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Government buildings are different from core buildings. The core buildings do often represent the residence of the chief magistrate or king, and change as the city size increases (this is hardcoded), but core buildings will not be able to be constructed unless a government type is chosen for each new province you conquer. The types of governments available to you will vary depending upon the faction you will control. There are generally four types: a “homeland” type, a “colonizing” type, a “subject state” type, and an “allied state” type. Again, they vary greatly depending upon the factions, and there are some exceptions to this general pattern, but these are rough guidelines to help you understand the system.
Let’s take the Makedonian government types as an example for which we can provide more details: when you begin the game, the provinces Makedonia controls will already have governments put into place for you. These types of governments are based upon the types found there in 272 B.C. Makedonia itself would have a “homeland” type (called a Patris Makedonike or “Makedonian Homeland”). Thessalia would have a “colonizing” type (called a Satrapeia Makedonike or “Makedonian Satrapy”). The Peleponnesos would have a “subject state” type (called a Nomos Symmachos Emphrouros or “Garrisoned Allied State”), as would Euboia. And finally the island of Lesbos would have an “allied state” type (called a Nomos Symmachos Autonomos or “Allied Autonomous Territory”).
These different government types give different bonuses and allow for the recruitment of different types of troops. They also allow or restrict different types of buildings for the province, but remember that they are necessary to recruit soldiers and advance city levels, so you cannot get along in the game without them. Back to our Makedonian example though... In a province with a Makedonian Homeland government, you can recruit the absolute best troops the Makedones can field. You can also construct the highest levels of buildings that exist in the Makedonian construction tree. You will probably have slower growth and maybe some trade penalties (laissez faire economics this is not), but the province would be more loyal and lawful and with your best troops trained there you would benefit greatly. These homeland governments can only be constructed in places where their actual homelands were, so you could not build one in Egypt, for example, for the Makedones. The drawback is that they are very expensive to build, and take a long time to construct, since the most loyal and most thorough expansion of your faction into a new province will take the most effort and time to ensure it succeeds. With this type of expansion, it is also logical that very few units made up mostly of “foreigners” would be available for you to recruit in these areas, but it is possible that a few very simple troop types could be gathered together from the small numbers of natives you have allowed to remain in the province.
If you have conquered a more distant province, you could create the “second best” type, your “colonizing” type government. This is very much like the homeland type, but some of the absolute highest level buildings and troops cannot be built here. It takes a while to build and is still expensive, but it is not so much or so slow to construct as the homeland type. It is still your best choice once you move beyond your homelands, or even in some of your homeland areas if you have plenty of homeland types already. You will find a few local units (not normally of your faction’s style) available to you in these provinces, especially in the lower levels of the MIC’s.
The “subject state” type will still allow you to create some of your good faction troops but you are allowing many of the natives of the province to continue their way of life alongside the new inhabitants of your faction. Your highest level troops are not able to be trained here, and your best faction buildings are not able to be constructed here, but there are plenty of other benefits to be gained. This type of government is moderately cheap and fast to create. Whether you are installing a “puppet” tyrant to govern locally for you or whether you are allowing a local tribe to govern alongside some of your strongmen, the locals are able to create some moderately good military units themselves in these places (provided that such units can be created here by the locals). Trade is not so much interrupted by the uprooting of massive numbers of inhabitants, and you might find some other bonuses such as an increase in the happiness of the local inhabitants. But it all depends upon the faction’s particulars (as the Makedonians have a stronger garrison in this type, they have better law bonuses, but worse happiness penalties). Since your highest level structures are not able to be built here, it is advisable that before you place this type of government you note whether or not this is an already advanced province. If it is a very simple one, you might not be able to gain quite as much in the end as you would like.
The “allied state” type is not recommended for smaller provinces for the same reasons. This is an ideal type to institute when you have conquered a large city with numerous good structures and a large population. You can still build many structures, but your best “cultural exports” are not available. This province is now under your control, but there is minimal change instituted immediately. Trade continues unabated (and trade bonuses are granted), there is no large transfer of population (and bonuses to population growth are possible), and the people are happy (even if they are not as lawful or loyal to you). The government needs little money and can quickly be put into place in this type also. Only your simplest troops can be trained here, but if the region has any good or elite troops that your faction could recruit, they would definitely be available in this type of province (they would not be available in this province if you had instituted a “homeland” or “colonizing” type). The local troops trained here might also gain experience bonuses as you are not disbanding their familiar training centers and techniques.
An allied or subject state type government may be destroyed and a colonizing type instituted at a later date if you wish, but the same expenses (in constructing buildings more suitable to your faction’s peoples) and delays (in introducing colonists and changes in laws and such) you would have incurred earlier would still be expected if you initiated the changes later.
For much more information, read the descriptions of the possible government types for your faction. Be aware that the AI is not restricted by time or expenses in building their government structures. The best type available for each faction in each province will be automatically placed for the AI factions upon conquering the province. When you conquer a province, you may destroy the old AI factions’ government structures, and when you look at the types of governments available to you in that province you will see if all types are available or if that region is one where certain types are not possible.
