I've been reading Graham Shipley's The Greek World: After Alexander 323 - 30 BC and was noticed many features of the ancient world that have been or could be implemented in the game. Below are some of the briefest of notes with my comments on how the game did or could build upon this work. I'm putting this in the general forum, since I'm wanting to discuss the relation of the history of the period with the game rather than making any one of these particular points be designated for the suggestions forum (but anyone is welcome to copy them over).
From C.2 'Kings and Cities'
S. 'Representation of Kingship':
The Hellenistic states, especially the Diadochi, must actively cultivate the idea of kingship, which was disliked by significant portions of the Greek world (of city-states). A king would have to actively cultivate a royal aura around him through religion, arts, coinage, courtly life, and administration.
1. We see kings merge divine attributes into their portraits such as Alexander depicted with horns or nicknames arising such as Antiochos Soter (Saviour) or Antiochos II 'o theos (the god) after great victories.
2. Kings threw parties (syposium) and festivals (likely tied to a religious ceremony). I see a direct relation here to ck2's feast and festival decisions to obtain popularity and loyalty.
3. Visual representation was important. Commissioning of statues and minting of new coinage upon a succession could be an important stabilizing event to solidify the new ruler's status.
4. Queens had a significant role to play as figures such as Olympias and Arsinoe indicate. There's already at least one flavour event for consorts that I'm aware of, but we could have a generic even where queens request tasks which are weighed on their personality traits.
S. The Negotiation of Power:
1. Kings would promise Greek states 'freedom', delivering them from their subjugators, but would expect tribute in return and would often make requests / demands regarding their rulers, taxes, and levies. (I see opportunities where flavour could be added to subject states; the game attempts to do some of these things).
2. Kings would have advisors and friends who would function as intermediaries between monarch and city. (We could add character events where an office holder requests something special for their hometown).
3. Cities would pursue favour from the king, who could be the arbiter in a dispute with another city. A story is told where Lysimachos adjudicated between land contested by two cities which were his subjects (I see here an event which transfers land between subjects and loyalty effects in response).
4. Some cities were granted asylum status and could not be fought against or expected to have taxes or levies imposed on them. These would typically be a sanctuary like Delphi.
5. Kings were expected to found new cities and add to the infrastructure of existing cities. (The game represents this well, but we could put a malus on players would refuse to build and put all their wealth in mercenaries).
6. Kings would often give gifts of cash or goods and would finance public festivals. (The gifts are in-game to an extent. The festival feature would provide enriched immersion not only for diplomacy, but also religion).
S. Civic Society and Socio-Economic Change:
1. Good discussion is made on urban layout for the founding and refounding of cities. A grid-based city layout was the hallmark of Hellenism. Royal palaces were built upon and became cities within cities in some cases. Agora's and sanctuaries were also added through patronage. (This section made me really appreciate the province investment buttons as each of them has some correspondence with the building efforts of the period. Perhaps we could put a limit on them but embellish them? Let the pop cap item be an urban restructuring which can only be done once but gives a significant flat rise in capacity?).
2. Citizen patronage played a significant role in the period. (The game already has a few nice flavour events related to citizens and office holders wanting to create a building in a province. Gave me yet more appreciation for some vanilla features. Perhaps these can be expanded upon?).
3. There were some cases of women becoming more prominent than in ages past, but social conventions were not completely broken for most of the period.
4. There appears to be an increase in income inequality in the period both due to trade networks and also from land being absorbed from peasant farmers into wealthy estate holders. (Perhaps we can add a pop ratio modifier?)
From C.2 'Kings and Cities'
S. 'Representation of Kingship':
The Hellenistic states, especially the Diadochi, must actively cultivate the idea of kingship, which was disliked by significant portions of the Greek world (of city-states). A king would have to actively cultivate a royal aura around him through religion, arts, coinage, courtly life, and administration.
1. We see kings merge divine attributes into their portraits such as Alexander depicted with horns or nicknames arising such as Antiochos Soter (Saviour) or Antiochos II 'o theos (the god) after great victories.
2. Kings threw parties (syposium) and festivals (likely tied to a religious ceremony). I see a direct relation here to ck2's feast and festival decisions to obtain popularity and loyalty.
3. Visual representation was important. Commissioning of statues and minting of new coinage upon a succession could be an important stabilizing event to solidify the new ruler's status.
4. Queens had a significant role to play as figures such as Olympias and Arsinoe indicate. There's already at least one flavour event for consorts that I'm aware of, but we could have a generic even where queens request tasks which are weighed on their personality traits.
S. The Negotiation of Power:
1. Kings would promise Greek states 'freedom', delivering them from their subjugators, but would expect tribute in return and would often make requests / demands regarding their rulers, taxes, and levies. (I see opportunities where flavour could be added to subject states; the game attempts to do some of these things).
2. Kings would have advisors and friends who would function as intermediaries between monarch and city. (We could add character events where an office holder requests something special for their hometown).
3. Cities would pursue favour from the king, who could be the arbiter in a dispute with another city. A story is told where Lysimachos adjudicated between land contested by two cities which were his subjects (I see here an event which transfers land between subjects and loyalty effects in response).
4. Some cities were granted asylum status and could not be fought against or expected to have taxes or levies imposed on them. These would typically be a sanctuary like Delphi.
5. Kings were expected to found new cities and add to the infrastructure of existing cities. (The game represents this well, but we could put a malus on players would refuse to build and put all their wealth in mercenaries).
6. Kings would often give gifts of cash or goods and would finance public festivals. (The gifts are in-game to an extent. The festival feature would provide enriched immersion not only for diplomacy, but also religion).
S. Civic Society and Socio-Economic Change:
1. Good discussion is made on urban layout for the founding and refounding of cities. A grid-based city layout was the hallmark of Hellenism. Royal palaces were built upon and became cities within cities in some cases. Agora's and sanctuaries were also added through patronage. (This section made me really appreciate the province investment buttons as each of them has some correspondence with the building efforts of the period. Perhaps we could put a limit on them but embellish them? Let the pop cap item be an urban restructuring which can only be done once but gives a significant flat rise in capacity?).
2. Citizen patronage played a significant role in the period. (The game already has a few nice flavour events related to citizens and office holders wanting to create a building in a province. Gave me yet more appreciation for some vanilla features. Perhaps these can be expanded upon?).
3. There were some cases of women becoming more prominent than in ages past, but social conventions were not completely broken for most of the period.
4. There appears to be an increase in income inequality in the period both due to trade networks and also from land being absorbed from peasant farmers into wealthy estate holders. (Perhaps we can add a pop ratio modifier?)
- 4
- 3
- 2
