Retard. Johan was lead programmer already on Svea Rike III, then designer (the credits have no "lead designer", but he's the first name in the list) and lead programmer on EU1, and as I recall that project was really his baby from the start. Then lead designer and lead programmer on EU2.
Well i don't know about the fanboy part,to me it seems that a lot of them are getting tired of their shit. As i said their forums look pretty dead to me. Having a lot of players playing the game doesn't mean that all of them buy the DLCs. Still they do have a lot of retarded whales there. Maybe it will flop,maybe not,can't tell.
Recently i replayed King Arthur 2 and it was pretty fun. I managed to finish it,i can't say the same for 90% of TW games.
Hello and welcome to another development diary for Imperator:Rome!
Today I will be talking about Monarchies and associated things such as Heirs, Legitimacy, Succession Crises and other fun things.
In a monarchy authority lies with the ruler, or Monarch. The monarch has as close to absolute authority as any ruler can get in Imperator:Rome. Unlike in a Republic the ruler sits for life, and in a Monarchy you are able to change laws, interact with foreign countries and use whatever character interactions you wish without approval of a senate.
Legitimacy
While a Monarch has the authority to act without asking for approval their subject characters will still react to their actions if they do not approve of them. Legitimacy is a value between -100 and +100 and models the perceived right for the Monarch to rule their country.
For the monarchies that exist in Imperator:Rome at the start of the game this was highly relevant as they were almost all established in this generation. None of them have a firm number of supporters, and many of them (like Egypt or the Seleucid Empire) have a population that consider them to be foreigners.
Legitimacy directly impacts the loyalty of all characters in the country as well as the happiness of all Freemen.
At 0 Legitimacy all characters in a Monarchy are capped at 50 loyalty (out of the normal 100), and at negative Legitimacy they will suffer a ticking loyalty reduction. Legitimacy also directly impacts the cost of enacting laws.
Legitimacy is gained from acting as a good monarch, most importantly:
Legitimacy is reduced by anything that threatens popular support for the monarchy, most importantly:
- Ruler Popularity
- High Stability
- The Skill of your currently employed Court Philosopher
To help increase Legitimacy you can also at any time use a government action to Strengthen Legitimacy by 10 for a cost of 25 Civic Power and 5 Tyranny. There are also various indirect ways, like Holding Games, that increase popularity and therefore indirectly Legitimacy.
- Low Ruler Popularity
- War Exhaustion
- Ruler Corruption
- The number of employed characters that prefer another successor than the current heir to succeed (we will talk more about this below).
Succession Laws
In a monarchy a new ruler is not elected but will instead inherit power upon the death of the old monarch. The method for this inheritance depends on which of these succession law the country follow. The family of the current ruler is always preferred over non-family members.
- Agnatic: Inheritance is in age order, with preference to male children of ruler.
- Agnatic-Cognatic: Inheritance in age order, children of ruler are preferred without preference in regards to gender.
- Agnatic Seniority: The male siblings of the Monarch will inherit before any children.
- Egyptian Succession: Children of ruler are preferred in order of age regardless of gender. Members of the royal family will marry their own family members (including sibling to sibling).
Successors:
Successions are not always as easy as the described laws would imply. There are many examples of conflicts over who would inherit, sometimes tearing even great and otherwise stable kingdoms apart.
In the government view the 4 most likely characters in the country to inherit will be displayed at all times (including the current heir) together with their loyalty and the strength of their claim (according to the succession law).
Every character in a Monarchy also has a Preferred Heir out of these four. Most of the time this will be the current heir, but depending on things like friendships, skills or lack of loyalty, they can prefer one of the other heirs.
Any possible successor apart from the current heir will have a ticking negative modifier to their loyalty and will normally do what they can to assemble money and supporters for the day the current monarch dies.
Apart from increasing loyalty and attacking the causes for someone preferring another heir you can ask them to support your preferred heir. As long as their loyalty is at least 50 this drastically increases their support for your current heir for a cost of 25 Oratory Power.
Upon succession the current heir will become the new Monarch with a starting Legitimacy of 60 plus 20 times the religious Unity in the country. It is further reduced by 2 points for each employed character that supported another heir.
As you can see the expected future Legitimacy of an heir as king will always be shown in the Government View.
Succession Crisis
At the time of succession, if any of the possible successors that did not gain the throne are at less than 33% loyalty, they will make their displeasure known by assembling an army of as many loyal troops as they can afford.
As this is a loyal army, and they are disloyal, you will be unable to give orders to this army and unable to detach the pretenders from it. The presence of these armies is likely to drive the country towards a civil war, either immediately or in the long run.
To the end of disarming this threat you have special character interactions no pretenders:
Meanwhile foreign countries will have also have a new character interaction available, to spend money and military power on increasing the size of the Pretender army.
- Encourage Deserters: Allows you to reduce the pretender army size.
- Make Mercenary: For a very large sum of gold you can send a pretender off to be a Mercenary, along with their loyal troops. This will eliminate the threat to you internal stability, for now.
Persia
Today we will talk about one of the greatest kingdoms of Imperator:Rome in terms of size and population.
