This will be the first in a series of ideas articles based by popular request from the community on aspects of Civilization V they would like to see changed. With 36% of the selections from 170+ participations (so far) Puppet states ranked among the top three game mechanics players wanted to see improved.
First things first: General fixes
The incremental cost of settling a new city often discourages settling of parts of the map such as archipelagos and island continents discovered during the age of discovery are often also anemically settled, and large chunks of pangea maps can be left empty.
The idea is to allow settlers to settle puppet cities to backfill parts of the map and settle new cities in distant lands while not incurring an onerous penalty on social policy progress. The implication is that Puppets become a proxy for the much requested ‘colonies’ option and are no longer exclusively acquired via conquest.
The settler option to settle a ‘colony’ is not available until the discovery of Navigation technology.
Idea 2) Ideologies & Puppet Cities
With the promise to create diplomatic effects around Order, Autocracy and Freedom branches in the social policy tree, puppet cities offer a unique way for the forthcoming ‘rival’ ideologies to provide differing bonuses to the war of the -isms that is coming.
The following are revised concepts - original ideas were removed. The idea will be based on an addition to the economics screen. Here players can assign (Great) Managers to puppeted cities.
Managers act as proxies of the player in select cities. They effectively allow some level of direct control over cities, but with limitations, depending on the economic and social development of the empire. The idea borrows from the proposed Espionage System already in the G&K expansion, although, it's not as menu driven as that system. Once a manager is assigned, you can run your city normally.
Note that the suggestions includes speculative elements related to religion to be introduced in Gods and Kings and adjustments to the Unique Ability of China.
Medieval Era to the Renaissance- 1 manager allowable
Author's Note: A mandarin is a civil servant in the imperial chinese court who must pass a series of examinations, rewarding talent over birthright, a major achievement of Imperial Chinese administration. The name is derived from the Portugese word for Bureaucrat.
Theocracy - 2 managers allowable
In the piety branch, unlocking Theocracy SP grants a Theocrat
Communism - 3 managers allowable
Unlocking Communism SP grants Access to 3 Commissars
Fascism - 3 managers allowable
Unlocking Communism SP grants Access to 3 Brownshirts
Freedom - No Limit on managers/No Purges
Purges
Players who have acquired a Theocrat and Mandarin earlier in the game may decide to vacate those cities and or the positions held by these city managers at a later time.
Under communism and fascism, the only way to do this is via purges. This removes the manager from a city and allows players to assign a new manager in a new city or in the same city.
In cases where there is also 3 commissar/brownshirt positions already filled and players wishes to reassign a manager, they may purge the managers, however, all experience progress is lost as a new 'official' is found to replace their predecessor.
The concept of purges is to model in some way 'power bases' within political systems. People shouldn't be too attached to the concept of individuals here, but rather that certain Imperial cities develop special attachments and powerbases to the empire via their special status. As such, being able to freely move managers is counter to this and the design of puppet cities as a whole.
Experience
Experience is gained by managers in a somewhat random duration 10-30 turns, but is meant to reward longevity of a manager. The Tier III experience upgrades are meant to be attainable eventually as long as a manager isn't purged (resetting their EXP) or turned into a representative -- which do not have an EXP upgrade path.
Note: Number of managers are merely guidelines for standard map sizes. They can and should be scaled up or down depending on map size played.
First things first: General fixes
- Capitals moved into a puppeted city should automatically unpuppet the city
- AI: Allow AI to unpuppet cities as needed. See my Paper Tiger thread here
- UI: Show happiness differentials between annexing and keeping status quo AFTER a city has been puppeted. See thread here
- AI: When cities run out of things to build, default to gold.
The incremental cost of settling a new city often discourages settling of parts of the map such as archipelagos and island continents discovered during the age of discovery are often also anemically settled, and large chunks of pangea maps can be left empty.
The idea is to allow settlers to settle puppet cities to backfill parts of the map and settle new cities in distant lands while not incurring an onerous penalty on social policy progress. The implication is that Puppets become a proxy for the much requested ‘colonies’ option and are no longer exclusively acquired via conquest.
The settler option to settle a ‘colony’ is not available until the discovery of Navigation technology.
Idea 2) Ideologies & Puppet Cities
With the promise to create diplomatic effects around Order, Autocracy and Freedom branches in the social policy tree, puppet cities offer a unique way for the forthcoming ‘rival’ ideologies to provide differing bonuses to the war of the -isms that is coming.
The following are revised concepts - original ideas were removed. The idea will be based on an addition to the economics screen. Here players can assign (Great) Managers to puppeted cities.
Managers act as proxies of the player in select cities. They effectively allow some level of direct control over cities, but with limitations, depending on the economic and social development of the empire. The idea borrows from the proposed Espionage System already in the G&K expansion, although, it's not as menu driven as that system. Once a manager is assigned, you can run your city normally.
