Prisoners & ConversionCapture · Interrogate · Convert
In Pax Autocratica, enemies are not just experience points — they are a potential population resource. The official description of the system: "Weakened enemies can be captured and dragged back to base. Behind cell doors, resistance is crushed by fear, indoctrination, execution or conversion — enemies become citizens, warnings to would-be rebels, or tools of the regime."
Step 1: Capture on the Battlefield
There is no conventional "recruitment menu" in this game — a key way to grow your manpower is taking enemies alive on the battlefield. Per hands-on press:
- Hit enemies with special ammo to weaken them into a capturable state
- Weakened enemies can be captured and dragged back to base
- Guide advice: only capture when it is safe — greedily chasing prisoners on a bullet-saturated battlefield often costs your life
Step 2: Interrogation & Breaking
Prisoners are held in the cells of your base; what follows is the process of breaking their will:
- Interrogation lasts several days — gradually lowering the prisoner's resistance
- You can choose more violent methods to speed the process up (confirmed by press)
- Once resistance breaks, the prisoner's final disposal is yours to decide
Step 3: Four Disposal Options
| Disposal | Notes |
|---|---|
| Convert to citizen | "Convert enemies into true believers" — indoctrinated former enemies join your population; assign them posts or draft them into the army |
| Recruit into the army | Press confirm prisoners can ultimately be "recruited into your forces," becoming combat power for expeditions |
| Warning execution | Public executions serve as "a warning to would-be rebels," feeding the fear path of rebellion suppression |
| Tool of the regime | The third outcome in the official description — serving the State in other ways |
Strategic Value
The prisoner system stitches the combat and management layers together:
- Population engine — prisoners taken on expeditions are a major source of citizens and soldiers, forming a positive loop: fight → capture → labor → a stronger army → farther expeditions
- Stat lottery — prisoners have jobs, levels and traits just like citizens (see Citizen Management); capturing high-quality enemies directly strengthens the colony
- Lever of rule — executing prisoners creates an atmosphere of fear; combine it with your rebellion suppression strategy
The consensus across multiple guide sources: on expeditions, finish combat objectives before thinking about captures; special ammo is limited, so save it for enemies with excellent stats or scarce jobs; during interrogation, remember to assign personnel to guard and process prisoners so backlogs do not clog your cells.