Before Alexander began his campaign Persia was the center of the Achaemenid Empire, which stretched from Greece to India. The larger region had by then been the center of more than one high culture and its influence on surrounding regions is hard to overstate. With its fall to Greek conquerors however the entire region has seen the beginnings of Hellenization. Perhaps more than anywhere else Alexander the great founded Greek settlements, appointed a mix of Greek and local officials and encouraged intermarriage.
After the death of the great conqueror Persia and Mesopotamia has changed hands between different successors multiple times, with its current master, Seleucus, taking over Babylon from Antigonus with just a few trusted men not long ago.
With a background that would not make him a likely candidate for such greatness Seleucus has spent the last years cleaning out the Satraps left in charge of greater Persia by Antigonus, before running right into another rising dynasty in India, Chandragupta Maurya.
As the game starts Chandragupta, who had previously overrun most of northern India, ending the Nanda empire, has taken control over the Indian satrapies that was once part of Alexander’s Empire.
The Mauryas now threaten to invade Persia, potentially distracting the Seleucids from the greater conflict with Antigonus in the west.
Mesopotamia & Assyria
The Euphrates and Tigris have been the core of many civilizations and empires, most recently the Persian, Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian ones, and in many ways this region remains the economic and political core of the Seleucid Empire. Babylon is where Alexander died, and it is not far from Babylon that Seleucus have begun to build his great new capital Seleucia Magna.
Starting Countries:
Media & Persis
- Seleucid Empire: Great Macedonian Kingdom with the recently crowned Seleucus as king. While Seleucus and his son Antiochus has campaigned extensively among the Persian satrapies, replacing any disloyal governors with trusted men, the kingdom is a cosmopolitan mix of cultures and religions. Macedonian cities founded by Alexander remain interspersed with Chaldean, Persian and Bactrian subjects, most of whom know very little of politics in Seleucia Magna. The first decision that the Seleucid Empire will have to make is how to deal with the brewing conflict in the east. Historically Seleucus would sign away most of the eastern satrapies on the Mauryan border in exchange for a lasting peace and a high number of Indian War Elephants. Animals that played a decisive part when eventually defeating Antigonus troops in Phrygia. At the start of the game the Seleucid Empire will be faced with a similar choice, they can choose to sign away a large portion of land, for a long truce, or resume war with the huge Mauryan Empire in India.
- Adiabene: Small Assyrian kingdom in Upper Mesopotamia/Assyria. As a former Persian vassal Adiabene has seen many overlords come and go in the last decades. With Seleucus occupied with the grand politics of the successors as well as the hostilities at the Mauryan border Adiabene has mostly been left to their own devices. At start Adiabene is a tributary of the Selucid Empire
The Iranian plateau, and the regions of Media and Persis was the core of the old Persian empire. A large number of famous Achaemenid cities such as Ecbatana and Persepolis remain centers of commerce and power here and a large number of Persian soldiers, artisans and nobles remain the dominant group in a region that they have populated for hundreds of years.
The Zagros mountains that separate Mesopotamia from this region is also a great barrier and with a few exceptions it has been left to fend for itself as the macedonian grandees struggle for control over the Argead Empire.
In the period preceding the start of our game Seleucus and his son Antiochus has subdued the governors, satraps and cities of this region, bringing them under closer control and installing their own loyal men, but Media and Persis will remain a region that central power will have to keep a close eye on to keep in line.
Starting Country:
- Media Atropatene: Middle size Iranian kingdom in northern Media that predates the greek successor kingdoms by a fair bit and while he was considered one of the vassals of Alexander the Great his kingdom has since broken off as an independent entity. Media Atropatene is relatively rich for its size and its ruler, Atropates, is an influential man in the region as well as one of few remaining Iranian rulers at the start of the game.
Hello and welcome to another Development Diary for Imperator:Rome!
Today I will be talking about Navies, I will expand some on the changes we are making to Diplomacy, and lastly I will be describing the geographical regions of Bactria, Parthia and the far reaches of the Seleucid Empire.
Navies
In Imperator:Rome there is only one type of naval unit, the Trireme (representing all forms of War Galleys). Ships can only be built in ports, and ports only exist in predefined locations around the map. Building ships also requires access to Wood in the Province that the City belongs to.
In our period, and perhaps in most of history, the Mediterranean has been a highway for transportation rather than an obstacle to be traversed. The main purpose of a fleet in Imperator:Rome is to ferry troops from one destination to another, and to stop others from doing the same in your territorial waters.
Fleets can also blockade ports in wartime, decreasing commerce and potentially contributing to the warscore for their side of the conflict.
The strengths and weaknesses of these ships can then be modified by things like Trade Goods, Military Traditions, Admirals, Inventions, and more.
Just like there are army unit abilities on land there are also unit abilities at sea:
- Ramming Tactics: Navy Offensive Damage +10% Navy Defense Damage -10%
- Boarding Tactics: Navy Offense Damage -10% Navy Defense Damage +10%
- Raid Port: Steals a number of pops from an adjacent port and turns them into Slaves in your capital (at a cost of 1 Aggressive Expansion).
Naval battles will be somewhat familiar to those who have played our earlier games.
When a battle is started every ship will attempt to target an enemy ship to deal damage to. What determines their success is their positioning value, which is derived from their leading admiral with a random element. Positioning is re-rolled every day of battle.
