Sid Meier’s Civilization released in 1991, which means artists have 30 years of history to draw on for comedy (pun very much intended). Whether you’ve enjoyed the strategy game for decades or less, anyone can find something to laugh about in the comics below.
You don’t need hundreds of hours in Civilization VI to enjoy these comics, but it helps if you understand the game’s history. If you’re unsure why something’s funny, you’ll find an explanation before the image. While plenty of great Civilization comics exist in the wilds of the internet, this list limits itself to comics about or inspired by the most recent installment in the series.
10 Unreasonable Demands
Source: u/golden_hoopoo on Reddit
Civilization VI offers an incredible amount of immersion into geopolitical power games (and we can tell you the best government policies to choose), but it can take you out of the moment as well. The programmed dialogue for world leaders doesn’t always mesh well with the situation at hand.
Qin Shi Huang is notorious for having this aggressive response when you refuse one of his deals. If you happen to have him in a corner at the time, the threat comes across as comically meaningless.
9 Bloodthirsty Gandhi
Source: u/goSciuPlayer on Reddit
Gandhi is famous around the world for leading nonviolent resistance to British rule that eventually led to India’s independence. For Civilization fans old and new, he’s a terrifying leader who loves to gloat about nuclear weapons and drop them on your cities.
Why would anyone continue to make a man of peace into a despotic tyrant (and is he even worth choosing as a leader)? The tradition is the subject of some controversy, but Sid Meier insists that a much-rumored bug that caused Gandhi to go nuclear never existed. He insists that the programmers introduced “Nuclear Gandhi” as a joke for Civilization V, but the rumors continue to circulate regardless.
8 First Encounters
Meeting a new civilization for the first time can present an important series of choices. If your military doesn’t match up with Rome’s, for example, you might not want to share the location of your capital with Trajan.
Considering the significant number of hours you can put into a game, it’s easy to allow your mind to wander. It might be interesting (or terrifying) to add more options for how to interact with world leaders, including knocking down busts of their heads.
7 Optimal Tile Arrangement
Source: Direman.com
Civilization VI introduced even more board-game mechanics into the core gameplay, which was either a great or awful idea, depending on who you ask. Regardless of its validity, the perfect tile arrangement can feel like an impossible task for any fan of the game.
It’s difficult to believe that anyone would forget to found a city by the Industrial Age, but this comic has just the right amount of pre-release fun. Anyone who has stuck with the game since October 2016 has wanted to pull their hair out over limited options to build things like World Wonders.
6 Never Again, Canada
Source: u/KMSGrafZeppelin_20 on Reddit
Playing as Canada can result in severe amounts of frustration if Diplomacy doesn’t go your way. If you spawn at a poor location or fall behind in general, you may wish you could crawl back into a box.
As u/Meshakhad points out in the comments, Wilfried Laurier has an ironic advantage in Apocalypse Mode. Calling on the world for aid under that scenario might give you the edge necessary to claim victory.
5 Threatening Nuclear War for Jeans
Source: TheMadHamster
Among other unique items Teddy Roosevelt has at his disposal, jeans will become a coveted item by two world leaders: Montezuma and Robert the Bruce.
When the Aztecs supply jeans to the people, for some reason they receive a Combat Strength bonus to military units. When the Scots get a hold of that sweet denim, they receive Production and Science bonuses because the people become Happy or Ecstatic. If you play as America during a Civilization VI session, you could lose your jeans in the interest of peace, also.
4 Light The Beacons!
Source: @arcaderage
If you choose to leave Barbarians turned on for a game of Civilization VI, do not underestimate their destructive potential (or you could miss out on the late game fun). Starting your first city near encampments could result in decades or centuries of hunting them down.
The mere sight of a barbarian scout can make any serious Civilization VI player nervous (especially since they can finally get their revenge). You never know what’s waiting for you beyond until you explore or unlock satellite technology.
3 The Turtle Strategy
Source: ChaoticArtist
Choosing Lady Six Sky gives players +10% to every yield that exists within six tiles of the capital city. In addition to that bonus, you also have +5 Combat Strength within that same radius which gives a considerable “home field” advantage.
Building outside of that radius doesn’t make much sense, because cities yield 15% less outside of this bubble (just make sure to pray for one of the five best starting points). While other civilizations spend their resources and treasure to kill each other off, Lady Six Sky can have a pint and wait for the whole thing to blow over.
2 Sand Choices
Mansa Musa receives +1 Gold for Desert tiles in a city that has a Trade Route (and it’s one of the best ways to become the richest empire). If you prefer to play as the Malian civilization, you can literally turn sand into riches.
Players who choose Mansa Musa should consider fast-tracking their way to building the Petra wonder also. If you play long enough, you may find yourself dreaming about or praying to sand to bless your run at victory.
1 Like Father, Like Son
Civilization VI has claimed millions, possibly billions of hours of productivity time from the human race (ironically in pursuit of a science victory). The cost of that time is incalculable, and so are the consequences of your son getting addicted to Sid Meier’s masterpiece of marathon gaming.
The bottom right panel says roughly, “It’s too late, Papi!!” in German. If you have a son or daughter who wants to play Civilization VI, think twice before you catch them playing the game instead of doing their homework.
NEXT: Sid Meier’s Civilization: Every Game In The Series, Ranked
