Turn 3 - Second Action ResultsExpanded Citizenship Rolls: For too long the title of citizen has only been granted to those descended from the heartland of our Empire. If we wish to truly reform the empire, we must have all the peoples under its banner be invested in its success and survival. And so we will offer citizenship to all landowning men (and perhaps even *gasp* women) to show that we are a diverse and equitable empire.
And
Decrease Reputation sure.
[Unlucky] The Empire is old, and its borders relatively static. Not eternal, or immutable, but still- the majority of the population are already citizens. There are regions on the fringes inhabited by non-citizens, though, and there's nothing stopping us from granting them citizenship. Well, except for a few obstacles.
First, many in the Court strenuously object to granting people who are only one step removed from Barbarians equal status as proper Imperial citizens. They point out that this would erode what it means to be Imperial- after all, if Barbarians can become Imperials so easily, couldn't Imperials become Barbarians?
Second, existing citizens in fringe regions, especially those with wealth and/or power, don't like the idea of their neighbours being elevated. They worry that the newly-minted citizens will think that their citizenship entitles them to an equal share of the lands and titles in the region.
Third, newly-empowered monopoly-holders in fringe regions point out that exploiting non-citizens for cheap labour is a cornerstone of those regions' economies, and that productivity would sharply decline if they weren't allowed to, eg, whip labourers who complain about harsh conditions.
Fourth, a number of non-citizens themselves react angrily to the idea of having citizenship imposed upon them. For unfathomable reasons, they do not
want to be Imperial, but rather wish to retain their cultural ties with Barbarian nations.
Given all these objections, and the meagre gains expected even if pushed through, the reform is quickly shelved. Perhaps we should focus on internal population growth, or perhaps we should look for ways to reduce prejudice against Barbarians (without sacrificing Imperial superiority).
MANUAL DECLINE: Reputation: The Imperial Court hears petitions on a regular basis. Anyone with a recognised title, be they a humble village magistrate or a highborn noble governor, is allowed to request an audience, and a dozen are chosen by lottery every month to visit the Court to state their petition in person. This is supposed to keep the Emperor connected to all his subjects... but it takes up a lot of the Court's time, the travel and accommodation of petitioners is a notable expense, and most of the petitions are about petty pointless nonsense anyway. Cutting the number of petitions accepted to half a dozen per month is surely a sensible move, cutting costs while still maintaining the connection between the Emperor and his subjects.
Turn 4 - Year 12 in the reign of the 77th EmperorTURNTURNTURN The Emperor is 18. It is expected that at this age, he should be able to rule without the aid of a regent. However, the Regent himself believes that the Emperor is still inexperienced, and in need of guidance. Once more, contentions arise within the Court, with some siding with the Regent, whilst others argue that the Emperor's Divine Right cannot be questioned.
Fortunately (?), the Senate decides that this is the sort of question that they are entitled to answer. Once again, there are speeches, debates, and bribes aplenty (though the bribes are not as large as the last time, so not especially damaging to the treasury). They eventually proclaim that the Regent shall be granted the position of Prime Minister- de facto still in charge of day-to-day operations, but unable to make significant decisions without consulting the Emperor.
Now, the Emperor is of course perfect and blessed by the Heavens, but he is also not all that interested in the
finer details of governing. He seems more interested in... uh, preserving the Empire's cultural traditions by indulging in wine, music, and 'dancers'. And it could, in theory, you didn't hear it from me, happen that unscrupulous people in the Court could take advantage of this disinterest by persuading the Emperor to support their (bad, dangerous, poorly-thought-out) positions. Which means that, unless we can shift the Emperor's priorities a little (or purge the Court of self-serving idiots), there is a chance that unpopular reforms could be blocked by Imperial Decree.
DISASTER: Small-scale uprisings are not uncommon. A village refuses to pay taxes. The governor sends in officials to sort things out. The villagers attack the officials. The officials return with an escort of soldiers. The villagers kill several soldiers and capture the officials. The governor raises a small army to quash the uprising- to go in, smack down anyone who fights back, execute the ringleaders, offer a token concession to placate the rest, problem solved. Except this time, the small army happened to be led by a commander who was born in the village, and many of the soldiers had been drafted from the area. As a result, not only is the uprising not quashed, now it is backed by a thousand turncoat soldiers, and several other villages in the area have joined in. The governor is worried that if he sends in more of his own troops, they might similarly desert, making the problem worse. Thus, he has requested the assistance of the Imperial Army.
This is an issue that can be solved without special action on our part- send in five thousand soldiers under a loyal general, and things will wrap themselves up. The casualties are unlikely to be severe.
RANDOM DECLINE: Reputation: All Barbarian nations that border the Empire are required to send tribute every year. The tribute is obviously pitiful, and is barely noticeable to the treasury, but that's not the point- the point is to demonstrate their inferiority before the Emperor. Recently, many tributary delegations have been delayed, smaller than before, or even completely absent. It's unclear what the cause of this is- internal turmoil, travel difficulties, genuine forgetfulness? Regardless, while the reason couldn't possibly be that they no longer respect us, this is still a blow to our reputation.
The State of the Empire:
Population: 6
Wealth: 7
Military: 6
Technology: 7
Reputation: 5 (Caution! Further decline could cause problems!)
DISASTER: Small Uprising (Minor): A tax protest has spiralled out of control, and is now backed by a thousand turncoat soldiers. The Imperial Army should be able to handle it.
REFORMS:
-Revived Senate (chance to avert civil wars)
-Revised Imperial Budget (makes financial reforms easier)
-Imperial Workforce And Relief Fund (makes infrastructure expansion easier, makes peasants unhappy)
-Northern Canals And Ecological Livability Project (increases risk of flooding, decreases risk of drought)
-Bureaucratic Expansion And National Standards (decreases risk of economic turmoil)
-Expanded Citizenship Rolls: SHELVED
Choose your first action.
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Topic: COLLAPSE: A structured suggestion game about forestalling the inevitable (Read 5023 times)