In an ongoing battle bad positioning will result in picking a new target, which if you are unlucky could mean finding no target, or even targeting one of your own ships. If a friendly ship is targeted the ship will always try to pick a new target next day.
Damage is dealt in a similar way to in land battles. Offensive modifiers and dice roll is reduced by the enemy defensive modifiers and dice roll (this is then further increased or decreased by the specific damage modifiers on either side for Strength Damage or Morale Damage).
Ships that have no morale left will retreat from battle, ships that have no strength left will be sunk.
Pirates
Whenever money is being made there will be those who desire to have that money for themselves. Any port that attracts enough trade will also risk attracting pirates.
Pirates can appear outside of ports and the chance that they do so is based on how many Trade Routes the Province that the Port belongs to has.
This chance can be reduced through laws and inventions.
A pirate fleet can be at most 10 ships in size and will attempt to blockade the port it spawns next to. It is also hostile to all non-pirate navies. Should the pirate fleet be defeated, but not destroyed, it will attempt to find another weakly guarded port to blockade.
Diplomacy
And with that we turn once again to Diplomacy, and more specifically unto how Claims, Truces, War Declarations and Peace will Work in Imperator:Rome.
Casus Belli
Like in many Paradox games before the difference between a justified war and one with no justification matters in Imperator:Rome.
Casus Bellis come in a variety of forms and shape such as:
Declaring war without a Casus Belli will cost the attacker 2 Stability and give additional Aggressive Expansion.
- Claim: A country is considered to always have a Casus Belli against a country if it has a claim on a city that the other country owns.
- Supporting Rebels: A country is always considered to have a Casus Belli against someone who supports rebels inside it.
- Insult: A country will receive a time limited Casus Belli against a country that has sent an insult to it.
- Guarantee: A country will receive a time limited Casus Belli against a country that attacks someone Guaranteed by them.
- Broken Subject Status: A country will receive a time limited Casus Belli against a country that breaks a subject relationship with them.
- Broken Alliance: A country will receive a time limited Casus Belli against a country that dishonors its alliance towards them.
War Goals:
When a war is declared the aggressor will have chosen a specific war goal. Fulfilling this war goal will result in a gradual increase of scope up to an additional 25% War Score. Unlike in other games, such as Europa Universalis IV however, the war goal and the Casus Belli need not be directly linked. A claim gives a Casus Belli, and unlocks the conquest war goal, but you can choose to declare a superiority war all the same. The Casus Belli will still remove the stability penalty you would normally have gotten on the start of the war.
There are three different War Goals in the game:
Truces:
- Conquest: If you have a Claim on a Province held by another country you can declare conquest war over that Province. In that case holding the entire enemy province selected will be the war goal. A conquest war will automatically end if the entire war goal is held by either party for 1 year + 180 days per Rank.
- Show Superiority: The War goal is to show superiority in battle. Once over 10 war score from battles is achieved the extra ticking war score starts applying.
- Show Naval Superiority: The War goal is to show superiority in naval battles. Once over 10 war score from battles is achieved the extra ticking war score starts applying. Having more blockades than your enemy will also contribute.
After a peace has been signed a truce will be in power for between 5 and 15 years. The length of the Truce will be dependent on the severity of the peace agreement. During this time it will cost 5 Stability to declare war again against the same enemy.
War Leaders, Changes to Call to Arms & Separate Peace:
War Leadership, Call to Arms and Separate Peace, are all concepts that will be familiar to anyone who has played our games before.
While wars can have many participants the country declaring the war and the country being declared upon will initially be considered the War Leaders.
War Leaders will negotiate on behalf of the entire side (including all allies and subject countries) to which they belong and a war will not end until the two War Leaders agree to a peace.
War Leadership in Imperator:Rome can also change. If a country with higher Max Manpower and more provinces than the existing leader joins, then this country will be considered the new War Leader and can call its own allies. When this is the case the War Declaration interface will warn that a country may take over the leadership of the war, and War Leadership can only be transferred once.
To further press home the need to choose your allies carefully we have made some changes to how alliances function. In Imperator:Rome you will not be able to refuse a call to arms from an attacked ally. If you want to have the aid of another power you need to be ready to come to their aid.
It is also not possible to separate peace as a junior participant of a war until 36 months have passed, as a junior participant is expected to be involved in order to help the war leader bring the war to completion, rather than using someone else's conflict to expand themselves.
Bactria and Parthia
Bactria
Parthia
Dahae Region
Today we look to the north east from the region that was under focus in the last development diary. To the successors, and to some extent to Achaemenid Persia before them Parthia and Bactria are on the periphery. At the same time these are not regions of economical inconsequence.
There are ancient cities here, trade ties with the far east, and India and a culture that has been under influence of first Persian and then Greek overlordship.
At the start of our game almost all of this region is controlled by Greek Satrapies, and while Seleucus and his son Antiochus has recently made sure to root out any local power holders that may not be loyal to the state, they now expect to be left alone.
Historically both satrapies would eventually break free, Bactria would go on to found a Graeco-Bactrian kingdom that came to rule large parts of northern India, creating a Greek-Indian fusion, a state ruled by a Greek Buddhist dynasty.
Parthia on the other hand would be overrun by the Daehae tribes to the north and become the core of the Arsacid Empire, a state that would conquer most of Persia and eventually become a rival of the expanding Republic of Rome.
