While I and my mother are at home with coronavirus (luckily not in severe form), I think it is the good time to share some ideas about how to improve the game (perhaps, it is now or never! who knows? 
We Epicureans love irony!).
I want to share some proposals about merchant republics and republics in general.
I find republics in many ways less effective than monarchies (especially in terms of royal marriages, personal unions, absolutism...), while few qualities counterbalance their deficiencies.
In particular, merchant republics are a very interesting concept, which is however very much ruined for middle and late game by the 20 "provinces in states" cap and also by the lack of the benefits from estates (read for example this explanation: https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/foru...e-merchant-republics-incredibly-weak.1238238/).
Therefore I looked for solutions that, while maintaining the peculiarities and the flavour of republics, could make them almost equal to the monarchies: a form of government that could be worth to play with for a whole game!
And I think to have found some elegant solutions! So, here are my proposals:
First of all, I would change the consequences of exceeding the 20 provinces cap for merchant republics:
The malus should be no longer the infamous -0.1 yearly republican tradition per province, but instead +0,3 yearly aristocratic faction influence per province (I was inspired by Ishmael_Dandalo's proposal in this): for my proposed changes to factions read below.
To discourage the expansion of republics (of all kinds) in a "world of kingdoms", however, all republics should get this significant malus: +20% aggressive expansion ("A republic in a world of kings").
Merchant republics should also get a rework of factions (land aristocrats become the "bad" faction for merchant republics: this would inevitably cause also a deterioration of the player military tech and therefore of his expansionist capabilities, since the player is encouraged to avoid electing military rulers):
Traders ("best" faction):
+10% steer trade
+10% global trade power
+5 trade efficiency
-10% naval maintenance
-10% manpower
Guilds ("good" faction):
+10% goods produced
-5% development cost
-10% construction cost
+5% production efficiency
-10% manpower
Aristocrats ("bad" faction):
-5% steer trade
-5% global trade power
-2.5 trade efficiency
+5% naval maintenance
-5% goods produced
+2.5% development cost
+5% construction cost
-2.5% production efficiency
+10% manpower
If a player expands a lot and doesn't worry about aristocratic hegemony, he will get a lot of maluses or even risk a revolution ("Violence in the streets" event)!
The scarce manpower of the "good" factions will also encourage the player using mercenaries, thus impeding high army professionalism and making expansion difficult.
Another terrible malus for merchant republics is low maximum absolutism (-50). I agree with this concept and I would let it be so terribly low.
On the other hand, for all republics, stability cost should be high but not terrible:
+100% stability cost at 0% republican tradition
"Republican sufferance" should also be enhanced (it makes no sense that monarchies get more religious tolerance than republics):
+1 religious tolerance
Oligarchic republics (I understand these as "manufacturers oligarchies" or "administrative republics", otherwise I would not understand how they could differ from plutocracies and traditional aristocracies) should get these bonuses to counterbalance their low absolutism:
+10% goods produced
+10% production efficiency
Noble republics get +0.5 instead of +0.25 yearly army tradition and +5% morale of armies (they already have good absolutism, so not many other bonuses).
I also think it would be a good idea to add the "Genoese republic" form of government, which should be possible to adopt around year 1528, through Admiral Andrea Doria events.
It should be based on elections every 2 years and alternation between the factions of the Old Nobles and the New Nobles. Van Kasten already proposed some more specific dynamics here: https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/foru...ublic-and-the-issue-of-country-loans.1107256/.
I also advise you passionately to add the Merchant Republic of Ancona, which was independent (de facto) between c. 1000 and 1532, an historical ally of Ragusa and Byzantium and harsh rival of Venice and the Empire (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancona#Maritime_Republic_of_Ancona).
In another thread, I am also going to propose an overall improvement of the political geography of Italy as it is represented in the game.
Thank you very much for your attention, and I hope you will find in my text good proposals!
Best wishes from Bergamo!
We Epicureans love irony!).I want to share some proposals about merchant republics and republics in general.
I find republics in many ways less effective than monarchies (especially in terms of royal marriages, personal unions, absolutism...), while few qualities counterbalance their deficiencies.
In particular, merchant republics are a very interesting concept, which is however very much ruined for middle and late game by the 20 "provinces in states" cap and also by the lack of the benefits from estates (read for example this explanation: https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/foru...e-merchant-republics-incredibly-weak.1238238/).
Therefore I looked for solutions that, while maintaining the peculiarities and the flavour of republics, could make them almost equal to the monarchies: a form of government that could be worth to play with for a whole game!
And I think to have found some elegant solutions! So, here are my proposals:
First of all, I would change the consequences of exceeding the 20 provinces cap for merchant republics:
The malus should be no longer the infamous -0.1 yearly republican tradition per province, but instead +0,3 yearly aristocratic faction influence per province (I was inspired by Ishmael_Dandalo's proposal in this): for my proposed changes to factions read below.
To discourage the expansion of republics (of all kinds) in a "world of kingdoms", however, all republics should get this significant malus: +20% aggressive expansion ("A republic in a world of kings").
Merchant republics should also get a rework of factions (land aristocrats become the "bad" faction for merchant republics: this would inevitably cause also a deterioration of the player military tech and therefore of his expansionist capabilities, since the player is encouraged to avoid electing military rulers):
Traders ("best" faction):
+10% steer trade
+10% global trade power
+5 trade efficiency
-10% naval maintenance
-10% manpower
Guilds ("good" faction):
+10% goods produced
-5% development cost
-10% construction cost
+5% production efficiency
-10% manpower
Aristocrats ("bad" faction):
-5% steer trade
-5% global trade power
-2.5 trade efficiency
+5% naval maintenance
-5% goods produced
+2.5% development cost
+5% construction cost
-2.5% production efficiency
+10% manpower
If a player expands a lot and doesn't worry about aristocratic hegemony, he will get a lot of maluses or even risk a revolution ("Violence in the streets" event)!
The scarce manpower of the "good" factions will also encourage the player using mercenaries, thus impeding high army professionalism and making expansion difficult.
Another terrible malus for merchant republics is low maximum absolutism (-50). I agree with this concept and I would let it be so terribly low.
On the other hand, for all republics, stability cost should be high but not terrible:
+100% stability cost at 0% republican tradition
"Republican sufferance" should also be enhanced (it makes no sense that monarchies get more religious tolerance than republics):
+1 religious tolerance
Oligarchic republics (I understand these as "manufacturers oligarchies" or "administrative republics", otherwise I would not understand how they could differ from plutocracies and traditional aristocracies) should get these bonuses to counterbalance their low absolutism:
+10% goods produced
+10% production efficiency
Noble republics get +0.5 instead of +0.25 yearly army tradition and +5% morale of armies (they already have good absolutism, so not many other bonuses).
I also think it would be a good idea to add the "Genoese republic" form of government, which should be possible to adopt around year 1528, through Admiral Andrea Doria events.
It should be based on elections every 2 years and alternation between the factions of the Old Nobles and the New Nobles. Van Kasten already proposed some more specific dynamics here: https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/foru...ublic-and-the-issue-of-country-loans.1107256/.
I also advise you passionately to add the Merchant Republic of Ancona, which was independent (de facto) between c. 1000 and 1532, an historical ally of Ragusa and Byzantium and harsh rival of Venice and the Empire (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancona#Maritime_Republic_of_Ancona).
In another thread, I am also going to propose an overall improvement of the political geography of Italy as it is represented in the game.
Thank you very much for your attention, and I hope you will find in my text good proposals!
Best wishes from Bergamo!
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