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After discussing Great Trades in the first diary—a feature that allows tribal, nomadic, and generally non-Western nations to earn Legacy through the lucrative trade of exotic goods—let’s now explore another way for these nations to compete in the race for Legacy… and perhaps even win it!
Indeed, non-Western nations, particularly those not organized as established kingdoms (such as most Indian nations and the Christian kingdoms of Ethiopia), often have access to War Campaigns.
This system allows you to designate specific regions (belonging to your future victims) as targets for your next military campaign—one that, let’s be honest, will often involve pillaging and devastation! This designation of objectives is independent of claim declarations, meaning the two can be combined, and you can select between 1 and 4 regions of your choice.
Once this is done, the campaign automatically begins, putting you at war with any nation whose territory includes your declared campaign objectives (while paying the usual Authority cost—there are no free passes here). Your goal is to seize these regions as quickly as possible, and in any case, before 16 turns—the maximum duration of a campaign. When a region is taken, it is considered secured in terms of the Legacy you will earn, but you are free to abandon it afterward; this system does not treat campaigns as permanent conquests.
As the famous saying goes, time is of the essence! Every 4 turns, any remaining unclaimed objectives lose 25% of their Legacy value, so you must realistically assess what you can achieve before launching your campaign. Choose too few objectives, and you waste your regional war goal declarations; choose too many, and you may accomplish very little. A careful balance of ambition and pragmatism is required. Keep in mind that the most rewarding regions in terms of Legacy are also the most developed and well-defended.
Once all your campaign objectives are secured, 16 turns have passed, or you choose to end the campaign at your discretion, you will gain Legacy points for the war objectives you have achieved. This can provide a significant boost, as each region grants between 15 and 100 Legacy depending on its level of development.
There are additional nuances to War Campaigns as well. A Major Campaign (with 3 or more declared war goals) will alarm the neighboring countries of your victims—unless they are allies. Expect a deterioration in diplomatic relations. Meanwhile, a campaign with 4 declared objectives, the most ambitious type, comes with high stakes: successfully securing all 4 will grant a major Authority boost due to the prestige of your campaign. However, complete failure will be seen as a disgrace, causing a significant loss of face.
And with that, we conclude this second diary! We hope it gives you a clearer understanding of how different these newly playable nations are in their approach. And we haven’t even discussed the new buildings available to them yet! See you soon for the next diary...