Starting Countries:
- Parthia: Seleucid Satrapy on the border between Persia proper and the open tribal region to the north. While Parthia is perhaps not the richest Satrapy it enjoys a great deal of autonomy and as the core for future expansion it has great potential. Parthia starts as a Satrapy subject of the Seleucids.
- Bactria: The other great eastern Satrapy under the Seleucids is Bactria. A much richer region than Parthia, in the fertile valley between Hindukush in modern Afghanistan and the Pamir mountains. It has a larger population and the region is already something of a cultural melting pot of Greek veterans, settlers, persian bureaucrats, and local Indo-Iranian farmers and city-dwellers. Bactria has been described by some as a ‘Wild West’ of its day. Starts as a Satrapy Subject state of the Seleucids.
- Parnia: One of a number of Dahae tribal kingdoms in the region between the Caspian Sea and Bactria. Would eventually conquer Parthia and found the Parthian Empire, ruled by the Arsacid dynasty. Like all of the Dahae Tribes, if Parnia exapnds it can form a Dahae federation, greatly strengthening its ranks and potentially reading itself for an invasion of Iran. Starts independent and unaligned.
- Scythia: Tribal kingdom on the northern edge of the Caspian. An open steppe separates it from European Scythia in one direction and Sogdia in the other. Starts independent and unaligned.
- Zanthia: Small tribal kingdom of the Dahae people. Like Parnia it can potentially form the core of something greater. Starts independent and unaligned.
- Pissuria: Small tribal kingdom on the edge of the Dahae region and Parthia. Starts independent and unaligned.
- Kharesmia: Tribal kingdom in the Amu Darya river delta, right between the Dahae tribes and Bactria. Starts independent and unaligned.
Check a game called Oriental Empires. Much better contender for a direct paradox competitor than Civ (I would hestitate to call it historical) or TW (RTS, its grand strategy layer is shallow as a puddle). OE is a hidden gem, has flaws, but is overall (to my surprise) one of the best strategy games at depicting actual history.
Hello and welcome to another Developer Diary for Imperator:Rome!
Today we will be talking about the third form of government, after Republics and Monarchies. Even though this is the last of the three types it is far from the least common. Tribal Chiefdoms, Kingdoms and Federations make up the grand majority of the countries in Imperator and Tribal countries exist in all locations from western Europe, to Arabia and the Caucasus to the interior of India all the way to the Burmese border.
We will also show you the region of Gaul and tell you a bit about the state of it at our start in the game.
Clan Leaders & their Retinues
The base premise for the tribal government is that authority is shared. When a ruler dies the new ruler will be elected from among a number of Clan Leaders, all whom command their own Retinues of loyal troops. Changing any Laws at all in a tribe requires that your Clan Leaders are loyal, and doing so will reduce the loyalty of all Clan leaders but the king.
Clan Retinues are recruited and reinforced by the Clan Leaders themselves, without using the manpower pool of the country and are also cheaper to upkeep. Since retinue troops are always loyal to their Clan Leader, these armies will also make it harder to rely on the loyalty of your Clan Leaders the bigger they are. Their presence also means that there are always armies ready to provoke a civil war, should you not be able to maintain the loyalty of your Clan Leaders.
Every Tribal country will have at least 3 Clan Leaders, with more added for each country rank the country attains.
Centralization
The first thing that will come to mind when looking at a government type that affects this many countries, in as many regions is always going to be how similar they really are to eachother. Clearly a Tribal Kingdom can mean one thing in southern Hispania and something very different in Scandinavia or even on the faraway border between Burma and India.
Indeed, just "how tribal" a country is, and in what way can vary wildly. Often it might even do so within the same region. It is also not necessarily static over time. Many things will pull a state towards being more or less settled and more or less centralized towards the authority of its capital settlement.
For this reason all Tribes make use of a Centralization scale that goes from -100 to +100. Centralization will change from your actions such as laws you enact, or your reactions to what clan leaders do.
There is however no direct way to change the Centralization value, using power or money for instance, it is only adjusted as a result of your actions and over time.
At Negative Centralization your Tribe is less centralized, it will have more influential clan chiefs, bigger retinues, higher Tribesman output and will make it possible to morph into a Tribal Chiefdom, able to perform Tribal Migration (we will talk more about Migration and how it works in a later developer diary).
Positive Centralization gives discount to Converting Tribesmen to Freemen, decreases the size of Clan Retinues, and most importantly increases the Country Civilization value, the cap that all cities under your control will gravitate towards. A higher civilization value in your capital, together with the appropriate laws, will eventually make it possible to reform out of being a tribe, morphing into a Republic or Monarchy.
As mentioned before, apart from its impact on research, a higher Civilization value in your cities will make more tribesmen unhappy to live in them (while Citizens and Freemen will feel more and more at home) meaning that the tribesmen will start being less productive and be more prone to generate unrest.
At the start of the game the Centralization levels of Tribal countries all around the map will differ, they start well into the negatives for the Germanic tribes for instance, while others like Turdetania in Hispania, starts with significant positive Centralization.
