Have armies carry food

[Lefanis]

I know to some extent this is already enabled- If you go to a starving region and have a caravan of food, you feed your men from the caravan.

If this concept could be taken to the next level, we could have armies carrying food around with them. What happens now, is when one realm invades another, their troops steal food from the region they are in to feed the soldiers. Unfortunately, this happens implicitly. AFAIK, there is no notice saying that enemy realm stole and ate X number of our bushels when they invaded. If a feature like this was added, if the enemy hadn't brought a caravan of food with them, they could *explicitly* (perhaps a button under loot) decide to take 5-10 bushels to feed each of their units. This would generate a notice to realm that the enemy had looted X bushels.

Why? It adds flavor to the game. The invaded people can have propaganda saying the enemy stole X bushels. On longer trips, invaders have to bring  caravan trail of goods. This also makes it easier for smaller realms, while giving larger realms some more challenge. Treaties can be signed between allies on whether or not their food can be eaten while their allies armies are passing through (gives passage rights a whole new bite). 

[De-Legro]

I once floated the idea that the trader class should be able to supply members of their army from there caravans. The thought was it would give traders a reason to join a conflict. Instead of every unit having to have their own caravans to provide food when you are in a starving region, 1 or 2 traders could bring enough to feed the army.

With regards to implicitly stealing food. One of the reasons you currently don't get a message is I believe that the enemy forces don't actually take food from your warehouses. It is all abstracted away, as long as the region is fed it is assumed there is enough food to feed any sized army as well. While I like the idea you present, I worry it will add just one more logistical worry for wars, and one more reason for realms to avoid wars.

[Tom]

actually, armies do carry food with them already. Waggons do that, if I remember correctly.

[De-Legro]

What is the mechanic? Does one character with wagons allow the entire army to feed? I've certainly feed my own troops from caravans before but was not aware of any other system and wasn't sure if my realm mates can access my caravan.

[Indirik]

It's caravans. And you have to use the trade options to buy food from a region to fill your caravan. Most units will use 1 or 2 units per day when in starving regions, from my experience. It takes a pretty big unit to use 2. Also, they only feed your own unit. So if you want to feed an entire army, everyone in it needs to have their own caravan, and buy their own food.

It would be nice if we could add some option to allow people to share that food with their other army members. A regular warrior could have 2 caravans, total of 200 food. That would feed a 10-noble army in a starving region for 10-20 days.

[De-Legro]

It's caravans. And you have to use the trade options to buy food from a region to fill your caravan. Most units will use 1 or 2 units per day when in starving regions, from my experience. It takes a pretty big unit to use 2. Also, they only feed your own unit. So if you want to feed an entire army, everyone in it needs to have their own caravan, and buy their own food.

It would be nice if we could add some option to allow people to share that food with their other army members. A regular warrior could have 2 caravans, total of 200 food. That would feed a 10-noble army in a starving region for 10-20 days.

Ahh that is exactly what I was refering to. I thought to make it a skill of the trader class, since at the time people were complaining about traders having little to do, but really there is no logical reason anyone with food in their caravan couldn't feed others in their army.

Back to the first point, logically if you change it so your army eats food from the enemy region they are in, you would have to do the same when they are stationed in your own regions. While it might be interesting to see how that would affect peace time armies, army distribution etc, I think its just a head ache we don't need.

[Indirik]

Soldiers eat food from the region they are in, no matter who owns it. This includes troops in their own realm, and also militia as well.

[De-Legro]

Does it actually consume the stored food though. Best that I can figure this is abstracted away and doesn't actually reduce the food stored in the region.

[Foundation]

If it reduces the next harvest, it's pretty much the same as reducing stored food, just in the future.

[De-Legro]

If it reduces the next harvest, it's pretty much the same as reducing stored food, just in the future.

I've not noticed this effect either.

[Lefanis]

Soldiers eat food from the region they are in, no matter who owns it. This includes troops in their own realm, and also militia as well.

So in an enemy realm, they would be stealing food from the countryside. Can the region lord get an account of the food lost? Or can the invading troops have an option that when ticked will automatically have that unit steal food when in enemy regions?

[Lefanis]

I once floated the idea that the trader class should be able to supply members of their army from there caravans. The thought was it would give traders a reason to join a conflict. Instead of every unit having to have their own caravans to provide food when you are in a starving region, 1 or 2 traders could bring enough to feed the army.

That sounds great.

... I worry it will add just one more logistical worry for wars, and one more reason for realms to avoid wars.

Thats why we give the unit a chance to tick a box and steal food from the countryside automatically in enemy realms, the easy way out. But then he/she would have to face the consequences if such an act is illegal.

[Indirik]

I don't really think we should be considering adding an option that could potentially require all players to start hiring caravans and buying food. That doesn't really sound like a good idea.

[Bedwyr]

I don't really think we should be considering adding an option that could potentially require all players to start hiring caravans and buying food. That doesn't really sound like a good idea.

Agreed.  But, if there was an option for /one/ set of caravans to feed everyone in the army (or everyone of the same realm in the region) that would seem to be reasonable.  As it is, though I've never seen anyone done it (and I've never been desperate enough to order it) removing all the food from the path of a major army coming your way is a valid tactic.

[De-Legro]

Agreed.  But, if there was an option for /one/ set of caravans to feed everyone in the army (or everyone of the same realm in the region) that would seem to be reasonable.  As it is, though I've never seen anyone done it (and I've never been desperate enough to order it) removing all the food from the path of a major army coming your way is a valid tactic.

Probably does more damage to your own regions then it would do to the enemy.