Together We Rule releases early next month, so it’s time for us to talk in a bit more detail about the features. But there’s a lot to cover: Embassies, Agents, and the Congress of Humankind, but also third party reinforcements, the new stealth system, and the improved independent people. So we’ll be spreading this closer look across multiple posts over the next few weeks, and this week, we’ll start with some cooperation and some conflict.
Together We Rule: Embassies, Agreements, and Leverage
In Together We Rule, Embassies will open new ways to conduct diplomacy with other empires.
Once you have met at least one other player, you will be able to construct an Embassy district in one of your cities to receive their delegations and house your own. Don’t worry, you’ll only need one of these, no matter how many other players you’re dealing with.
Diplomats have gathered in this plaza for generations
This will give you access to the new Embassy tab in the diplomacy screen which will give you access to new diplomatic interactions. If both you and the other player control an embassy, you can sign cooperative Agreements between your empires. For example, you can sign an Arms Deal that allows you to train the other empire’s Emblematic unit, at some additional money cost paid to the other empire. Or you could sign a Scientific Correspondence Agreement, giving each a discount on technologies already researched by the other empire. Here’s an overview of the Agreements you can expect:
- Scientific Correspondence: Each empire gets a discount on technologies already researched by the other empire.
- Arms Deal: Each empire can build the Emblematic Units of the other, for an additional cost in Money.
- Monumental Contractors: Each empire can contribute to the Cultural Wonders of the other empire, gaining their choice of Money, Influence, or Leverage based on their contribution.
- Diplomatic Cooperation: Some of the leverage collected by each empire is shared with the other.
- Refugee Agreement: When either empire loses population, the other receives a Food and Industry bonus on their capital.
Even if the other empire doesn’t have an embassy of their own, you’ll have some options at your disposal in the embassy screen to impose your will on them by using Leverage. You could Placate them to lower their war support when trouble is brewing with your neighbors, but maybe you are tired of them playing the waiting game and would rather force them to respond to your demands. As the game progresses, you will unlock more advanced ways to put pressure on other empires. Here’s what you can impose on other empires:
- Placate: Lower the other empire’s war support.
- Expel Military Forces: Temporarily restrict the other empire’s access to your territory while maintaining the Open Borders treaty.
- Diplomatic Ultimatum: Force the other empire to accept or refuse your outstanding demands this turn.
- Expose Undercover Assets: Mark the current location of every hidden army the other empire has in your territory with a map pin.
- Apply Economic Sanctions: Apply an empire-wide penalty to Industry and Money to the other empire.
So, you need leverage to “convince” the other empire, but what is leverage and how do you get it? It’s a new resource that represents various means of pressuring others into agreeing with you, from dirty secrets to favors owed. You Agents will be crucial to collecting this leverage, so we will tell you more about it next time.
Metternich Update: Third Party Reinforcements
Signing an Arms Deal to let your ally train your powerful emblematic unit (and making some cash in the process) is nice, but sometimes you need to immediately come to their aid to save them. That’s here the new third party reinforcements in the Metternich update come in handy.
If you are allied to one party in a battle, you will now be able to move your armies into the battlefield to add them to the fight. Once there, they can join the battle like any other reinforcement army. But too many generals would cause confusion, so as your units join the battle, control of them will be handed over to your ally to use them like their own units.
What if you want to intervene in a battle where you are allied to both sides and “shift your allegiance”? We’re afraid both parties would consider that unsportsmanlike, so you’ll have to formally dissolve one of your alliances first. No equal opportunity attacks or mid-battle betrayals.
Then the Winged Hussars arrived...
That’s all for this week. Next week, we’ll be looking at the new Agents and the reworked stealth system, so come back then if you are feeling sneaky!
