🗽 Autonomous Rule

+1 Science/Pop · +2 Money/Pop per citizennone units8 events granted by4 events, or capture ended by

Events can put one of your cities under Autonomous Rule. It pays you +1 Science/Pop and +2 Money/Pop, but it cannot build units, cannot hurry, and the AI picks what it builds. This page shows what it will build and which events start and end it.

The project

Effect	+1 Science/Pop +2 Money/Pop Cannot Choose Production Cannot Build Units Cannot Hurry
Copies	One per city
Buildable	Never. It is hidden; only events place it (Autonomous Rule)
Lost when	An event removes it, or the city is captured
Hurry	Blocked
Governor	Most granting events also make the requesting character the city's Governor. The yields do not depend on that

A city of ten citizens under Autonomous Rule pays 10 Science and 20 Money a turn.

What an autonomous city can and cannot build

Can (the planner may pick it)	Cannot	Unaffected (still yours)
Any project the city could normally build, with the goods already in stock. For example: Decree I and its tiers, which need the Statesmen seat or Constitution. Repeatable projects are picked again on merit each time Festival I, Inquiry I, Hunts and the other repeatable Civics sinks Treasury, Forum and the other one-per-city tiers Opulence from Behind the Throne, costing 100 Civics and 500 Money at Developing culture, and needing Luxurious Estates with a luxury Improvised Defenses, Moat, Towers, Walls, the only projects allowed while the city is in danger Suppress Dissent, 6 projects, allowed only when the city is governed and has the matching Dissent Specialists: the next tier on any worked tile, rural or urban.	Every unit: no military, no ships, and no Worker, Settler, Scout, Disciple or missionary. Hurrying with any yield. Queue edits: add, reorder, remove, repeat. The tooltip says "Cannot Change Production because of Autonomous Rule".	Worker jobs: improvements, roads and Wonders, since workers build them, not the queue. Buying tiles, Laws, missions, religion, and assigning or replacing the Governor. Not specialists: they are queue items, so the AI picks the tile and the tier.

When the city is in danger (threat over 1 and over the protection of its tile), specialists drop out and only defensive projects remain. With no units to fall back on, it builds Walls, Moat or Towers when it can. When none qualifies, every project is available again.

How it decides

At the start of your turn the AI plans the city's build, the same way the Grand Vizier does but without units. That page has the full filters and value formulas. In short:

Repair first if the city is damaged beyond its passive healing.
Score every legal project: its effects, finish bonus and ambition value, plus half of what it unlocks, minus its cost and what it replaces. Score every buildable specialist by its yields, border growth and unlocks, minus cost.
Discount by build time. Turns are ceil(cost ÷ city rate). A build of 2 turns or fewer keeps its full value. Above that the value is multiplied by (8 − 2) ÷ (turns + 8 − 4). A 8-turn build keeps half its value.
Pay in value order, never buying. The city's pick competes with every other AI-run city's pick for the yields in stock. One you cannot afford is skipped for the turn.
Never idle. When nothing was affordable it still queues the best legal item.

A cheap project in a city with high Civics often beats an expensive specialist. The 500 Money for Opulence and the 100 Training for Suppress Dissent must already be in the treasury; the AI will not sell goods to raise them.

How a city becomes autonomous

Every event with an option that puts a city under Autonomous Rule.