In other words: as a tribe you can attempt to move your country towards being a Republic and a Monarchy, and making use of the more stratified pop types such as Freemen or Citizens while alienating your Tribesmen who will produce less and potentially even generate unrest.
You can also decrease Centralization, share power with the other Clan Leaders and build a country where Tribesmen pops are happier and more productive while Freemen and Citizens will contribute less and likely generate unrest.
To make matters a bit more complicated most regions, even at start, will have a mix of pop types. There are few regions where you would only have tribesmen at the start of the game, even as a tribe.
As the only pop type unaffected by civilization levels Slaves from warfare can always help augment your economy, though other things, not least their foreign culture or culture group might still make them somewhat unruly in some circumstances.
Gaul
In between three of the regions we have covered in earlier developer diaries, Britannia, Hispania and Italy, lies the region of Gaul. In 450 AUC / 304 BCE the Gallic people are present in many theaters far beyond Gaul itself, there are Gallic tribes in modern Germany, in the Balkans and Gallic mercenaries served on many sides in the Successor wars from Egypt and Syria to Thrace. Not long after our start date such Gallic tribes would also descend on Greece and Anatolia on their own behalf, creating the new region of Galatia in the process (but more on that in a later diary).
Gaul itself is at our start divided into a number of regions and tribes. Our data on this place and time is not perhaps as greatly detailed as what we know of the Greek and Roman world but Gaul as hinted at earlier neither was Gaul isolated from the wider Mediterranean world.
The vast majority of countries are Tribal kingdoms at start, and some are part of larger tribal identities that, like previously described in Spain, can form into bigger Tribal Federations. On the Centralization scale these Gallic tribal kingdoms are all on the positive side of the middle.
Transalpine Gaul
Transalpine Gaul, eventually Gallia Narbonensis under the Romans, is close to Italy and the Mediterranean. For centuries Etrurian, Phoenician and Greek merchants have been trading with these states and by 304 BCE there are a number of Greek trading settlements along the coast, centrally led by the city of Massalia which traditionally had close ties with Syracuse.
In time Transalpine Gaul would become the first part of the greater Gallic region on this side of the alps to be integrated into the Roman Republic, and where Gallo-Roman culture really began to grow.
Starting Countries:
- Massalia: Oldest and most influential of the Greek settlements in Gaul. Massalia is not just one city but also controls the coastal cities of Antipolis, Tauroention and Agathi. It is also in a defensive league with Emporion and Hemereskopeion in Hispania. Nonetheless Massalia is far from strong. It depends on maintaining good relations with the surrounding Gallic states or being able to afford mercenaries to fight for its cause. Preferably both. Merchants from Massalia are said to have traveled far and wide throughout Gaul, and Massalian coins have been found throughout the region.
- Salluvia: Gallic and Ligurian tribal kingdom surrounding Massalia. One of the first peoples subdued by Rome when it expanded into the region.
- Deciatia: Small Ligurian tribe just east of Massalia, controlling the thin strip of land between the Salluvi and the Oxybi.
- Oxybia: Another small tribal kingdom of Ligurians, on the coast between Antipolis and Deciatia.
- Vocontia: Gallic Tribal kingdom of medium strength, east of the river Rhone. Stronger than many of the southern tribes and would retain some autonomy under Roman rule as a Roman ally.
- Albicia: Small Gallic tribe in the hills between Vocontia and the coastal Tribes.
- Tectosagia: Volcae tribal kingdom on the border of Aquitania centered on the city of Tolosa (modern Toulouse). Supposedly took part in the raids into Anatolia, with some of the raiders settling in Galatia. Regardless this is one of the stronger Gallic states in the region.
- Sorbonia: Another Volcae tribal kingdom west of Tectosagia, has a coastal port and also borders Massalias exclave Agatha.
- Arecomicia: Medium sized Volcae Tribal kingdom west of the Rhone.
- Rutenia: Tribal kingdom just south of the Massif Central mountains with ample access to base metals and stone. Despite their closeness to the Arverni they do not seem to have been subservient to them at any point.
- Arvernia: In many ways the most powerful tribal kingdom in southern Gaul. Would in time grow to be a regional hegemonic power before Roman conquest. Controls important sources if Iron and Precious Metals and stands ready to expand its influence at our start.
- Helvia: Small celtic kingdom in the highlands west of the Rhone. Rich in both Precious and Base Metals.
- Allobrogia: Larger Tribal kingdom between the Rhone and lake Geneva. Would oppose the Romans together with the Salluvians and the Arverni, part of the tribe also allegedly helped Hannibal cross the alps during his march to Italy.
- Segusiavia: “The victorious”, small but strong tribal kingdom around modern Lyon. Rich in metals and with a strong economy. Segusiavia conducted trade even before Roman conquest with the Phoenicians and Greeks and, like the Arvernians, coined their own money.
- Caturigia: Small Alpine Tribal kingdom guarding a number of the important passes between Italian Gaul and Transalpine Gaul. After centuries of mixing the population is both Celt and Ligurian.
- Ceutronia: Another Celtic Alpine kingdom, north of the Caturigi. The Ceutroni were willing to defend their mountain passes. Both Caesar and Hannibal did in their times pass through these lands.
