Being a bard is BIG business. Who is going to get to a town first: A bard who
works three days moves, works three days moves, or a fighting force which
spends a large portion of their time working in order to sustain themselves
as well as training. News may not spread well, but it IS faster then PCs. I
also don't see anything wrong with computer controlled units popping up, and
attacking percieved threat PCs. They should immediately dissolve once they
lose though. Revolts that dissapate seem to dissapear fast. These units should
be large, and weak generally. VERY good morale though.
OK here is a neat idea. Peasant warning stats. Each unit when started has a
peasant loyalty of 100%. Regardless of who brought the unit to be it was
orriginally made up of peasants, and the town will protect the peasant. ie
this unit has a 100% flee rate. Each month a units Peasant loyalty goes down
5%. Certain actions will speed this up. Impressing people into a unit. Taxing
the populous over a certain extent. Any unit stacked with a castle improves
its loyalty. It is defending the populous. Say 10% or so. This is due to the
fact castles represent stability against thieves and the like. Killing a unit
which has achieved Tyrant status (10% or less) increases your peasant loyalty
of all units in town of that faction by 25%. Units in a town with a castle from
their faction get 8% per update. Patrolling troops. So everyone doesn't become
a tyrant the troops should stop losing loyalty at 30% or so. Peasants hate
the leaders, but they don't hate them that much for just existing.
This system was devised as a system for logically protecting newbies in a
method which makes perfect sense. If the peasants like you they will tell you
about ambushes, and people looking for your faction. If they hate you do you
think they are going to open their mouths, or hide you from the threat. The
system would work on two rolls. First roll is whether you get warned. Peasant
loyalty of 100% means you ALWAYS get warned. Free month for newbies. Second
rolls is for if someone will protect you or not. If you make the second roll
then you get to stay in town, and the attacker can not find you. You are down
in one of the 1000 inhabitants root celler. Yeah right you are going to be
found, and killing peasants to get to a faction being hidden is an immediate
0% peasant loyalty. News like that gets around fast. Killing a PC unit is
- that units loyalty. What-ever peasants supported him are going to hate you
without too much doubt. Actually that would be other units (100-%)*your loyalty
- 20% for being agressive. All and all this system is practical for a society
where peasants are essentially fighting their way to royalty. It allows also
for carefull kings to have a happy populace, and a good reputation, and it
adds some deapth to the idea of peasants making people run away before the
combat starts. Peoples loyalty should also be available. Everyone knew Billy
the kid. He walked into town, and all of the farmers left. If someone shot him
no one cares == tyrant. People didn't trust the `good-guy' gun fighters, but
if Billy was after them you could be sure someone would tell them about it.
- outta here - JAW