Elections in Rome

[Lord of the Drunk Penguin]

Greetings.

There comes a day in the life of every great Roman when he decides to play a part in matters of the state.
At that moment, one can judge the character of the man simply by observing the way he sues for office.
Looking at the lives of great Romans, such as Caius Marius or Julius Cezar, we can see the crucial impact these elections had upon their lives.

While it may seem trivial to some, I believe that in order to experience the might and majesty of Rome, we must take part in her banquets, her riots, her assassinations, her elections. In short, her political life.
After all, politics played a vital role in ancient times just as war did.

Wouldn't it be awesome to have someone backing up your campaign in the Senate, because you put him there? Or wouldn't be interesting to organize a coup d'etat against a rival that seeks to rule Rome?

Therefore, it is my humble opinion that we must have some form of elections in Rome II, be it for the positions of tribune, praetor or Pontifex Maximus. The player needs to feel involved, to feel he is investing in the political system of the game, as well as in its military, strategic one. Like you did in Medieval II when you played a part in choosing the Pope, for example.
If diplomacy should be considered a factor, why not internal strife amongst your own countrymen?

So. Does this reasonable to you?

[AngryTitusPullo]

Elections are help every year I believe so with the campaign features 2 turns per year you will have basically election every 2 turns. Not fun. Even if it goes 4 years per turn also then it will be such a bore to manually participate in elections every 4 times.

[Lord of the Drunk Penguin]

I'm talking about following your character rise through the rank and file and through the Senate, at the same time. That will be interesting, I think.

[AngryTitusPullo]

I did suggest something regarding a TW game where character is given more emphasize that factions. This however is more suited for games that is around certain period of time for example the Sengoku Jidai period and also for ROTS/FOTS and not forgetting NTW.

If Rome II starts say something from 270BC and ends maybe 14AD (as in original) there is no time to actually develop characters. I hope Rome II should not have less that 4 years per turn for the main campaign but for a period of nearly 300 years we are looking at more than 1000 turns for the game to be completed. The most acceptable turns for majority players are around 200-300 turns. There are of course player that play past the end date however this seems to be in the minority.

[Sommo James]

I hope they will use a lot of turns per year, like in Fots or NTW, it is jsut more realistic for the season to last some times. It will also be good to see some realistic features like having the fleets and army not able to move in winter without suffering massive and significant attrition.

[Adufka]

I hope they will use a lot of turns per year, like in Fots or NTW, it is jsut more realistic for the season to last some times. It will also be good to see some realistic features like having the fleets and army not able to move in winter without suffering massive and significant attrition.

Yes exactly...I like 4 turn per year(spring,summer,autumn,winter) it's real at least and we don't have to rush game because of turns...

[Coriol's Anus]

Rather than feeling like you're playing a god with total control over all of Rome, I would love if it felt more like you were playing your family/generals competing for power in Rome. I know Rome will be a united faction rather than split into families this time, and while I think that generally a good thing I'm sad that there won't be a way to simulate a "crossing the Rubicon" type event. I want to feel like Rome the city is controlled by the Senate, not me. But that might be more the territory of Paradox rather than CA.

[Rorarii]

Sounds like a fantastic sub-game .. or maybe part of the main game, depends how they do it?

Actually, it sounds a better multiplayer game.

R

[Keyser]

That, indeed could make a fantastic multiplayer mode...

The two players (or more, lets be mad with this idea) start it as a coop game, both of them play the roman faction but each with his family/characters (or political faction) and in the same time they compete for the power in Rome itself (with elections, nomination of governors (to award the money of provinces to players and recruit units) etc). The late game could simulate the civil wars between the players.

I hope CA has already planned to explore something like that.

[Lord Dakier]

The problem is your Rome not a faction of Rome like in Rome 1. I'd like to see a campaign just for Rome where you have your own family using the avatar system perhaps and you can go through the periods. Just being Rome you control all but as a faction within Rome then deceit and rivalry's are important.

[Lord of the Drunk Penguin]

Wouldn't implementing some sort of political engine make things more interesting for the faction you're playing?

I mean, you could be successfully waging war in some campaign in foreign lands somewhere, when you get news that they're calling you a traitor back-home. So you' have two choices: either you save face and return home to deal with the 'agitators' or you stay where you are and defend the border.

This represents basically, what Cezar had to go through , prior to the Rubicon moment.

[Gaius Augustus Caesar]

Maybe with the more victories you get the less they call you a traitor, like what happened to Caesar during the Gallic Wars

[Lord of the Drunk Penguin]

Maybe they'll call you a dictator, like what happen to Caesar after he won power.
Anyway, it will add a degree of realism and difficulty to the game.

[Hero of Rome]

That's a really good idea. Instead of playing as Rome itself, you play as one patrician family, and attempt to gain political weight for yourself and your descendants, who may one day make an attempt at gaining absolute power and becoming emperor.

[UghUghUgh]

Here is what I imagine the political system for rome and any other faction to be like.

Rome is united right at the start with one family, of which you are a member, being the most important and ruling one. But there are other families and these have members in the senate, which can overthrow you by voting against you. So you have to please the members of those families, which can become governors, generals and the like all with their rightful titles (just for the history nerds).
Once a family is too discontent, they will vote against you, e.g. when you want to start a war, which is one the topics the senate votes on, and if you really piss them off, they start a revolt with all the provinces and armies that they got. Those families might even ally among each other, maybe marry to strengthen their bonds.

Here is one more for you all: It is very probable that there will be several germanic and other barbaric tribes. On their own, every tribe is weak and might be overrun by rome, but facing a common thread the germanic tribes are eager to unite under the strongest family to fight rome. There might also be other reasons to unite, like a famine, a draught to search for food.
Some nations may be of more cohesive nature, others don't like to unite. Within nations some families are very egoistic others care for the common good and so do their members.

[Lord of the Drunk Penguin]

What if you start like a regular family, or even you get to choose the stats at the beginning (plebs or patrician origin) ?

It will affect prestige that your general hails from a proud family of fishermen, but wait until they see what he does to those invading Cimbri! They'll change their minds, fast!
And that way, you get to vote against those damned popular families and overthrow them, eventually replacing them with your own and your friends families (which you'll wipe out too, when the time comes, of course)

That to me is Rome in a nutshell.

[Colgate]

I read Elections and immediately thought about the election system in Medieval 2, I think it was.


That'd be fun to see come back.

[Lord of the Drunk Penguin]

Plus, you can multitask between your favourite politician and favourite general.
Success may come to either side.

Depends on who you like to work with more.

[Keyser]

Plus, you can multitask between your favourite politician and favourite general.
Success may come to either side.

Depends on who you like to work with more.

In Rome political and military careers were the same, political offices were linked to military ranks. So your sucessfull politician will also be a (successfull ?) general.