User Guide

16
tion’s “ideas”, and the presence of certain prov-
ince improvements that you may build. We’ll
look at this in detail in the Military section, al-
though some of the factors that affect its re-
plenishment rate and maximum size are dis-
cussed in the chapters on Province Manage-
ment and Domestic Management.
Stability: This critical value rep-
resents the overall social stability
of your country and can range
between values of -3 and +3. At very low levels
of stability, you will be under increased risk of
rebellion or may even be on the brink of civil
war. At high levels of stability, your population
will be very content and is unlikely to rebel or
actively oppose you. Stability also affects your
monthly tax income, since a disgruntled popu-
lation will be far less productive than a happy
one. Many of the game’s historic and random
events will have an effect on your stability, as
will any diplomatic actions you take that are
likely to upset your population. We’ll mention
stability many times in this manual, but the
rule of thumb is to try to maintain a positive
value whenever possible.
Treasury: The treasury is your
country’s current reserve of mon-
ey, which is used for a wide vari-
ety of activities in the game. We
use the term “ducats” to refer to units of money,
rather than anachronistic or regional terms
such as “dollar” or “pound”. Every month, you
will receive an income based on the tax revenue
of your provinces, as well as any merchant trad-
ing you are conducting. You will probably al-
locate most of this income to technological re-
search, maintenance of your land and naval
forces, and a few other things that incur a
monthly cost. Any ducats left over from your
monthly expenses will be added to your treas-
ury. You will need plenty of money to construct
special buildings that will improve your prov-
inces, to purchase new regiments and ships to
expand your military, or perhaps to be used as
an incentive for a country to listen to your dip-
lomatic overtures. We will look at your econo-
my in detail in the chapter on Domestic Man-
agement.
Merchant Pool: Merchants are
used to increase your country’s
monthly income, and this value
shows how many are currently available for use.
You can generate significant amounts of trade
revenue by sending them out to the world’s
centers of trade where they will try to compete
against other countries’ merchants for a share
of the profits. Competition will usually be
fierce, so you will need a steady supply of mer-
chants to replace any that have been driven out
of business. New merchants will be added to
your pool fairly gradually; with the rate of re-
plenishment being determined by a variety of
factors. You are allowed a maximum of five
merchants in your pool at any one time. Mer-
chants and trade are discussed in detail in the
chapter on Trade.
Colonist Pool: You will need a
steady supply of colonists if you
intend to explore new lands and
establish colonies in any of the unoccupied
provinces you discover. Colonists are needed in
order to hire the intrepid explorers and con-
quistadors who will chart the unknown water
and land provinces that are terra incognita. You
will also use them to establish and expand new
colonies that will increase your country’s terri-
tories and wealth. The top bar shows how many
colonists are currently interested in joining an
expedition. As you use them, the pool will
slowly replenish itself up to a maximum of five
colonists at any one time. This is discussed in
detail in the chapter on Exploration and Colo-
nization.
Diplomat Pool: No matter what
style of game you want to play, a
regular supply of diplomats will
be crucial to your success. Diplomats are sent