Government Types and Client Rulers

I have a couple of questions about Government Types and Client Rulers. I can currently playing Macedon and I'm battling the Seleucids but I'm not sure which type of Government (Type 2, 3, or 4) is best in the Seleucid territories.


I know that I can build the four different types with Type 1 and Type 2 restricted to regions of the map depending on which faction you play.


I'm setting up a lot of Type 4 governments in those conquored territories in Asia Minor but I'm not sure that's the best strategy.

It is better to setup Type 2 governments where I can? Why would I want to setup Type 3 and 4?

Also, is it better to destroy the Type 3 and Type 4 governments in Macedons original territories(at the start of the game) and switch to a Type 2?

Finally, if you put a Type 4 government and want to switch to a Type 2 or 3 later one, what do you do with the client ruler? Does he cause unrest if you switch to Type 2 or 3? Do you have to kill him off?

Many thanks and sorry for all the noob questions.

Type 1 and 2 governments give you access to your faction's best unit types and structures, meaning that you can develop those settlements to a higher degree under those government types. That's why it's recommended that type 3 and 4 govs are used in settlements that are already quite developed, where you simply want to restore some peace and stability as quickly as possible.

I think generally speaking, it's a good strategy to employ the highest level of government a settlement will permit. In regards to type 1 or 2, you should consider how that settlement will be used and who among your FMs, if anyone, will govern it.

Type 4 govs are good for establishing law & order quickly in a conquered territory that already has a decent level of development. You can also usually recruit higher quality native forces under this gov with the proper MIC. I believe a type 3 would allow you to develop deeper into the building tree over a type 4 and give you a good balance between your faction's native recruits and the 'foreign' ones indigenous to that region.

Also, if I'm not mistaken, type 4 (and 3) govs have higher corruption rates as well (ie, sticky fingers with your money).

If you switch over from a type 4 to any other government type, remove your client ruler from the settlement that turn, otherwise they'll get the "imposter" trait and cause unrest. A Provisional Military Occupational gov is considered a faction-type gov, so your client ruler should be out of there before you end your turn when you begin the switch. You can use your client ruler in the field as a general if he's not a total waste of space and use him in your next conquered territory that you employ a type 4 gov in.

Ok. Many thanks for the info. However, don't I get a client ruler everytime I get a type 4 gov? I could just keep moving my client rulers around and use the front line client ruler as cav in the field, if need be.

Also, do you know where there is a list of the native forces that I can recruit in each region? For example, this may influence the type of government I want at the time.

Thanks again!

You don't get a free client ruler when you build the type 4 government, you have to recruit one. They cost around 5,000 minai. Once recruited you have two choices: Leave him in the city and end turn and he becomes a puppet king, remove him from the settlement once recruited and end turn and he becomes a general. Type 4 government is very useful I think. Once you recruit a puppet king he automatically gets high influence and very often has quite a lot of +1 law and -1 unrest traits, meaning your family member and army can move out in 2 turns' time and carry on campaigning.

Type 4 government is also good for role playing. As you may have noticed the AI in RTW is abysmal. Allies will pretty much always declare war on you and send endless stack after stack after stack of troops at your cities. The type 4 government can stand in as an ally where the AI/diplomacy fails. Obviously you own the city and the land, but you have installed a puppet king there, you do not garrison your armies there but let your puppet king recruit a general and soldiers to be directed by you. In times of war he can send his troops to you to bolster your army on campaign, and he may recruit and lead troops in the province to put down rebellions from pesky freedom fighters resentful of your dominance of their land!

This is also what type 3 government can be used as. If you play as the Seleukids or Ptolemies for example, type 3 government is "loosely controlled satrapy" or something to that effect. It's like making the land you just conquered an ally and letting them more or less govern themselves, only interfering in their business when you need to demand they send levies and cannon fodder for the armies you recruit from your homeland (type 1 and 2 government) cities.

As for troops, type 3 and 4 gov't give the best selection of "foreign" levies. In most of the eastern half of the map the levies you can recruit are things like Pantodapoi, Persian archer-spearmen, Parthian spearmen, Median cavalry, Eastern axemen (they're particularly good), generally lots of lightly armed infantry and decent medium cavalry. That kind of goes for everywhere really. You'll never be able to build an enemy factions' best troops even witht he highest level of foreign natives' barracks.

Ok. Thanks for the info. I think that everytime I've bought a Type IV gov't that I've gotten a client ruler at no cost. He shows up after I build the Type IV building for 300 mnai. I didn't have to goto the recruitment screen (like for phalanx, archers, diplomats, etc) to get one. Perhaps I'm not using the latest EB or because I'm playing on H/M versus VH/VH?

Sounds like you are playing on 1.1 . 1.1 had such a feature while in 1.2, you still have to recruit the client ruler.

Ok. Many thanks! 1.1 runs fine but do I install 1.2 into the same subfolder as 1.1 or into the RTW 'main' folder (ie not in the EB folder)? I did install 1.2 but maybe I put it into the wrong folder.

When it's installed correctly, EB will say 1.2 upon startup?

You install it to the same place as EB 1.1 I believe. You might want to install these https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showt...before-posting 3 fixes too, they fix minor bugs.

1.2 is more stable and much improved over 1.1.

Bear in mind that EB 1.1 saves are not compatible with EB 1.2.