Mercenary clan hiring system needs rework!

[vertibird]

I am really enjoying 1.7.1 very much. I found my kingdom and having so much fun. Good job Taleworlds for everything you have done! The only problem that is very annoying is this mercenary clan hiring system. Having to find the leader of the merc clan to hire them is very bad mechanic. I rule Grand Battania and fighting Vlandia, I want to hire Jawal for example but he is enjoying his time around Khuzaid lands! Even if I find a merc leader around by pure luck, I have to catch them! Last time I tried to catch a leader I failed because he was running around with 5.5 speed while I was trying to chase him with 3.3 speed because of my army.
We need a messenger like system. Maybe we order a companion etc to find the leader and hire them (like sending companions in quests). It may take some days no problem.
To anyone who is against messengers, there is already the same system in the game. We are already summoning council to discuss policy, fiefs etc. Also war declarations and peace offers are instantly delivered via telepathy. We need the same mechanic here for hiring mercs. Other problem is merc clans sometimes leave your kingdom way too quick! A merc left my kingdom after 2 days of hiring them...

 

[AngryPanCake]

I am all for a messenger system.

 

[vertibird]

I am all for a messenger system.

Voice of reason

 

[Lord of Banners]

1000% needs a qol improvement.

 

[AngryPanCake]

By the way, I tired the Diplomacy Mod and it has a messenger system among other things.

 

[TechnoSarge]

1. Mercs who are unemployed aren't being paid. You can't keep a warrior band on faith you'll eventually find work!
2. Mercs who don't honor their contracts eventually don't get hired, because word gets around
3. The player shouldn't have to figure out who and where the leader of a merc band is, nor chase him down on the map.
4. The player shouldn't have to consult an Encyclopedia to find out what the merc offers, and after contracting, it shouldn't be a surprise.

So, anytime a merc leader is unemployed and in your quadrant of the map, HE ought to be finding YOU and offering services. When he shows up, he ought to state how many warbands & men he has and his terms of hire. I propose contracts of a set length. The game should remind the player a week before termination that the term is ending. If your relationship with the mercs is OK, they ought to re-sign, if you want to extend their help.

Regarding relationship - If you've used his men as cannon fodder and his bands have been wrecked and his lieutenants captured, THAT should reduce the relationship and potentially make him uninterested in re-signing with you. That should happen with mercs hired by other kingdoms too!

I think it also appropriate to assign a role when hiring a merc clan. Do you want them to pad out your armies? OK. But a great option would be to be able to assign them to harass your enemies by raiding their villages! Finally, a way to keep abreast of your many scurrying enemies raiding YOUR settlements, and WITHOUT your kindly companions always admonishing you for raiding! Or, another option - have them defend your settlements from those many scurrying enemies.

Regarding messengers - I'm not opposed, but my mention above of the mercs being in your quadrant of the map to bother to contact you makes much sense. Why would they traipse across the continent just to ask if you need a helping hand, and if you need help, why should you need to wait while their warbands cross that map to get to your area of operations?

 

[Bazza_ov_da_Norf]

It's ridiculous that the player has to manually hunt down the leader of a merc clan for the chance of hiring them, but the AI factions can hire them at any time out of thin air. It's obvious cheating, feels unfair and adds to the feeling of the streams of battles that don't have any impact on the campaign (anti-snowballing changes have gone to far imo).

It's been requested many times going back through the ages for the player to be able to hire merc clans through the kingdom menus or messenger service to make things fair. As far as I know, the devs have so far ignored these requests for whatever reason. Just another on the list of poor design choices by TW.