the organization of trade caravans and the included risks are alot more challenging then only grinding gold in fiefs like in last strat.
You need to find locations to cheaply craft and those to sell for high prizes. You need to regularly give your guys gold so they can keep crafting.
You need to make plans what to craft and include that into your calculations of estimated profits therefor the ability to either buy equipment or give more gold to those who are able to craft better gear for lower cost then buying it. For the last thing you need to keep an eye on timelines within you would need different types of equipment.
So yes there is a lot more depth included and a lot more things to be organized which include actually conversations to your faction friends that they see how the system works, to make them aware that at anytime they could be needed to switch from trading goods to crafting Masterwork Gear and vice versa. Players who are more active, regularly online or disciplined and make their contribution to particular time, you then could rely on, those in my eyes have a better chance to succeed to get their economy and therefor an army up and running.
Problems to be solved, are still the commander spawning as far as i am aware of and i don't quite understand that when you attack a village with superior numbers that you would still have less mercs on the roster.
advice: use
eyecandy script from chort, adds some really good functionality
overall i really like where this is going, devs great job!