Likely World Area

[TH - The Hunt]

That makes sense. The only power guilds had before the renaissance was the power of hoarding knowledge. Being a merchant in the dark ages was pretty terrible.

[DK - Duergan King]

That makes sense. The only power guilds had before the renaissance was the power of hoarding knowledge. Being a merchant in the dark ages was pretty terrible.

It depends on if you just mean guilds or if you include banks and powerful families such as the Italian families. It also depends on if a group is multi national or not. Guilds would often be expected to train and provide troops to kings for example in the event of war or for the defense of a town or city.

Guilds and banks are vulnerable in history and even a single king can cause massive problems for them if not destroying them outright. The wealth of powerful individuals could get a lot of support from the church and kings often needed to borrow money. Money lenders and banks might be thrown out of a country and even have there money seized but not having that income when needed can cause problems for the offending king. The power they had was from their money and the influence it could buy but it was a fragile and vulnerable power. To a lesser degree you could also say there member could rebel and although I can't think of instances of the top of my head I am sure there are examples.

That is sort of shown in birthright. The money they have can give them influence but they are vulnerable to a kings army should there be a falling out. There members and money in a province could also be shown by agitating the people who depend on there money and work.

[DM Juan]

But, from a practical perspective, I think having resources encourages guilders to be important, and not be trampled all over. From a game-play perspective, this makes it reasonably compelling to play a guilder, and not just play a Wizard or Priest who happens to control guilds/trade too...

[BS - Torpor]

If we remove resources, we can make it impossible to create traderoutes for non-guilders/thiefs (and wizards but only if one end is a source). Then guilders is really a must.

[HW - Halmond Westerly]

I'm not sure I like that Idea though. Yes, Guilders help things, and if done correctly can be a major influence in life. However, the idea that only guilders can create trade routes isn't really something I can get behind. Trade treaties happened all the time, created by various heads of State.

[TH - The Hunt]

A trade treaty between heads of state, if there's no state-owned guilds, is just a diplomacy action that allows trade routes to be created between guilds that have different owners or that are in different realms. The only way to create a trade route without a diplomacy action is to have both ends controlled by the same regent, and in the same realm.

Or to make it a smuggling route between guilds of the same regent in different realms, I guess.

[BB - Bronzebeard]

Will there be shrines in these lands? If no shrines, and/or no ranking religions up, then a Cathedral is just a fancy Palace. What would it's ability be if shrines removed?

That central bay looks like a great place for sea-sidhe/sea-dwarves. Diamurid was planning to sink Cariele and transform everyone into sea-sidhe and Brom actually had a similar thought of transforming dwarves in to amphibious sea-dwarves and moving into the sea away from all the politics on land. Was waiting to see what the powers of the Stone of Moradin were. So their descendants could colonize the bay.

[TH - The Hunt]

Cathedrals might have a direct effect on the faith for the purposes of the builder. A priest regent with no cathedral might be unable to use some of their religion's best abilities, while one with a huge one might be able to discover powers that weren't previously known (assuming the faith was a minor one).

[TH - The Hunt]

Re: Ocean-dwelling, sounds like fun, but Birthright's about having a connection to the land, not having a connection to the sea. Even for those with Masela's bloodline derivation. Ocean-dwelling races should be unable to collect RP or cast realm spells, and probably shouldn't have blooded characters (after a generation or two), either.

(Only coastal areas would be habitable, anyway. Deep ocean is basically desert, ecologically speaking. And it's hard to have a technological civilization without fire.)

[CI - Charrek Ironfist]

That's why you have chained trade routes, to put a need in for proper guilders/thieves.