Apocalypse Reborn: Academy Guide.

Apocalypse Reborn:

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Academy Guide.

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Over

The Academy is the eminent, stabilizing power in the early game and is the model for your future empire, as well as the tutorial faction. Composed of multiple races, they are the only option for training your Champions in advanced skills in the early game, and their armies can be hired to protect your cities and towns from bandits and spawning neutral armies in the early game. Should you pay them enough money, they will also protect you from other factions.

Note: in the first few patches of the game, the Academy functioned as a Faction instead of being reconfigured as a form of neutral entity, which allowed AI to ally with them. Since the Ally Diplomatic action is not available to players, players could not do the same. This initial bug typically resulted in the Academy becoming a mini-Crisis in the early game.

However, their standing armies are neutral, Tier 1 units. Even if led by Champions, their Champions typically focus on lowering maintenance costs, rather than improving the stats of their units. This was made so that the Academy could not destroy invading armies of other Factions. Therefore, should the Academy ‘rise up’ and declare war on several Factions through their new ally, they will typically be beaten down piecemeal.

If you’re playing with the ‘Enhanced Vanilla Mod’ this is a feature and the Academy remains a faction, and they are more ‘realistic’ via the fact that they now have tech trees, can hire new Factions, and use all the mechanics available in the game. Instead of a security force and trading partner, they effectively become an eminent power that will be capable of fighting off at least two Citadels and their accompanying regions.

However, in the current version of the game, the Academy mainly acts as a balance against early-game rushes. If you are in multiplayer, do your best to save enough money and scout out your enemies. If you find them moving a raiding party towards your territory, hire Academy armies to intercept them and protect your investments, rather than have them raided. If the Academy army loses, they will typically do enough damage that attrition will take enough HP from the army that they cannot use the ‘Raid’ action. If the Academy army wins, then it is your victory, and you should recoup losses by exchanging the unit back to your enemy with gold as payment.

Or, perhaps, you can kill the unit and destroy the investment your opponent has made and the XP it has accumulated.

In single player mode, the Academy is far more effective and can act as a source of wealth in the early game. You can sell excess resources to them, buy mercenaries, and send your Champions their way for early training, until they are destroyed via the First Crisis that arrives. Currying favor with the Academy can result in numerous benefits when they are destroyed, such as bonuses to research, population, and Artifacts, as they will effectively retreat to their greatest ‘ally’ that has traded the most with them.

Note: The ‘Academy Alliance’ early game is unavailable in competitive multiplayer. In non-competitive multiplayer, the first person to reach 100 Relations with the Academy gets all the bonuses, so do not spend more or buy more from them past that point. Be sure to check if someone has achieved that value, or is close to it, before investing more than you should into the Academy. If you’re playing co-op, then it is recommended that only one of you invests into the Academy, otherwise the rewards will be split between the two of you.

Events:

Academy Patrol:

Occurs when you have less than 100 Gold and your Citadel is under siege by neutral armies, if you are at Medium Difficulty, or less.

Out of interest of facilitating good relations, the Academy has sent a ‘Patrol’ to relieve your Citadel of a siege. This has saved your city, but keep in mind that this indebts you to them.

Outcome: All purchases from the Academy will cost 10% more and all sales to academy will give 10% less, until you have effectively given them 200 Gold.

Wandering Scholar:

Occurs when your Champion has levelled up twice, has been victorious in battle twice, and has more than one Veteran unit under their command.

A scholar from the Academy has visited your court and inquired about their old student. Your Champion ‘Name Goes Here’ has been invited to attend additional classes at a discount for their achievements under your rule.

Outcome: Champion will be unavailable for 6 turns, but will return with additional traits and skills available, along with increased levels (minimum 2 and maximum 4.) 200 Gold. (20% Discount.)

Personal Pedigree:

Occurs when your Leader has levelled up four times and when you have gained 250+ influences.

