Why is it hard maintaining your own kingdom?

[Phillip4u]

I was able to form my own kingdom but it been painfully hard lately. I have vassals with 100 relations but he still, end up leaving me even when I give them castles and cities. I notice if you follow them when they leave and talk to them they will join back. However, this can be annoying when you doing a Seige or about to fight an army over 1000+ men and they just disband. Is there something I'm doing wrong or loyalty don't excess in this game? It is also hard for me to take over the map I only have 4 cities, 3 castle, and continually being attacked by 3 Kingdoms(Southern Empire, Western Empire, Khuzaits). At first, I try to be peacefully and pay for peace but I constantly get attack even when I pay for peace it only lasts for a couple of days then the next kingdom attacks. So what I have done now every time I win a fight I execute the lords of the kingdom now. I have so many enemies with -100 it is crazy I only have 5 friends. It has been hard for me to recruit more vassals and keep them. Even if I spent all my influence to get them to 100 relations(keep in mind I don't use mods). I really just want to take over the map and watch my kids grow but I don't know if that even possible and it is frustrating. I'm only at clan Tier 5 and also I grind my way to blacksmith 250 but it is so hard and slow unlocking new blades. Also, is there any easy or good way to level up Charm & Leadership? This has been my 4th character made and I don't want to make anymore because I spent so much time on this character. I just want to find ways that can help better my gameplay. Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[E.M.Baguette]

About leveling up Leadership: the best way is to creates armies, with your companion's parties, so you don't need to use influence to call them. And just play and move everywhere with your army. You will raise up leadership everytime you fight or just move on campaign map. Also, if you wait inside a town with your army, you will improve relationship with traders and artesans from the town. Don't forget to have good variety of food and win battles, so your soldiers morale is always high.

About leveling Charm: If you have a lot of money, just give gifts to nobles. It will improve your relations with them and your charm will level up. When you fight against nobles, release them after battle. Big charm boost.

What version are you playing? Mantaining your own kingdom is hard, but it's possible. When you need to pay a lot of money to a lord to join your kingdom, that mean's the lord don't really think joining your kingdom is a good idea (too weak) and they leave very soon. Small clan lords, like clan Tier 2-3 are more likely to stay with you. In my last kingdom, when most of the lord joined me, they left my kindgom in 10 minutes. Only 3 different clans were really loyal to my kingdom.

 

[Phillip4u]

Thank you for your response. I play on the latest beta version that is out now. I always update it when they release something new.

 

[Owen Wulfson]

I never understood the appeal of founding your own kingdom. Sure, I get that it's possible and something to aim for but the amount of work that's needed to get one up and running always made it feel (to me at least) more trouble than it's worth.

To be fair, my personal aspiration in most M&B playthroughs is to become a powerful lord with a city, a spouse and a high-tier army. The way I see it is that this is pretty doable set of goals that can be reached in a reasonable amount of time but with enough variation to make things interesting. What Bannerlord seeks to alter with this equation is the possibility that, after you do all that, you can be succeeded by an heir who you might decide is interested in becoming a King or Queen in their own right.

Then again, setting up a Kingdom in the beginning might be easier than trying long after the late-game when your chose faction could already painted the map with their colors. So either new mechanics or mods would need to be brought in to make this a more viable option.

 

[CryoNomad]

I never understood the appeal of founding your own kingdom. Sure, I get that it's possible and something to aim for but the amount of work that's needed to get one up and running always made it feel (to me at least) more trouble than it's worth.

To be fair, my personal aspiration in most M&B playthroughs is to become a powerful lord with a city, a spouse and a high-tier army. The way I see it is that this is pretty doable set of goals that can be reached in a reasonable amount of time but with enough variation to make things interesting. What Bannerlord seeks to alter with this equation is the possibility that, after you do all that, you can be succeeded by an heir who you might decide is interested in becoming a King or Queen in their own right.

Then again, setting up a Kingdom in the beginning might be easier than trying long after the late-game when your chose faction could already painted the map with their colors. So either new mechanics or mods would need to be brought in to make this a more viable option.

It's much easier and more practical just to set up your Kingdom from the start then expect to do so later by breaking off in your play-through with some heir. This isn't Crusader Kings political mechanics.

I do agree with you the appeal just isn't there right now. Hopefully that will be fixed when they have all mechanics actually in place.

 

[Graden]

I feel its jumping to end game so fast. I played 65 playtroughs, 420 hours since EA release. I stop as soon as I get some fiefs since then you dont progress anymore. you can just snowball every army out there. I like hitting new clan rank and have some goals to reach like in the early game. I do quests like madman to get reputation. I know its sandbox but ill hope it gets some fleshing out in the mid game department. I really enjoy the first part.

 

[al_dude]

Currently, it is broken.

That is primarily why. Prior 1.4.0, clans didn't leave at all once you get them join you. Looks like they tried to fix that in 1.4.0 and, well, screwed up.

 

[Owen Wulfson]

It's much easier and more practical just to set up your Kingdom from the start then expect to do so later by breaking off in your play-through with some heir. This isn't Crusader Kings political mechanics.

I feel that the bold sentence highlights a flaw with M&B as a medieval simulation. War without politics is just mindless carnage, and so a war game without a political structure of some sort can seem severely lacking. Mount and Blade Bannerlord (at the moment) is just about bigger army diplomacy with no real alternative way to gain or retain power. Once a faction conquers half the map, short of herculean efforts by a player arrayed against them, then that faction has effectively won the game.

Hopefully in time the developers will, once the core has been established, add upon the system with more intricate political structures, faction mechanics and cultural developments. And if not, then at least we have wonderful mods to look forward to that can set up such additions. Then maybe establishing your own Kingdom won't be such a chore...