We do not work that way, we don't not have individuals do their own thing, if you are in our clan, and participate in strat, you help the faction as a whole, if not there is no need to be a part of our faction and we make that clear. If he is using our S&D and trade he is doing so knowing it is for the factions profit to better suite the clan and not for a bank deposit for when that member chooses to leave. Were are a faction, not a hub for solo traders and personal profit. You may hold different rules as you are merc's, but we do not hold that mentality.
Perhaps that's what makes my view so much more different. Each person in the clan does there own thing, but it's combined all for the better of all of us. But, if 1 person has trouble(as bacon did some time ago) then it's his job to rebuild it...(or in my case I needed his tax money so I got him restarted cause his tax money is worth more) But each person does what they want because they want to, not because I tell them too. Bacons trade runs were HIS deal, HIS money, HIS Gear, HIS troops. But I made money off of it via taxes(like a tithe almost). I just follow a decentralized plan. If all the other guys were as ACTIVE as I was, we'd actually be doing more than 1 job at a time.
As for letting him get away, we have numerous reason, one is simply retribution for what he did, but others include nipping this in the butt before he can regroup with more troops/gear to come back on us. The fact that he needs to know this will not be accepted regardless of what we may lose, it's just silly to let him get away and potentially cause more harm in the long run with better gear are more coordination. We rather kill that threat while at our doorsteps than to deal with it later on. Hospitaller has always had the mind set that we may lose a fight/war, we may lose more resources that gaining, but we always have our principals, and are more than willing and able to die for them.
I can't speak for the other clans but would imagine if one of their members took 800 equipped troops and threatened to join a hostile faction if they came after him while they tried to run away taunting said faction while doing so, they would be met with the same fate.. but again, that is purely speculation on my part.
Regardless, if he does ANYTHING with those troops besides sit there and recruit it'll be SOMEONE ELSES troops. But I guess, you guys attacked him so it doesn't matter. I think it is a stupid endevor and worthless since, it's 1 guy and even if he does nothing BUT recruit, he can't get huge troop amounts except over time, otherwise, those troops have to come from elsewhere.
That's also why my faction it's each person has their own army. To prevent this.
Oh you wanna go on your own? Fine IDC, your stuff anyway.
Just my opinions. No battle is worth it if you don't come out ahead.
For your pleasure:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7jHp7OchP0That might work well for your 1 fief faction anders, but when your talking about a larger clan like hospi, the gold is theirs because the village the goods were either sold or purchased in belongs to the clan, or to a clan that hospi leaders had to talk to and do some diplomacy with to get a trade deal. The clan did all the work to obtain either the trade deal, or the village where the goods were purchased. The merchant is just transporting the clans goods, he did nothing to earn them.
HEY I'm a 4 man faction, much the same as LL is right now!
But my point stands on some grounds even then. His time, His effort. You're right in that it may not be HIS actual gear, troops, gold, or otherwise. But, in strat, Logistics beats everything else. Sure I can have 1000000k armies, but if no one is willing to spend time, or effort to move shit around, that's just wasted space.
You buy your clan mates time(and time is precious, you have only a limited supply of it, and each persons time is different). Though that's a little TOO philosophical, it's true!
And who's to say that my model wouldn't work for large clans? Personal initiative beats everything else. If Hosp had people who wanted to own what they did and could do it what ever way they like and had to handle the benefits or consequences, would their activity as a whole go up?
TLDR: I'm Talking philosophy about how factions act.