Characters & Activists¶
Characters are individuals in the game who represent your party, hold cabinet positions, and influence public opinion. This guide explains how to recruit and manage your party's roster.
Types of Characters¶
Activists¶
Activists are party-affiliated characters who:
- Represent your party publicly
- Can hold cabinet positions
- Propose legislation on behalf of the party
- Build influence through followers and authority
- Have unique traits affecting their effectiveness
Your Party Team
Activists are essentially your party's public faces - the politicians, organizers, and leaders who carry your message.
Journalists¶
Journalists are independent characters who:
- Post political commentary
- Are not affiliated with any party
- Cannot hold cabinet positions
- Influence public discourse
- Can't be recruited by parties
NPCs Only
Journalists are controlled by the game, not by players. They provide flavor and commentary on the political landscape.
Recruiting Activists¶
The Recruitment Process¶
To recruit an activist:
- Ensure you have 10 Political Power
- Navigate to character recruitment
- Browse available candidates
- Select a character to recruit
- They join your party immediately
Candidate Pool¶
The game generates activist candidates with:
- Randomized names
- Age (typically 25-65 years)
- Gender
- Unique backstory
- Traits (see below)
- Starting follower count
- Base authority score
When to Recruit¶
Strategic timing for recruitment:
✓ After winning elections - Build your government team ✓ Before cabinet formation - Need qualified candidates for positions ✓ Building party profile - Add charismatic activists ✓ Long-term investment - Grow activists over time ✗ When low on PP - Save for proposals or polls ✗ Without clear need - Don't recruit just because you can
Character Attributes¶
Basic Information¶
Each character has:
- Full name - First and last name
- Age - Current age in years
- Gender - Male, female, or non-binary
- Backstory - Brief biography
- Party affiliation - Which party they belong to
- Join date - When they joined the party
Influence Metrics¶
Followers¶
Social media followers represent public influence:
- Starts at base level (varies by character)
- Grows over time with activity
- Increases faster for:
- Characters in cabinet positions
- Characters proposing successful legislation
- Characters with positive traits
Higher followers = greater public influence
Authority¶
Authority score represents credibility and experience:
- Starts at base level
- Increases with:
- Time in government
- Successful proposals
- High follower growth
- Decreases with:
- Failed proposals
- Public scandals (future feature)
Higher authority = more persuasive proposals
Persuasion Score¶
Persuasion affects proposal success:
- Calculated from traits
- High persuasion = better at convincing other parties
- Matters when proposing legislation
- Can range from poor to exceptional
Formula considers:
- Charisma traits
- Speaking ability traits
- Media savvy
- Experience (authority)
Profile Growth¶
Profile measures how fast a character gains followers:
- Calculated from traits
- High profile = faster follower growth
- Useful for party visibility
- Helps with electoral appeal
Character Traits¶
Characters can have traits that affect their abilities:
Positive Traits¶
| Trait | Effect |
|---|---|
| Charismatic | +Persuasion, +Profile - Natural charm and likability |
| Fantastic Speaker | +Persuasion - Exceptional public speaking ability |
| Media Savvy | +Profile - Skilled at managing public image |
| Experienced Negotiator | +Persuasion - Effective at deal-making |
| Grassroots Organizer | +Profile - Strong community connections |
| Policy Expert | +Persuasion - Deep knowledge of legislation |
| Rising Star | +Profile - Quick to build public recognition |
Trait Combinations¶
Characters can have multiple traits:
- 1 trait - Common
- 2 traits - Uncommon
- 3+ traits - Rare
Trait Synergy
Characters with both persuasion and profile traits are ideal for leadership roles. They can propose effective legislation AND build public support.
Trait Strategy¶
When recruiting:
Prioritize Persuasion Traits
- Charismatic
- Fantastic Speaker
- Experienced Negotiator
- Policy Expert
These characters make more compelling proposals.
Prioritize Profile Traits
- Media Savvy
- Rising Star
- Grassroots Organizer
These characters build party visibility in government.
Multiple Traits
- Characters with 2-3 traits
- Balanced persuasion + profile
- Rare but powerful
Using Activists¶
Proposing Legislation¶
When proposing laws, select an activist to author it:
- Activist's persuasion affects perception
- High-persuasion activists make stronger proposals
- Choose your best persuader for important proposals
- All activists can propose regardless of traits
Proposal Authorship
You want to propose a controversial environmental law. You have two activists:
- Sarah Chen - Charismatic, Fantastic Speaker (high persuasion)
- John Smith - No traits (average persuasion)
Choose Sarah to author the proposal for better chances of success!
