84Slashes said:
The higher your relation with a specific NPC, the greater the number of soldiers they will make available to you.
This places inherent value on your relationship with a specific NPC, giving you a reason to complete quests for them, and enhance your capacity to recruit soldiers quickly, from a single location. Consider, also, the way this invests you in an NPC's safety and well-being; when that NPC is at risk, so too is your supply of soldiers. This link, between quests and the sandbox, is what provides interesting gameplay, as your character's connection to the world grows, making allies and enemies. In this sense, the impact of a quest is often more significant than the reward it offers.
A crucial change, in the nature of the quests themselves, is that the majority of quests, in Bannerlord, have multiple potential outcomes. As an example, when a character in a town tasks you with clearing out some thugs, who are occupying a local alley, upon meeting the gang, you are presented with a counter offer: go back to the quest-giver, extort money out of them for questioning the gang's authority and keep the profits for yourself. You can even clear out the thugs, as requested but instead of handing control back to the townsfolk, install your own men in the alley and begin a new criminal operation.
By offering these branching quests, Bannerlord gives you, as a player, the chance to define your relationship with different characters through a narrative. Instead of simply working to earn the favour of specific individuals, you are weighing the value of an NPC's allegiance, against a short term reward. And since the NPCs themselves have their own rivalries and disputes, even taking what seems like the moral option can compromise your standing, with those who disapprove of your choice of friends.
https://www.taleworlds.com/en/Games/Bannerlord/Blog/17
NPCs aren’t neutral or friendly with everyone as in Warband. They develop clan allegances.
