You have to find a duke to pledge too, not pledge in the forums. From my understanding, the Dukes pay barons money for the military.

Baronies are military settlements charged with the defense of their leige's lands, as opposed to settlements run by mayors which are places for people to live, learn and work. Settlements grow their economy and pay taxes, some of those taxes go towards supporting the barons at the frontier.

That's my understanding, anyway!

mayor and baron are the same domain selection wise...

Posted By Caelestius at 10:35 AM - Thu Jun 08 2017

Baronies are military settlements charged with the defense of their leige's lands, as opposed to settlements run by mayors which are places for people to live, learn and work. Settlements grow their economy and pay taxes, some of those taxes go towards supporting the barons at the frontier.

That's my understanding, anyway!

Baronies and mayoral settlements both pay taxes to their count. Baronies receive money back from their Duke to support their military forces.

There will likely be far fewer baronies than mayoral settlements. Especially for interior lands. And finally everyone starts as a mayor and must sign a contract with their Duke to become a baron. In addition a count can run a military settlement and be a defacto Baron as well as being a count. Provided their Duke wants a military post in the settlement where the count picks his/her seat.

Barons are a contract title made between a Duke and Mayor in return for funding from them, usually based on location and to provide defenses, standing militia, training, etc.

They also hold special rights because of this relationship they have with their Duke, like the right to judge crimes in higher courts. They're still Mayors in their own right, just with extra responsibilities and don't start up as one from the start.

Also, it is my understanding there is nothing stopping you from building defensive things on your own with your own money if your a mayor. And I have never heard barons pick before mayors. How could that even happen as your not a Baron until you pick? Sure you can make a deal with your Duke before you pick but how would they game know this then apply it to the picking order? I believe that it is totally based on influence when you pick. In case of a tie I think it was said your actual pledge number(what order you pledged in) would be the tie breaker.

I think it was said that some pre-made baronies would already be there when you pick. So in the case of them you sort of are picking a barony before you make your deal with the Duke. But I imagine you would have to make a deal with the Duke for any further monies.

All that being said, you may want to start looking for a Duke to sponsor your Barony so that when the game comes out you aren't running around trying to find one but will already have an established sponsor. Also, I'd imagine that dukes will only be able to sponsor a set number of baronies (since they fund them) and people can't just self appoint themselves as barons since they require sponsorship. So, strike while the iron is hot.

Thanks everyone for answering so quickly.

Not going to lie... I don't have a clue what's going on with this (and I suspect I'm not alone!)

I've been following the game since very early on, and have not been interested in the whole "kingdom shuffle" politics, I just wanted to play the game.

So, am I expected to do something "before" the game to align with certain other player classes? As far as I can tell, I'm a Mayor (Astronomer pledge). "OR" Baron. I don't get it :(

And more so, what will this be like for players who come to the game after it's launched?

Perhaps there's a good CoE For Dummies somewhere?

Posted By Lethality at 12:39 PM - Thu Jun 08 2017

Not going to lie... I don't have a clue what's going on with this (and I suspect I'm not alone!)

I've been following the game since very early on, and have not been interested in the whole "kingdom shuffle" politics, I just wanted to play the game.

So, am I expected to do something "before" the game to align with certain other player classes? As far as I can tell, I'm a Mayor (Astronomer pledge). "OR" Baron. I don't get it :(

And more so, what will this be like for players who come to the game after it's launched?

Perhaps there's a good CoE For Dummies somewhere?

Mayor= money. Baron=troops. Money goes to the Count. Defensive structures can be paid for by the Duke if you have a contract with him. Simple as that.

I wouldn't say "expected to do something." Many people have grouped together and laid out their plans of what Dukedoms and counties they want to be in and the philosophies of these areas. You as a mayor should "eventually" find a count to work with. Even if just so as to not pick an area that maybe someone else has negotiated being in.

