Thing is Dave, I remember when you were busted back to the EH back before the invasion of Iraq, and all you did was post politics topics anyway

As for execute/ransom. I very rarely executed prisoners, except where there was a good role-playing reason to do so. Doing it for the cash just isn't my style. I remember playing as the Elmos once, and fighting off wave after wave of French crusades. I had fought one particularly tough battle where the French Order Foot had caused me major problems. I didn't fancy ransoming the survivors just so I could fight em again, so I put them all to the sword.

Rebels also tended to get short shrift. Especially if the province had rebelled more than once. Then it was "don't make Daddy come upstairs" time....

Of course, then there is the flip side of "will you pay the ransom to release your own POWs"? My rule of thumb was if they had fought bravely and well and went down to a superior force, then I would pay to release them. If they'd fought like cowards then I left them to rot....