I'm working on the EEP/AGC merger, & was thinking about adding to the in-game random events. I'm curious what people think about these - whether they hate them, think they should be edited, or if you have any ideas of your own.
Please post responses here in the original thread, so that it's all in one place, if you don't mind.
jay.
Please post responses here in the original thread, so that it's all in one place, if you don't mind.
Hi. I'm not a super-honcho or anything; but I think it would be good to have a forum where people could discuss general cultural background & flava random events.
Culture-specific stuff (e.g. the philosopher/scientist events) can just go in the appropriate country's forum, but I didn't see any place for things like this; and I'm sure other people have ideas, too.
Off the top of my head, some things I've thought of are:
- "The King Develops a Gambling Problem!"
It hasn't shown up in the game, but the courts of this period - esp. after the inflation following the Spanish gold glut - were just fabulously dissolute, betting on
The worst reputations went to the Venetians (whence 'Casino'); Henri IV (who lost 200,000 écus in a day) & the French courts; and the English courts under the first set of Stuarts, but it was a common way for otherwise impregnitable aristocrats to destroy themselves (I'd suggest a "Peer in Gambling Trouble" event,
Someone wiser than I am about the East tell me if the Indian princes gambling away kingdoms & dowager empresses playing mah jongg with tax receipts was all over by this era, though.
Possibly with an arist>6 trigger
-75•; -400• superscaled
- "King Wins Big!"
The nicer cousin of the last one, maybe a third as common (I didn't see any way to set frequency on Havard's site, though, so maybe you can't do that? It seems some events show up more often, but maybe I'm just paranoid).
+50•; +250• superscaled
- "Court Poet"
Reflection of the prestige sometimes provided by the court's patronage of the arts (e.g. Elizabeth with Shakespeare's histories or Spencer's Faerie Queene; James I seeing his ancestor Banquo as a hero in Macbeth).
+1 Stab;-75• (expensive for small states; cheap for the mighty)
- "Sumptuary Tax"
From time to time, kings would get tired of all their gold disappearing out of the state for the baubles of the nobility.
- Impose Tax
+50•; -1Stab; -1Arist
(or +1 Tax Rev. on the Capital, at the cost of a larger Stab hit)- I need my toys
+5% Inflation- "Coreligionists Request Aid"
The idea doesn't need much fleshing out. The problems, however...
You probably can't target homoreligious states; but it doesn't really need to, since you could assume that the aid would be going to a minority religious establishment. Worst case scenario - Spain getting inc. relations for sending money to Catholics in Holland - I say, it's from bribing the burghers to stop interfering with Marian cults.
You could also do a Catholic/CRC-specific event, where the inc. relations are with the Vatican.
- Send Aid
+25% Relations; -100/400•- Let God Provide
-1 Stab; -50% Relations- "Court Life"
Some monarchs chose to rule almost from isolation; others favored extravagant ceremony and celebration.
Note: Obviously situations like Versailles would involve luxury manuf.; but this reflects more of the day-to-day ceremony of the court.
- Fight for Your Right to Party!
+1Arist; +1Cent; -1 Stab (seems decadent); -125/500•- (Within reason)
+1 Stab (seems regal)- Bah, Humbug!
-1Arist; +75/150•; maybe dec. relations with neighbors (seems cheap)- "Defortification Effort"
Some rulers, during the 16th & 17th c., pulled down the fortifications of the nobility to reduce their prestige & ability to wage war against the crown.
- You're kidding, right?
-1Offensive- Burn, baby, Burn!
-1Arist; -1 Fortress; -1 Fortress; -1 Fortress- "Brilliant Musician"
same as Famous Painter, only, yknow, reflective of the way Mozart, Beethoven, & co. noodled around Europe looking for patronage.
- "Court Case Decided Against the Crown"
Sometimes judges would get the wrong idea about the balance of powers and decide for the weak against the strong.
- I am the Law!
