The Gold & Food Cycle
Without an economy, your empire is merely a map painted in your colors. An empire requires fuel, and that fuel comes in two forms: Gold (Denarii) and Food (Grain). Gold sustains the empire's infrastructure and pays your soldiers' wages. Food keeps your population alive, your legions marching, and prevents catastrophic stability drops.
A civilization that produces +500 Gold but -100 Food per turn is a civilization that will collapse in 10 turns. Food comes before Gold.
Building Systems
Constructing buildings in your regions is the primary method of increasing your economic output. Each building has a level (e.g., Level 1 to Level 5) that increases its output but also its maintenance cost.
| Building Type | Primary Output | Maintenance Cost | Synergy / Additional Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Farm / Plantation | +Food | Low Gold | Increases population growth (+10%) per level. |
| Market / Forum | +Gold | Moderate Food | +5% Trade agreement value globally. |
| Port / Harbor | +Gold (High) | High Food & Gold | Only built in coastal regions. Massive income spike. |
| Mine / Quarry | +Gold & Prod. | Moderate | Requires specific terrain (Hills/Mountains). |
The Cost of Maintenance
Every unit trains, and every building erected adds a permanent Maintenance Cost to your per-season ledger. If your maintenance exceeds your income, your treasury will drain until it hits 0. At 0 Gold:
- Military units begin taking attrition damage (unpaid mercenaries disband entirely).
- Building construction halts instantly.
- Global Stability drops by 5% per season.
Taxation Policies
You can adjust your Empire's Tax Rate from the Palace panel to manage deficits. There are three tiers:
- Low Taxes (5%): -20% Gold Income. +5% Global Stability per season. Increases population growth.
- Standard Taxes (15%): Baseline income. Neutral stability impact.
- War Taxes (35%): +40% Gold Income. -10% Global Stability per season. Population growth halts.
Using War Taxes for more than 4 consecutive seasons is a guaranteed path to rebellion. Only use it when a deficit threatens to disband your front-line forces permanently.
Trade Agreements
Establishing Trade Routes via the Diplomacy panel creates mutual income. The distance between your capitals, the number of Markets you own, and the size of your ports determine the value. If you declare war on a trading partner, the route is severed immediately, often plunging you into an unexpected deficit.
Sibyla Speaks
"The tax collector is more formidable than the legionnaire. A legionnaire can conquer a city, but a tax collector ensures it remains conquered. Balance the scales, Imperator. Take too little, and you cannot fight. Take too much, and they will fight you."