How do you get anywhere in this game?

[human_male]

I seem to have turned a corner. My enemies have taken the pressure off and now I'm making money. The only problem is the plague. Not localised ones when you have a lot of squalor, but the big one that hits everything at once. It's making it really hard to keep my troop levels up. How long does it last? I got a message saying the worst was over, and it goes down to just one settlement, then the next turn it explodes again and it's everywhere. Is it like this for the rest of the game?

[dismal]

I seem to have turned a corner. My enemies have taken the pressure off and now I'm making money. The only problem is the plague. Not localised ones when you have a lot of squalor, but the big one that hits everything at once. It's making it really hard to keep my troop levels up. How long does it last? I got a message saying the worst was over, and it goes down to just one settlement, then the next turn it explodes again and it's everywhere. Is it like this for the rest of the game?

The great plague only lasts for a handful of turns. I think it's about 3 full turns per city, but some cities will get it after others so the whole thing may take 6 turns or so - assumning you don't spread it around.

I tend to see a huge increase in my economy after it passes. I don't know if this is a result of reduced upkeep or less squalor, but when all is said and done the plague doesn't affect strategy all that much.