Event	When / where	Options and outcomes
Autonomous Vassal	random event, once needs: a Pleased (or better) family; a city that is not a family seat not your capital	"I trust the character to guide the city well." → leader becomes influenced by them; grants Autonomous Rule "Laws can be rewritten if needed." → +60 Discontent in the city; leader becomes disappointed with them
Autonomy in the city	random event, once not your capital; not a family seat	"Let them rule over themselves as long as they pay their taxes." → grants Autonomous Rule; becomes the city's Governor "Never! Find a noble, your nation husband for the character." → -1 Happiness level
Corruption of the Youth Behind the Throne	on production specialist, once needs: the character is its Governor; character traditional; healthy	"Grant the character request." → grants Autonomous Rule; gains Righteous "There is no harm in talk." → leader becomes disappointed with them
Demand for Autonomy	random event, once needs: a Furious family not your capital	"The crown relinquishes our control of the city." → family remembers it; grants Autonomous Rule "We cannot risk the the family gaining more power." → +80 Discontent in the city; +1 Discipline
Independent City	random event, once needs: a city with moderate Discontent not your capital; not a family seat	"Refuse to indulge the rabble." → 3 rebel units spawn "Very well, let them rule themselves." → grants Autonomous Rule; +1 Happiness level "The people know my reign is ordained by the heavens, no usurpers will sway them." → +1 Happiness level
Son of the Star The Sacred and the Profane	random event, 100% roll, once needs: a city with Jewish Dissent; an Upset religion not your capital; not a family seat	"Make an agreement for the character to lead the city as a semi-autonomous state." → grants Autonomous Rule; family remembers it; leader becomes endeared to them; becomes the city's Governor "Send forces to fight the character for the city." → removes Jewish Dissent "Use scorched-earth tactics to run him to ground." → removes Jewish Dissent
The Claimant Arrives Empires of the Indus	follows the linked event, 100% roll, once not a family seat	"Placate him with control of the city." → becomes the city's Governor; grants Autonomous Rule "the character will not rule even a single field of your nation." → civil war; gains The Uncrowned King
The Claimant Arrives Empires of the Indus	follows the linked event, 100% roll, once not a family seat	"Placate him with control of the city." → becomes the city's Governor; grants Autonomous Rule "the character will not rule even a single field of your nation." → 3 rebel units spawn; leader becomes plotting against them

How it ends

An event option ends it, and so does losing the city. Taking a city back by force in one of these events spawns rebels.

Event	When / where	Options and outcomes
Autonomous Liberties	on new turn, 20% roll, once needs: a non-leader Governor of yours; a city under Autonomous Rule	"Very well. I trust the character’s judgment." → -160 Money (scales) "the character is taking advantage of his position. This experiment must end." → leader becomes disappointed with them; removes Autonomous Rule "I will work with my friend the character to find the funds elsewhere in the city’s budget." → +1 Charisma; -3 Orders (scales); +1 Discipline
Reclaiming Control	on succession us, repeats every 40 turns needs: a city under Autonomous Rule; an adult	"Welcome the city back into the fold." → removes Autonomous Rule "Permit their own rule." → +1 Happiness level; +60 Civics (scales)
The Empress of the city	4 turns after the linked event, once needs: Zenobia present; the character is its Governor; you have no Rising Star	"This experiment has gone far enough." → removes Autonomous Rule; 4 rebel units spawn; gains Imprisoned "Such strong leadership is to be admired." → +80 Happiness in the city; gains A Rising Star
The End of Autonomy	on new turn, 10% roll, repeats every 15 turns needs: a city under Autonomous Rule	"We will take back the city, by any means." → removes Autonomous Rule; 4 rebel units spawn "No, the city has earned its freedom." → +20 XP
City captured	Any time	Autonomous Rule ends when the city changes owner. Recapturing the city does not restore it.

Compared with manual control and the Grand Vizier

	Manual	Grand Vizier	Autonomous Rule
Who picks the build	You	AI planner	AI planner
Scope	Per city	Every city without a Governor	That one city
Your queue edits	Allowed	Refused	Refused
Hurrying	Allowed	Blocked	Blocked
Units	Yes	Yes	None at all
Projects & specialists	Yes	Yes	Yes
Buys missing goods	If you choose	Never	Never
Acting Governor	—	The Vizier	— (event usually installs one)
Extra yields	—	—	+1 Science/Pop, +2 Money/Pop
How to end it	—	Assign a Governor; or reassign or dismiss the Vizier	Event choice, or lose the city