Breakdown Of Term 2 Cabinet Tasks

[Provolution]

I present this as a proposal for Term 2.

And hope some likeminded citizens will back this up. There will be attempts to dilute this message, threadjacks, change topic and minimize the idea, but I humbly call for the open-mindedness of some citizens to look away from such shenanigans, spam and general Ernst Rohm tactics, and consider this proposal on fair, practical and rational grounds.



Workloads Per Cabinet Office

President

Lead Consuls
Mediate Consul and Director conflicts
Set Turnchats
Post Screenies
Play Turnchats
Log Turnchats
Write Forum Reports on Game Session

Domestic Consul

Discuss Major Infrastructure Project Policy (Main Roads, agro and mines)
Discuss Settlement Patterns, Criteria and Region for cities
Discuss City Build Policies
Discuss Mobilization
Discuss War Economy
Discuss use City Specialists
Discuss Revolution
Poll Policies

State Consul
FA/TA

Discuss Treaties, Trades and foreign policies
Discuss Embassy and Espionage Policies
Discuss Province Set Up
Discuss Naming of None Provincial Geography
Budget Embassies and Espionage Agency Budget and Foreign Transfers
Poll Policies and Budget


Finance, Technology and Culture Consul
Finance from Domestic, SA and CA.

Discuss use of Tech/Lux/Tax Slider
Discuss Long term Policy for tech development
Discuss Cultural and Science building Policy
Discuss Wonders based on technology planning
Discuss Culture Wars
Budget for Consul of State, Consul of Military, Director of Commerce and Director of Expansion and governors
Discuss use of science leaders
Discuss and poll policies and Budget


Military Consul
Discuss Military target size and budget (upkeep and budget/slider related)
Discuss Military Formation sizes and locations
Dicuss Military research strategy and lobby Finance and Technology
Discuss legitimate war aims for all nations (target cities for conquests)
Discuss Rules of Engagement (When to attack threatening units)
Discuss Major Military Upgrades and Disbands (related to target number)
Discuss use of Military Heroes
Discuss and poll policies

YES, LONG TERM MILITARY PLANNING WILL BE IMPORTANT THIS GAME, AS THE MANAGEMENT OF UPKEEP WILL IMPACT THE SLIDER BY 10-20 % !!!!!!!!

As we can see, External Consul needs to be divided into a civilian and a military side, whereas Finance and Technology is trimmed down and renamed (Trade and Tech is very very misleading). Culture is then expanded to be a State Department, with FA/TA/Culture in the portfolio. Then there would be a semblance of balance in workloads between the Consuls.

 

[Ashburnham]

I prefer combining FA with Trade only, not Culture. Give Culture to the Science/Finance office

 

[Provolution]

Ashburnham

Actually, we can do that too, in fact, brilliant idea.
Let the technology planner reason around the Wonder too.

Actually, I edited it.

 

[Provolution]

I want to bump this to soften the ground for needed Term 2 reforms.

 

[ravensfire]

Threadjacks? Surely not - after all, you never do that, do you, Provo?

Looks interesting, and the right way to do this.

-- Ravensfire

 

[Provolution]

Ravensfire

I deleted my post upon your request, however, you could have PMed the same info.
However, I am glad you found the way acceptable to your high standards.

 

[TimBentley]

I think revolution would better fit under domestic consul. Government only has a minor (I basically ignore it) effect on foreign affairs. And I thought you wanted province border discussion under the culture consul, or the proposed FTC consul.

 

[Provolution]

Tim Bentley

You are indeed Domestic is better off doing the revolutions.
However, the Provinces could be carved out by State (FA/TA), due to the potential to define national interest around what could be new provinces. Last game, we considered certain foreign cities to belong to our future province, a dynamic that enrichened the game. I think foreign affairs and trade could cover this.

 

[MOTH]

These offices are a bit too balanced for my taste. I have always been a big fan of offices that have different commitment levels. However, I have no constructive input on how to fit this into Provolution's proposal at this time.

I do have opinions on the first two Domestic Consul responsibilities (in reverse order)

Discuss Settlement Region for cities - Is this just a different way to say "Settle Patterns"? As I see it, this position sets the guidelines for settlement, but not specific locations. Details would be: Tight or Loose, Site Criteria, and sometimes general direction.
Ex: Pattern: Settle a tight pattern such that cities with fresh water can work 13 tiles and cities without fresh water can work 7 tiles.
Site Criteria Priorities: Strategic Resources, Coastal, River, Fresh Water, Bonus Food, Other Bonus.
Other Direction: grab space near Babylon before they come and torture us again.

Discuss Major Infrastructure Projects (Long Roads, main agro, main mines). As I see the current responsibility, it is to discuss the useage and general improvements for each city, as well as some projects as above. I see this position discussing/polling on how we want Camelot to be used and what target food, sheild, and populations are. The type of tile improvements needed we'll leave it to the Director of Infrastructure.

Ex: Camelot should get to +4 Food per turn asap and then will need to be able to produce at least 5 sheilds per turn at Size 4 and 5. Eventually we would like to run this as a 6 turn size 4 to 6 settler pump with occasional military production.

 

[Provolution]

MOTH

I take a bit too balanced as a compliment. Indeed, there will be different commitment levels, Finance, Tech and Culture would require most effort, whereas Domestic and Military would be shared. Maybe since you already are elected Term One, you got a preference to the existing model, but honestly, most people would like to have more interesting elections. Finally, diplomacy and military HAS to be divided, and the only way to do so is to merge culture with finance and tech.

 

[Provolution]

MOTH

I added those amendments to the Domestic part.

