Dealing with being a republic

[CrusherX7]

I'm part way through my first game of Rome:VV, I'm playing as Rome but I'm about ready to give up on playing as a republic nation.

My senate has a massive number of populists, handcuffing my ability to go to war. I started reading this forum to figure out to what I should be doing (I know it's proper to try and help myself before using up the time of other people), but I seem to have run into a paradox.

The info I've read indicates that to prevent characters from gravitating towards the populist faction, I need to give them the titles/positions they want. However, having the title/position increases the political attraction of the populists, which if I understand correctly leads to more people becoming populists anyways. Needless to say, I'm stumped.

Is playing as a republic in this game like turning hard mode on? If I really want to play as Rome, should I bide my time until I get a Consul I can use to turn Rome into a dictatorship?

 

[Alfred Packer]

I'm part way through my first game of Rome:VV, I'm playing as Rome but I'm about ready to give up on playing as a republic nation.

My senate has a massive number of populists, handcuffing my ability to go to war. I started reading this forum to figure out to what I should be doing (I know it's proper to try and help myself before using up the time of other people), but I seem to have run into a paradox.

The info I've read indicates that to prevent characters from gravitating towards the populist faction, I need to give them the titles/positions they want. However, having the title/position increases the political attraction of the populists, which if I understand correctly leads to more people becoming populists anyways. Needless to say, I'm stumped.

Is playing as a republic in this game like turning hard mode on? If I really want to play as Rome, should I bide my time until I get a Consul I can use to turn Rome into a dictatorship?

For me (and granted, I've only owned the game a week), the Populists can be managed. First off, use the unofficial Hotfixes, that keeps underage characters from drifting towards Populism. Then, I would say give the positions and titles Populists want only if they are incompetant Populists. The Populists still get a bonus, but not as much.

Also - sometimes if you appoint Populists to positions of power (when the Consul isn't a Populist) they will jump parties.

If all else fails, don't call for omens for a few years, that gives the Religious Party a huge modifier and they can usually match the Populists in raw numbers after a relatively short while.

You can also deliberately fail certain missions to cost the Populists Senate seats.

 

[Alfred Packer]

Oh, and while I'm at it, Cheexsta has done an unofficial strategy guide for Republics, which absolutely worth reading.

 

[julian_phoenix]

Like mentioned above, giving characters their ambitions will gravitate the
character to the party of the current consul. So it would seem to me that
in the scenario you describe, you currently have a populist consul. Unless
you want to help populists, the last thing you want to do is complete
character ambitions for characters. This is best done when you no longer
have a populist consul after trying the solutions mentioned above.

I might also add that another way to move characters away from populism is
to have many unused trade routes. This will help the mercantile party gain
support in a similar way that the religious party gains support when you do
not invoke an omen.

Good Luck.