>I don't think it will be necessary to put lots of teeth into land
>ownership. Simply having an official way to claim a province, and
>a permanent watch over it, should be enough to enforce control.
Exact mechanism for owning land at the bottom level isn't really that important.
>As for organizations: they are groups of characters, with one noble
>designated as the leader. Land may be owned by an organanization,
>although land control is not necessarily a goal of every group.
>Certainly the Imperial Realm wants to control as many provinces as
>possible, but the Brotherhood of Thieves has a different agenda.
>
>This doesn't quite fit together...yet. I have a couple of vague problems:
>
> 1. What inducement is there for a character to give land
> to a group? Why would Osswid donate his 10 provinces to
> the Imperial Realm? What benefit would he gain?
If he is a King/Owner - his kingdom gets bigger/he gets more income/he gains
more prestige. [Now theres an idea. Prestige points - used to influence NPCs,
or to rate the people in the world. A measure of fame. The most famous people
in any one region would be known to all. Perhaps some of their movements would
be recorded as well, because of their popularity...]
If is religious at all, because God tells him. This time the deity gains in
stature by having more peasant followers. So God might well tell you to give
land to the Theocracy of Bent.
If he is small, then to avoid being killed or defeated in War. Is it not better
to retain ownership as part of a larger empire than to be dead? He might also
gain added benefit and protection from being a part of a larger entity.
So, we have the same reasons that people in the middle ages did, more or less:
Money. God tells them to. Polotical reasons.
> 2. Could there be some way to hierarchically structure ownership?
> For instance, Osswid would retain direct ownership of his
> 10 provinces, but his commitment to the Imperial Realm would
> also places these provinces under their control?
Yes, trivially. Allow organisations to be members of other organisations,
alongside nobles. In this case Osswid's land is owned by Osswid, who is a part
of the Imperial Realm. "Barony of Osswid, Third Imperial Kingdom". You would
want to report the direct, and the ultimate owners of the land in the report at
least. Probably all of them, if possible.
> I don't see how this could work, but maybe someone will have
> a good idea.
I would build up to it gradually. Start with allowing people to claim land by
plonking down garrisons (or whatever) and gaining the extra income at their
capital (must have a castle to start owning land properly). See if people do
it. I probably would for an extra 30 crowns/province. It adds up over time.
>--
>Rich Skrenta <skrenta@shadow.com>
>
John