Money, Money, Money

[Alecaisius]

Simple question my fellow SPQR players.

I'm making a loss in quite a few of my provinces - in the -2000's in at least 3 and -1000 in 2 more and its steadily getting worse. I have Arretium, Reghion and some Gaulish town north of the Po river that are making decent money due to the mines.

All I want to know, is how can I improve the towns without mines to make me money not lose me it? I do the usual of building roads, ports and markets, but it doesn't do a whole lot. Any ideas?

[BlitzkriegNL]

The cities in which you are "loosing" money are probably your biggest cities (in terms of population). Your expenditure is divided over your cities based on the population they have. This means the big cities "pay" more than your small cities. In some case this can result in a negative income on the big cities while having a positive income on the smaller cities/towns.

So don't look at any city in particular but add it all up and then look if you're making money or loosing money.

There isn't really anything you can do about it other than moving population from the big cities to the smaller ones (by building, moving and then disbanding peasants or something). But that doesn't really effect your total income it only balances it out a bit...

What I recommend is just keep doing what you are doing (building roads, markets, mines (wherever possible), shipwrights ect...) and try and cut back on the amount of troops you have. Since that's your biggest expenditure. Also check if there aren't any rebel forces blocking the roads (and thereby trade) because that can reduce income as well. And maybe try to get some ceasefires and trade rights to boost you income... ohw yea, you can also try and conquer some big cities of the enemy and dived their population over your cities. This will increase your total population and thereby increase your income. (works better than just occupying it, but I often just slaughter them so the new city will be easyer to manage)

[Raglan]

The cities in which you are "loosing" money are probably your biggest cities (in terms of population). Your expenditure is divided over your cities based on the population they have. This means the big cities "pay" more than your small cities. In some case this can result in a negative income on the big cities while having a positive income on the smaller cities/towns.

So don't look at any city in particular but add it all up and then look if you're making money or loosing money.

There isn't really anything you can do about it other than moving population from the big cities to the smaller ones (by building, moving and then disbanding peasants or something). But that doesn't really effect your total income it only balances it out a bit...

What I recommend is just keep doing what you are doing (building roads, markets, mines (wherever possible), shipwrights ect...) and try and cut back on the amount of troops you have. Since that's your biggest expenditure. Also check if there aren't any rebel forces blocking the roads (and thereby trade) because that can reduce income as well. And maybe try to get some ceasefires and trade rights to boost you income... ohw yea, you can also try and conquer some big cities of the enemy and dived their population over your cities. This will increase your total population and thereby increase your income. (works better than just occupying it, but I often just slaughter them so the new city will be easyer to manage)

this is good advice, but don't try for ceasefires as this can lead to issues with some factions because of the way the game is balanced

[68 Powers]

build mines and dont over recruit.
its simple

[Samariten]

i cant remember when money was a problem in SPQR

[Finch]

i cant remember when money was a problem in SPQR

it never was a problem

[Knight of Heaven]

remenber to check the taxes and raise them is a huge part of economy and reduce population growth. im saying becouse sometimes i forget to check it. i didnt remeber when first time playing with romans first turns lol i was bankrupeed prety soon. but i didnt find any problems with money also as far as can tell is the same of vannilla ( meaning the financery balance) im getting 70 k per turn and i dont have a huge empire.
-Check taxes and raise them
-be midfull of armys upkeep(dont over recruit, if need disband some units)
-bulid ports,markets, roads etc
-wacth if theres any of your ports blockaded
i think is the basis. also never had problems with money

[Alecaisius]

I'll admit, it's not like every turn I'm cashing out and hit 0 quite often. ATM I'm making about 70k a turn, spending about 65k without recruitment or building. So doing fine. My question was just that I didn't know it was normal to have some cities making over 10k and some losing 2-3k. Thats all. Thank for the tip about rebels on roads too - didn't know that. Had to sweep up and down all of Italy with a legion to get rid of them all theyhad accumilated that much.

[Hesus de bodemloze]

Conquer more cities.

[Alecaisius]

Will do.

Final Q if anyone knows how to help.

So far its just gone 189BC I think, and I have taken Mediolanum, Massilia, Nicaea and Darantasia in the North, Cathago Novo, Valencia and Tarraco in Iberia, taken Carali on Sardinia, Taras in Southern Italy and Syracus and Messana in Sicily. I have three legions (one aux) sieging Lilybeon. Three legions currently replenishing numbers in Iberia. Two defending Massilia (one North and one West of the city). I have four legions (one aux) defending the pass west of Darantasia from alot of full German and Gaul stacks and one legion defending Mediolanum from the east. Building another legion in Nicaea to help with the four west of Darantasia, and another two legions being built in Carali to help with the three legions from Sicily who, once done with Lilybeon, will help with invading North Africa.

Money is fine, with 70k saved up so I have alot to spend - I think its alot. My question is this.

Judging by what I've told you, where can I improve or where do you think I've gone wrong? For example, its getting costly and annoying fighting wave after wave of Germans in the north - any ideas how to slow it down?
Thanks in advance.

[24Gamer]

For example, its getting costly and annoying fighting wave after wave of Germans in the north - any ideas how to slow it down?

Try to avoid having borders next to them (e.g. Patavium), so that they won`t attack you.
Personally i gave Patavium to the Dacians after i conquered it to avoid such situations i had in former campaigns.
Some ppl might see that as a kind of cheating, but i guess it´s fine if you just use that for an improvement of amusement instead of winning the game easier.

[Raglan]

thats the reason there is alot of money in SPQR, because you need it - lol

[Ejergard]

Dunno if this is relevant for you, but mercenaries are very expensive. So if you stick to recruited units, you can support a larger army for less cost.

[Raglan]

Dunno if this is relevant for you, but mercenaries are very expensive. So if you stick to recruited units, you can support a larger army for less cost.

aye a problem i'll probably come across during testing for sulla

[Samariten]

but you really dont need to recruit mercs since its alot better to use auxillia legions which are far better economically. I usually use just two units like cavarly instead of equites not building legions of them....

[Templar Knight]

make sure you are always fighting, because when you are fighting your men will die, and dead men dont need to get paid

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

note: you should listen to the posts above mine

[Gauliez]

Indeed, as some used to say on this forum, you don't have to pay a dead mercenary...
For your roman soldiers, you might want to keep them alive as much as possible, so that you don't deplete your towns of all their recruitable population.

[Hesus de bodemloze]

Indeed, as some used to say on this forum, you don't have to pay a dead mercenary...

[Alecaisius]

But with Darantasia, theres some problems. 1. Its making over 10k a turn for me. 2. It's only the Germans attacking, so if I retreat, they get it then continue to attack me.

Currently taking North Africa and Iberia to get Reforms. Perhaps if I hold them off long enough I could transfer them to German border or begin taking Gaul.

[Samariten]

Assemble enough large force at you northen borders to fend off invaders, with enough legions they get to scared to attack well at least not to often.