Magna Mundi Developer's Diary #20: Religion

**dangerogre** · 16-05-2012 19:59

I am planning on a mini-mod that would make playing orthodox / non-western Christian countries more intriguing.
I had this idea while playing an Ethiopia game in MMtM where I managed to beat Adal and then colonised the cost of Africa down to the Cape of Good Hope (man, I enjoyed it soo much). I wondered then how cool it would have been if I had been able to establish patriarchal seats in the newly absorbed territories. I don't think about big bonuses, just to have some flavour, something to strive for, much like the restoration of the Pentarchy for the orthodox.

I later elaborated on the idea and have some more features, although I am a bit afraid this is getting too complex for my skills, e.g.

as mentioned above, if the country is orthodox/oriental, and possesses a bunch of "infidel" territories, new seats of patriarchs could be established
if the "infidel" provinces have a pagan, animist, fetishist sort of population, there could be some events that would make conversions a bit easier - tied to maybe country religios fervour, national ideas, etc
for orthodox/oriental countries which are non-autocephalous, there could be a relationship boost with the country of the "mother-church" (provided that the mother-church country has the same state religion) - I took this idea from the Russian-Byzantine relationship from before the game's timeframe
also in the same situation there could be some harsh penalties for the daughter-church country if it declares war on the mother-church country
I am toying with the idea that maybe such patriarchal seats could be set up in non-orthodox/oriental countries (say India or Persia) if there is an orthodox/oriental minority there. I am not well-educated on this topic, but if by some miracle these were to be subordinated to a patriarch in a foreign country, that foreign country could from time to time meddle in the religios affairs in those provinces, e.g. sponsor some missionaries. This could also tie in with the religious policies and national ideas in place in the affected countries.
for the orthodox countries, there could be some decisions to sponsor an extension to Mt Athos which would bring in some relationship boost with other orthodox countries, and maybe some small bonus (in some cultural field, or government research maybe) - the basic idea is that Mt Athos was a hub of classic and theological learning in the orthodox world.

Unfortunately the more I think about it, the more difficult it seems to code it all myself

**Blaze86420** · 17-05-2012 00:11

If we're going to add another branch of Christianity into the game then it's going to be unfair to the rest of the religions which won't receive the same amount of detail and work, and this is why I oppose adding Coptic Christianity as a sect.

**Ivashanko** · 17-05-2012 05:27

Originally Posted by Raistlin82

Bummer.
Small improvement from EU3 on the available religions, but that religion list is still too small for my taste.
I was hoping there could be sacks of resurfacing Pagan religious minorities worshiping the Etrurian, Greek/Roman, Egyptian, Asgardian, etc... pantheons, in the appropriate regions.
And then I would favour those minorities, like an inverse Emperor Constantine I, and lead my Italy, Norway, Holy Roman Empire, etc... down that road.
Happy to see Inti, Teotl and Zoroastrians, though.
And Jewish. What does "not usually playable" means, though? That I can't choose to change my state religion to Jewish?

Seriously, there are much more logical faiths to make it into the game than the old pagan religions. By this period those have by and large died out, and had no hope of claiming power again. It would be historical fantasy to pretend that they could come back.

**Tapochki** · 17-05-2012 16:50

Originally Posted by Ivashanko

Seriously, there are much more logical faiths to make it into the game than the old pagan religions. By this period those have by and large died out, and had no hope of claiming power again. It would be historical fantasy to pretend that they could come back.

In the mod, in 80% of my games, there was a period where that north-eastmost scandinavian province turned fully Tengriist.
Once Finland declared independence there. So we had Tengriist Finland.

I think the tengriists there were supposed to represent some old indiginous religious minority.

**Ivashanko** · 24-05-2012 18:54

Originally Posted by Tapochki

In the mod, in 80% of my games, there was a period where that north-eastmost scandinavian province turned fully Tengriist.
Once Finland declared independence there. So we had Tengriist Finland.

I think the tengriists there were supposed to represent some old indiginous religious minority.

Really? I've never seen that happen.

It's unrealistic, but it'd be fun. You can always mod the game if you want a pagan playthrough, though.