In the intricate dance of global politics that defines Civilization VI, the Grievance system stands as a core pillar of diplomacy. It’s a mechanic designed to quantify international disapproval, a numerical representation of the world’s judgment upon a leader’s transgressions. But analysis on forums and among player communities often circles back to a central question: what if this system of punishment could be flipped on its head? What if, instead of simply fading into historical footnotes, grievances could be redeemed, slowly transforming from a mark of shame into a source of diplomatic strength? This guide explores the strategic and gameplay implications of a hypothetical yet fascinating change: a world where all grievances generated decay into Diplomatic Favor over time.
The Current Paradigm: Grievances as a Penalty
Before delving into this transformative scenario, it’s crucial to understand the system as it currently exists. In the Gathering Storm expansion, grievances replaced the more binary “warmonger” score. When a civilization commits an aggressive act—declaring a surprise war, capturing a city, converting a holy city—other leaders generate grievances against them. These points of contention have a clear and punitive effect:
- Diplomatic Ostracism: The more grievances a civilization accrues, the more other leaders, particularly those with strong moral or diplomatic leanings, will dislike them. This can lead to denunciations, strained relationships, and a greater likelihood of being targeted in the World Congress.
- Reduced Diplomatic Favor: High grievance levels directly penalize a player’s Diplomatic Favor income. For every 50 grievances over 250, a civilization loses one point of Diplomatic Favor per turn, up to a maximum penalty of -10. This makes it significantly harder to win the Diplomatic Victory or even participate effectively in the World Congress.
- Justification for War: Grievances act as a casus belli. If another civilization has grievances against you, they can take retaliatory action, such as capturing one of your cities, with reduced diplomatic penalties from the rest of the world.
Grievances do decay over time, but this decay is simply a gradual forgetting of past wrongs. The slate is wiped clean, but no lesson is learned, and no diplomatic capital is gained. The system is purely punitive, a leash to keep aggressive players in check.
The Hypothetical Shift: Grievances as a Long-Term Investment
Now, let’s consider the game-altering change: what if, as grievances decay, they convert into Diplomatic Favor? The rate of decay could remain the same, but each point of grievance that disappears would add a corresponding point of Diplomatic Favor to the offending civilization’s treasury. This seemingly small tweak would have profound and far-reaching consequences, fundamentally reshaping the strategic landscape.
A New Era for Warmongers: From Pariah to Powerbroker
The most immediate and obvious impact of this change would be on aggressive, expansionist playstyles. Under the current system, a successful warmonger often finds themselves a global pariah, rich in land and resources but diplomatically bankrupt. The proposed change would turn this dynamic on its head.
- The “Redemption Arc” Strategy: A player could intentionally embark on a period of early-game aggression, capturing key cities and expanding their empire, knowing that the grievances they accumulate are not a permanent stain but a future source of income. The initial diplomatic cost would be high, but as the game progresses and those grievances begin to decay, the warmonger would see a steady influx of Diplomatic Favor. This would allow them to transition from a military-focused strategy to a diplomatic one in the mid to late game.
- Calculated Aggression: The decision to go to war would become a more complex cost-benefit analysis. A player might calculate that the grievances generated by capturing a particular city, while damaging in the short term, would yield a significant return in Diplomatic Favor later on. This would encourage more strategic and targeted warfare, rather than indiscriminate conquest.
- The “Forgiven Aggressor” in the World Congress: A civilization that was once a global menace could, in the later stages of the game, become a dominant force in the World Congress. Their coffers overflowing with converted grievances, they could push through favorable resolutions, win diplomatic victories, and shape the world to their liking. This would create a fascinating narrative arc, where the villain of one era becomes the hero of the next.
The Diplomat’s Dilemma: A Devalued Currency?
For players who favor a peaceful, diplomatic approach, this change would present a new set of challenges. The value of their hard-won Diplomatic Favor, earned through alliances, suzerainty, and peaceful competition, would be diluted by the influx of “redeemed” favor from aggressive players.
