Vulpes_Corvum
Recruit
I'm curious to hear everyone's ideas on how to make the factions play unique. Something beyond a single flat numerical bonus and different troops to add variety depending upon your faction.
Just spitballing, but reading through the lore of the world, these ideas came to my mind:
Empire
Just spitballing, but reading through the lore of the world, these ideas came to my mind:
Empire
- The three imperial factions should be a playthrough of political intrigue. Open conflict between the three factions should be rare. Lords of the imperial factions should be scheming to draw other lords to their side internally while fending off assaults from the nonimperial factions.
- The empire has a history of bribes and assassinations. Bribes should change hands often (perhaps through a criminal quest) so that lords flip flop between the three factions often. Political maneuvering and changing alliances should be rampant and the borders between the three factions should be fluid. Similarly building influence with powerful gang leaders should unlock assassination quests against pesky lords who are present in the city.
- Increased influence and clan rank from engaging in political intrigue. Should be able to spend influence on getting other lords to vote on certain issues. Bonus to tactics against parties of nonimperial culture. More "senate-like" voting system. Your initial goal should be to reconcile the schism.
- Clans should be very independent. Clans should be able to take out mercenary work with other kingdoms in keeping with their historical tradition as long as they answer the call when the king goes to war.
- Renown and influence gain increases for winning tourneys and mercenary work. Lords can challenge other lords to single combat to improve their standing within the kingdom. Spar with local "champions" in villages to improve recruiting.
- Extra companion slots to function as an "honor guard". Can demand fiefs in payment for mercenary work. Initial goal is to win tourneys and get rich through the wars of others.
- Traveling the Battanian forests should be dangerous for other factions. Hill Forts spawn akin to bandit hideouts where Battanian lords can rest and send out troops to conduct guerilla warfare, springing up out of the woods to harass enemy parties and inflict damage before retreating back into the woods.
- Clans should be independent and renown/influence gains should come from guerilla attacks and raids. Ability to conduct night raids against enemy camps and settlements, stealing supplies, sabotaging siege engines, and inflicting casualties.
- Battanians should have expanded disguise options for generally causing mayhem under the guise of another factions party.
- Settlement economies should be boom and bust, rising and falling like the tides. Villages can have "rushes" where resources and troops are greatly expanded. Sturgian lords should gather trade goods like fur while traveling through their lands as well as have the opportunity to forage for food or more lucrative goods.
- Infighting among Sturgian lords to increase their standing within the kingdom should be commonplace. Increased renown and influence gain from trading and battle.
- The Sturgian winter should be a huge roadblock for non-Sturgian troops allowing Sturgian lords to starve and outlast enemy parties during the winter months.
- A faction of financial warfare. Increased workshop/caravan limit. Influence and renown gain heavily influenced by workshop and caravan income. The clan with the highest workshop/caravan income rules the Aserai.
- Wage financial warfare by raiding other caravans (even those of other Aserai lords), using influence and money to manipulate markets in towns and villages. Expanded options of purchasing mercenary troops and companies.
- Ability to unlock loan sharking quests through powerful gang leaders so that you can use your money to finance other lords and merchants and use their debts to manipulate them into wars or other situations to your benefit. Insert moles or agents into caravans or workshops of other lords to create market manipulations or work stoppages.
- Use financial warfare to plant the seeds of uprising in other settlements. Your initial goal is the accumulation of wealth and power to rise up the ranks of the kingdom.
- Most Khuzait settlements should revert to imperial culture and function by paying healthy tribute to the Khuzait lords. Khuzait troops are recruited from nomadic parties on the map which essentially function as mobile villages. Over time these nomadic parties will settle in Khuzait owned settlements, changing the culture from Imperial to Khuzait.
- Ability to force settlements and villages to pay tribute to you. If your reputation is enough to be feared, the settlements will pay this tribute routinely with no battle required, simply visit the settlement to reap your rewards. Payment can be in goods, gold, or troops.
- Ability to raid and force tribute outside of war at the risk of losing relations with the Khuzait lords who favor the current Khan while gaining relations with those that do not.
- Increased renown/influence gain from selling loot and ransoming prisoners from raids and collecting tribute from settlements. Your initial goal as a Khuzait lord or Khan would be to settle the remaining nomadic tribes.
