See, here's the thing: What you want, and what's actually best for the game, does not have a perfect overlap. The fact that you want it doesn't actually make it a good idea. Traditions, Civics, and Origins should not just be a checklist, they should be strong, *mutually exclusive* decisions about the nature of your empire. If all you're doing is collecting a giant pile of stuff, you aren't actually making bold, complex decisions: You're just hoarding. Good strategy games are just as much about what you *can't* do as what you *can.*
I definitely see what you’re saying, and I agree with to you to a fault. I don’t think we need more ascension perks slots or more tradition trees for example. I think 6 Civics for example would be too much. 5 may be a stretch, it’s more starting with 3 and ending on 4 or maybe 5. I think 5 is a good number for the endgame, but I’ll concede that it’s the most I would go for. I still think that is limiting enough that you’re making mutually exclusive choices. I am not, for example, suggesting that players be able to pick a civic for each aspect of their government, or that they become like species trait points or ascension perks. There is a limit to the scope that I don’t think you’re taking into account, I’m not saying for them to give me all the civics I want.
What makes me think it’s good for the game, is that there would be more freedom to play with the synergies between civics. Civics are in large part an expression of the long term goals your civilization has, and the methods it uses to achieve them. Having greater freedom to define these goals and methods through more civic slots means that the player has greater opportunity to define and specialize the ways different aspects of their empire run. Two civics into three means that you only get to define your government’s approach in two to three ways, maybe four if you picked a civic-like mechanical origin.
Making choices isn’t just about the amount of decisions you can make, but also about the amount of options you can choose from. The pool of available civics has expanded greatly since the game’s launch. That isn’t reason to expand the pool on its own, but allowing three civics on empire creation would allow for greater build variety, which while more complex, I think would be good for the game. It would allow certain civics that aren’t good on their own but good in combination with certain other civics to shine. I think any more than three at empire creation would be too much, and any more than five by the endgame would make the choices less impactful; this number is, to me, a sweet spot of sorts. It would also allow for greater specificity to your empire from a roleplay perspective.
