I was thinking about how we could best implement a estate/tax system that benefits from additional knights but also makes things simpler for everyone.
Dantooine
Luria Nova, duchy of Earth's Hall
Type: Rural
Location: coast
Local Lord: Alric Scarborn
Population: 15500/15500
Land Area: 4778 sq.miles
Production: Good (69%)
Morale: Content (69%)
Realm Loyalty: Friendly (73%)
Realm Control: Main
Economy: N/A
Gold: 456 gold
Food: 657 bushels
Weather area: East Pastureland
Tax Rate: 14%
To start, the tax gold collected per week remains the same Gold * Production * Region Tax Rate * 7. This means that Dantooine should make an average of 308g (456*.69*.14*7) per week. This bit would stay the same.
Next, we remove the lord's ability to tax his knights. In the end, the lords will earn more than the knights and this is assumed to be a result of taxes levied, a larger estate or whatever. the only cool button a lord gets is the ability to set the tax rate of their region.
Also, instead of allowing the lord to create and delete estates, each region is simply given a certain number of estate slots with set sizes based on the regions typical income. The idea is that each knight should earn around 80 gold per week (minimum 50g, maximum 110g) with the lord making double that (160g). Using Dantooine as an example, there would be three estates: the Lords Estate and two Knights estates. Each knight would earn 25% of the income while the Lord earns 50%
Dantooine Estates:
Name held by Size Population Expected Tax
Castle Dantoon Earl Suzzy 50 % 6200 154 gold |rename|
North Shores Mannor Sir Jimmy 25 % 4650 77 gold |rename|
Sea Cliff Keep (vacant) 25 % 4650 77 gold |rename|
The only thing that can be changed here is the name of the estate. Estate Efficiency is also removed as there is nothing anyone can do to change it. Should only the lord be present he would earn 154g per week for a region total of 154g per week. Should he take a knight, he would continue earning 154g per week and the knight would earn 77g per week for a region total of 221g per week. Taking the third knight would finally bring the gold production to it's fullest (308g per week) with the lord earning 154g per week and each knight earning 77g per week.
Dukes would continue to be able to tax their lords by setting a duchy tax rate. this percentage is taken directly from each lords income. If Earl Suzzy's duke had a duch tax rate of 35% she would have to hand over 54g to her duke which would reduce her income to 100g per week. A duke can still take a lordship and would automatically receive the lord's estate.
The dukes income is the lord's income from his region plus all the dukes taxes.
The king an be a duke and region lord if they want (same restrictions as today) and can set a kingdom tax. Each duke would pay that percentage of their personal income to the king.
To get an idea of how this would affect a richer city, here is a breakdown of how Giask might look:
Giask
Luria Nova, duchy of Sky Hall
Type: City
Location: coast
Fortifications: Fortress (5)
Fort. Damage: 7 %
Local Lord: Aldrakar Renodin
Population: 90000/90000
Land Area: 744 sq.miles
Production: Good (69%)
Morale: Content (69%)
Realm Loyalty: Friendly (73%)
Realm Control: Main
Economy: N/A
Gold: 2936 gold
Food: 283 bushels
Weather area: East Pastureland
Tax Rate: 14%
Using the formula above we can get the weekly tax income: 1985g per week
Gisk Estates:
Name held by Size Population Expected Tax
Lords Estate Earl Suzzy 12 % 6200 239 gold |rename|
Estate 1 Sir Jimmy 6 % 4650 119 gold |rename|
Estate 2 (vacant) 6 % 4650 119 gold |rename|
Estate 3 (vacant) 6 % 4650 119 gold |rename|
Estate 4 (vacant) 6 % 4650 119 gold |rename|
Estate 5 (vacant) 6 % 4650 119 gold |rename|
Estate 6 (vacant) 6 % 4650 119 gold |rename|
Estate 7 (vacant) 6 % 4650 119 gold |rename|
Estate 8 (vacant) 6 % 4650 119 gold |rename|
Estate 9 (vacant) 6 % 4650 119 gold |rename|
Estate 10 (vacant) 6 % 4650 119 gold |rename|
Estate 11 (vacant) 6 % 4650 119 gold |rename|
Estate 12 (vacant) 6 % 4650 119 gold |rename|
Estate 13 (vacant) 6 % 4650 119 gold |rename|
Estate 14 (vacant) 6 % 4650 119 gold |rename|
Estate 15 (vacant) 6 % 4650 119 gold |rename|
Estate 16 (vacant) 6 % 4650 119 gold |rename|
Being a much more wealthy region, each knight would earn 119g (a bit more that 110 but as close as we can get to it using whole percentage points) and the lord would earn 199g per week. This means that Giask can only really realize it's full power by having quite a few knights in it's service. Though Giask is still a region that many would prefer due to it's higher earnings per lord and knight, the difference is not that huge when compared to Dantooine.
And now the poorest of regions:
Desert of Silhouettes
D'Hara, duchy of Sallowcape
Type: Badlands
Location: coast
Local Lord: Martin Longbow
Population: 350/350
Land Area: 11437 sq.miles
Production: Good (69%)
Morale: Content (69%)
Realm Loyalty: Friendly (73%)
Realm Control: Main
Economy: N/A
Gold: 36 gold
Food: 11 bushels
Weather area: East Desert
Tax Rate: 14%
The tax rate is simple: 24g per week
Desert of Silhouettes Estates:
Name held by Size Population Expected Tax
Lords Estate Earl Suzzy 100 % 350 24 gold |rename|
That is it. If the region can not produce at least 150g per week on average, only the lord gains an estate.
In summation:
* lords can no longer tax knight income, this is assumed happen in the background if at all
* lords still set the region tax rate
* each region has a set number of estates
* the lord always receives the lors's estate
* each knights estate should produce between 50 and 110 gold (average 80)
* estates can be renamed but not removed or added
* estate sizes are static and unchangeable
* a region only earns gold on held estates
* regions that earn less than 150g have only a Lords estate
* duchy taxes are taken from the lords earnings, not from the knights
* realm taxes are taken from the dukes earnings (lords income if a lord plus duchy taxes)
* same allowances and restrictions apply regarding kings being duke and lords or dukes being lords.
* calculations assume average region production of 69% and average region tax rate of 14%
* this change would make wide spread realms very inefficient and dense realms very efficient
* most knights should have a reasonable income (enough to support a 500cs unit at 70g I think)
* actual money earned will vary based on tax rate and production values
* estate size % and population are probably not needed anymore
* estates will always be available to take by new knights.