Why you no can install friendly regimes?!

[GrizzlyAdamz]

I've got my eyes on grabbing a chunk of vaegirs for myself, but to do so alone would be suicide. So I devised the ingenious plot to help a couple claimants take their thrones first, establishing concrete allies. But then I found you have to swear fealty? Wtf? My contingecny is to worrk mercenary in several countries, using chivalry to win hearts and minds of those I defeat, but this isn't my preferred method. Are there any other ways?

 

[chargers1783]

Because this game revolves around war and if there was forever peace then you have beat the game, so they don't want it to be extremely easy to beat. And yes I believe once you help a claimant you cannot leave their faction (needs to be checked) so your best choice right now is to build relations, the best allies are the lords themselves, after you have a town or two and maybe a castle break off from your action make your own. Make sure you have good relations with lords, it's not a kingdom without followers. The more towns the better because fiefs attract lords and towns have more fiefs.

 

[GrizzlyAdamz]

Bah, I wish to establish my faction straight from mercenary status. Which seems to be harder to do the more I look at it. Further, I found that cozying up with the sovereign causes a lot of sad feelings across the realm, (collecting taxes, sacrificing your troops etc), and I'd rather just avoid all that juju, come in as a brand new outside party everyone likes.

 

[chargers1783]

Bah, I wish to establish my faction straight from mercenary status. Which seems to be harder to do the more I look at it. Further, I found that cozying up with the sovereign causes a lot of sad feelings across the realm, (collecting taxes, sacrificing your troops etc), and I'd rather just avoid all that juju, come in as a brand new outside party everyone likes.

No getting around this, the game is based on fighting, not made for diplomacy (there is a mod called  DIplomacy though) it is for fighting and becoming the ultimate BA. You don't even need to ask for vassalage after a while you gain enough renown to where you get offers to join. Still if you want fiefs good relations are a large requirement. But being a mercenary you don't get fiefs so I believe it is not possible to go from mercenary to ruler, not to mention you will probably get your ass handed to you by every other faction with a newly captured castle or town.

 

[GrizzlyAdamz]

Yeah, that's just it. I figure I'm going to have to run an elite merc outfit for a few years, building up my badassery and public relations until the point where I can snatch a castle. If that isn't possible I might wind up joining a faction at the last second, petitioning for a large fief and splitting off asap, but I'd prefer to go it alone. Might look around for those mods....

 

[chargers1783]

Diplomacy is a good mod, adds a touch of decisions you can make with other nations, and it works with native save games. Your best option would be if you see a recently captured town try to join up with the faction that lost it and retake the the town or castle (there should be few troops defending it) ask for it and try to capture another castle ask for it and deny his offers till he finally gives it to someone else then you can rebel keeping the castle/town you were already awarded. I bolded so you get what I'm saying and not get confused as I am horrible at explaining things at times.

 

[JosieJ]

It's entirely possible to go straight from mercenary--or rather, independent--status to king of your own faction.  Simply snatch a town or castle and never join a faction.  The other types of things that you should do before you grab some land are the same types of things you should do before you join a faction: establish a firm economic base, level yourself/companions up to a respectable level, assemble an army, build relations, rack up right to rule, etc.

 

[chargers1783]

is it possible to to from a mercenary of a kingodm to king? I did not think it was possible because you can't own fiefs as mercenary for a kingdom.

 

[JosieJ]

is it possible to to from a mercenary of a kingodm to king? I did not think it was possible because you can't own fiefs as mercenary for a kingdom.

True, which is why I said "or rather, independent."  That really didn't make what I was thinking in that post clear, though: sorry for that.  What I actually meant was that you could be roleplaying your character as a merc.  You can't actually have a merc contract with another faction active, as you said.

 

[chargers1783]

Oh ok I thoguht I had just never been able to do it and you had some kind of super power to make your king bow down to you, just some misreading.