So, currently you have a system whereby there are only a very small subset of heroes and yet that leaves the majority of systems and fleets without administrators/commanders. Have you considered the possibility that EVERY system and fleet should have a leader, but that only a very small number should be heroes?



I'm totally down with making heroes a rare resource - being able to prioritise a system or a fleet by assigning one to them - but the idea that the reset of the empire are unimportant is a bit counter-intuitive.



You already have a UI that is capable of displaying leaders in ALL system and fleet slots and an Academy for a finite number of heroes. I'd like to see Empires developing their own heroes with the option of hiring outside talent. As a skilled administrator improves you could move him from outlying sectors to important centers of population. As fleet commanders improve they could go from commanding scout fleets to sector defence fleets and finally all the way to commanding your main battle or invasion fleets! For the very best leaders, the option to promote them into your academy and make them heroes exists, where they would take up one of the limited slots and gain access to the more impressive hero powers such as Dust manipulation.



Of course not all leaders are equal. Some will improve at very slow rates or develop vices that make them a drag on your economy. The Emperor's intervention in such manners might result in an Approval hit for removing a popular but ineffective leader or an Approval bonus for removing a corrupt and nepotistic despot. This would add functionality and gameplay that I feel is in harmony with the design of Endless Space.

In my mind that would involve too much micromanagement. I agree that heroes are too few. But in all systems or fleets would be the other way around.

Instead of needing a hero for every system perhaps it could be changed to work like a Cabinet. A Department of Finance, Department of Agriculture, Department of War/Defense. That way the small amount can remain small and still have a big effect.

I agree that needing to make constant changes would reduce it to mindless micromanagement - there's no way that 25% of your turn should be spent on something like this! For the most part systems would simply have a leader and no changes would need to be made, the gameplay would be in recognising when there's a situation requiring a decision and in implementing some proper consequences to those decisions.



Of course, a cabinet concept would also work just fine and the danger of increasing the amount of micro-management is much lower if you adopt this solution.

Just assign a Governor. If he acts badly, invite him up for tea in your newest ship. Then throw him out the airlock. Then you can assign a new Governor. Repeat if needed. At least.. That would be cool

Indeed! What's needed are more "You have failed me for the last time..." moments.