This question of using the religion in EB 2 has come up before.

I had a response in the "7 cultures" thread last year.

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showt...44#post1769944

I would refine that a bit further.

Nomad (Early nomad factions, any province with nomad resource)

Tribal (many "barbarian" settlements and factions, perhaps later Saka and Sauromatae)

Eastern/divine Monarchy (Diadochi, perhaps Averni)

Popular Monarchy/Tyranny (late Rome)

Democracy/Republic (Republican Rome, Certain Greek States)

Commercial Oligarchy (Carthage, maybe settlements like Rhodes)

Theocratic (no actual factions, but present as local culture in Egypt and maybe India)

I like the idea of players having a basic political orientation (eg Monarchic) and then a set of building options that mesh or clash with that orientation.

Can a faction change culture during the game? If so Rome moving from Republican to Monarchic would bring about your civil wars with settlements revolting away from the new monarchic govt because tyhey were still Republican, until heavily garrisoned/rebuilt.

I'd also argue that all the nomad factions were monarchys waiting to happen, and although their starting settlements should have nomad political culture the faction culture should be Eastern Monarchy or tribal (or if possible transform to that as part of their urbanisation reforms).

May I speculate on a system? Each faction can build 2 or 3 tiers of MIC in each of the 7 culture types (except theocratic which gives big haoppiness bonuses but no troops).

Each gives an ascending conversion bonus to that culture type, and makes available troops associated with that political culture. Nomad gives HA's, Monarchies give elite horse or bodyguard units, democracy gives pike/hoplite, tribal gets your fierce warrior types. If a Roman wants hoplites he has to let democracy flourish, which is OK for the republic but not so good in the Principate.

If you want decent troops from a competing politcal system you'd better balance them with other buildings giving your political type a boost: you could have a three step political control tree for your faction's politcal culture giving an ascending conversion bonus.

This would be like the current faction/local MIC system, just with a little more resolution. To get greek and skythian units in the Crimea you'd need to build 2 MIC streams rather than one.

I wonder this meshes with the type I-IV system? Maybe the level of govt could limit the level of you political control tree (so its harder to pacify "non core" areas without garrisons)? I'd argue that type IV's should only allow building monarchic MIC's past level 1: they are essentially local strongmen loyal to a foreign master, is that fair?

Anyway I'm just speculating on matters I don't have the skills to mod.