The absence of dedicated naval gameplay in Bannerlord 2 leaves the question of how naval prisoners would be handled largely up to speculation. The current game mechanics offer no distinct systems for capturing, managing, or interacting with prisoners taken in naval combat, as there are no naval battles. However, we can extrapolate from existing systems and suggest realistic implementations should TaleWorlds ever decide to introduce naval warfare. This article explores four potential solutions, focusing on practicality and integration with the existing game framework.
Currently, prisoners in Bannerlord 2 are managed through a fairly straightforward system. After a battle, defeated lords, companions, and troops are taken as prisoners, held in your party, castle, or town dungeons. These prisoners can then be recruited, ransomed, or executed, impacting your relationships with other lords and affecting the morale of your troops and the surrounding population.
If naval combat were introduced, this existing system could be easily adapted. Captured enemy ships could effectively be treated as sieged locations. The defeated crew would then become prisoners, subject to the same management options.
Here’s how it might work:
- Post-Naval Battle: Upon winning a naval engagement, a screen similar to the post-battle loot distribution would appear. In addition to loot, you’d see a list of captured enemy lords, companions, and regular troops.
- Prisoner Transfer: These captured individuals would then be transferred to your party’s inventory (if space allows) or directly to the nearest castle or town with available dungeon space.
- Management Options: The player could then interact with these prisoners in the same way they currently do: ransom them to their faction, recruit them into their own army (depending on skills and compatibility), or execute them (with the associated consequences).
The existing skills like charm, leadership, and roguery would still be applicable. Charm would affect the likelihood of a prisoner agreeing to be recruited; leadership would determine the maximum number of prisoners your party can effectively manage without morale penalties; and roguery would influence your ability to ransom prisoners for a higher price or successfully execute them without causing widespread outrage.
While the existing system provides a solid foundation, naval combat opens up unique interaction possibilities with prisoners that could enhance gameplay depth.
One such possibility is the introduction of “naval specialists” among the prisoners. These could be characters with unique skills related to shipbuilding, navigation, or naval combat tactics. Recruiting these specialists could provide significant bonuses to your fleet, such as faster ship construction times, improved ship maneuverability, or increased naval combat effectiveness. You might even find master shipwrights who can unlock new ship designs.
Another unique interaction could revolve around using prisoners as leverage in naval trade negotiations. Factions that rely heavily on naval trade routes might be more willing to offer valuable concessions in exchange for the release of captured sailors or merchants. This could create interesting diplomatic opportunities and strategic choices, especially in coastal regions.
Furthermore, the concept of “shipbreaking” could be introduced. Instead of simply ransoming or recruiting all captured sailors, you could opt to dismantle their ships and force the prisoners to work in shipyards, providing a temporary boost to your ship construction capabilities but at the cost of public order and relations with the prisoners’ faction.
This creates a moral dilemma: Do you prioritize immediate gains or long-term relationships and stability?
Having spent countless hours navigating the political landscape of Bannerlord 2, I’ve come to appreciate the delicate balance TaleWorlds has struck between realism and gameplay. When it comes to naval prisoners, maintaining this balance is crucial.
One challenge I foresee is the potential for prisoner management to become overly tedious, especially in large-scale naval conflicts. Imagine capturing hundreds of sailors after a major sea battle. Manually processing each prisoner would be a significant chore.
To mitigate this, TaleWorlds could introduce batch processing options: allowing players to quickly ransom, recruit, or execute groups of prisoners based on pre-defined criteria (e.g., ransom all low-tier troops, recruit all skilled sailors).
Another consideration is the impact of naval prisoners on faction relations. Capturing and executing large numbers of enemy sailors could have severe diplomatic repercussions, potentially leading to retaliatory raids on coastal settlements or even outright war. This necessitates a careful assessment of the potential consequences before making any rash decisions.
From my experience, a little ruthlessness goes a long way, but excessive cruelty can quickly backfire. It’s a delicate dance.
Ultimately, the key to successfully implementing naval prisoner systems in Bannerlord 2 lies in seamless integration with the existing game mechanics. This means ensuring that naval prisoner management is intuitive, engaging, and meaningful within the broader context of the game.
One way to achieve this is by tying naval prisoner systems to existing skills and perks. For example, the “Steward” skill could affect the efficiency of managing prisoners in coastal towns, reducing the risk of escapes or rebellions. Similarly, certain perks could grant bonuses to prisoner recruitment or ransom values, making it more profitable to engage in naval warfare.
Here is a table outlining potential skills and perks and their relation to Naval Prisoner management:
| Skill/Perk | Effect on Naval Prisoners |
|---|---|
| Steward | Reduces prisoner escape chance in coastal towns, increases food efficiency for prisoners. |
| Leadership | Increases maximum number of prisoners your party can hold without morale penalties, improves prisoner recruitment success rate. |
| Roguery | Increases ransom value for prisoners, reduces negative relations impact from executions. |
| Charm | Increases the likelihood of prisoners agreeing to be recruited, improves relations with factions after releasing prisoners. |
| Naval Engineering Perk | Reduces Ship Construction time of shipyard by prisoners |
Furthermore, TaleWorlds could introduce new quests and events centered around naval prisoners. For example, a lord might task you with rescuing a captured family member from a pirate stronghold, or a merchant guild might hire you to negotiate the release of a group of sailors held hostage by a rival faction. These quests and events would not only add depth to the gameplay experience but also provide opportunities to further develop your character’s skills and relationships.
By carefully integrating naval prisoner systems with the existing game mechanics, TaleWorlds can create a compelling and immersive naval combat experience that enhances the overall depth and replayability of Bannerlord 2.
In summary, successful naval prisoner management in Bannerlord 2 requires adaptation of existing systems, unique naval-related interactions, awareness of gameplay balance, and seamless integration with existing skills and perks.
Here are some frequently asked questions about how naval prisoners might be handled in Bannerlord 2, based on what players are also searching for:
Q: Can I recruit naval prisoners into my army?
A: Potentially, yes. If TaleWorlds implements a naval prisoner system, it’s likely that you’ll be able to recruit captured sailors and marines into your army, especially if they have relevant skills or high morale. Skills like engineering and seafaring should play key roles in deciding whether naval prisoners would like to join you.
Q: Will executing naval prisoners impact my relations with other factions?
A: Most likely. Executing prisoners in Bannerlord 2 already has negative consequences, and this would likely extend to naval prisoners. The severity of the impact would likely depend on the number of prisoners executed, their social status, and the overall relationship between your faction and the prisoner’s faction.
Q: Can I ransom naval prisoners for profit?
A: Ransoming prisoners is a key element of the current Bannerlord 2 system, and it would likely be a major component of any naval prisoner implementation. The ransom value would depend on factors such as the prisoner’s rank, skills, and the current state of relations between your faction and the prisoner’s faction.
Q: Will there be unique naval prisoner-related quests?
A: It’s possible. Introducing naval prisoner-related quests would be a great way to add depth and variety to the gameplay experience. These quests could involve rescuing prisoners, negotiating their release, or even hunting down pirate ships that are holding prisoners captive.
Q: Could captured ship crew members be used as slave labor?
A: While Bannerlord 2 doesn’t directly feature slavery, a similar mechanic could be implemented by forcing prisoners to work in shipyards. This would provide a temporary boost to ship construction but could have negative consequences for public order and faction relations.