Appointing to Cabinet¶
Activists can be appointed to cabinet positions:
- Prime Minister
- Finance Minister
- Foreign Minister
- And others (varies by country)
Cabinet appointments give:
- Prestige to your party
- Authority boost to the character
- Faster follower growth
- Symbolic power
See: Government & Cabinet
Building Character Profiles¶
Activists grow over time:
- Gain followers through activity and positions
- Build authority through successful proposals
- Increase persuasion with experience
- Become party leaders over multiple election cycles
Long-Term Investment
The best activists are those you've developed over years. Early recruitment pays off in the long run!
Managing Your Roster¶
Party Activists List¶
View all your party's activists:
- Current cabinet positions
- Follower counts
- Authority scores
- Traits
- Join dates
Expelling Activists¶
You can expel activists from your party:
- Cost: 25 Political Power
- Effect: Character leaves your party immediately
- Consequence: Lose any cabinet positions they held
- Warning: Can't rejoin your party
Expensive and Permanent
Expelling activists is costly and irreversible. Only do this if absolutely necessary (e.g., need to make room for better candidates or after scandal).
Roster Size¶
There's typically no hard limit on activist count, but:
- Each recruitment costs 10 PP
- More activists = harder to manage
- Quality > Quantity
- Most successful parties have 3-7 core activists
Character Strategy¶
Specialist Approach¶
Build a specialized roster:
- 1-2 persuasive speakers for proposing laws
- 1-2 media-savvy faces for cabinet positions
- 1-2 all-rounders for flexibility
Star System¶
Focus on building star politicians:
- Recruit high-trait activists early
- Give them cabinet positions when possible
- Use them to author important proposals
- Build their follower counts over time
- Create recognizable party leaders
Depth vs. Stars¶
Two approaches:
Few high-profile activists
✓ Clear party leadership ✓ Recognizable faces ✓ Efficient PP use ✗ Less flexibility ✗ Vulnerable if star leaves
Many activists
✓ Flexibility in appointments ✓ Multiple cabinet members ✓ Resilient to losses ✗ Expensive (10 PP each) ✗ Harder to build individual profiles
Character Development¶
Growth Mechanics¶
Activists improve through:
- Time in party - Experience matters
- Cabinet positions - Government service boosts profile
- Successful proposals - Authoring passed laws builds authority
- Public activity - Social media engagement grows followers
- Electoral success - Winning elections helps everyone
Career Progression¶
Typical activist career:
- Recruit (Day 1) - Join party with base stats
- Backbencher (Years 1-2) - Build experience
- Rising Star (Years 2-4) - Increase authority and followers
- Cabinet Member (Years 3-6) - Hold government positions
- Party Leader (Years 5+) - Top persuasion and profile
Patience Pays Off
Don't expect new recruits to be superstars immediately. The most valuable activists are those who've been with your party for years.
Social Media Posts¶
Character Activity¶
Activists post social media content:
- Political commentary
- Reactions to proposals
- Party messaging
- Policy discussions
Engagement Metrics¶
Posts track:
- Likes - Public approval
- Shares - Reach and influence
- Comments - Discussion generated
Higher engagement = growing influence
Strategic Posting¶
Use character posts to:
- Promote your party's positions
- Criticize rival parties
- Build public narrative
- Influence discourse
Automated Activity
Character social media activity is primarily automated by the game, but reflects your party's actions and positions.
Tips for Character Management¶
Best Practices
- Recruit early - Build your roster before elections
- Prioritize traits - Look for Charismatic, Fantastic Speaker, Media Savvy
- Invest in stars - Give best activists cabinet positions
- Use specialists - Best persuaders author proposals
- Track growth - Monitor follower and authority increases
- Think long-term - Best activists develop over years
- Quality over quantity - 3 great activists > 10 mediocre ones
Common Mistakes
- Over-recruiting - Wasting PP on too many activists
- Ignoring traits - Recruiting activists without useful traits
- No strategy - Not matching activists to roles
- Impatience - Expecting new recruits to be stars immediately
- Expelling unnecessarily - Wasting 25 PP to remove activists
Next Steps¶
- Government & Cabinet - Appoint activists to positions
- Legislation & Voting - Use activists to propose laws
- Party Management - Build your overall party strategy
- Political Power - Manage PP for recruitment
- Strategy Guide - Advanced character tactics