With the new tax system, the council members no longer receive any funds from the crown. Can this be brought back?
I do not see why the Banker, Judge and General should not receive some of the gold. What I would suggest is to have the banker once again divide up the gold that goes to each of the council members like in the old system. Only this time there would be no share going to the whole realm.
Given how the new system works, where would this Council member gold come from?
The ruler's share. The ruler could give set a percentage of their own income as a tax share for the councilors.
I think this is a good idea. Too much power focused on the ruler at the moment.
Quote from: Zakilevo on March 03, 2012, 03:44:28 AM
I think this is a good idea. Too much power focused on the ruler at the moment.
So for once the ruler has some power and it's a bad thing?
If this goes through, it should be the ruler that lists how much his Council gets.
I think this is a good idea, but it should be the ruler who sets the shares.
I agree. Perhaps not in all government sstems, though. I can't imagine a Prime Minister doing such a thing
The backend system is already set up so that shares for other government members are possible.
But there are other things to be sorted out there, and it's a low-priority item.
Why not have the banker set the percentage that the ruler and other council members each receive? In this way, you create a possibility for tension between the Banker and Ruler. So, while the Ruler should technically be obeyed, if there is disagreement, they could swindle the ruler or simply not do exactly as the Ruler says. If however, the Ruler has full control, this possibility is eliminated.
Likewise, I recognize similar arguments could be made stating that a ruler not granting tax shares to some of their council members could cause conflict, but I see this as less such, because it will be automatically assumed that the Ruler as leader of the realm gets their say in what to do with taxes, should they specifically be given the game power.
Maybe make it more interesting by giving a toggle in the Government options for ruler.
Next to where you determine the power of each position, have it so you can give them power over royal taxes.
Maybe do the same with something that the other positions can do, or make some actions DEPENDENT on what strength their position has. A strong banker is given more options, but greater chance to harm. A weak one has less options, and less chance to do something productive for it.
Psyche,
This is excellent. This could definitely make the banker game more lively, and applied to the other council positions as well would be wonderful. I think the rewards for having a strong position should be small, but the risks for the ruler be generally disproportionally very much more dangerous. This way you could have the strongest and most efficient cabinet if you also really could trust all of them. Always.
I think it should be under the control of the banker because it is the banker's job to be concerned with food and taxes. That is all they really do. The ruler should not have to concern themselves with taxes, so long as they are getting their gold.
The tension and added dynamics seems to me like a worthwhile reason as well.
This does give the banker alot of power, so perhaps some checks on the banker would be needed. The Judge could always fine them if it gets out of control. I have never had a ruler character, so I am not sure what they can do.
I think the ruler should be able to toggle it on and off but the banker should decide the tax rate.
This way, the ruler and rest of the nobles will struggle for power. Government members are still nobles and they want fair share of the ruler's gold (probably) but for the ruler it is better to hug all the gold.
I hate the idea that the banker should be the one making the decision as to how much of the ruler's taxes should be going to the other council members. It's the ruler's tax share, and the councilors are the ruler's advisors. What part of all of that makes it suddenly make sense for someone else besides the ruler to be determining how much the ruler has to be paying them?
So, it could generate some tension between the ruler and banker? So what? If all we want to do is generate tension, then why don't we have the ruler set the estate sizes for all the knights in the realm? That would be sure to create tension between the ruler and dukes, wouldn't it?
I'm all for building in checks and balance, and potential places for tension. But they have to make sense. And so far as I'm concerned, this one doesn't make any sense at all.
Quote from: Psyche on March 04, 2012, 04:58:45 AMMaybe do the same with something that the other positions can do, or make some actions DEPENDENT on what strength their position has. A strong banker is given more options, but greater chance to harm. A weak one has less options, and less chance to do something productive for it.
This style of the strength of the positions determining the powers that the positions get, is something that the dev team has discussed before. Tim and I even set forth quite a few of the options for all of the various government positions. If this ever does happen, it won't be soon. Too many other more important things to do first.
Quote from: Indirik on March 06, 2012, 03:56:41 AM
I hate the idea that the banker should be the one making the decision as to how much of the ruler's taxes should be going to the other council members. It's the ruler's tax share, and the councilors are the ruler's advisors. What part of all of that makes it suddenly make sense for someone else besides the ruler to be determining how much the ruler has to be paying them?
