A smart merchant, however, may want to seek out towns which have become isolated from the rest of the land, as he or she may be able to turn a tidy profit from the resulting price imbalances.īecause villagers usually plan to take their goods to market in towns, village markets will be rather quiet places, and villagers will buy cheap and sell dear. Thus, it is in the interests of rulers to protect trade routes from the hazards of war and banditry. When trade dries up, towns and villages will see their workers flee to seek work elsewhere, and economic activity will drift to a stand-still. The centre will produce more, consume more, and be able to contribute more in taxes to their lords.
When trade flows, goods will be available and affordable, the population of a centre will be healthy and energetic, and migrants will flock from the nearby regions. Consequently, the key to prosperity in Westeros and Essos is trade - both between the villages and the towns, and between the major towns themselves. Also, different resources can be found in different parts of the country. Most agricultural products are produced in the villages, while artisans in the towns specialize in manufactured or artisan goods like fabrics or ironware. Finally, people need the tools of their trade: ironware, pottery, leather-ware, and, of course, arms, armour, and horses for war. After food comes clothing: heavy wool, lighter linens, or luxurious velvet. It takes almost as much work to preserve meat as to produce it in the first place, so salt is also in high demand. Grain is the staple crop of Westeros and Essos, but people also need fat and protein in the form of meat, fish, or cheese. Towns and villages in Westeros and Essos need a wide variety of goods for their populations to remain healthy and productive.
The morale report, accessibly by hitting the 'reports' button will give the player a sense of the factors affecting his or her men's morale. Frequent battles will strengthen the bonds between men, while long periods without combat will see the troops become bored and quarrelsome. A large party on the other hand may see its cohesion strained, as the commander has less time to supervise the men, listen to their grievances, and resolve their disputes. In a small tight-knit party, for example, men will often fight hard against daunting odds to avoid showing cowardice before their comrades-in-arms. Other factors are less intuitive - particularly those related to a party's sense of group cohesion.
Leaders who give their men well ample and varied supplies of food, and pay them on time, demonstrate that they care about their troops' welfare, and are less likely to lead them into disaster. For example, a charismatic commander with a reputation for winning battles can infuse his or her men with a sense of confidence. Some factors that affect morale are intuitive. Finally, a party with very low morale will start to suffer desertions. Morale also affects a party's march speed, as a less motivated party will move more slowly, as the men are not pushing themselves to their physical limit, and pause more frequently, as it waits for stragglers to catch up. Morale's greatest impact is on a party's behaviour in battle, determining how aggressively troops engage the enemy, and how likely they are to break and run if they perceive the tide of battle turning against them. On the other hand, a commander who gives his men everything they want may find that they grow soft, and waiver before the enemy's charge. Elite troops may grumble and whine about the hardships of campaigning - but then stand together as one when the arrows start to fly. It is not the same thing as the troops' happiness. Morale represents the ability and willingness of the troops in a party to summon up the endurance, bravery, and discipline they need to face the stresses of battle and the march.
0 kommentar(er)
