"History is the witness that testifies to the passing of time; it illumines reality, vitalizes memory, provides guidance in daily life and brings us tidings of antiquity." (Cicero, Pro Publio Sestio)

In this era of gaming, our favorite pieces of software are becoming larger and longer to complete. Journeys are becoming epic in length; games like massively multiplayer online games can take months or years to get and see everything. Make no mistake, there is no better time to be a gamer than now.

And yet, for as great as technical leaps have been, for as sharp as graphics are becoming and as subtly sweet audio is becoming, it's always nice to take a look back. Both figuratively and literally, few games remind us of history like the Civilization series. Back with the original, giving a game such a broad amount of depth and scope was completely unheard of, and a huge gamble. Who knew it would turn out to be the success it did? Well, aside from Sid Meier himself.

Each Civilization sequel (and semi-sequel) that has come out since the original has been great in its own right. They had never quite lived up to the magic of the original, though; but Civilization IV changes that. And, with the addition of the Warlords expansion pack, gamers the world over will be losing sleep by the hundreds of hours as they play "just one more turn... just one more turn..."

Whether you've played Civilization since 1991, or whether you're just now finding out the magic that is the 4X Strategy genre, we're here to guide you. You'll get tips on each of the 4Xs, plus a breakdown of all the different ways you can get there. "Exterminate" may not mean by the sword, after all... I always heard Alpha Centauri is nice around this time of year!

Plus, we'll give you information and advice that everyone needs to know if you truly wish to conquer the world, especially once you take your game online. Just be sure to grab a snack: this will be one long illumination of (alternate) reality, and one powerful vitalization of memory!

In this Civilization 4: Warlords strategy guide, you'll find:

• Overview: New to the Civ series? Head to here to see what's going on in a very, very simplified view.
• Pre-Game: Setting up a match is a science and strategy in and of itself. Check out this section for tips to maximize you effectiveness.
• Civilizations: Strategy starts here, when you choose which nation you'll lead to victory!
• Leaders: Each civilization has at least one leader to represent it, and each leader is just a little different with bonuses and such. Leaders could actually be even more important than your Civilization choice!
• Religion: Religion plays a major role in history, and with Civilization 4 being all about history, you knew it was only a matter of time until religion came into the game.
• Civics: Governments are now customizable, and this section lists all the different choices, plus their effects.
• Expand: This section has strategies and advice on how to capture more land, the most important aspect in the early game.
• Exploit: Having all the land in the continent won't help when you're not using it to your advantage. Head here to check out how to quickly gather resources.
• Exterminate: Six ways to win, this section will list them all along with how to aim for them.
• Waging War: Conflicts of interest often end up as conflicts of weapons. When you need to medieval on someone's assertiveness, read up on the proper way to commence the fisticuffs.

This is your captain speaking, please follow orders from your leader Pyro. — Ed. Guide by: J. "PyroFalkon" Habib

PyroFalkon wishes to thank Dennis L. "Fox" Doucette, whose writing style inspired and influenced everything he has written in the last four years, and whose fantastic Civilization III FAQ inspired the overall organization for this guide.