One game series that can shed some light on the problems of empire is the Total War series. This series combines turn based strategy on a world map with real-time battlefield combat between opposing armies. Each game in the series features a number of historical factions appropriate to the time period. Each of these factions attempt to seize control of as much of the world as possible through diplomacy and warfare. As an empire expands, numerous problems arise that make it problematic to maintain its level of power. Many of these are realistic problems that all empires have to deal with sooner or later.
Civil Revolt
Civil revolt is something all empires face at some point. It is inevitable that some people are not going to be loyal taxpaying Romans and will want leadership by their own people. This is represented in Rome: Total War through the Public Order bar.
The middle bar here.
There are several factor that lower public order. One is squalor, the one that looks like turds. Basically, if a town isn't upgraded regularly as the population grows, the town will start to become a pigsty and people will be unhappy that their yard is full of human waste.
The second is distance from the capital, represented by the wagon wheels. Basically, as a town is further and further from the center of your empire it will not be as loyal. This represents some of the communication difficulties posed by having it take months to years for representatives from the Emperor or King to reach isolated provinces of the empire.
For example, Scotland tends to have difficulties maintaining the loyalty of the Egyptians, at least until they develop a taste for haggis.
A third factor is cultural differences. There are many different faiths and beliefs throughout the world, some of which will conflict with the occupier's values. This represents the problems that might result when an empire's belief in Christianity conflicts with a different region's belief in the power of Thor's hammer.
A further feature added in Medieval Total War is that the Pope can excommunicate the leaders of Catholic powers if they do not follow the Pope's commands. For example, the Pope may ask that England stop attacking France and if the English ignore this they will be excommunicated. How this affects the game is that the excommunicated power is then fair game to be attacked by all other Catholic factions and all of their cities have an increase in public unrest caused by their Catholic citizens feeling disgust toward their ungodly ruler.
The Pope relishes humbling Kings.
Finally, the fourth factor of public order is simmering unrest from recent military conquest. In the first year or two of a conquest, the public will not be completely docile to their new rulers, particularly as some portion of their populace was likely killed, raped, or robbed by the invading troops. In most cases, their relatives don't approve of this.
There are a few ways an empire can improve public order. One method is by lowering taxes. The lower the tax rate the more the town will approve of their leaders. Stationing military troops in the city will also help to control the populace, as few citizens want to try and fight knights in plate mail supported by pikemen and archers. City improvements like temples and churches also help to keep people happy. Finally, placing a general in the city usually improves order, as long as he isn't an insane alcoholic.
How this plays out in the long term is that cities that have high levels of these various factors will be likely to riot and eventually revolt, leaving your empire and being taken over by rebel forces. The empire then has to attempt to retake the city again. This also means that cities that are farther from the capital will require larger garrisons to maintain public order, lower tax rates, and more investments in temples, sewers, and other city improvements to make the people happy. This leads into the next major problem:
Financial Problems
Armies require food, weapons, armor, and many other services in order to function. Although this is not represented in the Total War series, the farther away an army is from its base of support, the more expensive they are to supply. Soldiers also need to be paid, as disaster tends to occur when nations fail to pay their troops. The sack of Rome in 1527 was a regrettable consequence of Emperor Charles V forgetting to bring money to pay for his troops.
Whoops, left my wallet back in Burgundy! Sorry guys.
Of course, the price of fielding an army for most kingdoms was made more manageable by requiring nobles to provide their own armor, weapons, and troops for the King when asked. However, all armies still needed to have a large train of camp followers to maintain equipment, cook food, and provide other services to troops. These supply trains were often equal to or larger than the actual army itself. The Total War series represents these costs to an army in the upkeep cost of each unit-an amount subtracted each turn to maintain each group of soldiers.
The shining armor on just one of these fine soldiers would not be possible without the labor of twenty unsung heroes elsewhere in the empire
As a Total War game progresses the player gains access to more powerful units with better armor and weapons. Unfortunately, these troops are significantly more expensive and have a higher upkeep cost. Also, your enemies gain access to better troops as well. The cost of battle rises dramatically because you are forced to field larger armies to match your opponent's forces.
An impressive sight to behold and it only costs a king's ransom to place on the battlefield!
The problem comes when the need for larger, better armies combines with the problem of civil unrest in each new city that is taken. The towns one seizes on the exterior of the empire will require larger garrisons to pacify. Unfortunately, the higher quality troops needed to defeat enemy armies do not perform better at keeping order than their less expensive counterparts. This ends up meaning that many of one's elite troops are forced to be stuck in city garrisons until cheaper troops can be trained or brought up to relieve them. This is one reason why many empires have relied on raising and training troops native to the conquered region to keep order-it costs too much to rely purely on men from the empire's primary forces.
The financial concerns of the military are exacerbated by the need to maintain and improve each conquered region. To keep a new city happy it is frequently necessary to lower taxes and construct new temples or other improvements. This may mean that seizing a new town ends up costing more than the area can generate in income, particularly if a large garrison is needed to keep it in check. Towns do generate a one time cash bonus from sacking and looting the town, but this sum may not be large enough to offset the price of staying in the area.
For example, the town of Memphis here costs the empire more than 5,000 denari a turn to keep them content. That's enough to train and maintain ten units of cavalry!
Basically, as empires grow finances also become stretched. The core towns and provinces of the empire need to be maintained and upgraded as well, but this may not be affordable if multiple armies are in the field and new lands keep being brought into the empire's fold. This can be sustainable for a time, but if a major crisis occurs it may be crippling.
Ineffectual Leaders
Another problem faced by many empires is that their best kings and emperors eventually will die. This is a huge problem when a charismatic, militarily successful leader is replaced by an incompetent buffoon, a madman, or an alcoholic. A successful leader may increase their kingdom's holdings and power substantially only to have it all thrown away in the next few decades or centuries by their less gifted heirs. Some notable examples of problems with the chain of succession include Nero and Caligula of Rome, the rapid split of Alexander the Great's empire following his demise, and the ineffectual Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany.
How this plays out in the Total War series is that every faction has a noble family that provides generals that can be used to lead armies or govern cities. These generals have traits that measure their military command skills and their ability to manage towns effectively. These traits may increase with time as they achieve victory in battle, expand their empire, and perform other tasks successfully.
For example, this fellow has the highest possible command rating-making him a spectacular general.
Each general also acquires other personality quirks with time. Some of these are positive, such as being loyal or chivalrous. Others are not good to have, such as being an alcoholic, insane, cruel, or sexually deviant. As in real life, there are few ways to control how the heir to the empire will turn out. Some will prove successful, others will be ineffectual and best kept as far away from the reins of power as possible.
Encountering Stronger Foreign Powers
A final cause of demise for many empires is when they come into conflict with more powerful rivals. The Mongol invasion of China, Europe, and the Middle East is a great example of this. An empire that is already stretched through attempts to conquer more territory is extremely vulnerable to a motivated enemy force that assaults it with a united offensive. In the Total War games this is why it is risky to ignore the closest factions to your empire, even if you are allied with them. If your armies are off invading foreign lands, the ally next to your capital might decide that it is a great time to invade. Good luck moving your armies in Egypt back to England in time to stop that force!
Conclusion
Empires require a lot of maintenance to be successful. Unfortunately, problems with overstretched armies, civil revolt, limited finances, ineffective leaders, and rival powers all will eventually cause an empire to contract or collapse. This is why territorial acquisitions of any sort have to be thought through beforehand, a rebellious province that has little of value is simply not worth the effort of controlling.
If you enjoyed this article you might also enjoy this one taking a look at looting in the Total War series.
No comments:
Post a Comment