- The Erosion of “Goodwill” Favor: A popular strategy among diplomatic players is to cultivate strong relationships with other civilizations, building alliances and becoming the suzerain of multiple city-states. This generates a steady and reliable stream of Diplomatic Favor. However, in a world where grievances convert to favor, this “goodwill” favor would be competing with the “blood money” of former warmongers.
- A Shift in World Congress Dynamics: The World Congress would become a far more volatile and unpredictable arena. Resolutions that were once easily passed by a coalition of peaceful nations could be overturned by a single, wealthy warmonger who has cashed in on their past transgressions. This would force diplomatic players to be more cunning and strategic in their use of favor, and to forge alliances not just based on shared values, but on the cold, hard calculus of who has the most votes.
- The Rise of the “Anti-War” Resolution: Diplomatic players might find themselves constantly proposing and voting for resolutions that punish warmongering, not just to maintain global peace, but to cut off their rivals’ future source of income. This would create a new layer of strategic depth to the World Congress, as players would be voting not just on the immediate effects of a resolution, but on its long-term impact on the flow of Diplomatic Favor.
The Impact on Other Victory Conditions
The ripple effects of this change would be felt across all victory conditions, forcing players to adapt their strategies and consider the new diplomatic landscape.
- Cultural Victory: A culture-focused player might find it harder to win over the hearts and minds of the world if their rivals are constantly flush with Diplomatic Favor. The ability to pass favorable resolutions in the World Congress, such as those that boost tourism or grant extra wildcard policy slots, could be a powerful tool for a culture player. However, if they are constantly outvoted by wealthy warmongers, they may need to find new ways to generate culture and influence.
- Scientific Victory: A science player, often focused on internal development and technological advancement, might see this change as a mixed blessing. On the one hand, the increased volatility of the World Congress could be a distraction. On the other hand, a savvy science player could use their technological advantage to generate grievances through espionage or by winning military emergencies, then convert that into Diplomatic Favor to protect their interests in the late game.
- Religious Victory: A religious player might find that the new system makes it easier to spread their faith. A “crusade” to convert a rival’s holy city, while generating grievances, would also generate a future stream of Diplomatic Favor. This could be used to pass resolutions that favor their religion, or to defend against the religious pressure of their rivals.
New Strategic Considerations and Gameplay Loops
This hypothetical change would introduce a host of new strategic considerations and gameplay loops, adding layers of depth and complexity to the game.
- The “Grievance Farm”: Players might intentionally “farm” grievances from other civilizations by making promises they have no intention of keeping, or by engaging in minor, but irritating, acts of aggression. This would be a risky strategy, as it could easily backfire and lead to a full-blown war, but the potential payoff in late-game Diplomatic Favor could be immense.
- The “Forgiveness Market”: The World Congress could see the emergence of a “forgiveness market,” where players trade Diplomatic Favor for the removal of grievances. A player who is being crippled by high grievances could offer a large sum of favor to their rivals in exchange for a clean slate. This would create a new and fascinating diplomatic metagame, where players would have to weigh the value of their grievances against the immediate benefit of a cash injection of favor.
- The “Redemption Victory”: A new, unofficial victory type could emerge: the “Redemption Victory.” This would involve a player starting as a highly aggressive warmonger, accumulating a massive number of grievances, and then, in the late game, using their converted Diplomatic Favor to win a Diplomatic Victory. This would be a challenging but incredibly rewarding playstyle, requiring a masterful understanding of both military and diplomatic strategy.
A More Dynamic and Narrative-Driven World
The introduction of a system where grievances decay into Diplomatic Favor would be a radical but fascinating change to the core gameplay of Civilization VI. It would transform the Grievance system from a simple punitive measure into a complex and strategic resource, creating a more dynamic and narrative-driven world. Warmongers would have a path to redemption, diplomats would face new challenges, and all players would have to adapt to a new and unpredictable diplomatic landscape. While this is purely a hypothetical scenario, it serves as a powerful thought experiment, highlighting the intricate and often counter-intuitive nature of power, politics, and forgiveness in the grand tapestry of human history. Analysis on forums shows that such a change would be controversial, but it would undoubtedly make for a more engaging and memorable gameplay experience.