Feature Preview: Orders as Factions

Instead of the usual faction previews, I thought it would be fun to give a preview of this feature that I am currently working on. Its a little more text wall and a little less screenies (there are some though) than the faction previews, but I'll give you an idea of what it is.

As the head-line says, I'm working on making Orders separate factions. The orders are divided into two types, international orders and national orders. The diffrence between them is that the international orders don't go to war, and don't fight against anyone. Instead they are neutral factions, that can give you special quests and lend you money with a certain amount of interests.



National orders on the other hand, are orders there support a certian faction, they actually work like vassal states. If Portugal go to war against anyone, the Order of Aviz will always immidiatly support them, and declare war on Portugals new enemy. I also hope to make Orders follow their liege faction on campains, but I'm not sure I will be able to.

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Orders can't declare war themselves, and they can't be declared war upon. The only way you can get to fight an order is to declare war on their "lieges", or have their lieges declare war on you.


Orders can only hold castles. If an Order conquers a town, or a castle with a village beloning to it, they will not keep the town and the villages, only the castle. All Towns and villages will go to their liege faction instead. I find that most realistic instead of suddenly having all Southern Spain controlled by the Calatrava.

And lastly, some list

International Orders:
-Templars
-Hospitallers

National Orders:
-Calatrava - Fights for Castille
-Santiago - Fights for Castille
-Aviz - Fights for Portugal
-Teutons - Fights for HRE
-(Possibly Saint George) - Fights for Aragon

Also, a list of order quests I hope to get implented:
-Beat 3 infidel armies.
-Prevent an infidel priest from spreading heaten faith in Christian settlement (assasination).
-Raid x infidel villages. - Made
-Capture infidel noble.
-Escort pilgrims.
-Escort a Holy Relic to an important place.
-Collect tithes owned to the order/church.
-Donate food/supplies to a faithful village.
-Spread the faith - Go preaching in an infidel village, possibly being attacked by infidel troops intent on protecting their faith.
-Write chapters of a holy book.

I'm still looking for some ideas for more quests for orders, if you have some ideas feel free to post.

This was one thing I was hoping for.

Possible quests -

1. Escort a Holy Relic to an important place e.g. A piece of the "one true cross".

2. Collect tithes owned to the order/church. (Similar to collect taxes for nobles).

3. Donate food/supplies to a faithful village.

4. Spread the faith - Go preaching in an infidel village, possibly being attacked by infidel troops intent on protecting their faith.

5. Stand as a judge in a witchcraft trial - not sure how this one could work but just throwing it out there.

6. Write chapters of a holy book - similar to reading but in reverse. Buy a blank scroll then select write holy work, when resting it increases the percentage. When it reaches 100% you get a relationship boost with the order that gave the task to you and it can be sold for a highish price to the faction.

That's it for now.

Great ideas, I'll update the quests list.

This orders with castles only , where do they get money from?

blowcrapup said:

This was one thing I was hoping for.

Possible quests -

1. Escort a Holy Relic to an important place e.g. A piece of the "one true cross".

2. Collect tithes owned to the order/church. (Similar to collect taxes for nobles).

3. Donate food/supplies to a faithful village.

4. Spread the faith - Go preaching in an infidel village, possibly being attacked by infidel troops intent on protecting their faith.

5. Stand as a judge in a witchcraft trial - not sure how this one could work but just throwing it out there.

6. Write chapters of a holy book - similar to reading but in reverse. Buy a blank scroll then select write holy work, when resting it increases the percentage. When it reaches 100% you get a relationship boost with the order that gave the task to you and it can be sold for a highish price to the faction.

That's it for now.

Click to expand...

Most of those ideas would fit better in the Monasteries quest list, if we ever implement this feature.

By the way, Cruger, I just thought: what if you conquer one of the orders' castles? You have a castle with no village. Isn't that wrong?

Cèsar de Quart said:

By the way, Cruger, I just thought: what if you conquer one of the orders' castles? You have a castle with no village. Isn't that wrong?

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Nope, there already are castles with no villages in.

Anjes said:

This orders with castles only , where do they get money from?

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Donation, banking, whatsoever. They weren't farmers.

