Positive relations with bandits/+ENDGAME-PERKS

[AndrewArt]

Since roguery tree lets you do sort of a "bandit playthrough", how about the option of helping bandits against villagers etc so that you can become friendly with the bandits? Wouldn't it be cool to get bandit reinforcements whenever you fight another lord? Be known as a bandit sympathizer and be hated by the kingdoms because, well, you're a bandit? To make it balanced, you would need a perk (maybe the final perk in the roguery tree can allow you to do this), and once you get on friendly terms (more than neutral relations) with the bandits, then the other kingdoms would start hating you and declare war on you. At that point you can recruit pretty much any bandit party you come across (replacement for village recruitment because you can't recruit from any villages anymore since you're at war with every faction naturally). It would make for a hyper challenging and fun playthrough, where you can recruit mass of units instantly (AMASS THE BANDIT FORCES), and it would provide some chaos in the world of Calradia. I would also like to see more bandit troop types on the map (the good ol' thugs should be hireable in towns if you manage to sneak inside a town, so some more depth to gangs and crime life). If there were also bandit heroes (bandit "clans"), that would also make it great, great fun (just so it's not like you're the only bandit-hero wannabe in Calradia).

Charm could also be used to persuade other bandit lords to your clan, just like vassals.

It would be a great and fun challenge to play, a total different playstyle with just a few added features that shouldn't be that hard to implement, and it would give great diversity in playthroughs.

What do you guys think?

 

[AndrewArt]

Have another idea to add: Since every faction has sort-of a corresponding bandit unit (or should have) - for example Kuzait have steppe bandits, the empire have the looters, the battanians have the forest archers, then, every bandit should also be separated in their own little "factions".
So if you become friendly with the looters, you are then declared an enemy of the empire.
If you become friendly with the steppe bandits, you are enemy of the Kuzait.
Friendly with forest bandits - enemy of battania.
and if you become friendly with Sea raiders, then you are enemy with the sturgians.

That way, it would be a smooth transition, and you could also choose your wars carefully. I think that would be REALLY fun to do, AND give so MUCH replayability value. Imagine becoming an enemy of the empire, raiding their villages, their peasants, their caravans, and at the end of it all, amassing a huge army of looters just to take their cities with them? The DISRESPECT. Or fighting a lord and a 20-40 looter party that is close-by decides to join your party against that lord. My god, the possibilities.

Same for sturgia, same for battania... This feature would add SO much to do in the game in my opinion. So much more variety, replayability, just by adding a few small features like this. Just like reaching 300 in trading lets you buy settlements. If EVERY perk tree had a major game-changing effect at the end of it, then this game would be HUGE. And ok, maybe not every perk tree should have that. But if a few did, then it would still be really great. Like roguery, trading, then engineering could have that as well by adding some unique siege engines/bigger/more awesome. Tactics can let you deploy your troops at will before battle also/or different formations that are unique. So much they can do.

 

[niekdegrijze]

I made a tread earlier of playing Bannerlord in different stages, but I like to add it to this tread as well because I think that especially the bandit playthrough could benefit from these suggestions.

I would recommend an early game where you have to enter the service of a merchant as a caravan guard, the service of a notable to join patrols or join a bandit group as a gangmember. It will take some time/renown to get enough trust. After that you will be entrusted with a command over a small party be it a caravan, a patrol or a gang (you will not have to pay wages in this stage). Now you can have a little influence on the world. In this stage you earn a wage and get a percentage of the spoils. The rest of the spoils are given to the gangleader.

next stage:
Join a clan: get command over a party. Party size will increase with your renown/trust. you still pay no wages and receive your own. you receive a percentage of the spoils. You get your equipment based on the culture of your patron.

Merchant: Buy your own caravan and start your merchant empire. In this stage I will suggest a sort of insurance system with your former employer. So that if you lose your caravan you don't have to start over.

