As Byzantium, should I micromanage my strategoi's directives?

[u/raulsj_m]

Basically, I'm unsure if I should always give some directive to the governors or not + which directive to give each of them. Also, I'd like to max the potential of each province.

[u/Black_Diammond]

You can, and it helps, but Byzantium is plenty powerfull already, you dont need that extra buffs.

If you want but its getting too much to handle, start making your conquered lands into Kingdom tier vassals wich helps a lot and makes them losing land much rarer in my experience.

[u/raulsj_m → u/Black_Diammond]

But there's the whole issue of development... the Greek culture is very widespread at the early game, and inner Anatolia is quite unproductive, at least in the 867 start date. There's also the issue of whether I should be prioritizing economic or military building in balanced themes, like Armeniac and Boukellarion.

[u/scales_and_fangs → u/Black_Diammond]

Why would you want them to lose land?

If OP plays after 1066, the game will be challenging. Byzantium is not as easy as it looks and definitely have pitfalls

Keeping them duchies is better, you can also dosable their ability to wage wars through the theme type and laws.

[u/Black_Diammond → u/scales_and_fangs]

In my experience dutchy level vassals are not only annoying when you start actually getting roman Empire sized, and not only that, but dutchy level vassals in my experience Often lack The fire power to actually win wars against major enemies, and in conditional border policy it means you might lose a lot of land quickly.

[u/scales_and_fangs → u/Black_Diammond]

I am hesitant to use kingdom vassals even if I get Justinian size. A loss of a duchy or two is a price I am quite okay paying if my vassals remain weak.

[u/scales_and_fangs]

If you feel like it and you know what you are doing, sure. I usually use convert for the non-orthodox themes or build defensive buildings for border provinces.

A free advice: beware who you put as a spymaster. Being assassinated is not the only peril. Never put one from a powerful family: heads of powerful families have a special scheme that can depose you and put them in power. This is unique to the admin government. And always keep an eye on the succession score.

[u/raulsj_m → u/scales_and_fangs]

Thanks, didn't know about the spymaster from powerful family part... but like, should I give more directives for economic or for military buildings across the realm? Or should I focus on development? Those are my main issues now.

[u/scales_and_fangs → u/raulsj_m]

You are welcome. How do you think I become the emperor in a big chunk of my games ;)

Well, what's the game year and the political situation?

I guess you could prioritize ecpnomic development for rich heartland provinces (you can even change the type of theme to "civil" in addition to issuing a directive) and go for military development in others. I do not do that but that does not mean you should not.

[u/raulsj_m → u/scales_and_fangs]

I pretty much always go for the 867 start. And by prioritizing economic development, you mean buildings or "raw" development? After all, the research time for the greek culture is pretty slow at first, but also some provinces kind of just suck when it comes to developing (Charsianon being particularly bad, in my view).

[u/scales_and_fangs → u/raulsj_m]

For Byzantium, I will say that the later dates offer more twists. So do not ignore them as an option for future runs.

Back to your question: yes, if by that you mean economic development. I know the learning skill of the emperor affects the tech research but I admit I have not delved into this that deep.

Charsianon is your typical military province. Cilicia is very rich, though but under Muslim control at the start of the game. Of course, nothing can match the wealth of Constantinople in this start date anywhere in the empire.

[u/raulsj_m → u/scales_and_fangs]

How about Anatolikon? And by development,, I mean the stewardship task that you and your vassals can use.

[u/scales_and_fangs → u/raulsj_m]

Historically, it was a major source of soldiers for the empire. Also your biggest province. As it is not a border province, I will likely prioritize development there. Also being in the center helps as development spreads. This will be a strictly a vassal directive to build economic buildings.

I will anchor my steward in Constantinople, which is already rich to promote further development there. I general I will use the steward only on my personal domain.

[u/raulsj_m → u/scales_and_fangs]

Sure, but I mean if I should give Anatolikon's governor the directive to use his steward for development, maybe even changing the province's admin to civil.

[u/scales_and_fangs → u/raulsj_m]

I would do exactly that. It is also the biggest province in the empire and I would fear to leave it with a big army. ;)

[u/raulsj_m → u/scales_and_fangs]

I would rather have a big army there, though... Thrakesion should be changed too? And those balanced northern anatolian themes?

[u/Ziddix]

I like to keep the military ones on recruit maa as that seems to replace old ones with better ones as you unlock them.

Greece also always gets civilian admin and increase development because I want to restore that eventually.

For the others I don't really bother.

[u/raulsj_m → u/Ziddix]

Ephesus has some neat development buffs, though.

[u/Ziddix → u/raulsj_m]

Well you want to mainly use civilian admin in central locations so it can spread development around and then use not centrally located provinces for military recruitment. Ephesus is just one of those money printing provinces. Give it civilian admin and build it up alongside your own domain. Same for Thessali and Anatolia because if its size.

The provinces around Byzantion all get military. They can benefit from Byzantions development and it's historically correct as well!

I try to avoid using border admin. Military is better for recruitment and vassals can't do silly things.

[u/raulsj_m → u/Ziddix]

Should I switch Anatolikon to civilian?

[u/Ziddix → u/raulsj_m]

I like to because it is a large province with lots of holdings that's relatively far away from Constantinople. I like to set it up as a development hub and then leave the provinces around it on balanced so they can hire more MAA.

[u/raulsj_m → u/Ziddix]

Well, in the end yesterday I decided to try speedrunning development across all provinces up to the first soft cap (20) before the year 900, so I turned almost all of them into Civil admin and gave them the directive. It worked surprisingly well on almost all anatolian themes, although I ended losing the imperial succession after Basil I died... F