Gold Rush

Gold Rush places a huge gold deposit at the centre of the map, surrounded by open land. Whoever controls the centre controls Imperial Age unit production, so map-control civs and aggressive Castle Age commits dominate. Cavalry civs that can quickly contest and raid the centre — Franks, Magyars, Tatars, Mongols — are the strongest picks. Defensive boomers can win if they survive long enough to outproduce, but it's risky. Expect explosive Castle Age fights over the middle.