riot occurs when a group of very angry citizens decide to demonstrate their anger through violence. You will start to see groups of angry, torch carrying citizens collecting on the streets in parts of the city where the mood is ugliest. When they work themselves into a frenzy, the mob moves from their own area toward a nicer part of your city, where they set fire to your buildings. Remember, too, that fire can spread, which can worsen the problems further.

If the mob is not dealt with, it continues to roam your city, setting fire to buildings. One of the most unfortunate aspects of riots is their natural tendency to increase: as some buildings are destroyed, vital services to the rest of your city can be cut off, which can anger more of your citizens, perhaps adding further to the mobs roaming the streets .

Prefects will fearlessly approach rioters, and their training is such that they will defeat any rioter in a one-to-one fight. However, if a lone prefect faces more than one rioter, he will struggle, and might himself be killed. In riot situations, try to gather groups of prefects together as a kind of “Riot Police.” Remember that while some prefects deal with the rioters, fires are burning; ideally, therefore, you would have enough prefects to allow some to put out the flames while others apprehend the mob.

If riots do break out, it is a good idea to build six or eight prefectures close to the riot area, to provide the extra prefects you need to bring the situation under rapid control. Do not build the extra prefectures so close to the rioters that they are likely to burn the new structures down. You might also wish to instruct your Labor Advisor to set Security & Fire Prevention as the top priority for labor allocation.

Riots are very bad news. Here are some measures you can take to prevent them taking place at all. Use them as soon as you start to get warnings about worsening mood:

Next: Prefectures and Fire