Population

Basics

Population also known as people, inhabitants.

Population lives in your country, produces geld and can be recruited to fill your army. Population grows by itself (Terra is a fertile world): population growth is based on current population, and its relative distance from max population. Your population cannot drop below zero.

• Minimum population growth is 50 pop/turn + Current pop*1.015 (i.e. 1.5% growth percentage)
• There are game effects that can alter the growth percentage (hidden upkeep).
• When population approaches max population (within 90-100%), the growth percentage decreases, and when max population is reached, it is zero.

Population is consumed to upkeep certain units, heroes and magic (most black, some red, some blue) and by recruiting. Some army-units occupy part of your population space (recruits and mercenaries).

• Population is housed in buildings and even wilderness can house a small population. Forts and Towns hold most people/acre. Farms are essential because they produce the food. You'll need both farms and towns to support population, in a balance of roughly 3:1 (see status report).
• Population is a pillageable resource.

Game features affecting Population

Items

• Wine of Three Whips (lesser item), increases current population by 10% of current population.
• Book of Prophecy (lesser item) draws population from an enemy to you.
• Official List of Demands (lesser item) can destroy population
• Rotten food (lesser item) can destroy population
• Pipes of Sewer (lesser item) can destroy population

• Some Uniques reduce your geld generation (e.g. hidden upkeep)

Enchantments

• Black Sabbath (black) - takes pop and increases m.p.
• Blood curse (?) - produces ghouls and takes pop.
• Meteor Storm (red) - kills population and army
• Death and Decay (black) - kills population and army and destroys land
• Summon Locust Swarm - kills population (decreases food production ?)
• (incomplete)

Spell

• Volcano Eruption - destroys population and army
• Black Death - kills population
• Laziness - decreased population growth (and food production ?)
• (incomplete)

Heroes

• (incomplete)

Gods (see also God Favour page)

• Satan god favour and most favour reduces army upkeep, including pop upkeep (by 10% resp. 20%)
• Satan god disfavour and hatred increases army upkeep, including pop upkeep (by 10% resp. 20%)

Pop Spiral

• A population spiral (pop spiral) is the situation that you have so many pop-eating units, that each turn you spend, you lose more pop, and you are in danger of hitting zero pop. You should get rid of part of the pop eating army (failed pillages, battles), and thereafter recover your population to a decent percentage of max population (90% of max).

Zero Pop

'Zero Pop' is the case when you have no population left.

In the case of fully depleting your population, complete stacks of population consuming units may disband themselves (in random order: you may be able to keep supporting some of your smaller stacks). Also as a cascading effect, your geld income will approach zero for quite some turns.

This is a severe crisis, because zero pop means zero geld income, means eating you savings... and at zero savings: you lose your buildings including forts and ultimately this is game over.

More?

Other pages on basic resources: turns, Mana or MP, geld, population