Roman Emperors in Civ 6 terms...

I think in both judging him by his time; and considering that he saw the poor being exploited politically by Populists, I can understand many doubts he had about all classes getting to vote.

Him and Churchill would probably agree that 'the greatest argument against democracy is a 5 minute conversation with the average voter'! But that also there was no better system regardless.

 

If by democracy you mean the good ol' boys!

 

Well of course the filthy, unwashed rabble don't count.

 

Well, Cicero is not so different from the American founding fathers, who certainly didn't trust the common folk to make decisions -- I think it a bit unfair the way some disparage the one yet venerate the others (though, of course, you don't find too many among the camp of anti-Ciceronians who are also worshippers of the founding fathers). He's a lot like Hamilton in many respects -- had lots of great ideals, really believed passionately in what he said (I think, anyway), but also was very pro-aristocracy. He's a 3D person, flaws and good.

But, anyway, if we're doing consuls we surely need Cato the Elder. He could have an ability -- "Carthago Delenda Est", makes it more likely to successfully convince his friends to go to war against a civ (or, upon successful destruction of an enemy capital, it turns into a salt mine...).

 

Love the topic!

Spoiler Diocletian :

Diocletian
He is a stern looking man with a close cropped beard sitting on a raised throne, wearing opulent crowd and bejeweled purple robes. An extravagant throne room full of guards, slaves, and bureaucrats can be seen in the background. He expects visitors to prostrate themselves and kiss the hems of his robes.


LA: The Tetrachy
Once a city reaches a population of X, the city center may build a Tetrarch’s Palace. This building has all the bonuses of the original palace. Only 3 may be built in the empire (for a total of 4 palaces, including the palace in the capital). Internal trade routes give +1 production (and/or +2 gold, depending on balance). (Alternatively, internal trade routes that reach a city with military unit stationed there give +1 production (and or +2 gold).

Another alternative: ditch this internal trade route bonus and give him a LUU: Dalmatian Dalvary, which is a 35 strength horseman unit that comes with the Defensive Tactics civic that has +1 movement and +5 CS in own territory and adds +2 gold while stationed on an encampment or in a city.

Another alternative: in addition to the 4 capitals, the autocracy, monarchy, and fascism civics gain and additional economic slot. (Diocletian was a despot, but one focused on internal strength and stability rather than external expansion)

HA: Limitanii
Diocletian likes to build encampments and staff them with a military unit in every city. Aside from encampments, he likes a balance of districts across his empire. He dislikes civilizations that have do not invest in infrastructure and neglect to have the ready defense for them (in other words, he likes civs that balance districts and military units…this could be done as X military units within a city’s borders or Y districts, perhaps). Diocletian especially dislikes if other leaders let their districts be pillaged, or pillage his own.

Comments
I’ve long wondered how to represent the Tetrarchy in a civ game. I’m not sure this is the best, but I like the idea of having multiple cities that behave like a capital. If essentially 4 capitals is too strong, then it could be changed to 2 major capitals and 2 minor capitals, where the minor palace has reduced yields. I chose to make these a constructable building because one, it makes it less likely to snowball than if this was instead, say, first four cities get a palace automatically without some investment; and two, it allows your to strategically place their “capitals” around the empire. The internal trade route bonus represents Diocletian’s enormous bureaucratic reforms (and expansions) that made the empire more stable (at least for a time… though it would provide the groundwork for Constantine).

For LA, I generally went with the Diocletian-the-archbureaucrat cum military reforms rather than, say, the something in the mold of the Great Persecution (which could be fertile source of a LA as well). So he likes industrious and protective leaders and doesn’t respect leaders who don’t prioritize both. The more I think about it, the more I like the Dalmatian cavalry option I presented above for its synergy. Their gold bonus while encamped represents Diocletian’s efficient bureaucracy and defensive posture.

Spoiler Constantine I :

Constantine the Great
He a clean shaven man in military regalia. The city of Constantinople may be seen in the background.

LA: Nova Roma
Upon researching Construction, the palace may be built in another city. Upon completion, the city that built the Palace becomes the new capital and gets renamed to Constantinople. Rome (the starting capital and location of the palace) receives the “Old Palace” building, which has all the same bonuses as the original Palace. Religious projects add X% more faith, (and/or Apostles are Y% less expensive). Military within Z tiles of a city following the majority religion gain +3 military strength.

HA: Orthodoxy
Constantine likes religious unity his cities whether he founds a religion or not. He is hostile to civilizations that spread their religion to his cities (unless he has yet to have a religion in the majority of his cities). He likes civilizations with their own religious unity.

Comments
So the LA may be a bit busy, but I’m unsure how exactly powerful merely getting another palace building would be. I like the idea of changing the capital to Constantinople rather than just starting that way, and allowing Rome to keep the benefits of the building, given its continuous if reduced importance. The religious apostle/project bonus represents his role in summoning the Council of Nicaea and his agenda of religious unity, and helps him with his HA, which obviously comes from this preference of his. I threw in a slight military bonus just because of his military exploits in unifying the empire during the civil wars and strengthening it against barbarians.