Hi!

Im still planning what resources to include. Imagine a total war-like game, turn-based empire builder on a earth map. It's around the year 2100 after some cathastrophy so empires are starting to form: you control one of these upcoming empires.

Large regions (such as south-western europe) are what you control (similar to the map of the boardgame Risk). You contruct infrastructure ("buildings") and train armies/navies/aircrafts/nukes! Focus is on war and building up your regions.

Resources:

1. Funds - Used for most things like infrastructure and units. Also for upkeep
2. Influense - Used to affect others, diplomacy etc (not sure about this one...)
3. Research - Used to unlock stuff and boosts (like +20% agriculture, unlock battlemech, +2 happiness from markets etc)

Funds will come from these sources:

1. Taxes. Main source. Causes unhappiness in your regions.
2. Income based on regional ratings:
       Mining (regional rating.  Can be boosted with infrastructure).
       Agriculture (gives mostly pop growth but also some funds)
       Drilling (oil and gas is still important).
       Logging?
3. Infrastructure like manufacturing plants, ports etc.

Thoughts? Influense (political power) is used in some strategy games (like Stellaris, hearts of iron) but would it work in a nuclear post-apoc when there is not much interaction between empires? Or maybe more interaction would be good? (also makes trade a viable mechanics). Influense could also be skipped and simply use funds (e.g. for bribing other empires) Also, how would you gain influense?

Research is gained from population - but strongly boosted by infrastructure (labs etc).

Or actually "taxes" could affect several sources of income, ei be how much if that business/sector is taken into the coffers of the empire. So taxes would affect income from:

• Trade (within the region, everyday trade/services). Maybe call this commerce? This would be close to "generic tax" used in most games.
• Mining
• Agriculture
• Drilling

This makes more of the income controllable by the player. And newly conquered regions (or region with very low public order) which would need low/none taxes would be less useful.

It can make sense that trade income is strongly affected by taxrate while industry (mining, agriculture and drilling) is only moderatly affected by taxrate such as (example figures below):

income factors: ( % income from trade / % income from industry)
no taxes (0 , 25)
low taxes (25, 35 )
normal taxes (50, 45)
high taxes (75, 55)

In a post-apocalyptic setting, Morale is a ripe resource.  With a world that's constantly under threat of devolving back into anarchy, having a cult of personality helps keep your empire in 1 piece.

There is a rating for corruptions and one for unity (and unity works similar to morale) but i didnt include it above.

Thoughts on affecting industrial income with taxrate?

Thoughts on infuense as a resource? 

I'd call the three OP resources Money, Prestige and Culture.

• Money is your own (you aren't "funded" by someone else), You could track state funds and much less player-controlled private wealth separately.
• Prestige is spent or invested in diplomatic or political influence and is gained by interacting with others and behaving well towards them (e.g. helping in times of trouble, respecting alliances, trading that causes long-term economic interdependence)
• Culture is the source of good ideas and progress and is "produced" by citizens doing scientific research and enjoying sufficient wealth and leisure.