Ok, so, little update:
Civ VII has been released, and I have played it. Kinda disappointing. It has some cool concepts but poor execution in many areas, such as religion.
Also, after my first Civ VII playthrough, I went back and played Civ V for the first time (basically Civ VI but less complicated) and really liked it, and then I played Scotland in Civ VI and won my first game on King! (5th out of 8 difficulties)
Overall, Civ 6 is still my favorite, with some pretty solid games flanking it, and I have judged Civ 6, my 3rd favorite game of all time (Bested by Minecraft, and the masterpiece that is Hollow Knight)
I'd love to play Civ 6 with you.