I don't think Civilization V has a main protagonist.
To me, Darius.
My brother always plays as him, AND that bastard forced my friend to declare war on me by doing too well.
I always quit about ten to twenty turns into any Civlization game because I don't know what I'm doing so I don't know how it would be for me.
Try Civ V. It is a bit more streamlined UI-wise and there's a tutorial that can guide you through the basics, plus in-game hints for various levels of noobishness (from 'OHGODWHEREAMIWHATDO!' to 'Hey, new expansion! What up, Civ V?').
Also, BNW is fun, I've been playing multiplayer with a friend and AIs, and I've gone heavily diplomatic, but since I founded a city way too soon and the unhappiness, expenses and having to fend off (Raging) Barbarians allowed Napoleon to get a massive tech and wonder advantage, so he beat me in score.
So what did I do? He'd been Friendly with me, but was surrounded by Morocco and Persia, both quite powerful, from the west and my BFF Austria to East. I bribed HIM into declaring war on THEM (i.e. first Persia and then Morocco, later on Egypt too; the former two of which he already wanted to do, given his personality, military tech advantage and the fact they were right next to him).
Then my friend also declared war on him and Austria denounced him - I basically turned all of the world's civilizations against him - and that allowed me to push for an embargo against him and eventually denounce and attack him with my flanks covered, meanwhile my agents worked to sway Genoa (he was located on a strait between two Pangea Plus continents, with Genoa on an island very close to him and allied with him) away from him.
I felt like some goddamn Richelieu when I pulled that off.
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I'm lucky, because unless he became a zombie, my previous game's 'protagonist' is long-dead. Because he was Jefferson Davies as the head of Confederacy in BNW Civil War scenario.
If that doesn't count, the penultimate game is Rocksmith, so won't work either.
If it's not even that, I'm utterly fucked. Because it's Hitman. Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii...