Ruler/Player:
The name of the current ruler of your nation. Considering the span of years between the early updates, it might be a good idea to list the ruling family/house etc instead. The second part is the player, if any, in charge of the nation.
Government:
Your form of government. As this is a fresh start it can be basically whatever you wish, but do try to keep it realistic to the time period. You can consult me if youre in doubt.
Capital:
Well, this is like, the administrative centre of your nation where your ruler, most likely, lives.
Major cities:
An experiment. The most important cities/settlements in your nation will be listed here. We will try the 3-city system. Your cities can have some different statuses. It can be a regular city, an economic hub, a cultural centre or a religious centre. Each type will give some various benefits.
An economic centre will give some extra EcoPoints (EP) every now and then depending on my mood. If they do, then I will note it at the end of an update in BIG letters. That will effectively give you one extra EP to spend with your next set of orders. Economic centres will appear along major traderoutes, at important ports and other places with lots of trade.
A cultural city is more tricky. It will give some bonuses to education every now and then, but not often. It will also make neighbouring tribes slightly more willing to be part of your rule as the influence from the city spreads out. More importantly, they will make it slightly easier to make new technological discoveries. Getting a cultural city is not easy. Places of learning, artistic creativity or wonders may all cause a city to gain this status. They are also more likely to appear in peaceful nations.
Religious centres are also difficult to get. They will usually appear in places where a major religion has been founded. If the religion later dies out or loses importance the city might lose its status. The benefits are that your religion will spread more rapidly. Also, it will make your people more happy and loyal
if it is the dominant or statereligion of course.
To found a new city you basically just need to find a good spot. Naturally, youll also need to have the population for it, however, unless you go on a founding spree, then it shouldnt really be a problem. Founding a new city will cost 5 EP.
Religion:
The type of religion in your nation. Try to keep it realistic. If several religions are present in a nation, then it will list how they are divided and what the state religion, if any, is.
Economy:
Your economic capacity. The income from the different levels are pretty close to avoid one nation simply dominating through the capability to outbuy the rest. Differentiation will come from trade, economic centres etc. Remember, even if a nation has more citizens and a higher tax income, they will also have more expenses. An economic level can be sacrificed. If this is done then youll twice the value of the level. If a level is worth 5 points, then youll get 10. If its worth 7 points, then youll get 14. You can only sacrifice two levels in a single turn.
Bankrupt (0) - Failing (2) Depression (3) - Recession (4) Falling (5) - Below average (6) Normal (7) - Above average (8) Improving (9) Growing (10) - Strong (11) Booming (12) SuperPower (14)
EcoPoints can be spend on: Leadership, Army, Army Training, Infrastructure, Education, Trade, Wonders/Projects, for founding new cities, as gifts and be diverted into Happiness.
Leadership (civilian/military):
This says how well trained your administrators, officials and military officers are.
Whether military or civilian, leadership is an important factor. Competent military leaders will successfully carry out plans or will even attain some successes on their own without orders; competent bureaucrats will greatly help all government programs and assist the development of the land. But incompetent generals will even with the best plan stagger and blunder, while incompetent civilian administrators will embezzle funds and otherwise will be corrupt. So, this is quite crucial, and cadre preparation thus should be an important priority. Note that sometimes it is best to give specifics when growing this stat (meaning, how EXACTLY are you training your new leaders - what military doctrines should be emphasized, for instance, what stance should your bureaucrats take on the various rebels, et cetera). When you expand your army radically, your military leadership will suffer; when you expand your territory, the civilian one will.
Growing leadership from one category to the next will cost the amount listed behind it.
None (1) - Hopeless (1) Incompetent (2) - Barely Tolerable (2) - Normal (3) Competent (3) Skilled (5) Good (8) - Brilliant (-)
Infrastructure:
Roads, bridges, boats - all things used for transportation of goods and men - are listed under infrastructure. The higher is your infrastructure, the easier it is to move your (or enemy) troops across your territory; also, infrastructure could sometimes slightly grow economic benefits from trade centres, and it is a must for maintenance of a high culture level in large empires, as well as actually maintaining your grip on faraway provinces.
Raising this stat costs a number of EP. The higher the standard you already have, the more it will cost to raise it.
Non-existent (1) - Dirt Paths (1) Pathetic (2) - Barely Tolerable (2) Tolerable (3) Standard (3) Improving (3) Good (4) Efficient (4) - Very Efficient (5) Excellent (-)
Education:
This is just how your people are... educated, I guess. Obvious enough. With a good education, you have better chances of receiving a miraculous invention. You could design better walls and siege engines, and ships for that matter, with higher education. The higher education, the more chances you have to develop some technology.
Once someone reaches Enlightenment education, he becomes much more likely to reach the next age as soon as it becomes possible at all. When he does, he loses three education levels.
Raising this stat costs a number of EP equal to the number behind your current level. Once your people reach a certain level of education it becomes harder and harder to improve on it. Almost everybody can learn to read and write, but it takes quite a bit more to become a professor in quantum physics.
None (1) Dumb (1) Illiterate (2) Tolerable (2) Literate (3) Educated (3) - Well Educated (4) Perfect (6) Academic (10) Enlightenment (-)
Happiness:
Happiness is an indicator of how happy your people are. This is mainly affected through your policies, but also events throughout the world, wars and many other things have an effect on it. You can invest EP into to boost it, though it might backfire if you decide to stop doing it. It cant be grown directly through spending.