So, it could generate some tension between the ruler and banker? So what? If all we want to do is generate tension, then why don't we have the ruler set the estate sizes for all the knights in the realm? That would be sure to create tension between the ruler and dukes, wouldn't it?
I'm all for building in checks and balance, and potential places for tension. But they have to make sense. And so far as I'm concerned, this one doesn't make any sense at all.
This style of the strength of the positions determining the powers that the positions get, is something that the dev team has discussed before. Tim and I even set forth quite a few of the options for all of the various government positions. If this ever does happen, it won't be soon. Too many other more important things to do first.
Well, this was how it used to be, so it does kind of make sense if you look at it as not the Ruler's taxes, but the realm's taxes. However, I can see how this goes against the whole idea of the new estate system. Then again, I think the new estate system still pretty much has Bankers as essentially useless. But that is just my opinion. I remember someone saying something was going to be done about it but they needed ideas, so this is one of the ones I was thinking of.
Quote from: Dante Silverfire on March 06, 2012, 04:08:00 AMWell, this was how it used to be, so it does kind of make sense if you look at it as not the Ruler's taxes, but the realm's taxes.
That's because it used to be the realm's taxes. It was collected and distributed to everyone. Under the new system, it is clearly the ruler's personal income. I have no problem with that income being used to support the council. I think the system really needs it. But it should be the ruler that decides what the tax share is. You'll have some tension between the ruler and each of the council members then, especially if the ruler does not pay them all equally.
So... under the new system, what does the Banker even do anymore? I know that "power doesn't just come from buttons". Generals don't get many buttons either, but a good/bad General can make or break a realm. It seems to me that Bankers are becoming not only non-essential, but unnecessary. I'm starting to think that the new food trading system is too easy-to-use and transparent. There is no need for a central trading coordinator anymore. And if the wealth tax is gone as well, what's left? Can Bankers still call early tax and embezzle gold?
How about letting the Banker set the four government council member's share of the Ruler's tax income, but give the Ruler a veto power? The Ruler can have three check-boxes that say whether they want to give the other council member that share, or keep that share for himself. In other words, let the Banker cut the pie and hand out the slices, but give the Ruler the power to eat any and all slices. After all, it's his pie, err, gold.
Quote from: GoldPanda on March 06, 2012, 06:54:40 PM
Can Bankers still call early tax and embezzle gold?
Yes, they can.
Quote from: GoldPanda on March 06, 2012, 06:54:40 PM
How about letting the Banker set the four government council member's share of the Ruler's tax income, but give the Ruler a veto power? The Ruler can have three check-boxes that say whether they want to give the other council member that share, or keep that share for himself. In other words, let the Banker cut the pie and hand out the slices, but give the Ruler the power to eat any and all slices. After all, it's his pie, err, gold.
I like the idea of empowering Bankers, but I feel this is not the best way. But, in any case, if we do not find any 'natural' job for Bankers we will have to rethink the existence of the position.
I play the banker of D'hara. I can:
1. see the tax settings--every tax rate, lords share, and duke share.
2. see the food situation. I know how long the food supply of each region will last with their current supplies, production, demand, stored, and the total surplus/deficit for the realm. I can use this information to let an individual region lord know that he needs to buy more food.
3. realm-wide marketwatch--see every trade offer in the realm.
4. Shadow Government is available, although I must confess I haven't checked to see if it works.
5. of course, the bankers bulletin.
6. and finally, messaging fellow bankers.
It's not a button-pushing position--it's more of a clerical position, where you read reports and send letters.
Quote from: GoldPanda on March 06, 2012, 06:54:40 PMHow about letting the Banker set the four government council member's share of the Ruler's tax income, but give the Ruler a veto power?
That doesn't sound very useful, or very fun for the banker. It's an obvious "We can't find anything useful for you to do, so we made some busywork for you."
Rather than try to just make busywork for the banker, I'd much rather just have the position be "underpowered" for a while until we can come up with some concrete and useful things for them to do. And if some realms/people consider the position to be superfluous until then, then they can just leave it empty, or give it to someone as an honorary title.
There are changes to the entire government structure on the line somewhere after the Doctrine conversion