Rallix said:
Give us more options, don't make us people's water-boys, and make the quests have lasting visible effects.
Agreed. We all know the 'deliver letter to X lord' quest. Suppose, when you got that quest during wartime, you had a couple options.
Option 1: Deliver the letter. Don't look at it or let anyone else look at it; don't take it anywhere except where it needs to go; keep your nose out of what doesn't concern you. After that, nothing really changes. Yours has been a minor task, and it has no effect upon the world. However, you do get a bit of money and some relation points out of it.
Option 2: Open the letter. If it's war document (for example: troop orders), you can take it to the enemy who will pay you well for it, but you'll face questions back home when the letter doesn't show up where it's supposed to have done so. You'll risk pissing off many of your kingdom's nobles (and any other friends you may have) if your act is discovered, and you could also be banished or arrested if anyone finds out. This would also have an effect upon the world map, as your faction's forces may be disorganized if the orders were not received, while the enemy faction will know the planned movements of your faction's troops, and may act accordingly.
This is just the foundation of what could be done with even a 'simple' quest such as this one. There could be many more options, all depending on the contents of the letter. If the letter is from a castle requesting support, giving the letter to the enemy might mean they will attempt to take the castle while it is vulnerable. This would have similar consequences as Option 2 above. If it's a love letter to another nobleman's wife, you could sell it to the husband and watch the **** hit the fan. Here, the consequences are that you will have permanently pissed off both the lover and the lady if anyone finds out who you gave the letter to.