Paragraph 1) This will depend on the needs of the players. Good luck "forcing" PCs or NPCs alike to do anything. They won't be able to unless there is a signed contract.

2) Maybe, but most objectives will be city planning/development. You may or may not get SP for putting a bakery where the city manager wanted one.

3) Nope to either of those because then the non-participants would become participants in the developing war against whoever would be trying to do that. This won't be like the movies/tv, not everyone packed up and went to war. Basic needs still must be tended and if everyone is at war no one is working to pay the taxes of those off at war. Actually it would make more sense to tax the soldiers because non-participants were the only people paying taxes during the war. Families left behind still need food, so someone has to farm. War must be supplied so someone has to craft. Stuff like that. Anyone trying to rally "every able bodied man" isn't fit to rule because they're an inbred noble with a defected mind.

I have to disagree with #3 Kelipski.

If you live in a small town, and there is a force impeding close, threatening the land, and raiding the outskirts, but the Baron's army is days away, then the Mayor of that town should try to rally every able bodied fighter to defend the town. He would be a fool for not trying to (Success is independent of the trying).

"Oh hey guys! There's a huge force of invaders drawing close, and our reinforcements are days away. Can some of you fight while the rest sit back and act like nothing is happening?"

Doesn't seem like the best plan in my opinion!

Posted By Selique at 08:25 AM - Tue May 23 2017

I have to disagree with #3 Kelipski.

If you live in a small town, and there is a force impeding close, threatening the land, and raiding the outskirts, but the Baron's army is days away, then the Mayor of that town should try to rally every able bodied fighter to defend the town. He would be a fool for not trying to (Success is independent of the trying).

"Oh hey guys! There's a huge force of invaders drawing close, and our reinforcements are days away. Can some of you fight while the rest sit back and act like nothing is happening?"

Doesn't seem like the best plan in my opinion!

Sure, in that specific case if you were going to be attacked directly no matter what you should defend yourself. But the OP asked about implicit contracts to conscript people for general warfare. #3 may not work in some specific hypothetical instances, but in general it answers the question that implicit contracts will not be effective kingdom wide to conscript soldiers.

Posted By Kelipski at 09:46 AM - Tue May 23 2017

Posted By Selique at 08:25 AM - Tue May 23 2017

I have to disagree with #3 Kelipski.

If you live in a small town, and there is a force impeding close, threatening the land, and raiding the outskirts, but the Baron's army is days away, then the Mayor of that town should try to rally every able bodied fighter to defend the town. He would be a fool for not trying to (Success is independent of the trying).

"Oh hey guys! There's a huge force of invaders drawing close, and our reinforcements are days away. Can some of you fight while the rest sit back and act like nothing is happening?"

Doesn't seem like the best plan in my opinion!

Sure, in that specific case if you were going to be attacked directly no matter what you should defend yourself. But the OP asked about implicit contracts to conscript people for general warfare. #3 may not work in some specific hypothetical instances, but in general it answers the question that implicit contracts will not be effective kingdom wide to conscript soldiers.

I doubt there will ever be a major issue with conscription. The NPCs won't have today's culture where everyone loses their shit over the very idea of conscription.

Historically it happened smoothly all of the time, and some countries today (Switzerland is one that comes to mind) still make enlistment mandatory.

I'd love to hear about the implementation and enforcement mechanisms for kingdom wide conscription. Will it start with kingdom wide birth certificates? Or kingdom wide social security numbers? And then enrollment into selective service when you apply for your cart-driving licence? And then exemption judges to oversea cases?

Since it's already been stated that only land owners can be tracked please have some pseudo-philosophical analysis of how modern techniques will be applied to the bronze age video game mechanics.

Also, mandatory enlistment periods and drafts are completely different things. Dozens of countries have mandatory service requirements. And if by today's culture losing their shit over the very idea of conscription you're referring to the US I invite you to look at our military. We don't need to force people into the military because enough of us volunteer. Of course we spend more than the next 25 countries combined on defense so no... we don't need a massive increase of untrained, non-volunteer forces to get us volunteers killed. Its not just civilians that lose their shit as such an idiotic idea, volunteers don't want the person next to them to be forced to be there... I really don't think anything you said was related to a video game or an accurate representation of realty. I guess you're from a "better" generation.

From what I am seeing so far, it seems like there might be structures in place. The actual process of declaring war and such seems to be structured in a way that whatever positions necessary to take place in the war would be covered.

For example, and I may just be misunderstanding, if one side is the defending region, it stands to reason that in a game where NPCs exist as fillers, the same would potentially be true of wars. I feel like it would be a bit....rude?...to create a no win scenario if a kingdom is unable to muster a defense. But then again, I suppose that would directly correlate to the strength of the kingdom and expansion of civilization in the game; weaker kingdoms get knocked off, stronger kingdoms may be brought down through intrigue...meh. I feel like the military settlements are going to have a much greater impact on the game than other MMOs. Most MMOs i have seen relegate pvp to its own corner. This one seems to be working to give each play style a valid position in the grand scheme of things.

Posted By Kelipski at 11:19 PM - Sat May 27 2017

I'd love to hear about the implementation and enforcement mechanisms for kingdom wide conscription. Will it start with kingdom wide birth certificates? Or kingdom wide social security numbers? And then enrollment into selective service when you apply for your cart-driving licence? And then exemption judges to oversea cases?

Since it's already been stated that only land owners can be tracked please have some pseudo-philosophical analysis of how modern techniques will be applied to the bronze age video game mechanics.

Also, mandatory enlistment periods and drafts are completely different things. Dozens of countries have mandatory service requirements. And if by today's culture losing their shit over the very idea of conscription you're referring to the US I invite you to look at our military. We don't need to force people into the military because enough of us volunteer. Of course we spend more than the next 25 countries combined on defense so no... we don't need a massive increase of untrained, non-volunteer forces to get us volunteers killed. Its not just civilians that lose their shit as such an idiotic idea, volunteers don't want the person next to them to be forced to be there... I really don't think anything you said was related to a video game or an accurate representation of realty. I guess you're from a "better" generation.

Historically it's mostly been withing the jurisdiction of barons for conscription during war.

You're mixing up modern society and warfare with medieval society and warfare. Numbers meant more than training because tactics and weaponry hadn't advanced enough.

Just start knocking on doors like a tax collector, give a pike to any of-age male, and throw them on a line.

I'm sure at there will be a chance to put something like that in the local law. But if you keep forcing people to go to war that they do not support who knows how long you will live? And who is there to collect on a contract if the Baron is dead?

Also, depending on the lord what're the chances NPCs will just defect to the other side?

I would argue that an invading army is a good enough reason for someone to up and leave if they didn't like where they were at to start.

They might have their basic needs met (food,water, shelter) but if they were lacking in the security and ideal side would that be enough to convince them to leave?

Posted By Japninja808 at 02:53 AM - Sun May 28 2017

Also, depending on the lord what're the chances NPCs will just defect to the other side?

I would argue that an invading army is a good enough reason for someone to up and leave if they didn't like where they were at to start.

They might have their basic needs met (food,water, shelter) but if they were lacking in the security and ideal side would that be enough to convince them to leave?

Potentially, but the NPCs should also have a sense of duty to defend their homelands.