Liberating City-States: The Marriage Conundrum In Civ 5

In the game Civilization 5, players can choose to play as Austria, a civilization with a unique ability called Diplomatic Marriage. This ability allows players to annex or puppet a city-state that has been their ally for five consecutive turns in exchange for gold. However, once a city-state is annexed or puppeted by Austria, it loses its status as a city-state and cannot be liberated or changed back. This mechanic has been described as broken by some players, as it gives Austria the ability to permanently remove players from the game by buying out city-states and preventing diplomatic victories.

Liberated city-states can't be turned back into city-states

In the game Civilization 5, city-states that have been acquired by Austria through diplomatic marriage are no longer considered city-states. They become integral parts of the Austrian empire and are treated as Austrian cities. As a result, they cannot be liberated and turned back into city-states.

When a city-state is acquired by Austria through diplomatic marriage, the player is given the option to puppet or annex the city-state. If the player chooses to annex the city-state, it becomes a part of their empire, and all units and land owned by the city-state become theirs. However, this action cannot be undone, and the city-state loses its status as an independent entity.

The same restriction applies to city-states that have been bought by Venice through their unique ability, "Merchants of Venice". Once a city-state is acquired by Venice or Austria through these means, it permanently loses its status as a city-state and becomes a regular city under the control of the acquiring civilization.

The inability to liberate city-states acquired by Austria or Venice can have significant implications for diplomatic victories in the game. Each city-state that is absorbed by these civilizations reduces the total number of delegates required to win the World Leader vote. This complicates the achievement of a diplomatic victory, as the number of available delegates decreases, making it more challenging for players pursuing this victory path.

Liberated city-states can be razed

In the game Civilization 5, city-states that have been annexed or puppeted by Austria through their unique ability, Diplomatic Marriage, are no longer considered city-states and are instead treated as regular cities founded by Austria. As a result, these cities can be razed by rival civilizations if they are captured.

When Austria uses Diplomatic Marriage to acquire a city-state, it becomes part of their empire without any resistance or damage to buildings and population, and with all of its land and naval units intact. However, air units are not retained during the transfer. The city-state loses its status as a city-state and cannot be liberated or returned to its original status. This also means that the number of delegates needed for a diplomatic victory is adjusted accordingly.

The cost of acquiring a city-state through Diplomatic Marriage scales with the progress of the game and the development of the city-state, starting at around 500 gold in the Ancient Era and reaching more than 1000 gold in the Information Era. The city-state can be either puppeted or fully annexed, and there is no need to use a unit to perform this action. However, it is important to use this ability sparingly as acquiring city-states through Diplomatic Marriage will result in the loss of benefits from alliances, such as culture, faith, or food boosts, as well as delegates for the World Congress. Additionally, there will be a significant impact on happiness due to the increase in citizens.

Despite the advantages of acquiring city-states, it is important to consider the consequences for a diplomatic victory. By annexing or puppeting city-states, the number of delegates needed for a diplomatic victory is reduced, making it more challenging to achieve this victory condition. Therefore, players should carefully consider their victory conditions and not overuse Diplomatic Marriage if pursuing a diplomatic victory.

Liberated city-states count as regular cities

If a city-state is annexed by Austria's unique ability, Diplomatic Marriage, it is no longer considered a city-state but becomes one of their cities instead. Liberated city-states count as regular cities and can be burned and cannot be liberated. The same is true of city-states bought by Venice.

If Austria buys a city-state and you conquer it, you can puppet or annex it, but it does lose its city-state status. You cannot liberate it or change it back to a city-state. However, if you liberate a city-state that was conquered by another civ from Austria, it will go back under Austrian control.

If you are playing as Austria, once you have annexed a city-state, it cannot be turned back into one, but on the other hand, it is no longer considered an original capital and hence can be razed if captured.

Liberated city-states can be used to gain automatic votes in the U.N

In the game Civilization 5, liberated city-states can be used to gain automatic votes in the U.N. However, this is not the case when it comes to city-states that have been annexed by Austria through their unique ability, Diplomatic Marriage. When Austria allies with a city-state for five consecutive turns, they can use gold to annex or puppet that city-state, essentially making it part of their empire. This means that the city-state loses its original status and cannot be liberated or returned to its previous city-state status.

The number of delegates needed for a diplomatic victory is adjusted when Austria annexes a city-state, and the city-state's units, buildings, and land become part of Austria's empire. This can be a significant advantage for Austria, especially in the middle and late game when expansion space is limited and competition for resources is fierce. However, it is important to note that Austria will lose the benefits of alliances, such as culture, faith, or food boosts, and the delegates for the World Congress.

While it is not possible to liberate city-states annexed by Austria, players can still liberate city-states that have been conquered by other civilizations. Liberating these city-states will reduce warmonger penalties and provide automatic alliances, which can be beneficial for diplomatic victories.

Liberated city-states can be used to slow down opponents

Liberating city-states can be an effective strategy to slow down your opponents in Civ 5. If you're playing against Austria, you can use this strategy to your advantage. Here are some tips on how to do this:

• Bullying City-States: If Austria is allied with a City-State, you can start bullying that City-State for money or workers. Even if your influence with the City-State decreases, it's not a big deal since the City-State will be annexed by Austria anyway. You can also try to kill off its units so that Austria doesn't get them when they annex the City-State.
• Invading City-States: You can also invade the City-State that Austria is allied with. Just be careful not to declare war on the City-State directly, as this will affect your influence with them. Instead, try to kill off their units and weaken them without officially declaring war.
• Allying with City-States: Another strategy is to ally with the City-State yourself before Austria can annex it. This will prevent Austria from using their unique ability, "Diplomatic Marriage," to annex the City-State.
• Liberating Annexed City-States: If Austria has already annexed a City-State, you can conquer it and liberate it. However, keep in mind that the City-State will be considered a regular city and can be razed. Liberating annexed City-States can also reduce your warmonger penalties and automatically give you their alliance.
• Preventing Austria's Expansion: Austria's ability to annex City-States gives them an advantage in the middle and late game when expansion space is limited. To counter this, focus on your navy and air units to counteract Austria's lack of a strong navy.
• Using Diplomacy: If you're aiming for a diplomatic victory, keep in mind that annexing City-States will reduce the number of delegates needed for victory. Try to maintain good relationships with City-States and other civilizations to secure your diplomatic victory.
• Exploiting Weaknesses: Austria's unique units, the Hussar, thrive on flanking bonuses. To counter them, build Lancers or promote your Riflemen or Cavalry units to deal with them effectively.

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