Game of Diplomacy

[IsaacCAT]

As always I want to acknowledge all posts about improving the game of diplomacy inside the game in I:R 1.5

• @The Goldfinch immersive diplomacy post
• @Limbojack sphere of influence
• @starchitect Control- An Integrated Mechanic for Distance, War, and Peace
• @Axis89 Cultural Defensive Alliance against foreign Empire threat(Ex: Rome threatens Germania)
• @Bovrick Warfare: a different gameplay loop
• @ashandresash Strategy without conflict? Introduce a little of (trade) geopolitics in Imperator Rome
• @Senatus1980 Alliances, Calls to War, Favors, Etc.
• @pch91 Strategic points in wars, food and diplomatic strategy

And I think we all agree with @Todie comment here. For me now diplomacy is reduced to 1) make alliances or defensive leagues early in the game if I am not a major player. 2) make claims and declare wars. And 3) improve my opinion of a vassal state to integrate them. But all is very straightforward: 1) improve opinion, get alliance, 2) get a claim, declare war, 3) improve opinion, integrate country.

Thus my suggestion is the following:

1. Unsolicited War claim: (This idea is from @The Goldfinch post) because the player is the nation it should manage war claims originated from:
   • Trade. Owned by Nobles and Citizens of the country, they have interests in goods produced in other countries or want to expand the market to sell their goods. They will ask the nation to establish trade with some countries. If we can establish trade routes with those countries all is well. If we cannot for whatever reason, then a trade war claim could emerge as a consequence. If our country produces surplus goods that are not traded away, our nobles and citizens will be unhappy and demand to export their goods. If we do not have enough trade routes, again, we will get a claim to invade neighboring countries provinces to get trade routes for our surplus goods.
   • Culture. Our country has integrated cultures that desire the same level of citizenship for their people all around the known world. Thus we will get an event to ask for neighboring countries (diplomacy distance) to integrate our integrated cultures. If we cannot convince these other countries to do so, we will get a liberate our culture war claim.
   • Land. Provinces and regions that are already part of our country, are seen as of interest for our people. We will have an automatic war claim to complete provinces and regions for our country.
   • Religion. Now we have an event to decide whether a destruction of a holy site has a negative opinion from our country. This should be an automatic religion war claim if our country has an majority of that religion (>80%). Likewise, countries with strong religion unity (>80%) shall have the religion war claim to attack neighboring countries where their POPS with the same religion are a minority.
2. Soft Power:As explained on the first point, our relationship with other countries is under continuous threat by internal war claims. If we want to have a nice relationship, we have to work inside our country as well as on other countries. Maybe we cannot avoid the other country to have trade, culture and/or land claims on us, but the negative opinion that comes from every claim can be offset by the opinion bonus of our actions (for some time...). New diplomacy actions could be:
   • promotion of trade between countries: sending our own citizens, construction of roads and other trade infrastructures in other countries to create new trade routes
   • promotion of our integrated cultures in other countries, giving money to influence senate or kings to pass decisions on their favor or try to establish the senate mission that integrates our culture. Establish cultural centers in their cities that are beneficial to the country but slows the assimilation of our integrated culture in their country.
   • trade land to ease tension between countries clearing the land war claim.
   • Promote or pay for religious festivities in other countries to spread our religion on those countries. This can clear our religion war claim for a while on that country, improving the opinion from both sides.
3. Active Rivalry & Alliances. Why would we spend money or political influence to have friends? Because in this world of easy war claims, countries shall seek to help each other and work for long lasting relationships to stand stronger against a single but powerful player. Countries that are not Major or Great Powers and that do not have more than two war claims, shall be natural allies, helping each other in defensive wars. On the other hand, the powerful player could find a way to break those alliances through diplomacy, dividing their enemies before starting a war. New diplomacy actions to break these alliances could be:
   • Establish trade routes with the target country to negate this trade with their allies. First you shall break any existing trade route by some kind of bribery.
   • Pay to establish the senate mission to depose target integrated culture of one country. In tribes or Kingdoms, something equivalent.
   • Sell land of the same province/region to two different allied countries to sow the land war claim.
   • The action to create a religion divide between natural allies escapes me... if someone has any idea is welcome.

At the end, we should have a dynamic diplomacy system involving trade, wars, culture, religion and land, that will work as characters loyalty. If you go under some opinion threshold, you will be natural rivals, if you go beyond that threshold you will be natural allies.

 

[IsaacCAT]

For example, in my actual game with Carthage, I have the following opinion from Deitania (a settled tribe in the Iberia Peninsula):

• Deitanian +76 (-20 different culture group +20 trade access +63 Improved relations +12 Gift Sent)
• Carthage +0 (-20 Different culture group, +20 Mercantile stance)

I could offer an Alliance or a guarantee, but I cannot demand Tribal Vassal Status or Tribute:

• Alliance: +95 (+38 Opinion +10 Stronger than Current Allies, +80 different Rank, +2 Common Threat, -10 Different Religion, -5 Diplomatic Reputation, -10 Will Get Too Many Relations, -10 Combined Number of Allies)
• Guarantee +25 (+38 Opinion, +2 Common Threat, -10 Different Religion, -5 Diplomatic Reputation)
• Tribal Vassal Status -22 (+38 Opinion +17 Current Strength, +16 Potential Strength, +2 Rank, -5 Diplomatic Reputation, -90 Base)
• Demand Tribute -34 (+38 Opinion, +17 Current Strength, +16 Potential Strength, -5 Diplomatic Reputation, -80 Base, -20 Rank)

For me, it is difficult to make sense of all these numbers, that seem sometimes arbitrary and not always specific to both countries standing.

