That's because in Warband was both helpful and immersive. The game rewarded your effort into making that friendship, when I needed to raid a castle, I didn't use my "influence income", a nonsensical feature, I used the actual influence I had over the NPCs that I won by helping them, freeing them from prison, and conspiring against others, so when I say "Hey Lakhem, I need help taking this castle" I know he'll follow me because I WON being followed, then if another friend of mine is about to take a castle, but he's taking too long, I can pressure them into attacking. In Bannerlord all of these possibities just got cut, kill some bandits or a ****ty mercenary group, there get some influence and bam you can build an army with 5 people doesn't matter if you're an unknown worm. The other options of conspiring or the detail that Lords told you specifically that you could pay a visit to their daughters/sisters is out of the question too. Taleworlds took the fun of relationship and now it's all menus and currency. This is the game we got.