Concept for Expansion: Nomads & Estates

[Mordkalb]

I remember Pocus asking for suggestions regarding potential expansions/DLCs, so I gave it some thought. Here goes:

Nomads & Estates DLC (DLC 3)

Nomads

DLC1 added Tribes, which give variety and new playstyles. However, they don't distinguish between settled and nomadic societies, with tribal buildings being a blend of both, trade leaning towards. This can lead to a bit of silliness, like spice trade routes in Finland.

To differentiate better, this DLC introduces Nomad Tribes and Settled Tribes (For people who only have DLC1, everything remains as it is, while for people who only have DLC3, Nomad Tribes are playable, Settled Tribes are not). Nomad Tribes get a new set of buildings and a new poptype, Nomads. Nomads can be used to generate either Food or Commerce, but not Infrastructure. They have very high productivity in Steppes, Deserts, Plains and Arid terrains, but basically do nothing in other terrains. They also directly generate manpower per pop, without the need for buildings. In exchange, Nomad Tribes cannot build buildings that generate manpower, as the army and the nomadic population are more or less one and the same.

Estates

In the current version of the game, there are two forms of rebellions: individual generals or province governors rebelling, and local popular uprisings. While both of those things did happen in the medieval era, ethnoreligious large scale organized revolts like the Sicilian Vespers or the St. George's Night Uprising are historical events that the current game engine cannot simulate properly. The same can be said about the complexity of nomad-origin polities like the Seljuqs, who can be described as a nomad and a settled society occupying the same geographical space but having great difficulty interacting with each other.

DLC3 adds the Estate system, where every pop belongs to an estate, divided in European Feudal societies first by religion (so Jews or Muslims would be their own estate with self-governance, as is historical), then ethnicity (so, for example, the Welsh would be considered their own estate in an English kingdom spanning the whole British isles, and as such, capable of revolting as a group - as happened historically with Owen Glendower), and finally by class - commoners, clergy and nobility.

In Nomadic Tribal societies, however, settled peoples are their own combined estates, regardless of their class! This makes interaction with most of your country very different from regular feudalism, and limits the size of your military to your nomadic population, as you don't get recruitment buildings. In emergencies, you can consider drafting them too, for more manpower... but that gives them a lot of power and the realization that they don't necessarily need the tribes for protection...

Estates have their own screen, where you can see each estate's power and loyalty, much like the individual characters. You can click on each estate to open a window where you can see that estate's privileges, grant new ones or revoke existing ones. Privileges give gameplay effects and modify estates' power and loyalty positively and/or negatively.

If an estate's loyalty becomes too low, it can revolt. Unlike local revolts, it forms a new "country" that can act instantly, instead of sitting around and waiting to be beaten down again. This makes internal management a far bigger challenge with risks and rewards. For people without DLC3, the estate system is disabled and internal management functions normally.

What do you think? Is that feasible?

[Pocus]

Hi, and thank you for your feedback. I will add these suggestions to the list of possible improvements and additions for Kingdoms in general. I cannot say whether there will be a third DLC, of course, as it depends in part on the upcoming DLC and the start of a new project. In any case, thank you, as it highlights some of the game's shortcomings.

[Mordkalb]

Thank you for the reply! Personally, I think the game has a long future - I've already wishlisted DLC2 and I plan on streaming a whole lot of it as soon as it comes out. If you have any further questions about the mechanics/concepts posited in this idea, let me know!