Aquitania
South eastern Gaul is closely associated with the Vasconian tribes in northern Hispania. Like them it is supposed that the Aquitanians may be related to the later day Basque population and they are described as Romans as more similar to the people on the other side of the Pyrenees in their customs and laws. This region is rich in both Gold and Silver, and is often described as rich and prosperous. At our start it is also, like the rest of Gaul and Hispania, divided into a number of tribal states of equal strength.
Starting Countries:
- Santonia: Medium sized Tribal kingdom with an economy built on the export of salt and wine.
- Pictonia: Strong Tribal kingdom north of the Santones. Skilled shipbuilders and exporters of both Timber and boats. Assisted Caesar during his wars in Gaul and Pictones fought both for and against Vercingetorix.
- Lemovicia: Tribal kingdom in the highlands of central Gaul. Rich in precious metals and allies of the Arverni.
- Andecamulensia: Small tribal kingdom in modern Limousin, closely related to the Lemovici.
- Petrocoria: Small tribal kingdom in modern Dordogne. Exports Iron.
- Nitiobrogia: Small tribal kingdom north of the Aquitanian states.
- Aquitanian Tribes:
- Like in Hispania there are a number of existing tribal kingdoms at our start that consider themselves to be part of a greater Aquitanian tribal identity. Should any of these rise to prominence well enough the Aquitanian tribes may form a more powerful Tribal federation, incorporating the other states.
- Tarbellia
- Sibuzatia
- Bigerrionia
- Tarusatia
- Vocatia
- Cocosatia
- Viviscia
- Auscia
- Consorannia
Celtica
Historically often an even greater region Gallia Celtica encompasses most of Central Gaul east of the Seine. This is in some ways the core of the Gallic cultural region and was where the not too distant raid on Rome itself originated. This is also the place where the combined armies of the Gallic states would be defeated at Alesia, marking the end of an independent Gaul.
Starting Countries:
Armorica
- Parisia: Small tribal kingdom by the Seine, centered round the region where Lutetia would later be founded, the precursor of the modern city of Paris. Subjects to the Senoni.
- Senonia: Larger tribal kingdom along the Seine. Overlords of the Parisi. Known to the Romans perhaps most of all because they are the tribe which Brennus led to sack Rome just 80 years prior to the start of our game.
- Mandubia: Small tribal kingdom centered on the fortified city of Alesia, which would later be the site of the last stand of the Gallic coalition against the Romans. In 304 BCE the Mandubii are not an important tribe however, reliant on the good will of their neighbors for their continued existance.
- Tricassia: Another small tribal kingdom on the Seine, centered around what would later become Troyes.
- Lingonia: Relatively strong tribal kingdom on a commercial and cultural crossroads in eastern Gaul, closely related to the Lingones is Italy. The Lingones of Gaul are known for their skills in ironworking and agriculture.
- Sequania: Strong Tribal kingdom on the upper Saone river. Rivals of the Aedui. Also took part in the gallic disaster in Rome 80 years prior to our start, would eventually play a key part in the Roman conquest of Gaul.
- Aeduia: Tribal kingdom to the west of their hereditary enemies, the Sequani.
- Biturigia: Tribal kingdom north of Arvernia. Like many other tribal kingdoms mentioned here the Bituriges are known for their skills at iron and stoneworking.
North eastern Gaul, including the regions that make up modern Brittany, was known as Armoria. This region is perhaps most known for its close ties to the British isles both commercially and culturally. The Armorican tribes also speak a language that is more closely related to that of Britannia. Like most of Gaul Armorica is divided among a number of tribal states in 304 BCE, some of which have the Armorican culture and language in common and might form into a larger united entity.
Starting Countries:
- Armorican Tribes:
- There are a number of tribal states in Armorica that consider themselves part of a bigger Armorican tribal identity and which may come to incorporate the others if they grow to be powerful and influential enough to unite the region. The economy and culture of these tribes are all closely tied to that of Britannia. The Armorican Tribes Include:
- Redonia
- Venellia
- Osismia
- Venetia
- Curiosolita
- Diablintia
- Lexovia
- Eburovicia
- Namnetia: Small Tribal kingdom centered around their capital on the Loire, eventually this city would be called Namnetum, the fore-runner of modern day Nantes. The kingdom is rich in all kind of metals and, like the Armorican states such as Osimisia to the north it was part of the trade zone around the British channel.
- Aulercia: Small tribal kingdom to the east of Namnetia.
- Carnutia: Medium sized powerful and fortified Tribal Kingdom just at the border of the Gallia Celtica region. Would in time become subjected by the nearby Belgae Remi.
- Esuvia: Obscure tribal kingdom in modern Normandy.
Belgica
In his famous division of the Gallic lands in three Julius Caesar describes Belgica as the northernmost part of Gaul, a region covering modern north eastern France as well as the Low countries. Gallia Belgica encompasses the lower Rhine as well as a large part of the coast towards Britannia and would come to have exchange customs, people and goods with both the Germanic and Pretani regions.
Caesar also claims that the Belgae people are the bravest and most dangerous of the Gauls. Gallia Belgica is also closer to the Germanic tribal states, most likely influencing both customs, and trade as well as resulting in occasional warfare and raiding. Like Gauls elsewhere the Belgae also spread to other regions, settling in Britannia during the period covered by the game.
