History XVI: God Gave a Loaf to Every Bird

The famine mechanic is killing city development. As it should! However, it's too much. Nothing can develop past a few thousand people. Since rural population is dependent on infrastructure, neither can ever increase to the point where actual substantial growth is possible. And that's with a very generous assumption that it only takes 2-3 farmers to feed one urban dweller. Some estimates put this as high as 9.

We want a situation where some settlements can grow and others die out, or where a settlement can be cut off in time of war.

As a "temporary" stop-gap, I've increased the population density significantly in rural areas. This gives you more food-producers. However, starvation still does restrict nation formation. I haven't found a case yet where starvation will completely wipe out a civilization, but it proves significant in politics in the following ways:

Starvation naturally reduces hegemony morale. It can affect it so much that when a larger nation comes knocking on the door, the food-restrained nation acquiesces without a fight. But this in turn can cause problems for the conquerors, who have possibly bitten off more than they can chew.

In addition, hegemonies with very low morale (but no war) are much more likely to experience secession, as cities with large enough infrastructure may feel they're better off striking out on their own. They may or may not be correct.

All of this makes for a complex interplay of resources and politics.

It is very interesting how, watching lines grow in a text file, how I tend to anthropomorphize these collections of bits. I feel national pride swell when a city throws off the yoke of an oppressor, or defeats a stronger neighbor. Let's tell a story.

Menesesese was an elven city founded in 645, in a jungle climate. They named their new civilization Menese. Although they would experience a few major disasters over the years (in 857, 1289, and 1401), they lived in peace with their older neighbor, another elven city called Moterure, which had been founded in 24, six centuries before. By 1543, Mote had founded 8 more cities down the coastline, stretching down to Menesesese.

However, in 1613, Mote attacked and defeated Menesesese, incorporating it into their growing kingdom. This would last until 2185, when Menesesese rebelled, forming the Menesesese hegemony again (I need to add some code so the rebellious hegemon will take its original name, Menese, not the name of the city, which may have prefixes or suffixes as it does in this case).

From 2195-2198, Mote and Menesesese would fight over the cities of Ritikerure, Chorcliste, Mieprure, Wenafrure, Interure, Chorvetek, and Chordmose. Unfortunately, Chrovetek was totally destroyed during the First Mote-Menesesese War. Although Moterure itself did not fall, nearly all its cities now lay in the hands of the Menesesese...-ese. Mote would starve and shrink over the next 50 years.

In 2258, relations again deteriorated, but this time Moterure was more than willing to accept Menesesese rule. Alas, this peace too was not to last, as Mote would rebel only nine years later in 2267, taking with them the cities of Magirure, Neferirure, Savcerure, and Raprurure.

Over the next 1600 years, this story would play out again and again. Cities were destroyed and castles built. As I write this, the simulation is in year 3950. The Twelfth Moterure-Menesesese War ended in 3882. And it surely will not be the last.

This provides me a rich tapestry for a game set around this region. There is plenty of wilderness space, but even the loosely populated landscape is dotted with ruins, reminders of the hatred between these two nations that spans three millennia. I know where all the battles were fought (and where great generals might have fallen and grand items lost), where the ruined cities are located (and where the ghosts of the slain still wander). There are old elves who still fought in the last war...there is peace now, but for how long, they ask? Never trust a Mote. You better be careful not to look too Menesesese in the Neferirure market.

And all of it out of whole cloth.