No. No assistants.
> 1. I can get a lot of "companions" and get them to the level of apprentice
> smith. This is similar of the current system.
Considering that your entire faction will probably be < 10 individuals,
you won't achieve huge growth by throwing men at the problem. If you want
to produce more, you could increase your skill or start with more resources
(gold, wood, leather, etc.)
> 2. I can try and hire for some gold a few assistent smiths. Hopefully I
> can get some skilled ones. What if none are available? Should I offer more
> gold so that possible assistents travel from far away to be hired?
No ASSIST command either.
> Question 4 : how will the game feel? Will be more focused on individual
> adventurers and craftsmen? Will it still be possible to play like we do
> now, but without all the hassle of having a big payroll to fulfill?
That's the idea. You play the master craftsman, but not the drones who
might be working for him.
-- Rich Skrenta <skrenta@rt.com> N2QAV