One of the greatest revolutions and hallmarks of the original Rome:TW was the multitude of new elements that it brought to the campaign map gameplay. Let’s face it; the campaign map is one of the most fundamental elements of a Total War game. Like it or not, it is where we spend most of our time when we play. And while a player can play an entire campaign auto-resolving every battle, no player can play a campaign and entirely neglect the campaign map gameplay. Based on the direction and evolution of the series, the potential for greatness and expectations surrounding this game, and the absolutely awesome mood and tone CA has shown us with the teaser video; I think it is incumbent that RII:TW is as revolutionary with the campaign map gameplay as its predecessor was. I would like to present current TW campaign map gameplay elements which can be taken to the next level, as well as my own ideas for new elements which CA may be interested in breaking ground in. Always, an epic game is made so by the choices it presents to the player. I would like to see this series reach that mark of perfection with R2:TW. I invite CA as well as all fans of the series to check out the ideas, comment, give your own thoughts, share, and make it your own. Cheers!


Diplomacy:

Throughout the series diplomacy has been an element that has been steadily improving and evolving and I would hope to see it continue that way. I would recommend the series move more in the direction of Europa Universalis, where in diplomatic relations are governed by countless factors and the player is presented with countless options to effect relationships. For example, the system of diplomacy could feature a “Casus Belli” type system for wars, where the strength of the justification for a war would influence diplomatic standing, and fear/respect of a faction. Additionally more possibilities for diplomatic interactions could exist and can include the option for financial loans and subsidized wars between richer and poorer factions. Mediation between warring factions could also exist if a third party has enough prestige and power to do so, and annexation through diplomatic and cultural means should also be an option. A Civ 5 style system of denouncing a faction can also be implemented and when two factions enter a state of war, your faction while remaining neutral should be able to rhetorically support a side via a statement or choose to remain rhetorically neutral. Again from Civilization, random events could occur which offer a chance to influence diplomacy. These events can be influenced by the traits of family members, or civic and government types the player has selected. The diplomacy and campaign elements should be revamped to include and allow for every style of play, from belligerent war monger to diplomatic mastermind who pursues soft power instead of the sword.

Classes:

Due to the historical time period, I think the RIITW would benefit from an entirely new dimension of socio-economic depth. My idea is for society could to be stratified into classes which the player must continuously try to appease and co-opt for the sake of social stability. This could possibly include a merchant class, a patrician class, a military class, agrarian class, academic class, a craftsman/artisan class, a stallholder class, and a destitute class. The influence of each class and their power would be determined by their percentage of the total population, and would always be continuously evolving based on civics, player choices, and makeup of the empire. For example, a landlocked barbarian society with few urban centers and few roads and resources would have a very small merchant class in terms of percentage of population. Thus the player could in effect “ignore” the needs of this class as it would have little influence on social stability. But over time this society could evolve through civics, expansion, and the player’ decisions to support a vibrant merchant class. Additionally, each class would have benefits and drawbacks. A heavy merchant society would have an income and wealth creation modifier, but perhaps revolt if too many wars disrupt trade and lead to blockades. These benefits and drawbacks would also extend beyond the political and also influence the economic and production factors on the campaign map. For example having a large academic class would boost research output, while having a large population of stallholders would promote social stability, so on and so forth. As in M2:TW players could possibly build special buildings such as the “guild houses” of M2:TW allowing the player to promote different classes and specialize their provinces in effect having a “science” province, “production province” etc, which have province specific as well as universal effects throughout the empire.

