Defending your lands as a vassal

[Namfuak]

As it stands, if you are a vassal of someone, and a foreign power tries to take over your land, you aren't personally considered at war with them so you don't get the normal bonuses of being in a defensive war, so far as I can tell. For example, in my game as the duke of Anatolia, the Fatimids jihaded the kingdom of Anatolia. It seems to me that as a duke in that kingdom they are trying to take, I'd be fighting tooth and nail to keep them from usurping my lands, and my vassals are all under the same threat, so they ought to be supporting me for doing it - however, I currently don't get any levy reinforcement bonuses for defending, and my vassals get no opinion boost for defending against heathens (and the malus for having levies raised keeps going up). I think this should be changed. If it was, it would also help curb some of the blobbing in the Middle East, since the Fatimids would have a harder time simply holy warring all the land around them if the dukes they were trying to take over actively fought them as well.

 

[zork283]

I didn't know that defending powers got a levy reinforcement boost, but this doesn't make sense that you can't be considered defending when its your own lands that are on the line. I suppose the best thing that you can do for now, until and unless they change the rules, is to just support your liege in his war and in every way possible. That includes voting for tougher crown laws and levy laws, so that he can better defend the realm. I wish that they allowed vassals to promote a strong liege, especially when its the vassals themselves who are in danger of loosing their demesne. Perhaps a faction to support max feudal levies, or high crown authority, so that the liege can wrench those extra levies out of reticent vassals, all to better defend your lands.

 

[ZechsMerquise73]

I'd really like it if vassal could join their leige's war, and almost always have the right to. But especially if they are allied, or their titles are at stake.

 

[MasterOfGrey]

It would work if they could make it so that the lands targeted by a holy war or crusade had their levies raised with 100% efficiency just like raising personal levies. That would be a big boost to that sort of defence and would have the intended effect.

 

[Namfuak]

I'd really like it if vassal could join their leige's war, and almost always have the right to. But especially if they are allied, or their titles are at stake.

You can attach armies to your liege's armies and you are hostile to anyone he is hostile to, so at least there's that. But being able to "stand with" your liege, rather than always be considered to be begrudgingly giving him levies, could be good. It could give you a reputation boost with him and others who are standing with him, and maybe a penalty with those who are in factions trying to reduce his authority or install a new ruler.

It would work if they could make it so that the lands targeted by a holy war or crusade had their levies raised with 100% efficiency just like raising personal levies. That would be a big boost to that sort of defence and would have the intended effect.

My example was a jihad, but I had intended that my suggestion would apply anytime a lord's titles were at stake. In any case, while I agree this would have the intended effect, I would sort of rather it was actually the vassal raising his armies, since it seems to me that the whole point of having a vassal system is that they should act somewhat independently. From the perspective of a human player as well, I want my lands defended, I don't want my AI liege to march my armies off to be gibbed by a doomstack or kill themselves assaulting a holding. Also, in the same example as in the OP, some other factions were at war with my liege, and while I was only interested in my lands, he was trying to split his forces to fight both sides (and at some point gave up on me), so I don't want him raising my troops and then sending them off to the other side of the realm.

 

[Dekent]

This has always been one of my biggest annoyances with the game. If the HR Emperor is trying to claim the duchy of Flanders from France, it shouldn't just be the French king fighting to protect it. The duke of Flanders should raise his levies to fight as well, and do his own call to arms with any french dukes he may be allied with for the same. It makes no sense for the man who has the most to lose to sit there with his thumbs up his bum while he gets sieged.

This would of course make taking lands far more difficult, especially with holy wars, which is exactly the way it should be IMO =)