[BUG] Defeated Lords can't leave castles or recruit - Too Many Bandits

[codyo]

I may have found out the reason why my faction of Vlandia can barely form armies anymore. Lords when defeated apparently spawn back at castles with only themselves in their party. Since they are in a castle with no way to recruit. They stay that way.
If they try to leave a castle with looters nearby they become scared and run back into the castle. Then repeat that indefinitely with looters always patrolling nearby.
When I first saw King Dethert get captured by looters I thought it was funny. But by the third and fourth time it's becoming concerning.

There needs to be some kind of workaround for rulers to not be figuratively besieged by 20 person bands of looters outside castles. Normally lords have a hard time catching up with looters since they walk so fast too. As a result there is barely anybody else besides me ever attacking them. There should be small castle and town patrols that are fast enough to catch looters and kill them easily.

For example three lords were trapped inside Drapand castle on this peninsula because looters are forming a barrier between them and the rest of the world. With no way for them to escape and recruit. We need AI bandit hunters or guaranteed bodyguards for lords.

edit: Another problem. If it's even a lord in a party of 1+30(wounded) they don't stay inside the castle to rest and leave anyway. Then when they flee back inside they give away a troop to the garrison even though they are in need of healthy troops themselves.

 

[Capseys]

Yeah, I've had pretty much the same issue on my save. Not only that, but after getting stomped a few times, all of the Vlandian lords had 0 cash and couldn't even recruit anyone. I've had to gift them denars and escort them around as they started to build up their armies.
Doesn't help that Sea Raiders hideouts were bugged until the hotfix, not to mention the entire process of destroying hideouts is a horrible game
design.

.

 

[codyo]

I actually noticed that too. One of the lords I talked to in the castle only had 1 denar on them. So as a way to test whether I can get relationship points via gifting- I gave them 1000 denars (her opinion of me didn't raise). She left afterwards went back into the world when I cleared the area somewhat.
I didn't know they actually have to spend their own money on buying troops either. This makes it even worse.

edit:
I've discovered that lords must lose their armies to attrition when they're out of money. I just watched King Dethert's party out in the field dwindle from 7 men to 5 with 0 denars. Now he's about to be destroyed by bandits for the 6th time probably in my playthrough and it's only day 240.

 

[Ranblade]

This thread helped me a lot. I have a clan that has all of their members sitting in the castle. I could not get them to recruit or find anything on google. Searched here found this. Gave the leader of the clan 20k and the whole clan is out recruiting and is back up to fighting strength.

I think the concept is great. Especially since I have a ton of money with nothing to spend it on. Maybe a suggestion to the devs could be for the AI lords to ask their king for money or a loan. Then we can decide to give them money and get our armies back up to strength and we also know why they are sitting in the castle.

 

[Agroplode]

*bump*

My mercenaries are working for Vlandia, little has changed, now Lords have more power but they still spend so much time chasing bandits that never seem to dwindle in numbers. My workshops are making very little money and Vlandia Towns might be the least prosperous. I have two Caravans.. I worry for them, since many bandit parties outnumber them and they can make small temporary coalitions for attacking stronger parties and Vlandia have many narrow places where they can be caught.

Cleaned so many hideouts that looked like minor villages with 50+ and 60+ irc there was even one where a single party had 41 or 47 Forest Bandits and then 3 more groups inside. My men get very little exp from the hideouts and the ones that do usually have a slim chance of surviving. I still use the old, hide behind a tree, to clear the forest ranger hideouts. I already lost plenty of top tier units to Sea Farers and Mountain Bandits, no need to lose all of my top tiers to Forest Rangers. I picked up a bow from one of the higher tiers and its not a normal Longbow, its the more expensive one and it was lot better than my cracked tiny bow of sorts.

Spent all last night trying to help the Lords by destroying bandit parties and hideouts, so they can gather and army and wage War, at last Dethert declared war and now has an Army of some 1500+ strong going north east into the rich Northern Empire lands.

Edit:
Hmm loaded the game and went to the West Coast, where the screen shot is from, thinking, perhaps one hideout left with 2 groups, after all the cleaning last night. 16 roaming parties of looters and mountain bandits and sea farer and 3 hideouts with 4 parties each, inside they got 54 men, 26 men, 27 men ?

Counting roaming groups totaling 204 bandits + the hideouts 107 that makes it 311 Bandits still around only on one screen shot!

Spoiler: Vlandia, sunshine and great coastal areas, now selling for cheap

In the back ground can be seen the great Town of Galen, Detherts Field Army of some 1521 >starving< soldiers are just outside.
Edit update:
Vlandia's starving Field Army made it almost to the North Empire Town of Epicrotea, then disbanded. I did feed them and have plenty of food left why they disband I have no idea. Not much going on when playing for Vlandia past the early battles.

In Calradia News this morning:
Mercenary force from Sturgia has exited to the main menu ?

 

[ArtistX]

we really need a manhunter faction... cleans up bandits and maybe make it so you can raise your roguery fighting them.