Sure, you get 15 points instead of 10, but you have no inherent racial bonuses. One idea would be to earn more points (up to a max of say, 20 or 25) by winning games... just an idea.
Here's one part in the manual I just don't get...
"Now, you might ask, "Why should you bother to use a built-in civilization when you could just create your own custom civilization?" The answer is that the included civilizations are stronger in certain areas than any custom civilization can be made. Depending on your strategy, you may want to use a built-in civilization or create your own."
And what, pray-tell, is this "strategy" for creating custom civilizations? The strategy of certain failure?