Chapters
Meters, budget and approval
Six meters show how your people feel. Together they make Approval, and Approval decides whether you keep your seat.
| Meter | Raised by |
|---|---|
| Unity | Markets, squares and festival grounds, landmarks, the hero’s palace, festivals, the Works share of the budget. |
| Faith | Faith buildings, the wonder, the Faith share of the budget. |
| Peace | Watch posts, courts, soldiers, the Army share of the budget. |
| Progress | Guilds, forges, markets, the Learning share of the budget. |
| Health | Healers, food in store, room in the homes, the Health share of the budget. |
| Trust | Courts, the hero’s palace, the Justice share of the budget. |
Each meter drifts towards a target over a few hours. The target depends on what you have built for it compared with the size of your population, and on the budget share it gets. The town centre adds a little to each.
Approval
Approval is roughly the average of the six meters, but:
- Balance matters. If Unity, Faith, Peace and Progress drift far apart, Approval falls even when the average looks fine.
- Taxes above 15% cost Approval.
- With Faith under 25, Approval cannot go above 70.
The budget
Tap Budget to share spending between six sectors, each feeding one meter. A 15% share is neutral; nothing at all leaves the meter at 55% strength; 35% pushes it to 160%. No sector can take more than 60%, and the shares always add up to 100. Era I uses the first names; the present day the second.
| Sector | Feeds | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Army Security | Peace | 20% |
| Shrines Religious affairs | Faith | 15% |
| Healers Health | Health | 15% |
| Guilds Education | Progress | 15% |
| Works & festivals Works & culture | Unity | 20% |
| Courts Justice | Trust | 15% |
Presets (Balanced, War footing or Security first, Faith first, Builders or Education first) are a quick start. The planner shows where every meter is heading before you commit.
When meters fall
- Peace under 40: thieves raid the barns and the treasury.
- Health under 25: fever breaks out: output falls by a fifth for six hours and some people die.
- Trust under 35: officials skim taxes, up to a quarter.
- Unity under 25: families leave the city.
- Morale (Unity, Approval, the Army share and recent wins): when it is low, some soldiers refuse to march.
Festivals
A festival costs Wealth (more as the city grows) and lifts Unity by 12 and Faith by 5 for half a day, and soldiers’ morale for a day. Work slows a little for six hours.
Losing your seat
Era I: if Approval stays under 30 for three days, the kingmakers remove you. A new reign begins with a day of reduced output and lost Renown, and the meters pulled back to the middle. You keep the city.
Eras II–IV: you hold office. Every four weeks your term ends and you need Approval of 45 or more to keep it (winning lifts Approval for three days). If Trust stays under 20 for three days, you are removed. Losing either way costs a day of output and some Renown, then you start a fresh term.