Which diplomat's legal rating matters for surrender points?

[Treefrog]

Rules mention that surrender points can be influenced by the legal rating of a diplomat.

Austria surrendered to France and the closest French diplomat was not in any Austrian controlled province/country.

Does the diplomat have to be in the enemy capital province for the legal rating to affect the outcome?

[jimwinsor]

Good question; I've never seen the surrender points fluctuate much, and hence this and other surrender point modifier rules may not be fully implemented, I suspect (?).

[Kevan]

I've wondered about this too. I'm finally wrapping up my first full 23-year campaign, and there are a few things like this that become increasingly suspicious. Almost all my diplomats have 60-70 legal ratings, and I have about 10 of them right now, but haven't noticed a significant increase in surrender points. Another thing I've noticed is that, despite what the rules say about diplomats' skills being limited to 20 pts / level of courts, I lucked into two 60/60/60 diplomats out of a level 5 court province.

[Russian Guard]

ORIGINAL: kevan

Almost all my diplomats have 60-70 legal ratings, and I have about 10 of them right now

Yeah this is probably food for another post, but no one really has talked much about the issue of Diplomats and their uber-power. In my view, Diplomats are way too powerful and I couldn't imagine facing you as an enemy, in a game where you had 10 diplomats working against me. The havok that would create would be, in my view, unbalancing to the game.

For example, can't think of a campaign where I haven't denied the French the Batavian Army via diplomatic insurrection/coup of Batavia within the first 12 months of any campaign...it's like clock-work.

[Khornish]

Perhaps the monthly upkeep costs for diplomats should increase exponentially instead of linearly based on the number of diplomats you own.

You should be able to retire diplomats you don't want as well.

[Kevan]

Yep, my two 60/60/60 diplomats are an insurrection/coup machine. They've accounted for most of my recent territorial acquisitions.

Only downside of using the coup strategy is that I now control a hugely disproportionate number of countries that refuse to be made into protectorates, I think because they have divisions in the service of foreign powers. I think at last count, I controlled something like 35 provinces directly (though some are listed as protectorates in the country list, they're solid blue on the map and I control production), another 11 protectorate provinces, and about 12 occupied provinces. My economy is so bad that it can barely stay in the black when I forage/garrison my armies, and when I mobilise them it seems to overwhelm the economic system - apparently when you're -150 food/turn, all negative effects cease - no population decline or foraging losses.