Crime not profitable at all

[TheGrainMan]

If I'm understanding correctly the tradeoff for crime should be you get a lot of money and lose some relation. Right now crime does not pay at all. I can make 100k+ by fighting the right lord, and gain standing and levels at the same time, but raiding a village or taking on a fence quest or similar will be lucky to get me 1k AND I will lose so much relation as to basically ruin an entire town for me. Raiding a village in particular is extremely dangerous and the profit is basically nothing. One village I raided (completely) gave me around 5 hardwood and a few butters LOL. And then they hate me so much that I have effectively shut myself out of that part of the map should my faction ever take it over.

 

[Ichon]

Yes, fighting Lords armies are the easiest money after Caravans at the moment and seems a bit disproportionally high vs the cost of fielding an army that can challenge a Lord's army which does not cost 100k even if you hired all mercenaries from taverns + it gives influence/renown with your chosen Kingdom so that is as or more valuable than the money if you already established a few caravans.

 

[VadimAleks]

Everything is as it should be in the Middle Ages. Or did you expect to plunder millions in the impoverished village that her lord and the lord's neighbors rob in every conflict? The robbery of unarmed peasants is for the poor tramps who cannot rob someone rich (and well armed). And the extraction will be what can be found in such a village - some food, livestock and a couple of coins from the village headman. This should not be profitable. During the war, enemy villages were not robbed for profit, but for the destruction of the enemy economy. Kill or drive away enemy peasants so that they cannot work for the lord and pay taxes.

 

[ArsLudica]

Everything is as it should be in the Middle Ages. Or did you expect to plunder millions in the impoverished village that her lord and the lord's neighbors rob in every conflict? The robbery of unarmed peasants is for the poor tramps who cannot rob someone rich (and well armed). And the extraction will be what can be found in such a village - some food, livestock and a couple of coins from the village headman. This should not be profitable. During the war, enemy villages were not robbed for profit, but for the destruction of the enemy economy. Kill or drive away enemy peasants so that they cannot work for the lord and pay taxes.

Well - it may historically be true, but it's a game and not history. If a game offers you actions to make, they better be fun or sensible. Raiding a village as it is now is mostly dangerous in the early game, and later on mostly pointless.

 

[VadimAleks]

they better be fun or sensible.

It makes sense. Loot enemy villages - and the lord will not be able to recruit troops to replace the dead. As far as I know - unlike Warband, troops are not added here with a simple script. They are recruited in the villages. Maybe I'm wrong.

 

[Ichon]

Raiding caravans is much more rewarding than raiding villages and that seems fair. I do think raiding villages should give some rewards other than money- increasing roguery, renown, enemies of the kingdom which the village belongs influence (decreased by clan level, IE it makes sense at level 1 and 2 but by clan level 3 people will not even notice you raided a small village as more important matters supersede).

The gangs etc rewards are quite low- workshops are way more profitable and caravans even more. It would make sense to have gangs able to drive competing workshops and caravans out of business and also have some impact on recruiting local bandits or taking over Hideouts giving an increase in extortion money. A crime lord should eventually be able to claim a portion of criminal revenues in a city+attached villages at the cost of infamy with both criminals and local citizens (forcing you to recruit only basic recruits other than bandits locally).

The Lords are above basic cares like who the local criminals are until you become a Bandit Chief or Crime Lord whose influence rivals their own.

 

[Shadesmar]

Killing defenseless people for the small bits of property they have ..... . Not every action a game offers should be rewarded greatly. Ever heard of scorched earth tactics?
U can do this in the game which is the offered action. Is it sensible? Will people like u for that? Is it profitable? Was it ever?
But its an effective strategy, if done on a great scale.

 

[andycott]

The more realistic this games mechanics are the better it is.