Political capital & succession
Political capital is the currency of governance — it slowly refills and pays for every decree, transition and crisis choice — while succession determines who takes power when your leader dies, is voted out, or is overthrown.
How it works
Political capital (polCap) starts at 60 and regenerates a flat +0.12 per tick, capping at 100. Nothing else refills it faster, so it's a hard budget: an 8-decree spree or a single 55-cost regime transition can drain it, and crisis events routinely charge 12–30. When you're short, decrees simply can't fire and the AI won't attempt transitions below its own thresholds (it needs 20+ to consider a shift, and holds transitions if capital is under the cost).
Succession is set by your regime's 'succ' field: elective regimes (presidential, parliamentary, one-party, communist-collective) schedule a next election a fixed term ahead (3–5 years); monarchies pass power hereditarily by crowning an heir; juntas and personalist states use strongman handover; theocracies have their own path. Each mode surfaces its own event — securing an election, crowning a heir, installing a party successor — usually with a political-capital cost of 18–25 to do it cleanly.
When things go wrong, succession happens the hard way. A lost civil war or a maxed uprising installs a transitional or presidential regime; a successful coup drops in a junta and dissolves the cabinet; and if stability falls below 8, Gov.triggerExile() removes your leader entirely, seating the strongest faction as usurper. In exile your retained support scales with your former legitimacy, and restoration re-founds a presidential republic.
Formulas
polCap = clamp(polCap + 0.12, 0, 100)polCap = 60nextElection = tick + term×48 (term 3–5 yrs)support = clamp(38 + legitimacy×0.18, 12, 70)Key numbers
How to play
- ▸Political capital refills at only +0.12/tick, so treat it as a scarce reserve — don't empty it on decrees right before an election or transition you'll want to fund.
- ▸Know your succession mode: an elective regime gives you scheduled elections to prepare for, while a monarchy or junta hands power on death or coup with far less warning.
- ▸High legitimacy pays off even in defeat — it directly raises the support you keep in exile (up to 70), improving your odds of a comeback.
- ▸Keep a capital buffer for crisis events, which routinely demand 12–30 on the spot; running dry mid-crisis removes your best response options.