Starting Countries:
- Treveria: On the border of the Celtic and Belgic parts of Gaul Treveria is a strong Tribal Kingdom in the far eastern part of Gaul. During the Gallic wars they would make a name for themselves for their strong military ability, especially for their cavalry.
- Remia: Strong Tribal kingdom north of Treveria, centered on the large city of Durocortum. Would come to expand their influence over a wider region, acquiring subject tribes further into Celtic Gaul.
- Belgae Tribes:
- There are a number of tribes in Gallia Belgica that consider themselves part of a larger tribal identity. If any of the Belgae tribes should grow powerful and influential enough they may unify the Belgae tribes into a tribal federation. Enjoying more efficient government as well as the voluntary submission of a number of the other Belgae Tribes.
- Menapia
- Eburonia
- Morinia
- Viromanduia
- Nervia
- Aduatucia
- Cugernia
- Suessionia
- Bellovacia
- Ambiania
- Caletia
That was all for today. I will be back with another Developer Diary next Monday!
Hello and welcome to another developer diary for Imperator:Rome!
Today I am here to talk about Character Ambitions, Persian Military Traditions, and the starting situation in the Caucasus and the northern Black Sea.
Ambitions
In order to run a country in Imperator:Rome you have to entrust various tasks to characters. Your characters are your monarchs, your ministers, your governors, they are the ones who will lead your armies and navies. Characters are however not just tools that you can make use of, they also have intentions of their own, ambitions that they will try to fulfill and the success of which will decide how they develop.
The most basic of ambitions is one that all characters will adopt after birth, that to grow up. This one is hard for them to fail but will as they grow shift into what type of person they want to to grow up to be. Some might want to be a great warrior, others have other desires. These ambitions will shape their development, but unlike the ambitions for adults there is not a lot you can do about them. Nonetheless they give you some idea of where children are going.
Other categories of ambitions come with adulthood. This is when some will start to aspire to certain positions. Some characters might expect a specific one of your governorships, others might aspire to be a specific type of minister. Failing to fulfill some ambitions will slowly make their loyalty and faith in the state deteriorate, while others will have less hard felt effects.
What ambitions a certain character will adopt is dependent on traits. A hungry general might get an ambition to conquer a specific area, someone with a friend in prison might get an ambition to have them set free (and prisoners themselves will get ambitions to get out of prison). Others yet may have ambitions to see their rivals suffer.
As soon as an ambition is completed the character will receive a reward, often in the form of Loyalty and Prominence, and after that there is a chance they will become “Content in Life”, which means this character is, for now, happy with how things are and will not aspire to change anything about their situation.
Contentedness will automatically disappear from a character if they lose their current employment or is imprisoned.
Some of the ambitions are things that you can, and may want to, act upon. While others are things that drives the character forward without much interaction from you as a player (for instance, when it comes to dealing with rivals characters may well take matters in their own hands).
Persian Military Traditions
The Persian Military Traditions will be used by any country in the Persian, Bactrian, Scythian and Aramaic culture groups, but is not used by any of the major empires at start. It focuses on utilizing Horse Archers as well as Heavy Cavalry, and Infantry. It also allows the use of the Levy unit ability, to portray the efficiency with which Parthians and later Sassanian could mobilize large forces.
The Levy unit ability costs 50 Military Power and raises 1 cohort of Light Infantry or Light Cavalry per owned and controlled city in the Province your army is currently stationed in. Each levied city will also get a 5 year unrest modifier, and will not be able to create a levied unit again until that goes away.
Starting Tradition - Scythian Horse Archers: Horse Archer Cost -15%
“Parthian Path”
*Resurgent Achaemenid Path*
- The Parthian Shot: Horse Archer Offensive +15%
- Nomadic Lifestyle: Cohort Recruit Speed +25%
- Hit and Run: Horse Archer Morale +10%
- Cavalry Skirmish: Allows Cavalry Skirmish
- Cataphracts: Heavy Cavalry Cost -25%
- Steppe Mastery: Land Attrition -15%
- Footsloggers: Light Infantry Defense +15%
- Finisher Bonus - Born to Ride: All Cavalry Discipline +10%
*Bactrian Path*
- Legacy of Cyrus: National Manpower +15%
- The Immortals: Heavy Infantry Defensive +15%
- Reform the Navy: Ship Morale +10%
- Reactive Recruitment: Allows Raising Levies
- Royal Line: Land Morale Recover +3%
- To Blot Out The Sun: Archer Offensive +15%
- Kardakes: Heavy Infantry Cost -15%
- Finisher Bonus - Massed Assault: Siege Ability +10%
- Bactrian Horsemen: Light Cavalry Discipline +10%
- Graeco Bactrian Architecture: Fort Defense +15%
- Perfect Storm: Heavy Infantry Offense +15%
- Kleruchoi: Allows Military Colonies
- Titans of Battle: War Elephant Discipline +10%
- Hippotoxotoi: Horse Archer Discipline +15%
- Heartland: Land Unit Attrition -15%
- Finisher Bonus - Disillusioned Masses: Mercenary Maintenance Cost -15%
Armenia
In previous diaries we have described Anatolia, Mesopotamia and Persia, all regions that have been the direct focus of the successor wars. Armenia however has mostly been left to its own devices. The Orontid dynasty that rules this kingdom in 304 BCE is the same line of kings that was in power as Satraps under the Achaemenids and later under Alexander.
