August Update
Once again we have reached the first Saturday of the month, so it is time for another update.
The previous work on faction-based random events focused on the main concerns of the kingdom: nobility, clergy, and peasantry, as well as the nascent class of burgesses. These are important enough to be shown at all times, but there are other concerns in the kingdom as well.
Bandits are one such concern. There are numerous ways for bandits to infest the kingdom: dismissing mercenaries, poverty and ruin, angry peasants, and even some event outcomes. On the whole, having bandits around is unpleasant.
That's not to say it is all bad, though. If the problem festers, you might be able to ask for certain favors that are not available elsewhere.
Another of these concerns is the Jewish community. In our timeline, William I resettled many Jews from France to England, primarily to serve as moneylenders. Before this time, the economy in England was only semi-cash: some obligations were still paid in kind and William much preferred coin. In exchange for this, he placed the Jewish community directly under him without any intermediary. Should anyone do harm to a Jew, it directly concerned the Crown. On the other hand, English kings had a free hand to extract extortionate taxes from Jews.
Despite these protections, Jews frequently were the target of suspicions, accusations, and even violence. Shamefully, 12th century England was the birthplace of the blood libel in the case of William of Norwich. However, it was also a place where Aaron of Lincoln prospered to become the richest man in England, holding even more liquid wealth than the king. Moreover it was a place that could attract prominent Jewish scholars like Abraham ibn Ezra.
In short, it was a complicated time. It would be very safe and easy to ignore all of these things. However taking that path would not be compatible with "hard historical fiction." I've endeavored to present as much nuance as I'm able, while neither whitewashing the less savory bits nor indulging in gratuitous barbarity.
The treasury is also one of these concerns, if an abstract one as it is not really a faction. It is important enough to be shown at all times, but unlike the others it can't directly force you into a game over. Running it too low can, however, accelerate one of the other failure states. On the other hand, having an abundant treasury can open new possibilities, albeit very expensive ones.
I'm presently working on the interplay between the county-local values of unrest and ruin, and the global values of prosperity and banditry. This is mostly code, but there will probably be a tiny number of events to support this as well. Next I plan to work on tying up all the loose ends, mostly with making sure all the legal stuff affects what it should.
More next time!
More Faction-based Events
The previous work on faction-based random events focused on the main concerns of the kingdom: nobility, clergy, and peasantry, as well as the nascent class of burgesses. These are important enough to be shown at all times, but there are other concerns in the kingdom as well.
Bandits are one such concern. There are numerous ways for bandits to infest the kingdom: dismissing mercenaries, poverty and ruin, angry peasants, and even some event outcomes. On the whole, having bandits around is unpleasant.
That's not to say it is all bad, though. If the problem festers, you might be able to ask for certain favors that are not available elsewhere.
Another of these concerns is the Jewish community. In our timeline, William I resettled many Jews from France to England, primarily to serve as moneylenders. Before this time, the economy in England was only semi-cash: some obligations were still paid in kind and William much preferred coin. In exchange for this, he placed the Jewish community directly under him without any intermediary. Should anyone do harm to a Jew, it directly concerned the Crown. On the other hand, English kings had a free hand to extract extortionate taxes from Jews.
Despite these protections, Jews frequently were the target of suspicions, accusations, and even violence. Shamefully, 12th century England was the birthplace of the blood libel in the case of William of Norwich. However, it was also a place where Aaron of Lincoln prospered to become the richest man in England, holding even more liquid wealth than the king. Moreover it was a place that could attract prominent Jewish scholars like Abraham ibn Ezra.
In short, it was a complicated time. It would be very safe and easy to ignore all of these things. However taking that path would not be compatible with "hard historical fiction." I've endeavored to present as much nuance as I'm able, while neither whitewashing the less savory bits nor indulging in gratuitous barbarity.
The treasury is also one of these concerns, if an abstract one as it is not really a faction. It is important enough to be shown at all times, but unlike the others it can't directly force you into a game over. Running it too low can, however, accelerate one of the other failure states. On the other hand, having an abundant treasury can open new possibilities, albeit very expensive ones.
What's next
I'm presently working on the interplay between the county-local values of unrest and ruin, and the global values of prosperity and banditry. This is mostly code, but there will probably be a tiny number of events to support this as well. Next I plan to work on tying up all the loose ends, mostly with making sure all the legal stuff affects what it should.
More next time!