Politics plays a vital part in the life of your nation. There are 8 different government technologies researchable from your National Assembly, namely:
Research[]
Politics[]
Suffrage
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"For my part I prefer fifty thousand rifles to five million votes." - Benito Mussolini
- Non-Library technologies 20% cheaper.
- Prevents Collectivisation from being researched.
- Grants access to Democrat patriot.
- Grants access to Eiffel Tower wonder with Radio Broadcast from Library.
| Cost | Requirements | Leads to |
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NB: Suffrage is blocked to the Soviet Union.
Hierarchy
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"A system is nothing more than the subordination of all aspects of the universe to any one such aspect." — Jorge Luis Borges
- Commerce Limit increased by 50%.
- Prevents Labour Movement from being researched.
Wonders[]
- Grants access to Cristo Redentor, with Cement Industry from Sawmill.
- Marble Arch - replaces the Porcelain Tower if tax and commerce researched
| Cost | Requirements | Leads to |
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Labour Movement[]
"Freedom is not a supplier who delivers goods to our door." — Karl Popper
- Military research, Barracks units 25% cheaper
- Prevents Hierarchy from being researched.
- Grants access to Sanmin Hall, with Patriotism from House of worship/Propaganda Centre.
| Cost | Requirements | Leads to |
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NB: Labour Movement is blocked to Italy.
Collectivisation[]
"Coldly it lies: 'I, the state, am the people.'" — Nietzsche
- Stable units 25% cheaper and faster to build.
- Grants access to the Strongman
- Prevents Suffrage from being researched.
Wonders:[]
- Palazzo EUR, with Strategic Reserves from Fort.
- Lubyanka Complex, with Radio Eavesdropping - Lubyanka has the same abilities as a Prison.
| Cost | Requirements | Leads to |
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NB: Collectivisation is blocked to the USA.
Capitalism[]
"Businesses owned by responsible and organised merchants shall eventually surpass those owned by wealthy rulers." — Ibn Khaldun
- Taxation rate at 300%.
- Increased collection rate of Merchants (and non-food fishery resources) to 300%.
- Grants access to the Magnate patriot.
- Sets your allegiance to Allies.
Wonders:[]
- Wall Street (Mechanisation + Public Debt) = Supercollider, with the ability to buy/sell resources and create merchants
- Pentagon (Electronics + Mass Communication) = Eiffel Tower?
| Cost | Requirements | Leads to |
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Liberalism[]
"Liberals need a crowd that would trust and follow them, yet fear the political independence of the same.” — Vladimir Lenin
- Scholars produces +25 knowledge each.
- Grants access to the Legislator patriot.
- Enemy spies won't create rioters whenever they infiltrate your detention centres.
Wonders:[]
- Crystal Palace (Mass Manufacturing + Stainless Steel) = Statue of Liberty
- Research Institute (Synthetics + Relativity) = Versailles
| Cost | Requirements | Leads to |
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Militarism[]
"Patriotism, duty, liberty, and the defense of freedom — that's all dung to a soldier." — David Gemmell
- Benefits your spies and generals.
- Grants access to Dictator patriot.
- Sets your allegiance to Fascist.
Wonders:[]
- Tannenberg Memorial (Mass Manufacturing, Nation in Arms) = Terracotta Army
- Super Fortress (Synthetics, Defence in Depth Doctrine) = Red Fort, very big wonder and hard to destroy! - hosts Kamikaze tactics (Capitalism) for Japan
- Welthauptstadt (Atomic Power, Superpower): replaces the pyramid.
| Cost | Requirements | Leads to |
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State Property[]
"The conduct of public affairs for private advantage." — Ambrose Bierce
- Airbase, Factory and Dock units 20% cheaper and faster to build.
- Grants access to Premier patriot - functions like the Comrade but can spawn Peasant Guerillas.
- Sets your allegiance to COMINTERN.
Wonders and Buildings:[]
- Steelworks - produces more metal, decreases cost of unit research.
- Pantheon of Soviets - replaces the Taj Mahal
- Propaganda Centre: Upgrade of House of worship. Is armed, doesn't go over to the enemy when the city falls and can also create some units for various factions.
| Cost | Requirements | Leads to |
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However,
- you may only have 3 upgrades researched per game.
- Italy, Russia and America begin with 1 tier researched, namely:
- Italy: Hierarchy
- America: Suffrage
- Russia: Collectivisation
You cannot engage in politics until you have accessed Mass Production. Although the first tier of political upgrades are free, the second have a slew of requirements which must be researched before you can access them.
Patriot abilities[]
- Legislator. Based off the President.
- Dictator. Based off the Monarch, but prevents rioters from spawning in any city he is garrisoned.
- Premier. Based off the Despot, but has triple craft,
- Magnate. Based off the Senator. Produces a slow trickle of oil as long as he is not garrisoned.
Allegiance[]
In Age of Darkness, allegiance refers to the ability to obtain foreign aid from one or more nations for your own use, so long as you have established a rapport with one of the three ruling blocs: the Allies (with Capitalism), the Axis (with Militarism), or the COMINTERN (with State Property). The quality of the aid varies between factions, and also lends a degree of flexibility to those nations capable of doing so
Generally,
- All mehanical units appear in the game one age later as opposed to the original producers (other than the Verdeja-class armoured vehicles available to a Fascist Spain).
- Setting your alleigance to the Allies allows you to import American and British weaponry, most notably British aircraft and the American M3 and M4
- Setting your allegiance to the Axis allows you to import German and Italian weaponry, such as the Panzer I or Panzer II and Italy's L3 tankette line.
- Setting your allegiance to COMINTERN allows you to import Soviet weaponry, which usually are mid-game Soviet weapons like the T-26 light tank.
Units unlocked[]
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| Naval |
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| Infantry |
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| Light aircraft |
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| Attack aircraft |
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| Fighter-bomber aircraft |
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| Bombers |
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| Armoured cars |
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| Artillery |
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| Light tank |
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| Medium tank |
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| Tankette |
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| Special |
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Some notes[]
- Some of these units are "national" units, these consist of:
- Sherman Firefly - Britain only
- Blackshirts, Battaglione "M" - Italy
- Verdeja-class AFVs - Spain
- Ram and Ram Badger - Netherlands
- For a few factions, they have access to multiple arsenals, making them "multiple-allegiance factions". These include:
- Spain
- China
- Iran
- France
- Finland
- "Single-allegiance factions" can obtain materiel only for one faction, and one faction alone. These are:
- Germany - Volkssturm, Volksgrenadiers and Krankens
- Italy - E-Boats to replace MAS, and Battaglione "M"
- British Commonwealth - Sherman Firefly
- Romania - Ditto
- Bulgaria -Ditto
- Hungary - Ditto
- Netherlands - Ram, Ram Badger, Shermans and Sherman Firefly
Dissent and revolutions[]
Once you have researched capitalism; militarism; and collectivisation, your Spies now have the ability to create your partisans in cities that they infiltrate, making them substantially more powerful.
- Liberalism: Partisans
- Militarism: Nationalist Thugs
- Collectivisation: Peasant Guerillas