Armenia itself is a region of high mountains and fertile valleys, the latter also made for good pastureland and are part of the reason that such a mountainous country could still be known for its cavalry. Its location, at the crossroads between east and west also means that this would come to be a region of great strategic importance when it was later at the frontier between the Roman and Parthian empires.
Starting Country:
Armenia: In 304 BCE the kingdom of Armenia is in a good position to choose its own destiny. The Titanic Greek empires to the east and south have no time to pay attention to what goes on beyond the passes to the mountain kingdom, nor would they be able to project power there without opening themselves up to defeat. The Armenian kingdom also has ample opportunity for expansion. In the court of the Orontids the former Satrap of Cappadocia is growing restless, eager to retake the kingdom he believes to be his by right. To the south east lies Atropatene, another former Achaemenid possession, now without protector. The Caucasian kingdoms to the north are likewise open to expansion. Should the conflict of the Successor kingdoms come to be resolved however, the opportunities for expansion will rapidly close, as it is unlikely that any winner would be able to resist the temptation to take back control over the Armenian highlands.
The Northern Black Sea Region
The Scythian Kingdom has for a long time been the primary force in the region where the Pontic Steppe meets the Black Sea. Here a number of Greek trading colonies have sprung up over the centuries, bringing wealth to Scythia in exchange for exports such as Wheat and Slaves.
On the Taurica peninsula (today Crimea) the Bosporan kingdom has adopted a distinctly hellenistic identity with a Greek speaking, but culturally mixed population, a state heavily oriented towards the export of Grain to Athens.
Starting Countries
Caucasia
- Scythia: Situated between the open Steppes and the Black Sea the Scythian kingdom has no theoretical limit to its expansion. On the other hand the open steppe is by no means as immediately lucrative as maintaining trade with the Greeks to the south. While Scythia is firmly entrenched as the tribal overlord of this region since centuries their supremacy is soon to be challenged by the expanding Sarmatians from the east.
- Olbia: Greek Trading colony and city state on the western black sea coast. Olbia was established hundreds of years ago and by our start date they have a firm trading relationship with Scythia to the north.
- Tyras: Small Greek trading colony west of the more influential Olbia.
- Bosporan Kingdom: A recent civil war between princes of the Kingdom’s Spartocid dynasty had just passed when the its king died suddenly while on the way home from a diplomatic journey. The newly crowned Spartocus has been quick to name himself Basileus, just as the great successor kings to the south, but any ties to the greater Hellenistic conflict ends there. The Bosporan kingdom is quickly emerging as a local power of note in this part of the world, and would not dream of risking that for any southern adventures.
- Chersonesus: League of cities based around the Greek colony of Chersonesus in the western part of the Crimean peninsula. Has recently gone from a small city state to a slightly more influential entity, expanding north along the Crimean coast.
- Maeotia: Tribal Federation on the eastern coast of the Sea of Azov (Lake Maeotis), frequently subjected to the Bosporan Kingdom.
- Sarmatia: Tribal Chiefdom east of the Tanais river. Sarmatia starts with many tribesmen and a low Centralization level, and is eager to replace the old Scythian overlordship over this region.
- Zygia: Sindican tribal kingdom on the coastline east of the Bosporan Kingdom. Heavily influenced by both Scythian and Hellenistic customs this is also a traditionally a pirate haven.
- Heniochia: Tribal Kingdom between the western Caucasus range and the sea. A tribal vassal of the Bosporan kingdom and, like Zygia to the west, historically a haven for Black Sea pirates.
As a region of great mineral wealth the Caucasus is perhaps as important as any of the regions we have mentioned today, but it is also more remote. As in Armenia the landscape of the western Caucasus is one of valleys and mountains, with a number of well guarded passes steering all traffic in, and out of, the region and its valuable sources of Iron and Gold.
Starting Countries
- Colchis: Ancient native kingdom in modern western Georgia. Once part of the Achaemenid Empire Colchis has now been independent for a number of decades.
- Phasis: Small Greek trading league based around the city of Phasis on the Black Sea coastline. While reasonably rich Phasis depends on the good will of Colchis for its survival.
- Iberia: Autocratic Monarchy ruled by the mysterious Azo of Iberia. Formerly subjected to both the Achaemenid and later Alexander’s empire, Iberia has now established itself as an independent kingdom, albeit not a very stable one. Like the other Caucasian kingdoms Iberia enjoys a defensible position, with a few passes controlling all access to the west, south and north, but also a longer and more troublesome border with the tribal region of Albania to the east.
- Albania: In 304 BCE Caucasian Albania is not a united country but rather a tribal region that, while known for its horsemen and warriors, still has a long way to go to be a proper country. Luckily there are plenty of opportunities to grow, in this region.
- Legia: Small Tribal Kingdom to the north of the Caucasus and the passes of Iberia and Albania.
- Siracia: Tribal kingdom north of the Caucasus. Took part in the Civil War of the Bosporan kingdom, in which one of the claimants was killed during a siege in Siraci land.
- Sindica: Small tribal chiefdom in the Sindi inland, north of Zygia. One of many tribal states on the direct border of the Bosporan kingdom.
