Warlords: Three Kingdoms

Fessek wrote:Perhaps there should be a morale penalty for troops given to a ruler. I wouldn't be very enthusiastic about working for someone else all the sudden.

Or place a limit as too how long a PC has been in the sim before they can hand over troops/gold. Make it so you that 3 months have to pass from character creation before you can hand stuff over. It'll somewhat diminish the effects of creating characters just for troops.

Yes. Morale penalty was exactly what I have thought about. It is logic as well since the PC would give his men to a ruler. No doubt loyalty plays a factor is determining the morale of soldiers given.

Perhaps also limit how many troops a ruler can receive in total from PCs, in a season. Reach that max limit, ruler would have to wait again for next season. That way, we can at least reduce this unbalanced matter. It can be fair too since the other rulers without the PCs giving soldiers can have the time, space and opportunity to plan and prepare.

The whole BP thing is very good. A new concept and a nice idea. Troops should still be in there IMO, since it offers much variation and ways for a player to play the game. However the power of it must be reduced to avoid it being too powerful to such a level that it can disrupt the flow of the game and battles itself.

I'm not commenting on the Troops background points for now - because although it seems that most people are certain it has terribly imbalanced the game, the only real effect it has had is a few rulers have expanded slightly faster. No ruler has been destroyed because of the troops Background Points. No one has lost a battle because of them.

Well, maybe Lu Ning, but he's being destroyed by a Personal Army - not a ruler who recruited officers with a Personal Army.

I hate to break it to you, but you just commented on it

In general though, I still agree with SZM. It should be toned down at least.

Like I said - can't scream imbalance if there haven't been any significant imbalancing effects.

We'll wait and see.

I agree it is too early to make an assessment, but I also don't think we can shrug off how important quick early expansion can eventually be for a kingdom. Especially if some get an advantage from it to expand first and faster.

I realize I'm only a town ruler, but I'd have been swept off the map first turn by a force of OOC recruited PC armies if not for NPC intervention.

That anyone is capable of getting 4500+ free, trained, armored troops this early is unbalancing.

I have to agree 100% with Fessek and ol' Ranbir.

I am keeping track of this guys.

The average ending soldiers for PC rulers after the first turn was 4090.

Four rulers had significantly more soldiers than the average. Two were at about 130%, One was a at about 180%, and one was at 250%.

14 of the 17 rulers received an officer with extra troops.

I then use the formula that a village is worth 1 point, a town 4, and a city 12. (based on income potential).

Average expansion points after the first turn for those who got a much larger number of troops: 4.75 points
Average expansion points after the first turn for those who got an average number of troops: 5.8 points
Average expansion points after the first turn for those who got a substandard number of troops: 5.5

If I remove the GM NPC interference for Fessek's case, the top number increases to 5.75, which is still right in line with everyone else.

In the end, you can make a far greater corrollation between expansion and neighbors(or lack thereof) than you can of initial troops. There is only one ruler in the game that I think has gained a ridiculous advantage from OOC recruitment - and the very fact I know they have gained that advantage makes it less likely they will gain a real advantage out of it.

And no, that ruler is not the one most of you are worried about.

I'm glad that it is being tracked.

If their is an imbalance I don't think you'd see it in that first round of expansionism. Most rulers went after unclaimed territory in the first turn, and whether or not they had troops was largely irrelevant. It will be more telling to see who is standing after the first rounds of actual fighting.

Fessek wrote:I realize I'm only a town ruler, but I'd have been swept off the map first turn by a force of OOC recruited PC armies if not for NPC intervention.

That anyone is capable of getting 4500+ free, trained, armored troops this early is unbalancing.

Just so you know, I didn't use an OOC recruited PC army that turn. I used conscripts, hence their 40 training.

My PCs held onto their personal armies. Just so you know.