@ Deus Ret

I'd not taken the king='steward' thing into account at all, so thanks for reminding me.

It's obviously good to have - while it lasts - but, having been stung by this situation at least once, I now take an approach similar to my attitude to trade income, mentioned earlier. I try to keep my cashflow at least in the four-figure range and always remain mindful of these kinds of boosters at work in the background. In other words, avoid training more troops if it's going to eat into that range, knowing that it won't last forever.

It's a pity they didn't program the AI apply a similarly cautious policy - it tends to build troops right up to its 'support limit'. This then throttles its progress with buildings and assures that high-tech troop types rarely appear. (Give or take occasional cash top-ups from pillage & ransoms). If it gets its trade routes working (for once), if only for a few turns, or a temporary steward-king booster then it can over-train and, later, dig itself into a negative cashflow situation all too easily. As we all know, the AI is incapable of unit disbandment.


@ Martok

Thanks for putting an exact figure on it.

I'm guessing that you worked that out by reading the base-level incomes from the startpos file, allowing for the governor's acumen and then working out how the remaining discrepancy related to the ruler's acumen. (Wish I'd thought of doing that!)


@ Ironside

I'm pretty sure that, with the Catholics, it is possible for the heirs parchment to show the king's brothers, children and grandchildren. With the Muslims, they don't get the marriage ring and start producing children until on the throne themselves.

I'll revise what I said before - about them being at risk of being left heirless for 15 years after each succession - in that the throne can still pass from brother to brother, in the meantime, but that still entails a fresh start each time, children-wise. It's then a matter of seeing whether the eventual ruler dies of old age before the eldest child matures.

@ Bregil the Bowman

That's interesting, about the Ottomans. One of several huge holes in my knowledge of history.

Rather grim outcome for the younger brothers though - not even a 'spare' kept in case of illness/accident, either? Rather odd.

Quote Originally Posted by Bregil the Bowman
Fortunately MTW reflects the more dynamic approach of the earlier Muslim princes.
Come to think of it, I'd presume that the kind of antics you referred to were precisely what inspired this draconian policy in the first place...