Messengers - what are they for?

[Adorno]

I admit to a stupid question. Having played 1.003 for some time now I still haven't come across any messengers.
Looking through the troops trees I see that each faction has a 'messenger tier' like this:

So if someone have used them we could discuss it...

 

[The Mercenary]

I admit to a stupid question. Having played 1.003 for some time now I still haven't come across any messengers.
Looking through the troops trees I see that each faction has a 'messenger tier' like this:

So if someone have used them we could discuss it...

They're units that aren't used, I believe. At least, the messenger party they're in isn't included.

 

[sheek]

Probably they're the unit that notifies you of what the king wants, gives you the right to a fiefdom etc and are used in quests. I read a message on the forum about having to wait for a messenger after capturing a castle to tell you whether you can keep it if you captured it for a faction.

 

[Ringwraith #5]

Probably they're the unit that notifies you of what the king wants, gives you the right to a fiefdom etc and are used in quests. I read a message on the forum about having to wait for a messenger after capturing a castle to tell you whether you can keep it if you captured it for a faction.

No, you're told that via a simple message screen. Though it'd be kickass if a messenger guy actually spawned near or split away from the king's party and brought you the news via an actual conversation.

I remember seeing messengers in some mod a long time ago, they were parties of just one guy on horseback, insanely fast and almost impossible to catch. I thought they were the mod's invention, but perhaps they were simply just re-enabled from the native files. Either way that might be the intended use for this troop.

 

[Adorno]

Real messengers would be sweet - like in Bandit King (if I'm not mistaking).
That would add some new tactical moves if you could intercept them.

I just hoped you could send them out yourself - "RUN errand boy, RUN like the wind!" 


But I guess they're not in the game right now 

 

[MountainBlade]

Aren't they one of the old parties, like scouts?

 

[Elmetiacos]

I can see why they're not in. Either they'd be impossible to catch - a single man on a courser -  and so be a waste of your computer's resources because they'd never play a meaningful role, or they would be catchable and easy to beat, which would potentially screw things up: you ask the king for this castle, you wait and wait, you discover that your messenger got killed by sea raiders... a king wants to offer you a fief, but you never get the message because the messenger was jumped by steppe bandits, etc.

 

[bravesirknight]

That would have been hella cool to have them. I think that's a missing link in terms of talking to your faction, like you could have a messenger go tell them:

-location of enemy war parties
-how many are sieging a castle
-inform a neutral friendly faction they have nearby members under attack
-offer to send money for helping you do something, or to just come help you it's an emergency

blah blah blah... I'll be honest this does seem one area where they left out features they certainly could do.

 

[Ringwraith #5]

I can see why they're not in. Either they'd be impossible to catch - a single man on a courser -  and so be a waste of your computer's resources because they'd never play a meaningful role, or they would be catchable and easy to beat, which would potentially screw things up: you ask the king for this castle, you wait and wait, you discover that your messenger got killed by sea raiders... a king wants to offer you a fief, but you never get the message because the messenger was jumped by steppe bandits, etc.

Well the king could just send another if he doesn't hear from you within one or two days (or however long does it take a single man on a courser to cross the map). But I do think fast one man parties could play a meaningful role. Like an "intercept messenger" quest for which you'd have to dump your party in a city and go after him alone in order to be able to catch him. This assuming that storing your troops in somebody else's city/castle is ever implemented. Doesn't really make much sense that you can pay to have your troops wait in a town (in a tavern, presumably), but can't tell them to wait there for you a couple days.

That would have been hella cool to have them. I think that's a missing link in terms of talking to your faction, like you could have a messenger go tell them:

-location of enemy war parties
-how many are sieging a castle
-inform a neutral friendly faction they have nearby members under attack
-offer to send money for helping you do something, or to just come help you it's an emergency

blah blah blah... I'll be honest this does seem one area where they left out features they certainly could do.

Yeah, great ideas. M&B has a really small map that can be crossed from end to end in a couple days and instantaneous communications, which kinda screws up the atmosphere of the middle ages. Like when a war is declared on you, all the lords become hostile immediately no matter where they are and what they're doing. It'd be great if important game events were relayed to lords via actual messengers that could be intercepted and interrogated as to what news they're carrying.

 

[Dryvus]

I thought they carried the declaration of war and peace letters.

 

[Elmetiacos]

There's a picture of a messenger but messengers don't actually run around as real people on the map.

 

[Dryvus]

Hmm... I could have sworn...