User Guide

A fortified town on the
road west from London,
if is gained through con-
trol of the Office of
Chancellor of the Duchy
of Cornwall.
Royal Heirs, Archbishops & Bishops,
Ships and certain Towns which are not
attached to Offices or other Assets can
be taken as Ransom, along with all
Troops or other Assets connected with
them.
Select one or more of the items dis-
played in the Information Box, and
then click on the Ransom button. You
will be told either that the Ransom is
agreed, in which case your army gains
control of these Assets and the cap-
tured Noble is set free, or that the
demand is refused. In the latter case,
you are offered the choice to either set
the Noble free, or to execute him.
Naturally, the more you demand, the
less likely it is that the other faction
will agree to your demands.
If a Royal Heir is captured, the
option is given to execute him at once.
You can not Ransom Royalty.
All Mercenaries in the defeated army
are destroyed, and are removed from
the Faction’s strength immediately.
Mercy or Vengeance?
If the player’s Faction is the loser,
the computer displays the extent of
captor’s malice or mercy. It may allow
you to ransom your Nobles. You must
decide whether the Ransom is worth
paying. Sometimes, a Noble is set free
even without a Ransom being paid.
If a Ransom is demanded, you will be
told which Noble is being considered,
and which of your Assets the enemy
demands. You may either Accept or
Reject the demand.
The computer-Factions have their
own rationale for deciding when to set
a Noble free, when to execute him, and
when to demand Ransom. As part of
this, through Faction Rivalry, they
keep note of how you treat the prison-
ers you capture. The more generous
you are, the more likely they are to be
generous with you. On the other hand,
if you execute prisoners regularly, you
can be sure you will be at the center of
every other Faction’s vengeful plans.
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