Cruger said:

Cèsar de Quart said:

By the way, Cruger, I just thought: what if you conquer one of the orders' castles? You have a castle with no village. Isn't that wrong?

Click to expand...

Nope, there already are castles with no villages in.

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Didn't notice that.

By the way, the Teutonic Knights were a national order... they would be in game, wouldn't they? As one of those order-factions.

As far as I know they first became present in Europe some years after 1200, at this time they only were in Outremer.

Great feature! It will add a completely new aspect and depth to the game.

I just have a few questions though.

1: Won't the national orders be to great an advantage for those countries which have these national orders, against those countries which do not have them?

2: Who will the international orders support? If the christian countries, then the almohads are in for a tough time.

3: If you attack one of these orders, will that also mean a war-declaration on their supporting country?

1. National orders will indeed be an advantage for the factions that have them, but still they don't make the faction an unstopable force. National orders have 1-3 lords, and their lords armies do normally not have more than 30-45 men, composed of 50% Crossbowmen, 35% Sergeants and 15% Knights. In most cases, the orders needs to launch an all-in campain to be dangerous.

2.
The international orders support no one. If we ever make the Holy Land, they'll probably support the Crusader States, but untill then they'll be neutral. The reason is that orders can only support one faction, and it would be historical inaccurate, and screw the balance as well.

3.

Cruger said:

Orders can't declare war themselves, and they can't be declared war upon. The only way you can get to fight an order is to declare war on their "lieges", or have their lieges declare war on you.

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Question... though an unlikely one considering how lame the AI in this game is at wiping out factions... 


Say I'm France, and Portugal is taken out by Castile, then I take out Castile... doesn't this make Aviz invincible?

Maybe it should be made that declaring war on the faction also declares war on the state?

Didn't see that you had written about the third question. 

It sounds great. And if their armies aren't greater than what you mention, then they probably will not be too great an advantage for the supporting countries.

Kasz216 said:

Question... though an unlikely one considering how lame the AI in this game is at wiping out factions... 

Say I'm France, and Portugal is taken out by Castile, then I take out Castile... doesn't this make Aviz invincible?

Maybe it should be made that declaring war on the faction also declares war on the state?

Click to expand...

As you say the chance of that happening is 1 out of 5000, but I might need to take that into consideration.

You already automaticly declare war on Aviz if you declare war on Portugal.

Really amazing stuff. Waiting for testing.

Post Data: What about russian/muslim orders/cults? The hashashim for example.

blowcrapup said:

6. Write chapters of a holy book - similar to reading but in reverse. Buy a blank scroll then select write holy work, when resting it increases the percentage. When it reaches 100% you get a relationship boost with the order that gave the task to you and it can be sold for a highish price to the faction.

Click to expand...

What exactly did you have in mind? The christians only have one Holy book and adding/removing something is against the christian religion.

Revan Shan said:

Post Data: What about russian/muslim orders/cults? The hashashim for example.

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Were there any russian thingies at that time? The assassins are historically ok but they were mainly in the Middle-east, which is slightly outside the game map.

UnholyNighmare said:

blowcrapup said:

6. Write chapters of a holy book - similar to reading but in reverse. Buy a blank scroll then select write holy work, when resting it increases the percentage. When it reaches 100% you get a relationship boost with the order that gave the task to you and it can be sold for a highish price to the faction.

Click to expand...

What exactly did you have in mind? The christians only have one Holy book and adding/removing something is against the christian religion.

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I think he meant religious texts. Not holy as in 'the one', but holy as in 'simply sacred'.

Honestly, I think Orders as Factions is simply over complicating things. While I like expanding on the orders (Templars having their own Crossbowmen and Infantry? I'll take it) I don't think they should get their own complete FACTIONS.

But, seeing that one person won't change your minds, can I at least have the option to be born in the lands ruled by Templars? 

Maybe you could be both a vassal and a part of one of the international factions?

LarzAluphe said:

Honestly, I think Orders as Factions is simply over complicating things. While I like expanding on the orders (Templars having their own Crossbowmen and Infantry? I'll take it) I don't think they should get their own complete FACTIONS.

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Orders were independent on those times. The teutonc order for exampe go great state durng the 13 century. It was later on, around the next centuries that kings bacame masters owned these orders and, some, even bacome their master.