What is a protectorate?

[Mr Durian]

What is a protectorate and how do I increase the chance of another faction becoming my protectorate?

[Braden]

Protectorates are covered in the Beginners Guide and I can't add any more than that already has information wise on them.

...you have read the Beginners Guide on these forums, haven't you

[Dutch_guy]

This is what the Froggy's guide has to say on Protectorates...

Protectorates.
Having a faction as your protectorate gives you all the advantages of an alliance and military access, and some security; protectorates don’t seem to rebel. Regions owned by a protectorate count towards your controlled region count, getting you closer to victory without needing to conquer and manage the settlements yourself. You get tribute too, which can be very considerable if the protectorate is a rich faction.

A protectorate is basically taking a faction under your wing, that faction loses her independence to you. It gives tribute and can't attack you, or break the alliance - it is basically yours. Certain loopholes in the RTW diplomacy do allow a protectorate to break it's alliance though, if a faction allied to your protectorate decides to attack you, the Protectorate may decide to leave your side.

That's a bug, said faction should have no choice in the matter.

[professorspatula]

Or then again, it sees a chance to escape control of it's master, even though it's probably sucide, which is never anything the AI is really bothered about.

Also as I discovered whilst playing a campaign yesterday, if your own faction becomes a protectorate of another faction, you don't need to pay tribute to them until your treasury hits a certain level. I'm not sure if it depends on the number of regions you have under your control etc, but for me the limit was around 15,000. After that, I'd end up having to give a massive chunk of my income to my protector, so much so I'd be losing money. Reducing my income lessened the amount I had to pay back, but it was still crippling. However, as long as you keep your treasury low in the first place, there's no tribute to pay. I assume something similar happens to AI protectorates, although I seem to remember in the balance sheet, the part for received tributes seemed to keep accumulating everytime you gained a protectorate, and didn't necessarily reflect the amount you were really receiving. I'm not sure if that was fixed.

To force someone to become a protectorate, you generally need to be considerably more powerful than they are, and willing to part with large amounts of denarii. I don't think since v1.3/1.6 I've successfully negotiated a protectorate more than once so it can be tricky. Usually, however, by the time you can beat a faction down into becoming your protectorate, they can just be easily beaten and finished off anyway.

[TheViking]

A protectorate is basically taking a faction under your wing, that faction loses her independence to you. It gives tribute and can't attack you, or break the alliance - it is basically yours.

Egyptians have demanded me several times to become their protactorate. Ive both attacked them and been attacked by them the next round. so the alliance can be broken as easy as if it was a normal alliance.

[Dutch_guy]

Egyptians have demanded me several times to become their protactorate. Ive both attacked them and been attacked by them the next round. so the alliance can be broken as easy as if it was a normal alliance.

Well I have never seen an AI protectorate take matters in it's own hands against its owners, I as a human however have. But then again, I'm not hardcoded.

[professorspatula]

AI protectorates are passive, but AI protectors are backstabbing cretins. The only reason to agree to become a protectorate of the AI is to get as much money as you can from them in the agreement. Often the AI will attack you the same turn immediately thus ending the alliance, and wasting all their money. Which is fair enough - if they're going to be idiots, punish them.

I really hope this feature is improved in M2TW. it's a great idea, but handled laughably in RTW.

[Rex_Pelasgorum]

Egyptians have demanded me several times to become their protactorate. Ive both attacked them and been attacked by them the next round. so the alliance can be broken as easy as if it was a normal alliance.

It depends. I think some factions are more likely to break alliances then others. Egypt is the greatest backstabber anyway, then the Roman Factions, then Macedon. Armenia, for example never , but never ever betrayed me.