Hi,

I don't reccommend this, but this is what happened to me in a my prolonged Prologue game.

I had a nice little empire going with about 4 provinces, and an uncertain financial circumstance. My oldest, northernmost and original City was a problem, as it was filled to the brim with people and the consequent related issues. It had negative financial returns, and I had just enough troops to keep things under control and to fend off any attack.

The Sentate in its infinite wisdom requested that I proceed North and Take a Barbarian city, as if I didn't have anything better to do! I didn't have enough troops to leave as a Guard, and to take the Barbarian city. In the past, the Senate armies had saved my bacon and protected this city. So, I decided to leave the city unguarded and proceed North. To my surprise (I had no Spies), almost as soon as I had made my move north, two Barbian arimies appeared out of nowhere and surrounded the city. Of course, I turned my troops around and headed back to defend the city, but I was too late, and the city was taken by the Barbarians.

I easily retook the city. The thing is though, the game treated the re-taking of the City as if it weren't *my* city to begin with, and presented me with the same options as if it were a *newly* conquered Barbarian/Opposing Faction's city. Giving me the same options to, Occupy, Enslave, or Exterminate, along with the commensurate monetary benefits for each. Being short on money, I said screw it, took the money and Exterminated them all.

This whole senario turned out to be just what the doctored ordered (american euphemisim), as not only did coup the windfall from the Extermination, BUT, with a smaller population the City was no longer suffering from the ills of over-population, and was now producing a SIGNIFICANT profit, where it had been a money loser.

The cost of all this? Well, the Senate might have been a little miffed, but screw them! The only other negative was a bit of damage to a couple of buildings, which was easily and quickly repaired. The city now produces a huge profit, has a *relatively* small population, and has all its advanced buildings to boot!!

I believe this may be one of the *unforeseen* quirky exploitations, that eventually will come to be disdained by serious players, but in the meantime....