This strat round has been around for enough time that market growth in every fiefs has reached a point where :
- S&D is piling up everywhere
- everyone has (or can have) millions of gold
- everyone is (or could be) on "cheat mode" and can have top gear for every battles (minus logistic problems)
But troops is still only player-based, so you can have billions upon billions of silver and gear, you need to have players behind you to field a reasonable force.
The alternative to that is the troops market : buying directly to players. At the moment the market is pretty frozen for multiple reasons so it is hard for small factions to have some fun.
Not saying it is bad, thats just the reality, and it prepares for my next argument.
I am in the "billion of gold/gear, no troops" category which is why I though of a way (if not balanced, at least innovative) to result in more possibilities for me, then everyone else too.
What if you could buy mercenary troops in fiefs, using S&D ?
Let's set a random crazy price of 1 mercenary troop = 50 silver
Final price will be 50 x fief S&D price + taxes (minimum of 5 = 250 silver per troop (which is average troop market price), maximum of 25 = 1250 silver per troop, with taxes multiplying from 1 to 2)
Everyone with enough silver in their pocket could go into a fief, and buy mercenaries. Dont expect to get away with a big 10 000 troops unarmed dot on the map though.
Good/Bad effects :
- More available manpower = more stacking (modify the 1/3 rule, remove the old recruitment system completely)
- Controlling fiefs would mean controlling a source of troops = more incentive to conquer and hold territories (over-extension and S&D management will become critical again)
- Economical power would boost Military power = more incentive to have active multi-purpose caravans players (and more power to solo players and opportunities to rebel!)
- Mercenary market and goods market using same ressource = choose between troops and gear (more troops for less gear, or more gear for less troops)
= less silver for faction that would use the mercenary market (indirectly solve the overwhelming silver/gear situation that creates shiny armies for everyone)
- Creates a new way to have troops mid-game = completely changes the manpower generation and geopolitical strenght of factions (Good/Bad depending on viewpoints)
- Easy to steal S&D for mercenaries = armies could be raised anywhere in an instant and would be able to cripple an empire that is not micro-managed a lot (add silver view on dots, add silver stealing on kills, add ways to manage your S&D easily)
- Easy to exploit = go into a fief with lots of weapon crates and silver and 100 men, buy for 5000 mercenary troops and instantly attack the fief you bough it from, and other crazy situations (would be somewhat cool actually...)
- .....
- Other things I could have typed in red or green but did not think of :P
Random crazy idea #47, over!
Give troops, I buy very much very costy!