There are eight different strategic resources available in the game. Accessible amount for each of them depends on local extraction efforts and international trading and is calculated each turn. As of now, some of strategic resources are required to start building certain units. The idea proposed here is to add resource-per-turn requirements on some units, basically expanding unit upkeep with resources. These resources are horses, saltpetre, coal, oil and uranium. An example showing proposed per-turn ‘consumption’ of strategic resources for several units is given in table below.



If only a percentage of total ‘consumed’ resource is available, the penalty is applied. Lower the percentage, higher the penalty. The penalty reduces strength or/and movement for all units requiring the resource. The total ‘consumed’ resource is easily calculated by summing up resource requirements for all units. For example, 10 Ironclads and 22 Steam Frigates would consume 42 Coal per turn (see Table above). If available access to Coal is greater or equal 42 nothing happens. However, as soon as available access to the resource becomes less than required (i.e. 41), a -1 Strength penalty is applied to all units requiring Coal (all 10 Ironclads and 22 Steam Frigates). As the percentage of available resource drops further, additional Strength or/and Movement penalty is gradually applied. An example of Coal-induced Strength and Movement reduction for Ironclad and Steam Frigate is given in Table below.



Different resources could have different penalty tables. Also, if unit requires more than one resource for upkeep, penalties caused by a lack of them add up. Dragoons represents a unit which requires Horses and Saltpetre each turn. For example, lack of horses could cause -3 Strength and -1 Movement penalty and lack of saltpetre -6 Strength penalty. Summed up, the penalty is -9 Strength and -1 Movement.


Motivation: Resource-induced penalties should bring fight for resources one level up. Each access to Horses, Saltpetre, Coal, Oil and Uranium would become much more important as the number of naval, air and mobile land units depends on sometimes unreliable access to the resource. Loss of important extraction point or trade route can significantly reduce army performance. Poaching becomes even more important.