Each civ (race) has about 2 different bonuses (e.g. Indian villagers work faster) and in addition a unique unit. Competitive players now play with about 20 civs

Each civ (race) has about 2 different bonuses (e.g. Indian villagers work faster) and in addition a unique unit. Competitive players now play with about 20 civs. Each civ also has a "team bonus" (e.g. Teams with a Spanish player get 33% more gold per trade trip, teams with a Persian player get upgraded buildings ). In addition to that, each civ has a different tech tree, as well as starting resources or -- in rare cases -- starting units.