Originally posted by Xenophon
I am with BiB on all of the points. The benefits are just too substantial and the drawbacks minimal. Earlier in the Mercantilism/Free Trade event I brought up the point about the priority of the sliders to which BiB responded that M/FT wasn't a priority. Here I also agree that Centralization is not the most important aspect of my agenda.
The benefits are well worth it, but it requires constant effort and determinization. I hate the non-enforcement of ordinances event as you receive no choice in the matter, you are simply moved back one step. The other actions are bearable with a loss in stability. Especially early in the game when stability investment is chepear, it is often easier to select the -4 hit to stability and get the +1 to centralization when a petition of redress is brought before your throne. At least with that slider there are negative consequences with each action (revolt and -1 taxation for the other choice). Beyond that, nobles can cost you -3 stabilty and the cities can cost you -3 just to maintain centralization. With 5 events in the mix, it is tough to stay centralized.
As England, I've discovered the following. You get hit with 3 or 4 decentralizing events, either random or planning in the first 80 years of the game. Usually the events work to put me at complete decentralization by 1460. This has a benefit to it: you can select the easier option of all the frequent decentralizing events without consequence to the slider since it has reached its maximum. Sometimes it is worth it simply to avoid constant stability hits. Later when you get centralizing National events, you can start to bring this slider up. This is usually after you have achieved desired effects on at least one of the other sliders.
I find the posts on decentralization especially interesting. I have never tried it, but I can certainly see a couple of benefit, perhaps late in the game when techs are approaching max.
this game is so interesting because each slider has its own unique advantages and penalties. It the players responsibility to learn to live with those penalties, or to cover them up with another slider. I will be particulary interested to see the comments on slider interaction upon completion of the individual slider posts. Perhaps after BiB has finished with the last slider, the following week might be devoted to multi-slider interaction as this seems to be more important than any single slider in isolation. Besides, given the amount of time to finish the rest of the sliders, there will be more time for other players to acquire the game and add to the already growing number of comments on the subject.
