My gathering tests show Palmy to be better than people think.
They chop wood as well as Phoe, Mine gold as well as Egypt, mine stone as well as Bab, hunt almost well as Persia, and SF 25% faster than the rest ignoring walking.They also farm at .45 when the rest do .40.
They got B'towers, Hcats, AE's and scythe, as well as HHA's. They do suffer from a lack of coinage/craftsmanship/ and engineering, and mediocre priests, but Palmy does seem playable to me. and they pick berries at .65 when the rest do .45. - neilkaz -