Note that the suggestions includes speculative elements related to religion to be introduced in Gods and Kings and adjustments to the Unique Ability of China.
Medieval Era to the Renaissance- 1 manager allowable
- 1 Mandarin is available at Civil Service
- Assigning this leader allows players to build non military units (workboats, workers) and queue possible builds in cities up to tier2 (Temples, Universities, Theatre, Harbour) as well as resource specific buildings (Circus, Stoneworks, Stable)
- China gets 1 extra Mandarin (Unique Ability)
- EXP Path - Scholarly Official I/II/III (allows any focus, any buildings except military buildings and units. Defensive buildings are buildable)
Author's Note: A mandarin is a civil servant in the imperial chinese court who must pass a series of examinations, rewarding talent over birthright, a major achievement of Imperial Chinese administration. The name is derived from the Portugese word for Bureaucrat.
Theocracy - 2 managers allowable
In the piety branch, unlocking Theocracy SP grants a Theocrat
- 1 Theocrat assignable;
- Assigning this leader allows players to build non military units (workboats, workers)
- All Religious buildings can be built as direction. Non religious buildings subject to puppet AI.
- Increases conversion rate of cities and conversion range
- Based on Tech and SP path, most players will likely have 1 Mandarin and 1 Theocrat at this point
- EXP path - Word of God I/II/III (final upgrade - allows any city-focus, building of non resource based military units)
Communism - 3 managers allowable
Unlocking Communism SP grants Access to 3 Commissars
- Only 3 leaders are allowable, to access all 3 commissars requires purging of existing managers already assigned.
- Managers not of the same ideology, except for the Mandarin and Theocrat will not function
- Commissars allows access to all buildings and units except wonders and space ship components
- Build cost is 250% normal
- A commissar also adds 20% to the maintenance of the buildings in the city and 5% to the capital
- EXP path - Collectivism I/II/III (final upgrade build cost 200%; no maintenance penalty)
Fascism - 3 managers allowable
Unlocking Communism SP grants Access to 3 Brownshirts
- Only 3 leaders are allowable, to access all 3 Brownshirts requires purging of existing managers already assigned.
- Managers not of the same ideology, except for the Mandarin and Theocrat will not function
- Brownshirts allows access to all military buildings and military units except wonders and space ship components. Non military units or buildings subject to puppet AI.
- Build cost is 150% normal
- Brownshirts Add 15% unhappiness to host cities.
- EXP path - Xenophobia I/II/III Final Upgrade (no unhappiness penalty) Allows Production Focus
Freedom - No Limit on managers/No Purges
- Adds 1 Representative with Theocracy ; 2 with Rationalism
- Allows players to choose between any city focus
- Allows building of any buildings, wonders and space ship components at 100% speed
- In theory there is no limit on number of managers allowable in Freedom, so players could have in total 11 managers if they were to unlock Theocracy, Democracy, Fascism, and Communism (1 Mandarin [2 for China], 1 theocrat, 3 commissars, 3 brownshirts, and 2 representative)
- Commissars and Brownshirts must be converted into Representatives or they are unsuable
- Conversion takes 5 turns per member, or 30 turns to convert 3 brownshirts and 3 commissars
- Bureaucrats and Theocrats need not be converted to Representatives, but they be if desired. However they lose their EXP upgrades.
- Most likely scenario is Civil Service + Theocracy + Democracy or Civil Service + Rationalism + Democracy ; both options allow 3 managers
- There is no EXP upgrades for Representatives
- Reassigning can only be done with Representatives and this is done via elections held every 15 turns.
- A city reverts to gold focus after a Representative is moved out, but retains resource based buildings like Factories. All specialized building project stops. All Directed projects also stops. (ie: player can't direct building of a factory and then move their Representatives out before building is completed)
Purges
Players who have acquired a Theocrat and Mandarin earlier in the game may decide to vacate those cities and or the positions held by these city managers at a later time.
Under communism and fascism, the only way to do this is via purges. This removes the manager from a city and allows players to assign a new manager in a new city or in the same city.
In cases where there is also 3 commissar/brownshirt positions already filled and players wishes to reassign a manager, they may purge the managers, however, all experience progress is lost as a new 'official' is found to replace their predecessor.
The concept of purges is to model in some way 'power bases' within political systems. People shouldn't be too attached to the concept of individuals here, but rather that certain Imperial cities develop special attachments and powerbases to the empire via their special status. As such, being able to freely move managers is counter to this and the design of puppet cities as a whole.
Experience
Experience is gained by managers in a somewhat random duration 10-30 turns, but is meant to reward longevity of a manager. The Tier III experience upgrades are meant to be attainable eventually as long as a manager isn't purged (resetting their EXP) or turned into a representative -- which do not have an EXP upgrade path.
Note: Number of managers are merely guidelines for standard map sizes. They can and should be scaled up or down depending on map size played.
(of course you can easily annex and get the 
boosting Courthouse)
