What about increasing the crossbow/bolts power? From what I remember about the medieval times is that crossbows were intentionally designed to pierce through the armour of knights.
I like the bow how it is because of that is what they were intended for to kill the soldiers who weren't armoured. If this was real a head shot to a knight from a short bow would just be very ineffective. Not everyone can become a god when holding a short bow taking 80 people with 1 arrow each.
When a Cities population supports you by let's say 15 a small group of the population open the cities gates for you when you attempt to siege that city. An example would be:
You have done enough quests for the Guild master in Praven and you are now supported by the population of that city. You decided to join the Nords for whatever reason and you was to siege Praven. You'd now be given the option of being able to automatically attack the city without the need to build a siege tower/Ladders since the peasant population would purposely sabotage their own cities gates to allow you their new champion in.
Is it possible you make a village and a town to start a revolt in the kingdom like a quest thing to help you capture a castle. Meaning making siege kinda fun with politics like bribing the Guild master to start a revolt and the effect: making food supply for the castle guard short, some castle guard will betray there kingdom and also killing there comrade and join you or the townspeople will join you in the siege,some castle guard will abandon there post like routing them and building the ladders and siege tower will be fast cuz the townspeople will be helping you.
In village revolt if they agreed to help you to start a siege: some small band of castle guard will go to the village to stop the revolt meaning decreasing the guards in the castle and after you successfully capture the castle the small band castle guard will be routed and some volunteer villager party will help you siege the castle meaning more troops to help you.
You can do this as well for the castles or you can talk to the head of the guard up in the gatehouse or something and bribe him with a certain amount of money for him to "accidentally" leave the gates open while he runs from the field with a nice pocket of cash in his possession. This will help because you can practically sweep a nation if you have the right money and connections as well as the fact that actually having town popularity does something.