With my suggestion, the diplomatic numbers could be simplified and every independent nation will have only two status: natural allies or rivals. See the following example:

Natural rivals: war can break out any moment based on land, culture or religion war claims (4 war claims)

• Carthage Claims:
  • -1 Trade war claims because there are no surplus goods without trade route in Carthage and already it has 1 export route to Deitania and 0 import routes.
  • 0 Culture war claims because Deitania 100% population is Contestanian and is primary culture, no Cartaghe integrated culture pops are not integrated in Deitania.
  • +1 Province Land war claim for Ilorci in the province of Mastiania that is partially owned by Carthage.
  • +1 Region Land war claim for 6 territories in the region of Contestania that is partially owned by Carthage.
  • 0 Religion war claim as Carthage has a 57.52% religion unity
• Deitania Claims:
  • 0 Trade war claims because there are no surplus goods without trade route in Deitania.
  • +1 Culture war claims because In Carthage we have 5 Contestanian pops with unintegrated culture while it is primary culture in Deitania.
  • 0 Province Land war claim
  • +1 Region Land war claim for 9 territories in the region of Contestania that is partially owned by Deitania.
  • +1 Religion war claim as Deitania has 100% Iberic religion unity and Carthage has iberic POPS

Natural allies: you cannot declare war to each other and in case of defensive war, you will help each other (2 war claims)

• Carthage Claims:
  • -1 Trade war claims because there are no surplus goods without trade route in Carthage and already it has 1 export route to Deitania and 0 import routes.
  • 0 Culture war claims because Deitania 100% population is Contestanian and is primary culture, no Cartaghe integrated culture pops are not integrated in Deitania.
  • +1 Province Land war claim for Ilorci in the province of Mastiania that is partially owned by Carthage.
  • +1 Region Land war claim for 6 territories in the region of Contestania that is partially owned by Carthage.
  • 0 Religion war claim as Carthage has a 57.52% religion unity
• Deitania Claims:
  • 0 Trade war claims because there are no surplus goods without trade route in Deitania.
  • +1 Culture war claims because In Carthage we have 5 Contestanian pops with unintegrated culture while it is primary culture in Deitania.
  • - 1 Culture war claims because Carthage has enacted a decision granting rights to Contestanian culture (for 60 months)
  • 0 Province Land war claim
  • +1 Region Land war claim for 9 territories in the region of Contestania that is partially owned by Deitania.
  • +1 Religion war claim as Deitania has 100% Iberic religion unity and Carthage has iberic POPS
  • - 1 Religion war claim because Carthage has enacted a decision granting rights to Iberian Religion (for 60 months)

The Vassal options are achieved with uninterrupted time as natural allies. After 10 years as natural allies, a superior power can automatically demand tribal vassal status or tribute to a long time natural ally. If the player does not want to be a vassal it has to avoid being natural ally to a major power for 10 years.

Existing diplomatic options do not disappear but have consequences to the status of the nation:

• The guarantee option will be also a -1 Land war claim bonus between nations. Thus, you could be guaranteeing a natural rival because you have more than +2 claims due to trade, culture or religion. Making it possible to start a trade war with a guaranteed nation without problems.
• The ask/give military access will be also a -1 land war claim bonus between nations, with the peril of allowing a treasonous rival to put their troops inside your land and declare war if you are above the +2 war claims limit.
• The join defensive league in addition to its function it is a -1 Land war claim bonus between nations. Again, you could declare war to a fellow defensive league member that you are o become a natural rival, however all other members will help the attacked nation even if you are natural ally with them.
• Support rebels in addition to their function, will add a +1 diplomatic action war claim to the victim nation. This way, a player or the computer can make it more difficult to stay natural allied with another nation.
• Send an insult will work the same way, adding a +1 diplomatic war claim for 12 months.
• On the other hand, Send gift will add -1 diplomatic war claim for 12 months.
• Improve opinion will add -1 diplomatic war claim for 12 months

The objective is that war or peace with another nation is not evident but becomes the result of your active diplomatic management of all aspects of the game with that nation.

 

[IsaacCAT]

To avoid overshooting with everything you have got to stay natural allied to another nation for ten years, we could allow for a 3-5 months period of momentary natural rivalry that will not count for the ten year uninterrupted natural allied relationship.

Of course, you could always demand vassal status after a war. We are exploring diplomatic ways here. War options shall remain the same.

The fastest expansion option will always be war. But having everyone a natural rival to your nation will be more problematic than managing aggressive expansion. Aggressive expansion could become a +1 diplomatic war claim but maybe we do not need that anymore.

Natural allies could only be nations that are inside both nations diplomatic range.

We will need to show the list of natural allies to the player so it can react before some major player demands vassal status after 10 years without knowing that you were inside its diplomatic range. You can always insult them, and expect that they will not counteract your diplomatic action to stay out of vassal risk.

For a natural ally to help you in a offensive war, you should add a cultural, land, religious, or trade benefit for them. Then the program will analyse their chances to win and decide if they go with you to war against some common rival.