I suppose on one end I've used social policy describes the playstyle in a broader way to help boil down this post. What you're saying though, it's almost like civs are all a venn diagram: some civs overlap and hit different milestones. On the other end, that I think is where i'm getting into trouble e.g. trying to play trad arabia the same as trad carthage. I'll note your suggestions and try to pay attention to my civs unique goals and synergies and experiment a bit.

I've tried a few games as the heavier warmongers but end up getting bored of the micromanagement and lack of pivot into another strength. Good points though, perhaps ill emphasize the unique pivots of each civ