military-free (maybe you though about it already?)

[Jeffreybar]

Yeah...I've played lots of games completely without a military and done just fine.  The one I just finished was a tourist paradise, 70 year rule on hard political/moderate economic difficulty with free elections...I wound up with over 600 people, nearly $7 million in the bank, and a score of right around 10,000.  The trick is to keep your population happy and not do anything overtly underhanded...my ending happiness was close to 80, with overall respect of like 83 I think.   Also if you do anything like eliminating people or fixing an election, you can pretty much count on rebels (which is game over for a no-military game unless you can piece together an army super fast).  That's why I like to play free elections...keeps me honest so my people don't get mad.  You can still do stuff like evict everyone to re-arrange housing though.  My (small) militarist faction wasn't thrilled with me (they were at Cool I believe or maybe Fair...I can't be bothered to bribe them), but without guns and pretty uniforms they're a bunch of pansies anyway.

[Junta_Joe]

Jeffreybar is correct.  If I'm not starting a game in which I desire oppression or want to hunt rebels, I fire my palace guards on day one.  They make great cops or cigar rollers too.  Using free elections and keeping the respect up through character traits and media will keep your island trouble free.  I've gone ten or more games straight with nary a protester.  And get those five digit scores on high/high settings.  Just watch your yearbook and check the satisfaction scores for various needs.  If that medical score drops below 50, build a hospital, etc..  Using 50 as your breakpoint will keep the peons peaceful.  The military faction is always small when you have a non-military island.  Just steer those into police jobs at some point.  Near the end of the game build a prison and quietly arrest the people who feel worst about you and do a mass deport.  That's what that edict is good for: boosting your score.  Set the immigration office to love-it-or-leave-it as soon as you hit the magic 500 or ten years before finish.  You will end the game with happy smiling faces, a fat swiss bank account, and no rifles anywhere.

[the_neutron_bomb]

This topic is pathetic!  Who could ever rule a normal island without a military!?  Its impossible!  No power intoxication makes the game BORRRRRING!

[the_neutron_bomb]

This topic is pathetic!  Who could ever rule a normal island without a military!?  Its impossible!  No power intoxication makes the game BORRRRRING!

[Coconut Kid]

... I'm using a nice tactic: no military at all; if you are playing a free election or any other benevolent ruler game, why bother having soldiers? ... just be absolutely sure the people are content, ...
They [Military Faction] usually aren't my biggest fans, but the relations are quite ok. ...
Maybe Costa Rica inspired me, but now all my games exclude the army, except when I wanna shoot a rebel or two ...
in some of the last games, my relationship with the army reached harmony despite of the odds. Yup, it was a happiness/free election game.
[see reply #10 for hints on picking Dictator Characteristics]

Yes, you have to make a very knowledgeable selection of Dictator Characteristics in order to use this style of game play.

A point to clarify the relationship of the "army" to the Military Faction: the player needs to consider them to be very closely integrated. See the militarist threads:
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/tropico/cafe/index.php?topic=11551.msg213014#msg213014

Taking special care of the Militarist Faction Leader will help with doing without "army" employees. Don't forget that you still need Policemen to control building radiated crime.

the_neutron_bomb is a big, jucy arse hole.