Ransom or execute

[Isotopesam]

Playing the Moors, I just captured the Spanish King after an amazing battle. What should I do now? Ransom or execute? Definitely not going to release him coz Spain backstabbed me. The ransom money is pretty high...but not really sure....

[gambit]

Ransom is usually pretty sound unless your going for that terrifying kind of reputation. The thing of ransom (especially with family members) you get crap loads of money or you kill them without repercussion to reputation. Plus on his release he's lost half (or all) of his army. Either way to you

[Isotopesam]

Hoping that an execution might bring down the faction faster. All this is happening a couple turns into the game.

[gambit]

If you're using assassins you can ransom him then kill him off later or you could just chase the bastard down with your victorious army and get him before he can recuperate.

[Zadith]

getting a large lump of money early on is nice. It helps with the war efforts on other fronts or can help you get that final army built for the last push to finish off the same people you are ransoming. Take the cash and use it to kill them off or build up your economy for later wars.

[foolfromhell]

I can never ransom.

They never pay. EVER... even for kings or princes.

[Cyrus Spitama]

I can never ransom.

They never pay. EVER... even for kings or princes.

I always ransom, and I've had my fair share of times when the enemy paid up. Still, most of the time they don't pay.

In a couple of funny occasions they paid the ransom for family members that got captured while conquering a settlement. Since the game never lets any kind of army get out of a captured settlement, I got both the money AND the guy died anyway.

[Pyrebound]

I always execute - who cares a damn about reputation or money! Dread dread dread!

[Bacon!]

if you have alot of armies around then ransom him then when he flees to his border (providing he is in your land or not close to one of his cities) then attack the ransomed troops +king again and then kill him thats what i do providng the oportunity comes around

[vonKrysiak]

Ransom for heirs/kings is pretty good and AI most likely will pay it. I do not put prisoners to sword too often as it lowers your standing with other factions of the same religion!

[mikeb32123]

I would ransom kings and heirs since you get great money (unless of course they're excellent generals). Regular generals or family members are worth executing since you only get a thousand or two for them, and personally I'd be happy to pay that much for a decent general.

[King Yngvar]

Execute, good for dread.

[Sokar Rostau]

I once funded an entire Vikings campaign in MTW by repeatedly capturing and ransoming the Norwegian king. The poor bastard was terrified of me... and so was his heir once he died and I began doing the same thing to him. The difference seems to be that in MTW you could borrow money to pay ransoms but it doesn't seem that you can do that in M2TW so if the Faction is too poor to pay the ransom they have no choice but to let you execute the prisoners. Maybe it's a balance thing because capturing a King in MTW was usually, though not always, a great boost to your Faction's treasury.

[Erwin Rommel]

ransom him

[Nack]

I always assume the Venetians/Milannesse/Sicilians aren't going to be cheap so I ransom their generals... they always dissapoint me and they don't pay.

[Cmdr_Sdxo]

Most of the time ransom,but release chivalrous enemy generals&execute enemy generals with dread... and every_single_mongol I capture!

[OTTOMAN]

mongols truly hard but pleasant