Fri May 29, 2020 10:12 pm
Rome and Macedonia are game constructs. A faction can have high Legacy and get wiped out militarily, so why not diplomatically? Players accept that they can destroy an enemy on the battlefield, then take slaves from every region conquered and finally slaughter any rebels who object. In my Burgundi campaign, I made a transaction to gain the province of Italia Superior and later another to make Rome my Client State. Some players treated this like an exploit. No one died, no slaves abused or rebel scum crushed. I pointed out that I had given Rome several times their cash on hand as well as manpower, metal and military units. The Rome in my game was losing each of these resources every turn at the time. Rome also had an aging token. I believe it is a mistake to think of a diplomatic transaction as a trade. Maybe I gave support to a political faction in Rome that took power and sought my aid by giving me control of a province. Why wouldn't such a faction want my protection? It's unscrupulous to target a faction when it's weak, but it is "a likely outcome".
I'm the 51st shade of gray. Eat, pray, Charge!