Civics:

An additional subject that could be explored is civics. The series has done a good job of making this a more and more important part of the gameplay. I would emphasize, instead of a vertical tree, where the next civic is always more positive relative to the last one, a horizontal tree could be used which requires players to choose between one, and weigh its benefits and drawbacks of each selection. An example could be military organization. Types could include warrior society, civic duty, mercenary military, and organized conscription. For example, Carthage employed mainly mercenaries and did not have a standing army except in terms of militia garrisons on the home front. Thus, a player would have limited selection in terms of home unit selection and would need to recruit his armies entirely through mercenaries while this civic is active. The advantages would include a population productivity bonus as all of the population is normally exempt from military service and can spend their energies in trade, farming, etc. The downside is the expense, possibility of mercenary revolt if the state becomes bankrupt, and an inability to levee forces in times of need. Another form is the civic duty method of military organization (which existed in ancient Greece and early Rome). If a town had 10% patrician class 90% destitute, it would have a garrison composed 10% by elite units 90% levee militia rabble, so on and so forth. Whole armies would be conscripted from towns, and very quickly even for elite units (perhaps a turn), but due to the civic there are heavy pop caps for training units above the class population caps and heavy costs to maintain a standing army for long periods or when far from home. This leads to a more static kind of play (similar to the real Greeks) where defense is heavily strengthened early on, and economy is boosted when society is not mobilized. Mobilization is quick but after long periods on expedition, upkeep costs increase while the economy and society suffers. The other military civics can also be fleshed out, but they are meant to represent Roman conscription, and barbarian warrior societies.

Economics:

S2:TW has done well to advance the dynamic of economics but this direction should be pushed far further in R2:TW. The world should be populated with strategic resources that bring certain benefits to the campaign map. Resources could include food (for population growth); iron, copper, tin, (could be requirements for certain units/unit upgrades); lumber, stone, marble (for buildings); ****es, dyes, ivory, luxury goods (increase happiness throughout empire). Perhaps finished goods could also perhaps be traded as a resource as well, allowing underdeveloped factions to buy weapons etc. Once again, availability of resources could tie in with classes, as for example having many mines and minerals would increase the craftsman/artisan population within the empire. Resources could be traded between nations for other resources, or for gold. Additionally, the global supply of resources could increase as mine upgrades are constructed and technology unlocks more methods of extraction. Thus the global supply of resources would increase in parallel with the global demand for resources. This would lead to an interesting dynamic where as a faction becomes more and more advanced, its resource needs would cause it to involve itself more and more in the affairs of the world. Food should be a resource for trade both internally and externally. These pose the player with questions such as do you balance your merchant and agrarian aspects of your economy? Or do you opt for heavy urbanization and merchant trade, deciding to import your food with the new riches you will gain? Will some provinces become the breadbasket of your empire? And what would happen if these breadbasket provinces were in fact across the sea and were to be suddenly blockaded by your foes?


Demographics/Culture:

Demographics should be given new emphasis in the campaign. Factors could include the cultural make up of each province (as in the original RTW) as well as the legal status of foreign cultures in your empire (slavery, second class citizen, full citizen). Culture could influence factors such as war fatigue, where if you have several provinces that are high in Greek culture, and you decide to wage war on another faction that is a part of Greek culture, the length and brutality of that war (pillaging, sacking, etc) would determine the degree of unrest in your original Greek provinces. Populations could also migrate depending on conditions such as starvation in neighboring nations and the openness of borders. Additionally, in each province the player should be able to promote urbanization or rural lifestyles. These factors would lead to countless decisions for the player on the campaign map. Do you choose a slave based labor force much to the chagrin of the destitute, but to the liking of the patricians and risk social instability, or even slave revolts? Or do you choose to pursue policies to relocate the urban destitute to the provinces to farm? Do you choose policies of openness and immigration and open citizenship allowing foreign immigrants to settle in your empire giving population and conscription bonuses? Or do you close your borders, and even mandate that rights and citizenship to be determined only by birth, creating a more uniform society but causing friction when foreign lands are absorbed. Do you deport or enslave these foreigners from newly gained farmland and colonize with true-blooded citizens, much to the delight of your agrarian classes? Or do you include them into your society? Such decisions should enter the dynamic in the new RII:TW.

Political Factions/Politics:


Again, along the lines of the mood captured by the teaser, there should be a new dimension on power structures and political factions within each nation, with an emphasis on how these elements jostle against each other for power. Rome was famous for its Republic and the intrigues of the Republic are the subject of whole histories. Now I understand that some players may not be as interested in this dimension, but this element is mutually inclusive not exclusive. The game can simply have an option for the player at the start of the campaign to select whether they would like the internal political dimension on or off.

