am of the opinion that the captured or purchased workers should only work at one third speed and cost one third of the upkeep of your workers. They are too big an advantage as they are set now.

Regards
Sun_Tzu

I disagree, the worker system seems balanced to me.

[vmxa1]

Maybe there fine as they are, but sun_tzu is correct that it is a big boost for the humans. I mean how many of your workers do they capture? Once you start grabbing theirs you do not need to keep many or even any of your own and save time and money.

[Grumbold]

I get most of my workers from razing enemy cities that would be too much of a pain to try and hold with the culture flip rules. I never let the AI get many of my cities and they are less prone to razing. They certainly do their utmost to capture workers that stray too close to the frontier. In fact its a favourite tactic of mine to expend a few (and recapture them later) to get the AI to waste their units instead of protecting a more critical objective.

[Raion]

Whipping or costing citizens can happen with Despots.
Hurrying up production to produce a temple or something.

[Explorer579]

[SIZE=1] Does that citizen cause you any problems BECAUSE he's some other civ's guy? Like, is he always unhappy to start?

My slave workers do not give me any problem. I give them their full human rights and they enjoy prospering in my nation. I don't even use them for blocking as this is unhumane. I use only soldiers for blocking.

[bbaws]

Mountain concentration camps where they die slowly for the greater glory.