I think it could be done so that the opposite ocurred.
That is, I think such a concept might actually level the playing field in that we're talking about using population as a resource that gives skilled labour. Depending on how it was implemented, and given that the difference in population between a big empire and a small empire is generally much less than the difference in ship numbers or economy between the same two empires, it could help out the little guy.
I look at it sort of like this. When one produces a starship one doesn't just need highly skilled and motivated crews, but the highly skilled labor to build and maintain them and the infrastructure to support them. In societies that we're talking about in SE4/5, where space exploration, exploitation, and colonization is a major part (if not *the* major) undertaking of their societies, you need a lot of people to make it work.
I posit that the manpower requirements for the ships/weapons platforms/troops themselves, *as well as* the manpower requirements to build them, support them, and support the infrastructure that supports them are pretty significant.
How many people in the US (or any other country today) are skilled enough to perform a complex and dangerous job in the military? Not too many, percentage-wise. Let's say a tenth of a percent.
That means that in a mid-sized colony of 100M people you might expect 10,000 availalbe personnel for these things.
Now, each turn is a month, and you not only have to build and support, but account for attrition for these ships/weapons/troops and it quickly seems to me that the manpower requirement is non-trivial.
Plus, adding manpower would be FUN - becuase it allows various modifiers, racial traits, and facilities to have the effect you'd expect. Those Fanatical cultures to get the bonus that they really deserve - a bunch of fanatics, no limit to manpower for them. StarFleet Acaemy increases the base skills of manpower. Labor camps increase manpower, but decrease it's skill, etc...propoganda intel ops could decrease enemy recruitment, etc... the possibilities are pretty vast...
And it really makes those happiness modifiers have the effect you expect - populations unhappy? Reduced manpower.
And it adds an important and real life aspect the game - ship crews - which, trust me, are very important for the operation of a naval vessel.
And it's realistic: if your empire starts suddenly pumping out gazillions of warships each turn, you would think that the quality of the crews would decrease. Likewise, if you're under siege and you start press-ganging everyone over the age of twelve, well, the effects could be felt.
And given that it would be handled just like a "fourth resource" I don't see a lot of added micromanagement. Make it into an option at game start for that matter...
Have I begun to beat the dead horse yet...?
Alarik
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se5a said:
Good idea, but dont make it even harder for the underdog to get ahead.
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