Very difficult to recruit lords

[Timmy d'He]

Does anyone also have this issue? In 1.5.10, I find it super difficult to recruit lords. They are all happy with their leige.

I raised relation with one lord to 43, which is higher than his relationship with his king. He still wouldn't consider joining me.

I can only run my growing kingdom with my own clan members.

 

[Ananda_The_Destroyer]

Go after clans with no fiefs only, the relations aren't going to help enough, they need to be poor and feifless.
The "I'm happy with my liege" is something they say when the amount they would want to chance sides is just way too much more them what you have.

 

[Dabos37]

Yep, talk with fiefless clans and 20 relationship is enough to be friends and get the dialog option. Recruiting fiefless clans when clan leader only has 20K money or so is pretty easy.

What I usually do: I start building relationship with clans I want to recruit in the future. Then I join a neighbor kingdom and help it to conquer the fiefs I want for myself, and ensure that I am getting all fiefs from my “friendly clans”. After some time, I become king keeping all my settlements, and I talk with the clan leaders and recruit them without problems and without having to pay much/any money.

 

[KingEroc1st]

i'd be at war with a kingdom, and scope out a clan i wanna recruit. I hire some mercs and siege down a couple of towns/castles around the fiefs owned by that clan. then i initiate a trade deal offering their ex-neighbour's land in exchange for loyalty. works every time.
if you happen to also want their now fiefless neighbour (too weak for me to include in my kingdom) they'll essentially join for free.

 

[Timmy d'He]

Go after clans with no fiefs only, the relations aren't going to help enough, they need to be poor and feifless.
The "I'm happy with my liege" is something they say when the amount they would want to chance sides is just way too much more them what you have.

That makes sense. Just hired my first lord following your advice

 

[Timmy d'He]

Yep, talk with fiefless clans and 20 relationship is enough to be friends and get the dialog option. Recruiting fiefless clans when clan leader only has 20K money or so is pretty easy.

What I usually do: I start building relationship with clans I want to recruit in the future. Then I join a neighbor kingdom and help it to conquer the fiefs I want for myself, and ensure that I am getting all fiefs from my “friendly clans”. After some time, I become king keeping all my settlements, and I talk with the clan leaders and recruit them without problems and without having to pay much/any money.

Good strat! thanks for sharing