From: wildstar@moeng2.minc.umd.edu (Derek Wildstar)
Newsgroups: rec.games.design
Subject: Re: Game balance (2)
Date: 21 Jul 92 17:14:18 GMT
Organization: Morgan State U. / Sch. of Engineering, Baltimore, MD

In article <1992Jul21.062408.10464@ee.eng.ohio-state.edu> rob@watney.eng.ohio-state.edu (Rob Carriere) writes:
>In article <1992Jul21.000621.6964@trl.oz.au> s.mathers@trl.oz.au writes:
>>From a military point of view, I guess that a larger empire has a much
>>bigger circumference to defend.  This makes it vunerable to attack from
>>more than one direction.  As long as there is only one problem to deal
>>with at a time, the empire can mobilize all of it's spare resources and
>>eradicate the problem.  But if attacked on several fronts (and the
>>larger you are, the more likely this will be) takes a lot more resources
>>in proportion than a small empire.
>
>That doesn't sound plausible.  The resources should be proportional to the
>area, the length of the border to sqrt(area).  Hence bigger is better from
>that point of view.
>
I'm afraid you are failing to take into account two things: natural
defences, and the nature of the growth of empires.

In the case of natural defences, the smaller empire may well be
protected on one or more sides by mountains, oceans, or deserts.  A
larger empire will have posessions overseas, or on the other side of the
mountain or desert.  In these cases, what was a natural defence becomes
a hinderance to the protection of outer provinces.  Technological
superiority, tectical superiority, or other factors will allow empires
to expand in spite of natural barriers.  However, a clever or powerful
enemy can make these work against an empire.

Empires also tend to grow by absorbing peoples and regions.  Not all of
these absorptions are willing and peacefull  Each hostile region
absorbed increases the length of the border (which will therefore
require more forces to defend) and creates a need for forces to be
committed to internal pacification.  Both without necessicarily
providing a proportional increase in the forces available for these
tasks.  Empires will expand until they have no more forces available for
further expansion; at this point, the empire exists in equilibrium.  An
external threat, or an internal uprising, will draw off forces needed
elsewhere, leaving the empire open to invasion or internal rebellion.

Smaller empires tend to be more homogenous, and are less vulnerable to
this threat.  Large empires that control their growth may be able to
ensure that they have sufficient reserve forces to deal with internal
and external threats.

Finally, larger empires are more likely to have hostile states on their
borders; as the length of theborder increases, so does the number of
states along this border.  And as the number of bordering states
increases, so does the probability that one or more of them will be
hostile.

For historical examples, read up on the history of Rome, and study the
British Empire up to the beginning of the first world war.
-- 

wildstar@moeng2.minc.umd.edu
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