Please understand the need to make all positions interesting enough to create better elections and more interest to run for them. Hence need for balancing out.

 

[Provolution]

I would reiterate the need for public input for the reestablishment of FA/Trade.

 

[DaveShack]

If you were to focus your efforts within this thread on making exactly one change, what would that change be? Initially I would like to hear this in general terms, stated very simply. Rearranging the entire strategic branch is not one change -- pick a fairly narrow topic like creating a military long term planner.

I will consider supporting incremental changes, when those changes have demonstratable and widespread citizen support. Such changes are far easier to justify and to ratify than a wholesale change would be.

 

[Provolution]

This is a very easy change. We separate External Consul into two, and bring Trade and Technology over to the FA/TA. Culture is brought into Finance and Technology.

Fundamentally this is in Traditional understanding

Domestic Advisor minus slider and gold budget - Domestic Consul
Military Advisor - Military consul (part of todays External)
Foreign Advisor and Trade Advisor - State Consul (part of todays External and Technology and Trade)
Science and Culture Advisor plus slider and gold budget - Finance, Science and Culture Consul

Basically, the change is to split External Consul into Military and Foreign/Affairs Trade, and moving culture into Finance and Technology (old Trade and Tech) and trade out of Finance and Technology.

This would let the consuls focus purely on spatial development (Domestic) , unit development (Military), negotiations screen and relations screen development (State) and national resource allocation such as science, gold and culture (Finance, Technology and Culture). The workload would be more or less equal on these people, and deputies may help out the heavier Military and Finance, Science and Culture leaders. I am certain that in term 2-3 and onwards, these would be very busy.

It also makes perfect sense to combine wonders with sciences.

 

[DaveShack]

This is a very easy change. We separate External Consul into two, and bring Trade and Technology over to the FA/TA. Culture is brought into Finance and Technology.

Yes, I heard that the first time you said it. You did not answer the question I asked, which was what one change do you want to make. You listed three changes in this reply.

 

[Provolution]

I would divide External into Military and FA/Trade, a very simple shift.
However, you may like to close down culture (to finance/science) and transfer trade from
finance/science to FA/Trade when you are at it. In fact a major simplication and balancing of the powers and something which would serve the game and the volumes of information intensity.

To make only ONE simple shift, would still be to split External, and transfer FA/TA to culture, since peaceful city-take overs as well as Wonder competitions are extremely intertwined. This allows the FA/TA to develop policies to push for Wonders compared to other nations and war/peace/trade the right nations at the right time.

Long term, we could make other adjustments, but the sheer volume of information the external consul must process calls for a divide The remaining External Consul would be the Military Consul.

 

[Provolution]

I have decided to bump this proposal for new Cabinet structure.

We all know the present Cabinet set-up is contested, and some may like an improvement.
As soon as I got more comments, I will edit the law in question based on all citizens input, not leaving out presented details, and run this through an amendment approval poll.

 

[blackheart]

I have decided to bump this proposal for new Cabinet structure.

We all know the present Cabinet set-up is contested, and some may like an improvement.
As soon as I got more comments, I will edit the law in question based on all citizens input, not leaving out presented details, and run this through an amendment approval poll.

Can you BRIEFLY summarize the difference between this and our current government structure?

And remember, just because its contested/controversial doesn't mean it doesn't work.

 

[Provolution]

Present Consul Structure

Domestic Consul (Traditional Domestic minus finance)
External Consul (Traditional Military and Foreign Affairs)
Culture Consul (Traditional Culture Advisor)
Trade and Technology ( Science Advisor + Trade Advisor plus Finance

Proposed Consul Structure

Domestic Consul/Same as present Domestic Consul
Military Consul (Military Advisor traditional with extensive long term planning tasks)
Foreign Affairs and Trade Consul/new External Consul (FA/Trade Advisors traditional)
Finance, Technology and Culture Consul, new State Consul (Science/Culture Advisors in Traditional, plus Finance)

It works presently in a way, but this will balance out the consuls a lot and create a better environment for long term planning.

 

[DaveShack]

Excellent summary, it is now possible to negotiate and discuss concrete differences in the proposals.

The existing structure for term one groups military with foreign, and trade with science.

Pro

• Trade and Science go hand in hand. It is impossible to plan a strategy for one without planning a strategy for the other. We should only be researching towards things we can sell, and we should be buying everything else.
• FA and Military at this point of the game are both about classifying our neighbors. This means keeping on top of who is stronger, who we can and should fight vs. who we cannot win battles / wars against and need to remain friends with.

Con

• Culture as a standalone is inherently weak.
• Resources & Technology has a larger share of the work than other departments
• DG culture is focused on military being a strong office, and it is effectively absorbed by FA

The proposed alternative groups FA with Trade, and Science with Culture.

Pro

• FA and Trade are both actually conducted on the F4 screen. At least this version of the proposal recognizes that FA is not large enough to stand on its own, in the early game.
• Science and Culture at least have in common that Culture depends on the right techs being acquired, since culture improvements are impossible without the techs.
• In the DG culture some people will be more comfortable with Military being separate.

Con

• In a strategic / tactical split, the military office cannot be easily split between strategy and tactical. The vast majority of the work is still tactical in nature.
• Separate science and trade plans are inefficient at best and problematic at worst. One or the other must be the leader and the other is relegated to following. If science is dominant then trade ends up being forced to bargain under science's plan, and if trade is dominant then science ends up being the same old job of polling which tech to research, one at a time.

I look forward to focused discussion on the actual differences, now that we have a concrete proposal and not just gloom and doom about the sky falling.