Managing Rival Parties or Secessions for Fun and Profit

[Alwyn]

How do you manage internal politics in your faction in Rome II?

Do you try to avoid secessions or do you intentionally cause them at times which suit you? (I've noticed that, after a secession happens, remaining parties become more loyal for a while and it takes a few turns before a new rival party emerges).

My main ways to reduce the risk of secession are loyalty edicts in provinces controlled by rival factions and occasionally promoting commanders belonging to rival parties (this increases their party's influence, of course, but it helps to keep them loyal too). I also hover my cursor over the loyalty scores of rival parties occasionally, to see the causes of disloyalty, and if there's an easy way to improve loyalty I'll use it. (Usually, I would have wanted to do what the rival party wanted anyway, like remove enemy armies which are inside my borders.)

I noticed that a dignitary with the 'Advisor' skill, attached to an army commanded by a rival party member, increases that party's loyalty, so I'll try that. It also helps to change from a republic (which has a penalty to loyalty) to another government type, although I played a complete campaign as Carthage without changing from a republic and only had a few secessions.

I'd be interested to see people's preferred methods of reducing the risk of secessions (or making them manageable if they happen) and whether you try to minimise them or prefer to provoke them so that they happen at convenient times.

[Benjin]

Pretty much what you posted here sums up most of my preferred tactics at managing rival parties - edicts, dignitaries, promotions. However, I also send rival parties' politicians on missions. This also gives them loyalty and - if it's a diplomatic mission - can actually give you something beneficial (usually successful when you send a high-gravitas character, around 150 or higher).


One other thing I do sometimes - if I'm confident that I will win - is intentionally get multiple parties disloyal to the point where a "Civil War" event can trigger instead of a "Secession". There's a difference between the two:


Secession

• Only one party breaks off (the most disloyal).
• You are "Protected" from any further party break-offs for only 10 turns after the secession occurs.
• Minor loyalty bonus after the seceded faction is destroyed.

Civil War

• More than one party breaks off - usually all of them. You can see whether or not there is a chance for a "Civil War" event to occur if the heartbreak icon on the top left of the political party menu changes to an icon representing two swords clashing. If you mouseover it, a tooltip will display mentioning that one can erupt instead of a regular secession.
• You are "Protected" from any further party break-offs indefinitely until the civil war faction has been destroyed.
• Major loyalty bonus after the civil war faction is destroyed.

Because of the civil war's permanent protection from any further party break-offs, you can just keep one of that civil war faction's settlements alive and then never have to bother with loyalty ever again.

[Alwyn]

Thanks, good idea about sending rival party members on missions for the improved loyalty and other benefits!

You spotted some things I missed - that we can see when there is a risk of civil war (not just secession) because the risk icon changes and that, in civil wars, the protection lasts indefinitely instead of just 10 turns.

Your idea of allowing the civil war faction to keep one settlement sounds like a good one. I imagine that this could lead to a satisfyingly challenging civil war (because all rival parties break away at once) and, with your strategy, the player has the option of not having more civil wars - unless an AI faction conquers that last settlement (I wonder if you've seen that happen.)

[twgamer20197]

I think we can do much for avoiding even secessions. The first thing I do as the campaign begins is checking what the rival party likes. Once I know what the rival party wants, I think twice about whether or not I'd be able to accomplish their demands. If I see a good chance of accomplishing their demands, I just keep on doing things they like. But if it seems difficult to do what they want, I'd let the secession happens when the protection expires. But I wouldn't give any army to a general from the rival party so that I don't face a difficult battle