If you read the devdiary, Trin specifically talks about that. Theres a possibility of your mercs turning to the other side on a war if you dont pay them.
Imperator - Development Diary - 7th of January 2019
- Thread starter Trin Tragula
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If you read the devdiary, Trin specifically talks about that. Theres a possibility of your mercs turning to the other side on a war if you dont pay them.
THIS. This is very important @Trin Tragula. I dont want Rome in a war against carthage being able to hire numidian mercenaries against carthage. I get it if for gameplay reasons you dont want that restriction.
Maybe make it dependant on the relation with the general? Like, for being of the same culture group you have a +100 relation with them. But you have had fights with thos emercanaries in the past, and also you havent paid them several times, so the relationshit is -75. Maybe only then other countries should be able to hire them but not you. Like rome promising to pay carthages debts or treat them better if they fight for them instead. We could go crazy and add the promise of making said mercenary general King of Numidia if he helps you win the war against carthage.
I understand if you can't implement that, but dont deny it would be awesome. Keep it up. Its shaping up to be an amazing game on release.
Related to this point: if we do join regular armies with mercenaries, and our units work with and under mercenary captains for a while...is there a chance of them joining up? Saying "wow, I like this captain, and the pay is pretty good, I want to be a mercenary"?
I meant not in turning to the other side, but forming their own faction. The Mercenary War occurred after the First Punic War and involved a large number of Mercnaries attacking Carthage over not being paid. Some of them took over cities.
Maybe under the circumstances which I discribed or similar maybe? But in any case, gameplay wise I thiink this opens up too much to abuse.
But other than in Sardinia and Corsica (where they applied for neutral Rome's protection, which was initially denied) they didn't turn to other side of the war, they revolted for themselves after the (1st Punic) war when it became obvious Carthage could or would not pay them.
This is what I meant. Having just been defeated in a war and then having angry unpaid mercenaries to handle with depleted funds and manpower is much different from having them switch sides in the middle of a war.
"Flipping" sounds more like he was already hired by the Carthaginians and then swapped sides through random event or non-payment of salary.
Well the way the mercenaries worked in real life wasn’t the same. Carthage paid Numidia (which was a collection of kingdoms) and it’s kings for the right to recruit its warriors. Scipio flipped Massinissa by exploiting divisions within Numidia.
Syphax's and Masinissas's realms are seperate kingdoms in the game, so it's a fairly simple case of subject/ally changing allegiance during conflict. I wouldn't consider them exactly mercenaries, and the North African DD uses the term "Tribal Vassal".
Il would really like to know about that ! Devs ?
Yeah, alternatively to switching to the other side, mercs should also be able to turn hostile to both parties and try and carve their own realm in the territory of the weakest one.
Maybe to create a special "Warlord" government type ?
@Trin Tragula how do mercs reinforce after losses? Do they tap your manpower pool? Regulars need access to certain goods to reinforce, do mercs need those aswell?
I don't understand this paragraph. First, 'disband' means just release them right? or do they actually disband? Second, why would their increased upkeep cost mean disbanding them be costly? Wouldn't you want to disband them when you no longer need them?
I beg to disagree in that example. I might be wrong but I think numidians fought with Scipio in Zama.
Anyway I agree that some restriction other than distance might be nice as for muslims/christians mercs in ck2.
Agathocles also had help from some of Carthage's Numidian "allies".
In game terms we would consider the Numidians a type of Carthaginian subject, but that is for a later diary.
That said, if one wants to hire mercenaries to use against Carthage in the system described in this DD then it is necessary to first bring them home to Rome. They start out exiled after all.
