Scratching that Pedantic Urge: Economy Sizes

I just got to get this itch: Starting Wealth is determined largely by the size of the Economy. Imperial Rome, in its height had a very large economy with a great surplus of resources for its citizens. This was the same with Imperial China. 


Economies are greater than the SUM of its parts because of Specialization. Specialization was a productivity multiplier, allowing the parts to be way more productive when each cog and wheel hit their stride. 

Pre-Civilization.
(TL0) Pre-civilization is before city-building, and these economies
were very immature and numbered in a few thousands at most. Starting
wealth at 250f
.


Early
Civilizations
. (TL1). This is when an economy first reached a
million. Starting wealth at 500f.

Examples are

  • City States of
    the Levant
  • The Empire of
    Sargon
  • Old Kingdom
    Egypt
  • Kingdoms
    before the Xia
  • the Celtic and
    Germanic communities prior to Romans conquest.


Early
Empires and the Great City States
. (TL2) This is when an economy
reaches the size of few millions.  Starting wealth at
750f
.

Examples
are

  • the
    Egyptian, 
    Mycenaean, and Hittite Empires
  • the
    Greek City States,
  • Early
    Roman Republic,
  • City
    States after the Fall of the Roman Empire,
  • The
    Zhou during the Warring States period,
Kingdoms and
Nation States (TL3)
. This is when the economy grew to tens of
millions. When City States became more complex, assimilating more
entities, and cultural identity was not limited to a City. Starting
wealth at 1,000f. 

Examples are

  • the Roman
    Republic
  • Unified Greece
  • the Persian
    Empire
  • the Empires of
    the Qin and Han Dynasty


The Great
Empires (TL4)
. This is when the economy grew up to a hundred
million. It has reached such a size and breadth that a professional
bureaucracy is needed. Starting wealth at 2,000f.

Examples are

  • the height of
    the Roman Empire,
  • the Empire of
    the Tang Dynasty and onwards,
  • the Empires of
    the Age of Sail  


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