Attributes

[Derfasciti]

What exactly do the attributes like Influence, and dread affect? Does it actually do anything or are they just for "flavor"?

[Ludens]

What exactly do the attributes like Influence, and dread affect? Does it actually do anything or are they just for "flavor"?

Influence is very important as it improves the loyalty of your generals and provinces. High-influence kings also tend to get sons with better stats and have a higher chance of randomly gaining a +1/+2/+3 star general or admiral. High dread levels will make provinces more loyal (for governors, don't know if it works for kings), but has little effect otherwise.

[Dutch_guy]

High dread levels will make provinces more loyal (for governors, don't know if it works for kings), but has little effect otherwise.

I seem to remember High dread giving morale penalties to enemy soldiers. Although, to be fair, it has been a while...

[Derfasciti]

Does influence affect people keeping treaties that you've made?

What about acumen? Does that really do anything?

[Irinami]

Yes, Acumen is the most instantly effective attribute. Try this: Conquer a province whose title has a bonus to Acumen. View the province, take note of the income (post-siege, you won't get any income during a siege of course). Now drop the title onto a unit. Note his acumen goes up. Then check the province again--the income has increased!

I have so far held out for a general with 4 or greater in Acumen before giving a title. The income is phenomenal. Acumen = gold as governor.

[Deus ret.]

Does influence affect people keeping treaties that you've made?

No...as far as I know. I think it is supposed to, though, or at least to make the AI more cooperative for fear of a large and mighty empire. However the effect seems to be quite obverse in-game as the AI begins to gang up on you once your empire ahs reached a certain size.

What about acumen? Does that really do anything?

Absolutely! As Irinami said, it has an instant beneficial effect. Having a province governed by a governor with more than 0 acumen increases farming (!) income by 10% per acumen point IIRC. Thus you better pick governors carefully, and even more so for provinces like Flanders, the Big C or Egypt which have awesome farming income.

Dread and piety each have the effect of increasing loyalty in a province: If zeal is above 50%, then piety will be counted; if below 50%, dread becomes important. Thus if you play in Late you might get a problem with unruly provinces since all those high-level piety generals aren't of much use anymore after 1349 (when zeal rates drop after the plague) and dread is generally attributed more sparsely upon generals.

[Derfasciti]

Very interesting all. thanks for the insight. As for governors, do they just have to be present in their titled province or what? Inside the fort?

[Deus ret.]

No. Of course you can role-play and handle it like that but it's not required.

[Ludens]

I seem to remember High dread giving morale penalties to enemy soldiers. Although, to be fair, it has been a while...

It's a persistent myth, even though the CA programmers denied it a long time ago. The best way to gain dread is by executing enemy prisoners on the field of battle, which will give you vices that increase dread as well as decreasing the morale of your own soldiers. But dread has no effect on the enemy.

[Dutch_guy]

It's a persistent myth, even though the CA programmers denied it a long time ago. The best way to gain dread is by executing enemy prisoners on the field of battle, which will give you vices that increase dread as well as decreasing the morale of your own soldiers. But dread has no effect on the enemy.

Ah, interesting.

Thanks for that.

[Vladimir]

Ah, interesting.

Thanks for that.

Just wait for M2 .