Slavery - new factions Abolitionists

[sheek]

As it is all players can capture prisoners and sell them into slavery. A simple suggestion which I think would add to the game would be a faction (and NPC introduces you to it) that is dedicated to fighting slavery. You can't capture and sell prisoners any more. Instead of capturing bandits and selling them you have to attack prisoner convoys (or whatever they are called) and take the prisoners prisoner - you take them back to some city (say there are three or four places scattered around the map) where you hand them over to some other people who's role is to smuggle them out, give them new identities etc. You would be given a small amount of money (say 20 gold) per slave saved. Some of the ex-slaves (in random parties) may decide to join your party as hero type characters. The main targets would be man-hunter parties.

This would affect your relations with the other powers. For example if you attack a Vaegir prisoner convoy you would lose points. So you would be a true 'neutral' or if you were on one side you would soon be called a traitor. Because that means there are less towns you can go to either more neutral towns should be made or there should be a few Vaegir/Swadian towns which have secret outposts of the Abolition faction. You can enter those towns (disguised) just to transfer the prisoners and maybe they would have a small number of goods to trade.

This could be developed into the background of the story.

Possible?

 

[GonZ]

I kinda like this idea... I'm going to run with it.

In essence it would like playing a freedom fighter. A Robin Hood type character - champion of the people. This could add an interesting herioc element to the game.

I could see a situation where your character is being hunted by both factions, but supported by the people. You could re-distribute wealth captured from raids and ambushes. Raid the tax collectors convoy and give (some) of the gold back to the peasants... in return you would get recruits from the villages and food and horses equipment etc.

Course this would only work if the campaign map recorded and responded to your actions... so you are actually slowly acheiving freedom, village by village, town by town.

 

[LarZal]

I love the Robin Hood thing.

But what about an "enforcer" job. You'd fight all the outlaws and deserters and defend caravans.

In return you'd receive a discount in stores and authority amongst the people. Dark Hunters would hate you, but the regular folks' morale would climb sky-high when fighting with you against the outlaws. You could also recruit a new troop, an enforcer.

The thing would be started by the count in the neutral starting town as he'd have been followig as you had taken out the riverbandits, growing respect in you.

 

[GonZ]

I'm with you... maybe you would get appointed as sherrif of a town and have to defend the place and bring outlaws to justice.

 

[Simetrical]

Out of period, really. I mean, M&B is set in a fictional world, sure, but it's based on the medieval times. I think that adding 19th-century-style abolitionists would spoil the setting, personally.

 

[Ingolifs]

Alos back then people didn't really protest for human rights of others. It was more about their own expected benefit or how much money/land they could get out of it.

 

[JohnathanStrange]

It could be a worthwhile option, though aside from the early game, the money paid per captive didn't amount to much anyway - not enough to be taking a trip back to the salt mines or Zendar. So, it would have no effect on what I do.

I'm not against the idea. For variety, sure, though calling them abolitionists seems a little anachronistic given our medieval-themed setting but, as I always point out, this is not an exact historical recreation anyway and you could always devise a more appropriate medieval-sounding name anywayt. One could always free only Vaegir or Swadian captives or claim some Calradian myth that required captives be freed.

My obligatory GTA: San Andreas reference: this is the M&B version of the vigilante missions.

One version of the anti-slavery-free-the-people idea would simply track one's reputation as a friend of the poor (on some stats screen) and benefit one with tangible benefits from low recruitment costs, etc.

I'm still lukewarm about the idea, but it's not without interesting possiblities.

 

[Temujin]

I don't mind seeing this, IF it is possible for my character to attack the abolitionists and kill/enslave them.

it would add lots of fun to the game and my roleplaying if I can go hunt down these pests of society

 

[dorni]

You can do some of this already. You can attack prison trains. Even if you're working on one side, you have the option of attacking that side's prisoner train (there's a "free these prisoners" dialog). And after you kill the prison train guards, the prisoners are a free party (or you can "capture" them into your own party, and pay them weekly wages).

And despite your relationship rating with a particular party, you can still enter their towns. I'm -100 with the Swadians, but I can still hang out at their taverns, train my troops etc. So there's no worries about "neutral" towns.

Personally, I'll free any prisoners from "my" side, but not from the "other" side.

 

[The Pope]

I'M SPARTACUS!

 

[JohnathanStrange]

NO! I'm Spartacus!