Micromanaging peacetimes, or what to do when not fighting?

[Megas Methuselah]

I've found the FD minimod helps immensely in making/keeping peace. Get them to agree to be allies, trade, share map info, share military access, and giving them between 200-1000 per turn for a 1000 turns has so far worked wonders, even with notorious traitors like the Ptolemaics. A little peace and quiet between long grinding wars adds a lot of life to a campaign.

I could not agree more. Especially after a 50-year long war which was supposed to be a quick blitz but ended up in a massive empire-wide brawl. The precious years of peace is very easy on the mind and helps consolidate my newfound empire, along with managing my economy and scraping together a reliable income. It's interesting how battle-weary I can get from a long, costly war.