Gang leader: challenge the bandit leader for command and take over the hideout. Now you have to pay wages, but your earnings should increase now that you don't have to give a percentage of the spoils away.
In this stage you can again assert more influence on the world.

next stage:
Clan leader: Become a clan, independent or as part of a kingdom. At this stage your skills should be developed based on you career. This is the stage that you start to pay the wages of your party.
If you want to be independent clan you should have saved some money or get a mercenary contract with a kingdom.
If You want to be a part of a kingdom you should be able to ask the ruler to install you as new clan of the kingdom as soon as there is a new fief available. This fief has to be able to pay for itself and your party.

merchant: buy more caravans. buy workshops, negotiate fixed prices with other merchants. set trade routes. Get requests from cities and lords for trade goods, weapons or horses. by now you have made a name for yourself so NPC's should look you up if the want to get something done. Now you don't have to chase every trade rumor.

Bandit: Keep robbing villagers and caravans until you can afford a bigger army. now you can start raiding villages en small clan parties. After your renown is high enough you will be able to speak to other bandit parties en convince them to join your army, this cost influence and wages(or spoils). They will stay as long as you have succes, after a defeat or a long time without succes, they will leave.
Get contract from kingdoms to disrupt the economy of their enemies and get mercenary pay + a bonus for every party or village you raid.
Get contract from caravan owners to attack their rivals.
If the streetgang system is implemented. you could try to get control of different cities and get earnings based on the villagers and caravans arriving.

Final stage:
At this stage you are a power broker en can influence the rise and fall of nations.
Clan Leader: get more fiefs and influance and finally become heir to the throne by marriage, or usurp the throne with enough support. At any stage you can split off and become an independent kingdom.

Merchant: I find it hard to imagine and endgame for a merchant play through. I would suggest that you can buy influence with kingdoms so you can be the power behind the nobles. You can choose a kingdom to support and pay nobles to vote your way. Your merchant empire would make it possible to hire mercenary clans to do your bidding and you are able to disrupt enemy kingdoms by creating food shortages.
a extra option for a merchant who wants to keep his or hers caravans save is to buy of bandits. alternatively he can hire bandits to attack rival caravans. All in secret of course.
With enough money he can bribe guard to open the gates and nobles to switch sides. There must be a reason to support a kingdom other than coloring the map. You could earn enough renown/influence to marry the heir. And there should be trade benefits in helping a kingdom.
at any stage you can choose to start your own kingdom. Would be nice if this can be based on militia units en merchant guards.

Bandit:
Now it is time to destroy the system: every bandit group you meet will want to join your army. either like a normal army or just following. Your goal is now to kill the faction leaders. and take over their fiefs. (not very bandit like, but if you have the power why would you not want te become king). When attacking a city, your street gangs have a chance to open te gates.
It would be cool if you get a quest for kidnapping or killing certain nobles/kings.

 

[niekdegrijze]

and some suggestions from another tread:
(some are double)

I like to add the following suggestions:
- recruiting bandits from streetgangs and hide-outs
- take over gang locations in cities. Be the rival gang that is alway mentioned in the quests. After taking over, the gang generates income from protection money and a small percentage from every villager party and caravan. Other gangs will try to remove you.
- slavers to buy your captives. Sea camps on the shore, or linked to the Aserai mamluk troop tree (slave warriors), sell your captives to traveling Aserai caravans. I would like for Aserai to have a slightly different troop tree, it doesn't make sense that slave warriors are recruited from peasant.
- Get contracts to hunt down caravans from rival merchants( or other kingdoms) and to raid villages.
- Get contracts to hunt down specific characters for political leverage by other powers or to kill them.
- If your renown/roguery is high enough you can dispose a bandit leader by way of duel and take over the hideout and install a companion/clan member on that position. After that you can call on the bandit parties connected to the hideout to join your army.
- If you renown/roguery is even higher you can convince other bandit parties to follow you. They stay with you if there is enough plunder. They will leave if you do not have enough succes.
- Now and then you get challenged by an aspiring bandit to replace you. Could be a cool way to introduce some wildly different characters and fighting styles. This would give dueling a bigger role in the game.
- After your relations with a faction deteriorate enough. they will actively try to hunt you down. A ambush mechanic with a lower visibility zone in forrest would be very helpful here.