Ransom: how often?

[past caring]

It's a bit of a pain the way it works at the moment - I think I've only got one ransom, ever. Must have had seventy or eighty refused in my current game. A diplomatic option would be good, though perhaps a bit hard to code. The ability to ransom individual units rather than the entirety of those captured might also be better......

In reality, the decision wasn't one of "pay the ransom now or we execute instantly" - it wasn't uncommon for captured nobles and royalty to be held for years on end until their families could afford the ransom. So, at the moment, what could be quite an interesting game feature is really no more than extraneous tinsel. Not a game breaker, though - at least there's no piety or chivalry loss if prisoners are executed and you've offered to ransom first.

[Jagger]

Ransom is definitely related to whether the nation has funds or not. Rich nations usually pay the ransom. Broke nations normally don't.

The downside to paid ransom is you often end up fighting the very same troops again shortly afterwards.

[Zenicetus]

Ransom is definitely related to whether the nation has funds or not. Rich nations usually pay the ransom. Broke nations normally don't.

That's been my experience. I might get one or two successful ransom payments in the early phase of a war, but from the mid to late phase when I'm grinding it down to the last provinces, the faction just doesn't have any spare cash.

The downside to paid ransom is you often end up fighting the very same troops again shortly afterwards.

Yep, and it's especially nasty if I'm ransoming a captured general/family member with a high star rank, who killed a bunch of troops before I could take him down, and he'll do it again next time (unless I get lucky with a catapult hit... heh). I usually go for ransoms anyway when playing a Catholic faction, because I think it affects your standing with the Pope when you kill prisoners. And I have a hard enough time with that.

[HicRic]

I picked up a beefy 12K ransom on a Danish king a few turns ago, cha-ching! I immediately spent most of it on a Citadel, so expensive!

[Beelzebub]

I think in MTW1 the AI would almost always do the ransom, and even if they went 10,000 florins into debt. In this game the AI has been programmed not to go into debt (are you even allowed to?).

[IrishArmenian]

I would love it if the ransom was not payed, you could make them your own troops.

[GrandInquisitor]

I got over 16k from the Mongols the other day for survivors of one of their elite armies (after a failed assault on the hardened Crusader city of Jerusalem). There might have been a general in there too, but I didn't really pay attention at the time.