Here's a simple variant game start idea that once I get a regular group to play with I may try out. Rather than starting with a capital you place a Scout in one of the four starting squares then place a second Scout and your army in the squares on the outskirts of that.

Play proceeds as normal with the following slight change. When you build your first city (which may be on the first turn) you build your capital and get any start of game capital bonuses. So Egyptians would get a random Ancient wonder at this point and the Chinese Capital would be built with walls. Plus you gain the trade from the squares around your capital when it is built and again the the trade phase.

Basically this could play out exactly the same as a normal game with everyone building their capital on their first turn, but people could choose to hold off for a turn or two to explore and see if there are any nice tiles nearby. Of course by doing so they are accepting the fact that they can't build or research (as they have no trade) while they have no capital.

What does anyone think?

I think it's an interesting idea, since I do like that concept of choice that you get in the PC game, but everyone is probably going to want to build on one of the four starting squares just so they don't fall behind in tech. I know it sounds pessimistic, but if you flip over a hut or village, then that could block you from building a city until you spend time to kill it, or if your new tile has bad squares on the edge then you will just want to go back and build it at the start. Delaying two turns just to end up putting it right where you started will feel like such a waste, and you won't want to risk it, given that two turns is maybe 15% of the game. Plus, you already have the choice of four squares for free, and that is enough to, for example, between two resources, or choose extra hammers vs. extra trade based on your plan.

In the computer game, delaying for a turn (or even a dozen, at lower difficulty settings and slower game speeds) isn't crippling. A game usually last for several hundred turns, if not a thousand.

In this game, which lasts about fifteen turns (I guess), it would probably always be a bad move to delay even one turn.

I guess you try out playing with random start tiles (instead of the tile geared towards your civ) instead. Though you'll probably realize why the "safe" tiles were added to the game - much like the computer game, a bad start can hose your entire game!

I've tried playing with the railroad tech giving players the ability to move diagonally. Works pretty well cause now tactices change as an era changes.

Also tried it with railroads allowing a player to ship 2 production for one city to another. So if u have a city that is building and need some extar production u would use 2 from another city to finish paying the cost to build.

Tech: Railroads. Your Civ may now move diagonally.

May use up to 2 production from one city to build in a another city.

The moving diaonally is nice if you think about it., With an expanion on the loom......,.you know one is coming, a bigger map board means moving diagonally is a must.

PBnJ, that is an excellent and well-thought-out cluster of points there, sir, lady, or dragon, whatever.