Successor game rules, draft one.

[Ramses II CP]

A question of timing on 3 b:

(b). - Gaining and Losing Provinces: All conquered provinces must be ratified by an edict, which can be passed at the session before the conquest or be applied retroactively at the first session after. If a province is not ratified in this manner by the end of the very next session after it was made, it must be given away or abandoned. While a province is not ratified taxes must be set to the highest level possible and no recruitment can be made in that settlement. Any province conquered and ratified becomes part of the King's Demesne. At the time of conquest, the conquering Noble can refuse to hand the province over to the King, but this puts him in a state of Civil War with the King. The King can be prevented from giving any province in the Demesne to another Noble by a two-thirds majority vote of the Council.

The wording appears to suggest that a conquered province doesn't enter the King's domain until it is ratified, but ratification can take place after the fact. Thus if a noble conquers a province that wasn't ratified in advance shouldn't he have the option to wait until the ratification process to decide if he will allow it to become a part of the King's domain?

Otherwise we wind up in a position where the King can act to prevent ratification because he knows the noble in question will not submit the province to him, thus forcing the province to be abandoned.

Does that all follow?

[Zim]

I did think of that. I was worried that with the requirement that the Noble hang around his newly taken province if he wants to avoid a handover it might be tough on them. If something called them away from the province and they couldn't reach it... I suppose that's something they should have to plan for.

A question of timing on 3 b:

The wording appears to suggest that a conquered province doesn't enter the King's domain until it is ratified, but ratification can take place after the fact. Thus if a noble conquers a province that wasn't ratified in advance shouldn't he have the option to wait until the ratification process to decide if he will allow it to become a part of the King's domain?

Otherwise we wind up in a position where the King can act to prevent ratification because he knows the noble in question will not submit the province to him, thus forcing the province to be abandoned.

Does that all follow?

[Ramses II CP]

I did think of that. I was worried that with the requirement that the Noble hang around his newly taken province if he wants to avoid a handover it might be tough on them. If something called them away from the province and they couldn't reach it... I suppose that's something they should have to plan for.

I don't think it was clear what I was trying to say:

If you conquer a province you must, under the rules, immediately declare whether or not you will allow it to become a part of the King's domain. If you conquer a province which isn't yet ratified by an edict (Something I expect to happen fairly often) that declaration could give the King ample time to block the province's ratification, leaving a noble at war with the King over something he no longer can possess under the rules.

My suggestion is simply that the province's conqueror need not declare his willingness to hand over the province until the process of ratification is complete. If it is completed beforehand then at the time of conquest, but if ratification comes after then the noble need only declare after ratification is assured. If the province is not ratified then no one need know the noble's intent.

This is more logical and lets people be sneaky.

Alternately let the declaration of war with the King by refusing to hand over control void the necessity of the ratification process, so that the noble automatically gets possession of the land. This provides incentive to go to war, and is, naturally, my preferred option.