Confirmed levers and outcomes
| Lever | Official framing | Possible social outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Comfort and prosperity | Benevolent material rule. | Gratitude, stability, and support. |
| Fear and punishment | Coercive control. | Compliance, fear, resentment, or revolt. |
| Propaganda and surveillance | State apparatus that shapes and monitors the population. | Loyalty or quiet rebellion depending on conditions. |
| Work assignment and living systems | Citizens mine, gather, haul, research, manufacture, eat, rest, age, form bonds, and can break down. | Productivity and social consequences. |
| Policies | A technology/research tree and governing layer; individual policy balance can change. | Material and behavioral effects. |
One named policy example
Official July notes mention 24h Paid Time Off: research no longer required special materials after a balance change. This proves the term and that policy costs change; it does not justify a complete ‘best laws’ tier list without current in-game testing.
Fabricated systems to ignore
- A senate, elections, cabinet ministries, or assassinating an Opposition faction.
- GDP, debt-to-GDP ratios, middle-class tax bands, foreign loans, or Roman denarii.
- Industrialist and Agrarian patron factions, province aqueducts, or bathhouses.
- Turn 20, turn 40, or turn 50 breakpoints. The game operates in real time.
Sources checked
Accessed August 13, 2026. External links open the original source.