Current rules:
1x - 2x multi = no gold
3x - 4x multi = 1 gold per minute
5x multi = 2 gold per minute
So let's call it 1 gold per minute on average.
If you play for 3 hours, you'll generate 180 gold.
This is just enough gold to pay the bill for 128 troops, assuming you play for 3 hours every day and don't get stuck at x1 for too long.
It will also buy you 1 mediocre weapon, or about half of a German Greatsword.
Meanwhile, 3 hours of not logging in will get you 3 goods in Strat, which can easily be worth 180 gold with a moderate trade run. And you can generate 24 of those every day without needing to play or log in at all, generating 1440 gold (this is a mid-range figure. You can get a lot more if you do long distance trades, which many clans are doing).
Can we not make cRPG generated gold worth at least something useful in Strategus?
I propose:
1x - 2x = 0 gold
3x - 4x = 5 gold
5x = 10 gold
So playing for 3 hours will net you around 900 Strategus gold.
That's by no means a substitute for trading but it may help you maintain your army in an emergency and gives some meaning to the gold you make while playing.