Drooling Idiot Roman Offspring

**Yabusama** · June 25, 2008, 03:45 AM

Now I appreciate that the Romans had a love of the good life, slaves and wine but why, oh why do all the children of my FM when they mature, turn in to drivelling idiots? I am currently attempting to groom a FM for the Marian reforms and I am struggling to get anyone with Sharp/Charismatic/Vigorous, instead the kindergarten in Rome is full of little wannabe Nero’s with Dull/Uncharismatic/Lazy?

I vaguely remember somewhere that Roman children are meant to be idiots but from the current crop of a dozen FMs in the last few years none have any prospects of greatness. In fact to help clean out the gene pool, several have taken to sailing the Mediterranean on a lilo and a pirate hat.

Is there anyway to increase the chance of normal children? If they come of age in a settlement with an Academy or better does this increase there chance of not having webbed feet and seven fingers? Or am I going to be stuck with a bunch on drooling halfwits who are best used as rebel/pirate-fodder?

**MarcusAureliusAntoninus** · June 25, 2008, 01:15 PM

They only way of really effecting what the starting traits will be are their father and their ethnicity. If their father has S/C/V and the trait "Intelligent, Health Wife" there will be a good chance of smart children.

**Yabusama** · June 25, 2008, 02:36 PM

Originally Posted by MarcusAureliusAntoninus

They only way of really effecting what the starting traits will be are their father and their ethnicity. If their father has S/C/V and the trait "Intelligent, Health Wife" there will be a good chance of smart children.

From examing the scripts it would appear there is a better chance of getting a healthy wife if the settlement has sewers or better.

**~~Banzai!~~** · June 26, 2008, 05:11 PM

You didn't adopt a Claudian did you?

**Yabusama** · June 27, 2008, 02:34 AM

Sadly these are not adoptions that are afflicting me with children who are paddling in the shallow end of the gene pool, these are the natural children of my FMs.

I seem to get very few adoptions and Man of the Hour seem to have completely ceased, do these still occur in EB or have they been removed? I hope not as MotH used to provide half decent FMs.

**MarcusAureliusAntoninus** · June 27, 2008, 04:42 AM

They are definately still in. In fact, EB tries to increase the amount of MOTH events and adoptions for factions like the Romani and KH. The game engine is designed to balance out your family members and your settlement numbers, however. If you are below the balance, you will get tons of offers and have many children born (no matter the fertility of the father). If you reach that balance, you'll stop getting offers and only get the occational child born to replace dead guys or to balance with your expansion.

**Yabusama** · June 27, 2008, 05:28 AM

There was a time when I was getting adoption requests all the time but due to my desire to get a semi-intelligent FM and not some of the ape-like chimps that were offered, I turned most of them down.

I am guessing as I didnt take up the adoptions my remaining FM have produced the maximum children they can (four I think) and as a result I am now awash with their idiot children. I think I am going to have a mass cull of these fools and send them all off to Scotland to see if they can find Nessie, or maybe they will attempt a one way overland trip to India. My current favorite is having them sail off in to pirate hell, only because as they sink you get to hear their screams (and my laughter).