financial dire straits and upkeep

[Graeme Dice]

Originally posted by gibson:
[QB] I believe upkeep is equal to 1/15th of a unit's purchase cost in gold. Resource cost does not affect upkeep. Sacred units do not cost upkeep, nor do provincial defenses. Most summons do not cost upkeep either, but there are some (trolls) that do.

Mostly correct. Upkeep is 1/15th the purchase price of a unit. Sacred units have an upkeep of 1/30th of their purchase price. Any summons that has a gold price associated with it from purchasing at some site (and likely from mods now that those are available) will have an upkeep of 1/15th of its purchase price.

I like to take a fairly high order scale (2-3) if I'm playing a gold hungry nation. I keep my tax rates around 100 usually, as any more results in unrest,

It does not just result in unrest, it also results in population death that is exponentially dependant on the overtax rate.

even though I should be able to tax at 130 with order 3, if I understand things correctly.

This would be true in Dominions 1. In Dominions 2 the order scale is +-7% gold per turn.