Rebellion And Revolution In Axioms

"Unrest" is an outdated mechanic

Detailed information: https://axioms-of-dominion.fandom.com/wiki/Axioms_Of_Dominion_Wiki

This is a moderately detailed explanation of how the mechanic most games represent as a very abstract “unrest” percentage works in Axioms. No more +10% unrest or +1% per turn unrest with semi-incoherent revolts and uprisings at “100%”.

Axioms has both a dramatis personae style layer and a simulated population groups layer. Both characters and populations have a complex “opinion” about every other character and population they are aware of. This is most focused on neighbors and enemies and their direct rulers/leaders/potentates. You can read the wiki about this linked at the top but I’ll have a post specifically about those two systems later.

Characters and populations have an ideology that affects their feelings about both entities and actions and which plays into internecine conflict. If the leader of a polity accrues enough ire from the constituent characters and populations of their domain varying levels of conflict began. Both the anger of individual actors and the potential for cooperation between the oppressed and/or aggrieved factor into whether a revolt happens.

Not only are there spontaneous eruptions of violence but characters can engage in the “conspiracy”mechanic that is a key part of the overall intrigue aspect of the game to marshall assistance. A subordinate character that isn’t riled up enough to engage in revolution can be persuaded to provide leadership, legitimacy, or material assistance in exchange for various benefits.

“Conspiracies” can range from simple private agreements developed over a few years/turns to century or in special cases millenium spanning and sprawling cabals focused on particular goals. Both the player and the AI characters can make promises to other characters to gain support.

Characters have “secrets” that can be held over their heads and that are generated by gameplay action as well as “desires” that are mostly random, though some can be triggered, like a good marriage for a beloved daughter(this is a broadly available triggered desires based on having a daughter they have a high opinion of, or who was born of a beloved opposite sex person), to a desire to rule a large kingdom of accumulate fantastic wealth. Some characters might wish to gain great arcane knowledge. This particular desire can be fulfilled by mortal dealings, but also by making deals with great spirits or demons.

Nearly every character has some desires related to wealth or territory. Regaining lands held by a family, being restore to a throne, usurping the title of a hated sibling. Generic desires are easier to fulfill, in some ways, easier to discover, and can even be a welcome surprise after promising something for another reason.

In any case there is a sort of sliding scale of willingness to rise up where at x level of negative feeling you’ll move forward if you have y level of material capability. Truly abominable conditions will foment risings with a smaller win chance and can push otherwise passive populations and characters to become involved. A more shallow anger can still result in war with a strong chance to win or a higher level of legitimacy or through nefarious machinations. A character might incite violence or feed discontent as part of a plot to gain land or power.

The game has a “Propaganda” system where characters can use their intelligence networks not only to discover mundane or secret information but to artificially raise or lower opinions about a target or shift the Ideology of a group of populations. Creating fervor for war, division among the populace of another nation, general support for magic or religion or traditionalism. This is possible beyond specific Conspiracies and for purposes other than causing rebellion.

It is somewhat difficult to talk about game systems in isolation since it is a goal to make them highly connected. For instance I haven’t discussed the way access to food, both for nourishment and pleasure, impacts various parts of the game. The loss of a prized luxury good like cinnamon can cause wars all by itself. Destabilizing a nation can be a gestalt of many different activities. A major reason for this is that “Opinion” which interacts with various other systems to determine the popularity and legitimacy of a ruler is itself impacted by many seemingly disparate factors.

Additionally unhappines, for instance from lowering quality of life, perhaps by cutting off access to a culturally significant food, also impacts economic production to some degree. You can simultaneously weaken an enemy economy while causing the ruler to need to focus on domestic instability.

Essentially “Opinion” acts as a mechanism for representing political capital. The populace supports the ruler due to legitimacy, quality of life, ideological similarity, personal popularity, integration of their specific population group into the society, such as being able to hold positions in the bureaucracy or having various rights, and so forth. Wars, depending on certain factors, can increase or decrease the peoples’ opinion of their leaders. When “Opinion” is too low characters and populations get antsy. Do you want to burn your excess opinion on an unpopular war? Social reforms? Higher taxes? Etc.

Most of the simulation functions at this lower and more detailed level. This allows for things that aren’t possible in Civilization or a Paradox game or some other strategy game. Why did the Ottoman Empire rise and why did it fall? What of Rome? Most games can’t both prevent general blobbing and simulate the speed at which the Ottomans became a world power. Their models are too simple. Which is fine if they decide to make that trade off. Axioms goes the other way. Ideally the complexity cost is outweighed by the benefits for verisimilitude. Of course Axioms is a fantasy world simulator but a modder could create a historical scenario if they wanted to.