I would like some more stress traits for rulers.

[Tschobo]

After a long playthrough and seeing my characters as well as the AI ending up with the same/similar stress traits over and over again I would like to make the proposition to have more Stress traits and events around it.

We currently have 11 negative and 3 positive traits and that hampers the replayability for a bit.

So I thought some more traits would actually help this department out and not let every 2nd AI-ruler become a flagellant or a drunkard. I think at least 10 more traits, positive or negative would be necessary to make the gameplay loop around stress more interesting.

5 propositions for specific stress traits from my side would be following:

• Collector (Positive): Tries to distract himself with his collection of art, weapons and items. Always attempts to get more pieces and lashes out on people who damage his collection. Has the de-stress events to marvel at collection or if not enough collect more.
• Entertainer (Postive): Tries to distract himself with lavish events, plays and tourneys and mostly focus on preparing those, which cost a lot of money. Has modifiers that weaken his reign but can bring in prestige through de-stress as a ruler hyperfocus on that aspect..
• Traveller (Positive and Negative): Copes with his stress with travelling inkognito to have some change of pace. His travel de-stress cause a loss of prestige and gold and also some mishaps but also some positive events can happen through this journey.
• Torturer (Stress trait and negative): Tries to cope with stress by torturing and executing others and revel in their pain. Can be applicable for dreaded rulers.
• Avoidance (Negative): Tries to avoid any major decision while still not hiding like a recluse. A ruler avoids as much work and choices possible and even sometimes reject some of his duties as a de-stress mechanism.

But yeah. I think that new Stress traits should happen. Maybe even introduce the henbane and opium addiction that are hidden in the code. It would give some more variety as there are currently some stress traits that every player avoids.

 

[grommile]

Torturer overlaps far too much with an actual Personality Trait (Sadistic), and Avoidant just feels like Recluse Light: All the Flavour, Half the Calories. (Or possibly All the Calories, Half the Flavour.)

The other three seem OK.

 

[Wokeg]

I quite like Traveller, tbh.

 

[fodazd]

I would like it if some stress-traits were tied more strongly to your culture or faith. Additional suggestions for that:
-> Gambler (Negative): You take a lot of unnecessary risks with your money in order to play games. If your culture plays tabletop games, you could lose stress by playing high stakes games.
-> Debater (Positive): Only available if your faith has debates. You spend a lot of your time arguing about religion.
-> Storyteller (Positive): Only available if your culture tells stories. You spend a lot of time listening to people telling stories, or telling these stories to other people.

 

[Tschobo]

Torturer overlaps far too much with an actual Personality Trait (Sadistic), and Avoidant just feels like Recluse Light: All the Flavour, Half the Calories. (Or possibly All the Calories, Half the Flavour.)

The other three seem OK.

Avoidance was leaned on Recluse. Avoiding people and avoiding work and avoiding tasks can be two different things in my mind.

 

[PDS_Noodle]

I really like Collector!

 

[MathyM]

Collector should gain stress when an artifact breaks due to Durability, or when they have to part with them in order to please a disgruntled vassal.

 

[grommile]

Avoidance was leaned on Recluse. Avoiding people and avoiding work and avoiding tasks can be two different things in my mind.

When you're a noble, they kind of blend together, because so much of your "job" consists of talking to people.

 

[PDXOxycoon]

I really like Collector!

Add Hoarder too as a negative variant

 

[Wokeg]

Add Hoarder too as a negative variant

Nothing stopping it appearing as "Collector" to the character that has it and "Hoarder" to everyone else, FWIW.

 

[tilly]

collector/hoarder should probably come with a small income penalty tbh, which would make it a negative trait. very cool idea though. maybe it could give a point in stewardship or something? or learning, perhaps? i feel like its already WAY too easy to pump learning to 100 so more sources arent super necessary, but if its what suits the trait, its what suits the trait

 

[Arcvalons]

Stress Traits should be Extreme Versions of Normal Traits you have. So if you have Brave you could get "Reckless", etc

 

[grommile]

Stress Traits should be Extreme Versions of Normal Traits you have. So if you have Brave you could get "Reckless", etc

Real people's coping mechanisms are frequently at odds with what one might think of as their core personality; I want the game to respect that.

 

[Comrade_Boris]

Stress Traits should be Extreme Versions of Normal Traits you have. So if you have Brave you could get "Reckless", etc

I think the game is already trying to draw stress traits based off personality (IE diligent is more likely to draw athletic).

 

[Tschobo]

Real people's coping mechanisms are frequently at odds with what one might think of as their core personality; I want the game to respect that.

I also believe that it should be random. There I agree. Sometimes it just shouldn't be the same trait. A brave person can turn into quite something different if they see something horrible happe to a friend (like becoming Reclusive or more Religious) and so on.

Stress Traits should be Extreme Versions of Normal Traits you have. So if you have Brave you could get "Reckless", etc

But Reckless/Audacious could also be an interesting. Like give a bit of martial but take intrigue and diplomacy away.

 

[klopkr]

Reliant (negative unless it's a friend or spouse): Often gives family and friends the important decisions when possible. Give out hooks, can let someone else choose events, high chance of abdication on fully breaking from stress, often gives away whole duchies or court positions to friends and family when breaking from stress.

 

[child_of_air]

I quite like Traveller, tbh.

Well, they should introduce that for the new expansion!

 

[funkyfreshrat]

Gambler (Negative): You take a lot of unnecessary risks with your money in order to play games. If your culture plays tabletop games, you could lose stress by playing high stakes games.

Representing gambling addiction in-game would be interesting, I would just hope that we get a decent pool of events for such a trait. Would make sense to be able to take part in betting during a hunt or while at a tournament, I think there is a lot of opportunity outside of tabletop games. Potential new negative opinion modifier for killing someones family member with a game board after a tabletop game gone wrong.

 

[child_of_air]

I'd love to see some characters throw themselves into hobbies without much care for the outside world. I'm sure most of the us can relate to that, right?

Artistic Passion (positive). Handel stayed up for several days straight when he composed The Messiah, and basically ignored everything and everyone else while he was doing it. Most artistic people do this when they throw themselves into their work, and I think it should be reflected in the game. Anyone with the trait of Poet or Architect would get this stress trait. It would make even more sense if we added an actual Musician and Artist trait to the game as well, since they are positions introduced with Royal Court, but not quite real right now beyond the job.

The positive would be + Learning, but maybe a small negative for diplomacy, since the artist ignores everyone whilst creating.

This would tie in so well with Royal Court, and maybe the addition of a few new artifacts could be included, such as a portrait, play, novel, building plans, a collection of poetry, or court music.

I really, really want Music in the game! It makes no sense that there is a position for it, but beyond that it isn't fleshed out at all. And where are the actual artists? How can a medieval world even exist without art?!

 

[klopkr]

Now that we have level upable traits coming in the next patch I'd love to see some stress traits level up and maybe even potentially turn bad if overused.