Mercenaries will no longer join if "cruel" etc????

[cachx]

I'm convinced that executions tanking your relationships with everyone is just a rushed patchwork solution to avoid player winning quickly by going in a murder spree.
Like, I understand that friends /family of the executed diminish relations. But enemies/mercenaries should be neutral or even increase.

Giving you the trait 'Deceitful' seems like a unnecessary punishment too. It should be something like 'Ruthless' and not be necessarily something negative.

 

[humility925]

It's always negative, even ruthless negative, person you killed, will hate you from other family and friend, even strangers (who don't like killing or religion believer or whatever reason)
Basic do to them as they would to you, I guess you killing person, even it's may be justice, it's make many other wary of you and guard vs you in future.

 

[TheWitchIzalith]

Just capture them. The patch notes for Beta 1.3 just said that they increase the Captivity time for Lords by 50% when in a player owned dungeon.

It's "Low" for AI Lords otherwise after every big battle lords would remain in prison and snowballing would be exceptionally high. As there would be no fielded lords all rotting away in a dungeon somewhere owned by the AI.

There's no honor in executing a Lord who was defeated on the Battlefield, It either created Resentment, or fear. Neither of which are good for a ruler, as fear isn't =/= Respect.

A King (or Lord in this case) who executes his opponents is known as a barbarian to most civilized cultures. Diplomacy isn't an option with them, and revenge killing or just outright extermination policies tend to follow. Most noble lords were relatives to an extent. Brothers, Uncles, Fathers, and so forth.

"He killed my Brother, Burn the entire village down" or "He killed Lord X and we're going to kill Lord Y in return."

That's why most countries tried to an extent to keep their prisoners of war kept relatively well. So that their soldiers would also be treated well. Not necessarily because they cared about the soldiers who were captured, but because if your troops know that they are going to be executed or tortured and left for dead if caught, they will be far less loyal, and more likely to desert. Except in the cases of elite troops or zealots who may believe Death before Dishonor is a more noble code.

I will agree, that lords come back too often, but such is life. The game is EA and it's being tweaked and refined. If come release there isn't a fix, I'm sure a mod will cover it in time.

 

[StewVader]

It's almost like there's gameplay consequences for being an evil murdering bastard who chops off the heads of surrendering prisoners. Who would have thought?

What do you mean surrendering prisoners? Do you even play this game? You took them by force in a battle, where you might have lost many men. Get a grip dude.

 

[Lord Irontoe]

If they didn't want us to cut peoples heads off, then they shouldn't have given us the executioners axe.

 

[TheWitchIzalith]

What do you mean surrendering prisoners? Do you even play this game? You took them by force in a battle, where you might have lost many men. Get a grip dude.

You mean literally like every war, where after one side starts to win, the other gives up and surrenders?

Germans on D-day surrendered after slaughtering Thousands on the beach, and while the Americans gunned down many of them after they surrendered, they still took prisoners. The entire point of the Nuremburg trials. Otherwise they would have just killed them all on the spot. Why bother with court. It's what "Civilized" society does, and has done for hundreds of years.

The promise of safety of your troops, so that they don't all desert you. If being Captured =/= death only the most Elite and zealous will stay and fight, the rest will run at the first sign of a loss. Awful for morale.

Another great example. Decimation -- If the Romans lost, they would enact Decimation where 9/10 would kill 1/10 of the group as punishment. The fear alone of being killed for losing, meant that there was no safety net. So they would fight more zealously, because even if they managed to escape, they could still be killed.

Russia during WW2, with commisars. "Not one step back, or I'll kill you myself". You may as well die fighting, because if you retreat you will be killed anyway.

Genociding entire armies after beating them was a really good way to get an awful reputation, with only the cruelest willing to stand beside you. The rest would either have to be forced via conscription, or straight up avoided you.

 

[paladinx333]

Mercenaries do terrible things for money. It's their defining trait. When you sell your sword arm for cash you have to expect that you will be asked to kill people. The idea that a mercenary won't work for you because of a negative trait is ludicrous in the extreme.