The player would be of the faction which rules the state, (whether by birth, or say consent of the Republic) while there is no guarantee that things will remain that way. A faction could in essence be a “family”, with members which age and change over time. In the case of Rome, there could be a representation of the Senate showing its breakdown, the relative power of each faction by seats, and more or less where they stand on issues. For other government types, there could be the king (player) and his satraps (a representation of factionalism) or the head of a city state league (player) and each individual city (faction). Once again, the dynamics of the faction are fluid, so factions may change positions over time as situations and empires evolve. Additionally, the power of factions and their strongholds would also tie into the campaign map. If the previously mentioned class idea is adopted, factions could vie for the support and favor of the various classes of the society. Regions with heavy agricultural make-up may be more aligned with the faction which represents the agrarian classes while urban regions with the faction which represents the mercantile interests. The number of provinces in which factions are popular in, and the population densities of said provinces could help determine the breakdown and “seats” a faction has in the Senate. Nevertheless, nothing would be locked or rigid as for example, if much of the agrarian lands are made up of newly conquered territories with foreign populations, the player, while being a supporter of the merchant classes, could also push for civics which promote diversity, making these agrarian provinces appreciative of your faction. Ultimately, the player’s ability to hold on to power depends on their choices and their ability to balance the loyalty of the army, the stability and appreciation of the classes, and the prosperity of their state.

Political factions would not have “control” over the campaign map nor be represented on the map as a nation as was done in the original RTW with the Julii, Scipii, Brutii. Rather the player would still have total control of all armies, territories, and construction. Nevertheless, factions could possibly have their own treasury, which is based on governorships which are given by the senate/king/tribal confederation, or have relations with certain classes (merchant class for example would donate funds while the military class would pledge loyalty of some legions in times of civil war). With player consent, factions could offer to fund building projects, or raise private armies to aid the player, but of course such moves would also increase their standing and popularity in the affected regions, and such armies would be more loyal to their creators. Factions would perhaps be able to have their own internal diplomacy, votes on civic legislature (the civic/economic techs), and matters of war, which all opens the road for politicking and bribing. If the destitute class is demanding reforms, and to get the reform passed, the faction which has decided to side with the patricians is willing to concede to you if you offer them the governorship of a lucrative province, do you give it to them knowing that they may use the funds for future schemes? Such is the spectrum of choices a political dimension would bring.

Civil War:

Civil war should be an uncommon event but nevertheless a very dramatic and cataclysmic one that makes the player feel that the fate of the entire nation hangs in the balance. Each civil war should be unique and based on the organic and fluid power dynamics of the factions rather than it being a predictable and scripted affair. Another scripted realm divide I think would be a wrong direction for the series. Civil war should occur only when the society is in major tumult which causes certain factions (depending whether they join you or rebel) to fracture off into their own domains (a la Marc Anthony vs Augustus Caesar). To put down the rebellion, one may only need to hold the capital city of the state, the capital of the opposing domain, and a certain majority of the provinces within the state. If the civil war is going in one side’s favor, defecting provinces may quickly capitulate and abandon the rebelling faction. This would prevent the tedium of needing to conquer every far flung province of your old empire. The victor would then be able to make major demands perhaps in terms of legislation (an end to slavery?), government type (end of the Repbulic?) or perhaps completely proscribe a faction as punishment. Government type would play a role in how prone factionalism could lead to civil war. A federation of city states/barbarian tribes would be much more prone to factionalism and civil war than a monarchy or empire. This leads to countless interesting interactions and paths for the player, where for example a barbarian ruler would first need to launch a civil war to end a weak and fractured federation in order to build a solid monarchy and to ultimately ensure his people and nation achieve greatness. Or perhaps a wise and cautious ruler can avoid civil entirely by balancing the power between the factions and always maintaining a majority of the classes behind them.