I myself think it is too early to make specific plans with people because you don't even know what area your County will be in yet. I have a Duke i am pledged to that fits my game philosophy nicely and thats about it. They have a mud/pre-game coming out relatively soon that seems to me will be a more official way making your place in the world and meeting your neighbors. The devs have said that they are very surprised how proactive the community has been in making their plans and that they had always planned to help us a long with it with the mud. So I wouldn't worry too much about it yet until the mud comes out. Unless of course your into all that then have at it.

Posted By Lethality at 11:39 AM - Thu Jun 08 2017

Not going to lie... I don't have a clue what's going on with this (and I suspect I'm not alone!)

I've been following the game since very early on, and have not been interested in the whole "kingdom shuffle" politics, I just wanted to play the game.

So, am I expected to do something "before" the game to align with certain other player classes? As far as I can tell, I'm a Mayor (Astronomer pledge). "OR" Baron. I don't get it :(

And more so, what will this be like for players who come to the game after it's launched?

Perhaps there's a good CoE For Dummies somewhere?

LOL! You're not a dummy, my friend!

Think of it like a pizza. The settlements that fall on the outside, on the crust portion, will be more likely to become baronies because they will be against the crust of another kingdom. Can't let the toppings mix!

Settlements that fall on the inside, like pepperoni, will be more likely run by Mayors because they don't have much need for a military. They're perfectly protected in their warm, cheezy domain.

The Duke/Duchess is the person making the pizza, picking just the right ingredients to make the crust tough but enticing and perfectly placing the pepperoni to avoid having too much in one bite.

The Queen/King is the person ordering the pizza, telling the Duke/Duchess exactly what they want on the pizza and trusting the Duke/Duchess to organize it in a way that is both appetizing and defensible.

Cause I just bought this pizza and dern it I'm gonna enjoy it!

Mayors and barons are exactly the same except for a single contract made with a Duke.

So to start domain selection those who fall under counts the aristocracy are all mayors. Barons do not yet exist prior t domain selection.

That doesn't mean there aren't already fortified settlements with huge walls and a strong defensive castle here and there along the border between counties between duchies and certainly between kingdoms. As was explained the world generator will place fortifications in positions it thinks needs them. For example on the edge of a kingdom border, or where multiple roads converge. Where the land is flat and fertile there will more likely be a large town with plenty of open farmland.

If you have a mayor/Baron package you can pick either of those types of settlements. One that is fortified or one that is open and more positioned for trade. After selection you are still a mayor. Even if you pick the castle and fortified city you are a mayor.

Keep in mind a count, may pick a heavily fortified settlement and act as a defacto Baron as well making a deal with their Duke just like a mayor could. They would still collect taxes and such but thus far nothing has been said preventing the Duke from giving money to a count to field an army.

Once expo starts if you want to be a baron you will need to seek out your Duke and sign a contract. Again either the flat open settlement or the castle can be a baron. There is nothing stopping you from asking.

Both settlements will need to pay taxes to their count. However the mayor who signs a contract with the duke now recieves funding from their duke to build and maintain more defensive structures.

I believe for an NPC Duke those settlements the system thinks need to be fortified in world generation will start with a basic contract with the NPC Duke but do NOT quote me on that part. That is my understanding and a longer version of what I posted above.

@ Malais

Thank you for the great explanation. Although a baron with an open small village does seem strange, it is a possibility under the framework you described.

Posted By DrKrang at 1:54 PM - Thu Jun 08 2017

@ Malais

Thank you for the great explanation. Although a baron with an open small village does seem strange, it is a possibility under the framework you described.

As it was explained to me it's that way because that open villiage MAY be in an important strategic point that the Duke wants to reinforce for some reason. By making that village mayor a baron he can funnel money to them to build castles and such.

Thank you guys for all of the effort in explaining, it's much clearer now! I can relate to pizza :)

I do still have some questions such as: - What if I don't, for whatever reason, participate in the land selection process? - How will entry into the game be presented to players post-launch?

I really should have payed more attention earlier on I guess!