Here's the civilizations I think are nominatable:
Ottoman: The town center constantly produces Ottomen and Ottowomen ottomatically. © 2008 Totalitarian. Any use of the phrase "Ottomatically" without Totalitarian Corporation's consent may result in a class-action lawsuit. Many players debate on whether or not this automatic production is a good thing. On one hand, you get free settlers at a constant rate. On the other, the empire keeps pushing people at you even when you beg of them to stop.
Pros: Produces free villagers, Produces delicious coffee
Cons: [See "Pros"]
British: Their ability to make villagers out of wood (Where do you think the extra 25 wood goes when you build a manor?) gives them a economic boost when going through ages. Unfortunately, they happen to be the most plain civilization to play as.
Pros: Free villagers that cost 125 wood, Great accents
Cons: Really plain, like eating ice with a small twist, kind of like water-flavored ice.
French: Their villagers gather more.
Pros: Their villagers gather more
Cons: Unable to see the Eiffel Tower in home city.
Japan: The wonderful thing that this game did was break the stereotype that Japanese people live in shrines... by saying that 10 Japanese people live in shrines. Not only are shrines suffocation chambers, they ottomatically© produce food, wood, or coin. Their trickle rates increase if nearby animals decide to gather. These animals cannot be hunted by your opponents if they are gathered at your shrine. Try not to think about it too much.
Pros: Trickle rates, Animal seduction
Cons: You can build Tokugawa's shrine when he's still alive, Can't walk through Torii gates, Disturbing to think how exactly gathered animals produce food, wood, and coin, You advance to the imperial age knowing that your home city is going to be h-bombed
Spanish: Good economy, but I don't understand why.
Pros: Full of unique units you won't use, They speak beautiful Mexican
Cons: Fiesta, Pinata, and Taco improvements are not avaible in the market, Explorer cannot train bulls, Contrary to popular belief, they cannot jump onto trains
Russia: "Quantity over Quality." is the basic motto here. You can make everything in groups quickly, but they're weak. Want some proof? Here's a youtube video showing one samurai take on 20 strelets. Has but one weakness: James Bond.
Pros: Can colonize space faster than most civilizations
Cons: Colonized a freezed-over hell, Their leader is literally terrible, Politician "Karl Marx" was cut out of final game