Birthright: Chimaeron

My rouge character is already high level with a fully developed trade network. So it would not change anything for Clay. However I do see the change helping to mitigate the death of a guild leader. I have a guilder heir, but she is only level one. If my main character dies trade in my network will be completely screwed up. I would be for the change.

Inheritance does seem likely to be a major issue with the Trade chaining. The other classes have some minor impact from level loss from an heir taking over, fighters have fewer training points, there are a few realm spells that might not be able to be cast by a lower level mage or priest (Improved Bless with it's 7th level caster requirement comes to mind) but the impacts are minor and can be mitigated by having LTs of the appropriate classes. Heck your heir can actually be a totally different class type and things still run fairly normally. Not so with rogues. If a lower level rogue inherits, the trade chain lengths are shortened and provinces cutoff from resources. If a non-rogue inherits, the trade chains all go away and catastrophe ensues.

It would make sense that trade chains remain intact when transferred to a new regent, they just can't be created without the needed level. That's how it works for everything else. Unblooded regents can't create provinces above level 2 or holdings above level 1, but they can still have level 7s and most of the benefits, if they get them from someone else.

That's how I have always interpreted it as well.

I'd think without the appropriate level, the trade just doesn't function as well. Just because Dad had a spell book with Defection and could defect 15 levies at once, doesn't mean I can do so when I inherit. Same goes with trade or war. Your heir isn't as good (well likely not as good). The realm loses a step or two.

Trade effectiveness should be tied to the level of the rogue. If Rogr steps down and hands the keys to his daughter Dianna (priestess of Nesirie), he shouldn't be (nor should his allies be) surprised when trade comes to a screeching halt, deliveries aren't made, resources are in short supply, etc.

Same with if Leira's heir, Bob the Fighter, suddenly takes over and has a massive spell book and sources, but not an inkling what to do with them.

Or Exalted has his heir, the trusty mage Exalted Mage (single class wizard for some reason), suddenly finding themselves in charge and not able to bless land.

Heirs make a difference. Their levels make a difference. Otherwise, everyone should run a merchant, build a few supply chains, then hand off to the warrior/priest/wizard and rock on.

Except the spells you already cast don't suddenly become weaker when you die. Trade routes don't expire on their own, but they are relatively easy to disrupt, they're unlikely to survive a war unless both sides are interested in preserving them. Not being able to replace them means an inherited trade empire becomes vulnerable, it doesn't need to crash instantly.

I agree with Rogr.... If the chain is made on setup, then the trade routes I made at lower level in the first few turns of the game would not chain with the same effectiveness as those made later in the game at a higher level.

It would also open up the question of having players investing routes between one another.

AF - Areida Faderan wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 27, 2019 5:51 pm

Except the spells you already cast don't suddenly become weaker when you die. Trade routes don't expire on their own, but they are relatively easy to disrupt, they're unlikely to survive a war unless both sides are interested in preserving them. Not being able to replace them means an inherited trade empire becomes vulnerable, it doesn't need to crash instantly.

Actually, many of the spells do become weaker. Bless Land, Defection, etc, are all based on caster level.

And trade routes aren't easy to disrupt. They have to be contested out if not known (or occupied and removed forcibly).

You can destroy the road, sink the ships, hit them with negative events (which can happen on its own anyway), use the local law holdings if you're the province ruler, change who the province ruler is...

Those example spells only last one turn, it's the ones the new regent casts that'll be weaker, not the ones from the old one.

Destroying the road takes an action.

Sinking the ships takes an action.

Creating negative events (which are random and not guaranteed to even affect the trade route) takes an action.

Contesting is an action.

I see a pattern here.

If, though, you're saying doing anything is easy (provided you use an action) I'd agree. Everything is easy with actions (and the resources to back it up).