Revolting - Furious Unrest Unhappy Miserable Depressed Slightly miffed Average Content - In a good mood Pleased Happy Enjoying life Ecstatic - Elysium
Loyalty:
This show how loyal your citizens are to your nation. Not necessarily to the ruler, but more to the nation. If you have many different population groups in your nation then it will most likely be lower, especially if they are discriminated. It shows how willing they are to fight for their country in case of a war. This basically replaces the stat usually called culture.
None Rebellious - Divided Untrusting Average - Loyal Devoted Patriotic - Nationalistic
Confidence:
People can be fiercely unified and patriotic, but they will not necessarily like their ruler - in fact, a strongly loyal nation with little confidence in its leaders can, in its unity, lynch the rulers and fire their remains from cannons. Into the huge pot filled with boiled sharks. Possibly with laser beams attached to their friggin head. Not that the rulers will care by then...
Lynching Hateful Resentful - Barely Tolerating Tolerating Respecting Admiring Loving - Nation Personified
Resources:
This will list the resources available to your nation. All will bring some special benefits. It is assumed youll have enough for your own use and enough to trade to one other nation. If you have a number behind the resource, then that is the number of nations you can trade it to.
Wonders/Projects:
These are special monuments that you construct or projects you initiate. Wonders will be much more expensive to build, but their effects are longer lasting and more powerful. They can also cause cities to gain special status. Projects are faster to do, but will usually be less powerful. Projects are often some kind of reforms or minor constructions that will give you an immediate boost. Wonders will often give you a smaller boost, but will be effective longer. As a general rule of thumb projects wont be available initially, but consult me and Ill tell you if the effects you want are ok and how long it will take. Construction will cost 2 EP per turn. You can only construct one at a time.
Military
Training (foot/mounted/naval):
This is an indication of how well trained your forces are. Support troops are included with foot troops. All troops can be trained to fight, but teaching them more than just the basic skills is difficult. It takes time and even the best trained soldier will die as easily from a bullet as a Neanderthal. Well trained troops are better fighters, better disciplined and more able to think for themselves. Warfare can increase or decrease their training level dependent on victories/defeats as well as the number of casualties sustained.
The cost of training your troops to the next level is noted in the brackets.
Cannonfodder (1) Untrained (2) Poor (3) Acceptable (4) Trained (5) Well trained (7) Good (9) Professional army (12) Elite (-)
Infantry:
Mounted troops:
Support units:
Naval forces:
These will list the forces you have available. Nothing fancy in this. See recruiting below.
Upkeep:
This is how much it will cost you to maintain your army. This includes all expenses such as training replacement for those of your troops who leave the army for some reason, it will cover payment of the troops, maintaining equipment, feeding them and arranging training exercises. For a normal sized military this will be 0, but heavily militarised nations will have to pay. If the upkeep isnt paid, then troops may desert, training might drop, they might rebel etc.
Buying troops
Each age will have different troops available to train. The better equipped they are, the more expensive. Better equipped troops will, however, have an advantage over troops with worse equipment. Theres a reason why nations with iron did so well militarily. The list will be updated as we progress through the ages. Units will come in different sizes. Warbands, hundreds, thousands, divisions etc.
Upgrading troops from one age to the next will cost one economy level for each branch of the military.
Stone Age:
Infantry:
2 warbands of warriors: 1 EP
Mounted:
None
Support:
None
Naval:
2 canoes: 1 EP
Bronze Age:
Infantry:
100 warriors: 1 EP
100 armoured warriors (req: bronze): 2 EP
Mounted:
50 Mounted Warriors (req: horses): 1 EP
20 Chariots (req: horses): 2 EP
Support:
100 archers: 1 EP
Naval:
2 War Canoes: 1 EP
1 Bireme: 2 EP
Trade:
Everybody can open trade routes. All it requires is a link/route between the two nations trading. You can trade resources for resources or use EP to pay. Basically, whatever you wish. Trade routes can be arranged for a set number of turns, indefinitely or, again, however you should wish. Bandits and pirates might temporarily cut off a trade route just as war might stop it. Trade routes can help grow economic centres, but otherwise their main value is in acquiring resources you are lacking.
Trade resources:
Iron Allows better and more heavily armoured units
Copper Useful for constructing statues/wonders and for equipping troops in the Bronze age. Can speed up some wonders. Think the Colossus.
Lumber Plentiful early in history, but as land is taken over by farming it will grow more sparse in many regions. Later on in the game it will be necessary for warships such as frigates.
Oil Needed for mechanised units, at least until we reach nuclear and fusion technologies.
Coal Steam engines. Trains, ironclads etc.
Horses Chariots and various kinds of mounted units. Horses need to be domesticated first. If you trade for horses long enough, then you can start breeding them.
Elephants Allows nations to construct war elephants, an extremely powerful unit. The tusks also supply ivory, which will give a slight boost to happiness/
Gold Gold is valuable for a nations economy. Having access to gold will give you financial bonuses every now and then.
Silver Same as for gold, just less valuable.
Corn Allows you to get a higher population, faster. Also useful as a counter to famines. As we enter the late game modern agricultural techniques, will make this much less valuable.
Marble Mainly useful for constructing wonders. Depending on what you are constructing it may speed up building time.
Stone Same as with marble. Also allows you to make stronger fortifications in the early game.
Uranium BOOM! My words are backed by NUCLEAR weapons!