Your words and deeds have resounded across the continent, but only now has the Academy deigned to give them credence. An offer has been given for personal tutors to be sent to you, as well as acknowledgement of your new nation by the Academy. It is a hefty sum, but your advisors believe it of immense worth to be acknowledged as a leader of good standing by an eminent power.

Outcome: Lost 200 Gold, but you will now gain influence passively depending on the size of your population, their happiness, the victories of your armies, and other events. Costs of the first half of the Diplomacy Tree is halved and you gain an initial boost to all relations with all other factions.

A Cruel Thesis:

Occurs when your Leader has lost 200 Influence or more due to events or battles lost.

Times have been hard, but it seems that they can be even harder. The Academy has called your rule over your city a foolish one and that only blood and despair awaits your people. These words have reached the continent entire, but it has also reached your people, and it is difficult to argue against the paper.

Outcome: Decreased Influence gain from all sources. Happiness is decreased across your empire. Increased chance of Rebellion occurring and Bandits spawning with low happiness. Decreased relations with all Factions.

A Scholarly Soiree:

Occurs when more than three factions are at war with one another in the continent and universal happiness is in the negatives.

The Academy has looked upon all the blood being spilled and destruction in the lands outside and offered a form of mediation via facilitating a normalization of relations. The various peoples of the continent are skeptical, but if one deigns to go, then all most certainly will. Perhaps, peace is an option after all? Or, perhaps, you will be heading into a den of beasts?

Outcome: Increased relations with all factions. High chance of ceasefires beings offered the next turn between warring factions.

An Honest Debate:

Occurs when your faction is in a ceasefire with another faction.

The Academy has seen the efforts of both you and your enemies as a good sign to stop any further fighting. Thus, they have once again offered themselves a mediators and negotiators. They offer a specialized room where all food and services will be conducted by intermediaries. No matter how much you hate your foe, you can at least be in the same (very long) room as them, right?

Outcome: Increased chance of peace between your foe and yourself after the end of the event. Increased relations between you and your opponent. Increased reputation with the Academy.

A Peacekeeping Mission:

Occurs when your faction is in a war with another faction, if you have troops in an enemy region, and have conducted more than 3 Raids.

The Academy has worried about your rampant destruction of your foe’s ability to wage war and sent forward their armies and Champions to protect the populace of your enemies and their infrastructure. They insist that they are present solely to prevent innocent blood from being spilled. So far that seems to be the case, your commanders on the ground say they do not move from the villages they defend and aim solely to deter. What happens next is up to you.

Outcome 1 (if you choose to respect the mission): Increased relations with you and the Academy. All enemy villages and towns can no longer be attacked. Raid actions will be disabled in your current enemy’s territory.

Outcome 2 (if you attack the peacekeepers): decreased relations with the Academy, and their forces withdraw before any fighting truly occurs due to their retreat. Raid actions will continue to be available.

Fiscal Obligations:

Occurs when three Academy Events have occurred benefitting you.

The Academy has been a good friend to our nation. However, while they have worked without recompense for these occasions, they cannot always do so. Our liaison has suggested a ‘gift’ to be given to the Academy to stay in their good standing and for these events to continue in our favor. To not give this gift, naturally, would mean that the Academy will extract it from our trade with them.

Outcome 1 (if you give the gift): Lose 200 Gold. Increased relations with you and the Academy. Academy positive events keep occurring at the current rate.

Outcome 2 (if you do not): Decreased relations with the Academy, and decreased rate of Academy events. 10% increase in purchase cost and 10% decrease in sales with the Academy.

Overt Demands:

Occurs when you have attacked Academy Troops in your territory or in a territory not involved in any current conflict. You must ‘slaughter’ the enemy instead of tithing them back.

The Academy is seething with hate because of your current actions. They demand reparations for your ‘cruel and indiscriminate’ acts of attacking their forces in your territory or that of your allies. The cost is steep, obviously beyond the cost of the lost troops that were killed. They aim to launch some sort of reprisal attack against us or gain immense concessions.

