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In one of my games I had two established religions, the Anima Cult and the Eternity Movement. The first was supported by my government while the latter had no policy.

Then I captured a third, highly depopulated town with about 9000 people left in it. However they had something else, a third religion called the Church of Syndic. Somehow within a few turns they managed to entirely replace the Eternity Movement's presence in my cities.

Basically it seems the system cannot cope with a third religion being added to the existing system. Rather than allocating a share of the 'market' to the third religion, it simply eliminates the weakest religion to make room for it.

GoblinCookie wrote: Fri Aug 18, 2023 10:11 am ...the Anima Cult and the Eternity Movement... (and) a third religion called the Church of Syndic.

I believe the religions (cults) often combat and undermine each other, in certain conflicting pairs or trios. Only sometimes do they co-exist and sportingly compete fairly for believers.

You may be able to guess how these cults interact from the cult's description, or by gauging their nerfs and buffs. So perhaps Syndic and Anima are in direct opposition. Syndic is a killer cult, like a death cult, while Anima is the spirit of goodness in human in nature.

I think the cult dynamics are running in a way similar way to, and derived from, your ideology pinwheels. I'm not sure of any of this, but was perhaps your regime profile way in to the Authoritarian aspects, ie. Autocracy, Enforcement, and/or Fist?

The fact that it was a tiny settlement hosting the Syndic infektion is strange, or really, intriguing.


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Also, in distantly related issue, my Crime Syndicate just disappeared one day, and I don't know why except that they must have been bored.

I don't think Syndic is directly opposed to Anima, or with the Eternity Movement - the main ones opposing each other afaik are Anima vs Shadow who attack each other, and Apocrypha which attacks everyone else (if the zone has unrest). And even if they were in opposition, it's weird if one just suddenly completely supplants another in a few turns, especially if it was an established religion. I've never seen that in my games at least.

I mean, it could be an interesting concept, an "outdated" religion getting replaced at a really fast pace (maybe not so completely though), but I'm not sure it's intentional in this case.

Edit: Or maybe I'm wrong, on a quick glance I don't spot any games where I'd have more than two cults in a zone. But I do have games with all of these cults mentioned present in different zones.

As soon as I conquered the enemy capital I acquired a fourth religion, the Apocrypha Cult and in a turn it managed to oust the syndics from three out of my four zones.

What seems to be happening is that the game contains a religion spread mechanic to redistribute religions between adjacent zones. However the game actually does not support more than two religions per zone, but the spread mechanic does not 'understand' this is the case, resulting in the older minority religion being deleted by the new one.

Thanks for reporting. I am planning to redesign religion with the Republica DLC.

Magirot wrote: Sat Aug 19, 2023 9:04 am I don't think Syndic is directly opposed to Anima, or with the Eternity Movement - the main ones opposing each other afaik are Anima vs Shadow

My mistake and a shoddy memory at work: Anima should be directly opposed by the Shadow. Its Jung

Syndic seems to be a Labour Loving cult, as in Anarcho-Syndicalist. I wonder who they are opposed to, or is it the Apocrypha as suggested above? Apocyrypha may be religious in theme then, playing off the Atheism of the Syndicalists, and buffing I'm guessing Loyalty.

I only have Syndic and Eternity in-game atm. I haven't figured out who the Eternity guys are yet, but I think they *hurt* production of all assets in a zone and seem to tank worker morale, but perhaps they are opposed to the Mystics, who are like swinging, Hedonist Party Hearty guys and gals.