An idea for more realism.....for BGRIV, I ask your opinion

[Cooltosha]

I was watching a program on History Channel and the story of of troops suffering post-traumatic disorders much similar to the Vietnam Syndrome back even in the days of Moses and Jewish Exodus from Egypt, I got an idea.

Since there are already realistic elements implemented for orders and behavior of generals (like an order:chivalric code) in Byg's Grim Reality IV......

I suggest the following to you, Byg.

When an army exterminates a settlement, it should receive a certain morale downgrade to reflect the post-traumatic disorders the soldiers would face. This applies only when settlement is exterminated.

Lower quality units receive more negative bonuses, e.g. peasants, sergeants, artillery units, militias and so on.

Middle quality units receive modest negative bonuses, e.g. early professionals and feudals, like knights and so on.

High quality elite units receive lower negative bonuses, e.g. late professionals and exceptional units, such as general's bodyguard, mercenaries and such troops that are used to slaughtering civilians, especially condotierries of Late Medieval Italy.

Religious order units, such as Templars, Hospitallers, Knights of Montessa, Knights of Santiago, Lazarus' Knights, Hashasin, Teutonic Knights and Lithuanian Pagan units produced from their temples to their gods, receive no negative morale bonuses, to reflect their force of conviction and strength of faith.

This bonuses would be cumulative with weariness negative bonuses that reflect the low supplies if the army is long in the field.

Also, bonuses should be cumulative if exterminations of settlements repeat during a single campaign of an army, so morale bonus is -2 for first extermination, -4 for second, and so on.....

Finally, the piety of the general could also partially reduce or even increase the negative bonus. I leave that to Byg's choice.

Crusade or Jihad armies receive no negative bonuses for extermination(s).

Negative bonuses would be reduced and eventually would disappear when army rests, at rate of one negative bonus rate of -2/turn.

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I have no experience in modding this stuff, so I ask for Byg's opinion if this can be done. Would you be so kind to do this and include it in your Reality Mod?

Any reputation for the idea would be much appreciated, though most of it should really go to Byg, for his reality mod inspired me to think about various reality aspects of medieval warfare.

[Deadly Rabbit]

I like it.

[Kawee]

This was not always the case though. Some people actually enjoyed pillaging. After all, a big chunk of their pay came that way. Different people had different moral compass. I like the idea though. Might be able to come up with something here.

[Ochiee]

aren't pillaging, extermination, execution and all those stuffs are well received in medieval times?
but i like the idea though, for some reason, conquering a faction with different religion will be much much much much more difficult (like it's not difficult already )

[thehuscarl48]

perhaps a higher rebel spawn rate for a recently conquered region of different religious faith. Say until the subjugated region drops to 35% minority.

[Byg]

A thoughtful idea, but as far as I know it wouldn't be possible because the effects you suggest are for different units, but they can only be applied to the general.

In the case of a field morale trait we can at least say that if the general affected changes his troops then the effects are still affecting his bodyguard and himself.

Now, if a general's army gets a post battle trauma trait because they are largely peasants for example, then what if he then exchanges them for an army of knights? The peasants can't hold the trait, only the general can.

In answer to this you could then say his troop makeup has changed therefore he should lose the trait, but that would open up an expoit where temporarily separating the general from his peasants would lose the trait. If a trait is that exploitable there would be no point adding it IMO. Also as someone above said, a lot of people liked killing, particularly if it led to victory and for the spoils. I think armies got better overall with experience, not worse and we can only really deal with overall effects.

[Cooltosha]

A thoughtful idea, but as far as I know it wouldn't be possible because the effects you suggest are for different units, but they can only be applied to the general.

In the case of a field morale trait we can at least say that if the general affected changes his troops then the effects are still affecting his bodyguard and himself.

Now, if a general's army gets a post battle trauma trait because they are largely peasants for example, then what if he then exchanges them for an army of knights? The peasants can't hold the trait, only the general can.

In answer to this you could then say his troop makeup has changed therefore he should lose the trait, but that would open up an expoit where temporarily separating the general from his peasants would lose the trait. If a trait is that exploitable there would be no point adding it IMO. Also as someone above said, a lot of people liked killing, particularly if it led to victory and for the spoils. I think armies got better overall with experience, not worse and we can only really deal with overall effects.

Ah, I thought it applies for units in the army, not to a general himself..........damn, ok, nevermind then......