Outcome 1 (if you pay): Lose 100% the Gold value of the units you killed. Stabilizes relations with you and the Academy. Academy Patrols in your regions will continue.

Outcome 2 (if you do not): Decreased relations with the Academy, and decreased rate of all Academy events. The Academy will send in Militarized Patrols into your territories and that of your allies.

Peacekeeping:

Occurs when you are in conflict with the Academy.

The Academy has sent forward a well-equipped army into our lands. It is a strong and powerful force that is laying waste to our villages. They utilize the same tactics that they despise, killing town populations and looting and pillaging whatever is in their path. Whatever they call it to their citizens, this is without a doubt war. We can stand and take it on the chin, so to speak, or fight back. Doing the latter will invite reprisals.

Outcome 1 (Concede): Lose 100% of the Gold Value you destroyed in Academy Units in Population (100 Gold per 1 Unit) and Towns (1000 Gold Per town) and Improvements (Improvement cost). Academy distaste will drop off very quickly and no more Armed Patrols will come. Increases chance of Regular Patrols to come through your territory.

Outcome 2 (Stand Fast): Vastly Decreased relations with the Academy, lose access to all Academy assets and markets, and decreased rate of Academy events. You will be at war with the Academy.

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Post-Crisis Academy Events

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The Resistance:

Occurs when the Crisis occurs and the Academy has fallen.

The Academy is no more, but some of its armies have rallied under a new banner. A resistance led by Reynaud has called together the remaining banners of the Academy against the enemy and has taken hold of outermost towns and the gates. They are working to free the people trapped farther in the continent’s center and arranging an exodus, but with more funds they can delay the enemy for much longer. They need food, weapons, gold, and everything that can be spared.

Outcome 1 (See What You Can Give): Open a new Diplomatic channel and Trade menu. The Trade menu offers to delay the Crisis from the beginning for a maximum of 4 turns via investment.  Another option is present to ‘establish the resistance,’ which costs far more, but allows for future invasion waves to be delayed via resource, as well. 500 Gold, either direct or through strategic investment, is required and is cumulatively pooled from all factions.

Outcome 2 (Give nothing): Give nothing and prepare for the coming crisis. Decreases standing with all other Factions.

The Refugees:

Occurs when the Crisis occurs and the Academy has fallen.

The Academy is no more, and its people have fled its halls. They search for new homes and new places to ply their trade with their homeland destroyed. Some are wealthy and talented. Others have their labor and skill to offer. Many are without anything to give. All seek out places to go and to accept. Those who have the facilities will attract the best, those who have only a stable land will be offered those with skill, and those without anything sees only those who must be reforged and remade.

Outcome 1 (We’ll Take Anyone): Open doors to anyone. Those who come will do so depending on the structures you’ve built, the current happiness of your people, and how much food you have available.

-If you have a University, Officer’s School, and Mage Academy, you will have a 30% chance to gain the Academy’s Scholar’s bonus, which will decrease all research costs by 10%.

-If you have a Marketplace, Caravanasy, or Trading Company, you will have a 30% chance to gain the Academy Merchants bonus, which will decrease all Economy research costs by 10%.

-If you have a Steelworks, Steelmill, or any Strategic Resource income, you will have a 30% chance to get the Academy Craftsmen bonus a 10% decrease in unit purchasing cost.

-If you have net positive happiness, you will get the Academy Refugees bonus which will increase population growth every turn for twelve turns by 20%.

-If you have none of the above, you will get the Academy Exodus penalty, which will increase population growth every turn for 4 turns by 100%, decrease your overall happiness, and likely turn all current housing districts into slums for further reduced happiness.

Outcome 2 (None May Come): Close the borders. They may hide the foes amongst them. Kill those who don’t agree. Vastly decreases standing with other nations.