Suggestion: Let Me Stop Selling Bullets to the Guy Shooting at Me
Quick question for the community:
Why can I, a proud citizen of Country A, walk into the market right now and buy weapons from Country B (a country we are actively at war with) and nobody bats an eye?
I mean, I respect the hustle. But come on.
War Era has a whole Law system: we can declare wars, form alliances, set sworn enemies, impeach presidents we don't like. Congress votes on stuff. It's great. But there's one thing we can't do: tell our market "stop trading with the enemy."
So here's my proposal:
Add Economic Sanctions as a new Law type
The short version:
Congress votes on a sanctions law against a target country (just like declaring war or proposing an alliance).
Allies can pass the same law, building a coalition.
Sanctions restrict or fully block market trade between the countries involved.
Costs coins to enact + daily upkeep, similar to how Sworn Enemy works. No free lunch.
Cooldown so people can't spam it every 10 minutes.
The important part: sanctions should hurt the sanctioner too. You lose access to their market as well. So it's a real strategic decision, not just a "screw you" button. Although, let's be honest, it would also work nicely as a "screw you" button.
What this actually adds to the game:
Right now, wars are basically damage contests. Sanctions would make the economy matter during wartime. Countries would need to think about self-sufficiency, supply lines, who they're actually trading with.
Players who run companies and trade would suddenly have a real role in the war effort beyond just manufacturing gear in a vacuum.
I'm not gonna pretend I know how to balance this. That's the devs' job and they're better at it. The idea is simple: countries at war should have the option to cut economic ties. The rest is numbers.
TL;DR: If I'm actively shooting at you, the least you could do is stop selling me the gun.
Don't forget to press "Like" if you like the idea. Don't be shy to propose ideas on your own.
Let's show https://app.warera.io/user/6813b758efecdf9bab195068 if this idea has a demand.
That's it. Have a best day ahead! <3
EDIT:
Some fresh proposals.
https://app.warera.io/user/698a54965ad3797dcb8f19a5 suggested that sanctions could also strip company bonuses from players of the sanctioned country who own companies on your territory. Makes sense. You're running a factory on our land while we're in a trade war? Sure, but good luck with those margins.
Another one by me: If too many countries pile sanctions on one target, that country could get a small isolationism bonus to domestic production or internal resilience. Because nothing unites people faster than the shared experience of being strangled by everyone else.