This article has been verified for the current version (1.30) of the game.
Policies are a set of bonuses unlocked by completing idea groups. Each possible pair of ideas from different types (i.e. administrative and diplomatic, administrative and military, or diplomatic and military) unlocks a policy. Since there are 6 administrative, 6 diplomatic, and 7 military idea groups, there are 6 * 6 + 6 * 7 + 6 * 7 = 120 different policies. Since nations may have up to 8 idea groups, they can have up to 21 possible policies available.
Policies are visible when the requisite idea groups are chosen, but cannot be activated until both idea groups have been completed.
Once activated, a policy cannot be deactivated for ten years.
A nation may only have up to 3 policies active in each monarch point type i.e. 3 military, 3 administrative and 3 diplomatic. This limit can be modified by the following modifiers.
Our nation has formalized its system of weights, scales and measures. Four to eight bovates to the hide, and five hides to the fee makes a wapentake at a hundred. We're not quite sure. While this is no metric system, it does go a long way to help that we are at least decided on using the same basic units everywhere in the country..
This innovative style synthesizes aspects of Late Gothic architecture with influences of the Spanish, Italian and Flemish elements. The constructions in Manueline were largely financed by proceeds of the lucrative spice trade with Africa and India.
Checking on suspicious behavior within the administration might be a good idea from time to time. The creation of royal commissions will certainly help to reduce corruption.
Through our clergy we promote the idea of our nation as the one favored in war and that we should never lose faith in our right in this earth. To fight to the very last breath is the very spirit of our people.
The poor have to suffer most in times of trouble. Some small donations shall help to ease their misery - and make sure that the mob won't pick up the torches and pitchforks.
Let us look much more closely to our holy scriptures to distinguish crimes and penalties for our society. Only when a society is ruled in a truly pious way may its people achieve true greatness.
With promises and assurances of safety and toleration, we can convince the unbelievers within our realm to remain peaceful and disarmed. This should at least temporarily delay the threat of a religious civil war until we're better equipped to deal with their wickedness and return them to the true faith.
By opening our court to men of all nationalities we can ensure that we get the best advice for the least cost to ourselves, as well as creating valuable diplomatic links abroad.
Incorporating foreign lands into our country is a difficult and time-consuming affair. By setting down a series of standard practices for integration we can make it easier.
Ruling distant lands is difficult, particularly when those lands are an ocean away. By establishing dominions ruled by local viceroys loyal to the crown we can get the most out of those lands.
Encourage education and high literary standards among the aristocracy in order to ensure that the men leading our nation are the closest followers of our Humanist ideals.
Our nation has a considerable understanding of the customs and traditions of foreign cultures, allowing us to seamlessly blend into their society when necessary.
Craftsmanship gives many opportunities to celebrate the spiritual, giving our religious leaders reason to support such work. We aid the manifestation of the divine in the creation of the mundane.
We have seen much of this strange New World. Things that our enemies certainly would like to know. Henceforth, all naval matters shall be regarded secret information.
Our shipwrights tell us that much could be accomplished in terms of efficiency when it comes to the production of galleys for our navy. By streamlining and standardizing production processes and ensuring that the shipyards are never unsupplied, we will lay a solid foundation for our country as a great naval power.
To ensure better quality of the cloth offered in the market we declare that if the cloth offered by a merchant is not found to be of satisfactory quality on three separate occasions, such merchant shall be tied to a post with said cloth attached to him as punishment.
Our ambassadors abroad should not only act as envoys, they should also be tasked with protecting and promoting our trade. They should look that all past agreements keep being extended and honored in foreign courts and shouldn't shy from spying on our competitors in order to sabotage their efforts.
To defend the egalitarian ideals of our nation, the entire population has a mandatory obligation to serve in any capacity of military or civil service once in their life. Regardless of stature or gender, we thrive together, we die together.
Exploration has become profitable and our merchants want to reach farther than their individual wealth allows. By establishing colonial companies, we can harness their capital to explore, expand and exploit.
Our ships carrying trade goods throughout the world benefit from taking routes established by the nature of winds and oceans. By securing these lanes, we can ensure that our trade is carried both safely and efficiently.
Raging storms on the open seas can test the faith of any sailor, especially one travelling in a war-torn vessel. Military Chaplains of the Fleet aid our recruits in maintaining hope through times of adversity.
Establishing trading posts in foreign lands is vital to our economic interests, but they tend to be at risk to attack from foreign powers and hostile locals. By providing each with a small garrison we can reduce this risk.
With a law requiring our diplomats to keep every single contract recorded for officials of the state to read, we can be more efficient in our endeavors.
To defend our home we need to be prepared to maintain a large cabinet capable of managing a large complex network of relations to ensure an international balance of power.
A strict training regime for our sailors will ensure that our ship crews understand how to most efficiently conduct a blockade and seizure of foreign relief to the siege.
Supplying troops in foreign lands is never easy. Thankfully, we have learned a few tricks that make this a lot easier. For more details please see Hearts of Iron III on how to make a flawless logistics simulator.
Increasing the number of priests within the ranks of our military will help convince our soldiers that God is on our side in war and that they are doing God's work.
We must strive to instill zeal in our soldiers and make them willing to sacrifice themselves for our holy cause. At any time we must ensure that there is a great number of priests to care for the spiritual health of our men in the field, to lead them in worship and to take care of them when their lives end. We must also ensure that they are never without prayer books or any other religious material they might desire during our campaigns.
Forgoing neither the power of actions nor the power of words, our nation enlists both great ambassadors and orators and the military force to back their arguments.
Sometimes people need a 'gift' when you try to persuade them. By funneling more of our resources unto our diplomats we can easier make people see things our way.
The prospect of wealth and prosperity has drawn a lot of adventurers to the newly discovered lands. By hiring the most capable ones we will make sure that their services are always at our disposal.
By training loyal agents within our navy ready to put down their lives to convey information to our military we can take advantage of opportunities we might otherwise had missed.
Granting a certain degree of political autonomy to the estates of our subjects will give us more negotiating room in extracting taxes from their lands.
Scholarly learning tells us that war is inevitable, but it can also help us understand when it is likely to break out so that we may be prepared for it.
By creating a nobility in the colonies and providing the power to hold the locals with an iron fist we'll establish a great base for manpower for our national army.
Include the armies of our subject states into our own command so that everyone is getting the same orders and there is no confusion on the battlefield.
By maintaining trade outposts in foreign countries we have trade ties with we will get to control their commerce without having to fight for the territory.