Bribing Units is ridiculous

[Andz83]

Well, I see this thread becoming one of those 300-post-Ah-threads, just like the móuntain city thread...

[SilverDragon]

quote: Originally posted by Hodad on 05-05-2000 12:28 PM Bribing units is OK. Bribing CITIES is ridiculous!

I agree

[Jim W]

Again, bribing of cities was probably more done than bribing armies or army units, in the Ancient era, and even up into the modern era.

There are some irregularities about it, but then again there are some irregularities in building King Richard's Crusade if you're not the English. Or Michelangelo's Cathedral if you're not the Papal States.

And if you're the Spanish, do you build trirems, or wait until you've discovered Navigation so you can build Caravels?

I could go on and on. Why don't you just use the rules as they are, and enjoy the game?

My personal pet peeve was the names of the Civs and their cities. I've mentioned before that I'm going through progressively and renaming Civs and Cities (and Leaders)so as not to have the Babylonians and the Spanish competing at 4000 BC.

Bribery? Well, I do wish there were a way to tie it into something other than Democracy. Say, for instance, Industrialization. But even these days bribery happens. Why do you think the WTO ruled against Canadian drug patent laws?

Jim W

[catullus]

"Persian Gold" was a genuine political factor in the antiquity. Several Greek city-states were quite happy to join the Persian empire in exchange for wealth.
In modern wars, invaders have often been greeted as liberators by at least some parts of the population. Cities and regions have fallen with very little bloodshed, if the invaders guaranteed the local monetary/political elite high positions and increasing profits. See Americans in Sicilia 1944, Germans on the Eastern Front 1941, English in India (1880s?)...

C.

[tobyr]

Alexander the Great's entire advancing army was bribed to turn away from (and not sack) Jerusalem.

Bribing of both cities and units has a basis in fact, but is unrealistic, because: HEY, it's a game!!! (Isn't it?)

- toby



------------------
toby robison
criticalpaths@mindspring.com

[Alexander's Horse]

Of course there was always that incident where the GrossDeutchland panzer division was bought off with cream donuts and beer and went over to the Russians in 1945.

[Oldman]

AH, Get off your high horse!!! ha ha, sorry i just had to say it!!!

I agree with you guys saying that city bribes are too cheap, but if it's not in the rules.txt what can we do about it?!?!

And Jim W has a point, it's not technically about going upto washington and saying here's 2k, now put up our flag mate!!!! It's more about expending money, to corrupt, trick, undermine, subervert and cajole the city officials around to your way of thinking!!

Nicollo Machiavelli (The Prince) talks about several french states being "bribed" to change allegiance. And Machiavelli is God, So There!!!!

[The Mad Monk]

Don't look now, Horse, but you got some competition--and he appears to be winning...

edit: I'm baa-aaack!
[This message has been edited by The Mad Monk (edited May 09, 2000).]

[The Mad Viking]

Bribing units and cities is terrific.

As pointed out, bribing cities was extensive in pre-modern era. In the modern era, bribing is just far more subtle.

Things could be improved of course. It should be impossible to bribe a Fundamentalist. It should be easy to bribe a democracy if and only if you are also a democracy.

It should be impossible to bribe large central cities of a nation you are at actively war with.

It should be easy to bribe any of AlexHorse's units and cities.

[Alexander's Horse]

I think bribing cities is perfectly acceptable.

[Derek]

Don't forget, during the Cold War, the US and Soviets bribed every country they could get their hands on. They just called it "foreign aid."

I think bribing units is just as acceptable as building a city on a mountain hex.

*cough* stirring things up again, are we, Horse?

Anybody got a throat lozenge?

[datri]

Bribing a city is the equivlant to having a city surrender to you so they don't get killed. So I can see where bribing a city to take control of it is possible.

Bribing an unit is very unlikely in real life, but to pay to have them surrender and become no longer active would be more real.

[Venger]

quote: Originally posted by The Mad Viking on 05-11-2000 01:57 PM Bribing units and cities is terrific. As pointed out, bribing cities was extensive in pre-modern era. In the modern era, bribing is just far more subtle. Things could be improved of course. It should be impossible to bribe a Fundamentalist. It should be easy to bribe a democracy if and only if you are also a democracy.

I've edited the ToT ruleset to disallow bribing modern units except for mercenaries (a custom unit, cheap to build, not strong but usable, but subject to bribing). I agree, older units being subject to bribery makes a good deal of sense. But to expect that a modern tank division is going to be bought off doesn't sit well...

quote: It should be impossible to bribe large central cities of a nation you are at actively war with.

City bribery should be disallowed after a certain date/size...

Venger

[Empress]

Sure it may not happen all the time in real life, but that is why it is a game

[Alexander's Horse]

I'd like to know how people justify bribing ships?