Big Problem - Unbalanced random events

[alexti]

I think many underestimate +500 gold event in the early game. You can buy a lot of extra troops or hire couple of mercenary bands. Either way, it's 1 turn bonus to your expansion plan. Comparing to that 1/4 population loss is not that bad. Even it happens in your home province, the impact is not felt immediately and by the time income loss has accumulated (to let's say 500 gold), you already have many other provinces, so probably getting +500 gold and 1/4 population loss in the capital on the same turn is a good event.

Those extra gems events also may be underestimated, if you get right gems it boosts your plans a lot (making important item one turn earlier or summoning one turn earlier). Considering, that these extra gem events are happening quite often, they have significant positive effect.

The really bad event, probably worst I've seen is to lose the lab. Early in the game you lose 200 gold and one turn worth of research. And this even can't happen in unimportant province, because you don't have labs there. Even later in the game when the importance of the random events is much smaller, losing a lab in the research center is quite bad. Again one turn research loss

But if you get really good event (+1500 gold) and loss of lab on the same turn, is it positive or not? I'm not sure, maybe it depends on the nation.

So far, it luck/misfortune seem to be balanced to me, but whether the perfect balance is achieved or not, nobody probably knows.