+1 Cent; +1 Serf- No man is above the law.
-1 Serf; -1 Stab.- "Crown Lands for Sale"
In extreme circumstances or, really, whenever money was a little tight, the crown often sold off some of its holdings to the nobles or haute-bourgeoisie.
- What am I bid?
+225•; +2% Inflation; -1 Tax; -1 Tax; -1 Tax- It's mine!
nada- "Highwaymen"
Brigands often appeared on the King's Highways, robbing or kidnapping noblemen and interfering with the mail and tax collection. Sometimes especial measures were needed to contain them.
- Commission Marshals
-75•- Am I my subjects' keeper?
-1 Stab; -1 Centr- "Those Crazy Kids"
Sometimes, things just happened...
(random marriage)
- "Land Reform!"
As Europe slowly emerged from the feudal period and began to expand its market economies, there was a great deal of pressure to break up the large, inefficient baronal holdings and to allow the small farmers to own their land in clear title. There was a great deal of pressue the other direction, as well...
- Commie Spy!
+100•; +1Arist; -1 Innov; revolt;revolt;revolt; +3RR/36mo.- Disenfeof yon Yeomen
+1 Innov; -1 Serf; -2 Stab- Break up the estates!
-1 Arist; +2 Innov; -4 Serf; -4 Stab; +2 Tax; +2 Tax; +2 Tax
- "Forced Loans"
One prime use of counselors in these days was to find wealthy members of the community to "provide" loans to the king, for the good of the country. Needless to say, many never saw their money again.
Trigger: Centr>6
+100/500•, -1 Stab
- "Warrior-prince"
An inept, but ambitious, young member of the royal family has demanded a commission.
Trigger: not a major; Arist>5
A) Gain 1/1/0 monarch commander; -75•
B) -1 Arist; +5 RR for 3 mo.
- "Promising Officer"
Monarchs who took an interest into their military could often find talented young men lost in the bureaucracy. Given a command, who knows what they could accomplish.
Trigger: not country already glutted with officers (ie. majors); Monarch MIL>4
A) Gain 3/3/1 general; -1 Arist (he got his position through talent); -50•
B) +1 Arist
- "Court Alchemist!"
A wandering crank has convinced the king that he can turn base metals into gold, provided he is given a generous stipend and a well-supplied laboratory.
Trigger: before 1750s
-125/350•
- "Pamphleteer Stirs Dissent!"
After the invention of the printing press, some rogues would use its anonymity to stir dissent against the sovereign.
Trigger: Innov>4 (Inquistions come with censors, after all); after 1460s
A) Freedom of the Press & All That
-1 Stab; +3 RR for 24 mo.
B) Find him & hang him!
-1 Innov
- "Profitable New Company!"
The people of the plutocratic states (UK, Netherlands, Italy, & al.) frequently discovered new inventions (telescopes, reapers, publishing, &c.) or retail methods (the Dutch map specialists come to mind) that provided new specialties and improved the economy.
Requires Aristo<5; Serf<7
+1 tax; +50/200•
- "Company Bankruptcy!"
Basically, the dark side of the above. Bankruptcies were common in the Netherlands, I know, & sometimes as scandalous as the Enron/WorldCom debacle lately.
Trigger Aristo<5; Serf<7
-1 tax
Also, shouldn't there be a global/Europe-wide event upon the introduction of moveable type? There's nothing now, and the people at the time thought it was a pretty big deal. Still, I don't know what it would do, besides say, "Hey. We've got books! What do they say?"
For Muslim countries,
- "Fundamentalist Court!" - a sovereign striving to follow the Prophet's (pbuh) example
- +1 Stab, -100•, -1 Innov
- "Hedonistic Court!" - a sovereign dedicated to this world's delights; our aristocrats are drinking wine & gambling!
- -2 Stab, +25•
For Eurasian & Mesoamerican countries,
- "The Heavens rejoice!" - favorable astrological prophecies
- +1 Stab
jay.