I was thinking about nobles and how absolutely hated they are by many. Mandates/demands cause pains and annoyances, and most people just end up giving them a nice trip into a chasm.
So, I was thinking, what if Nobles had at least some reason to keep them hanging around?
Then I thought: Hey, wouldn't nobles have some sort of status to other cultures? They may not be liked, but perhaps respected?
So, how about this: "Useless" nobles that are "happy" (130 happiness though, not 126, so happy nobles teetering on content won't apply) will meet with a liaison after your formal meeting is conducted. Depending on your status with the other civilization, and their social skills, they may be able to convince the liaison to bring some special goods at a cheaper price and higher quality, just for your fort. These goods may also be unavailable from the civ ordinarily unless you have a noble requesting them, or at least very uncommon. Easiest with the dwarves, most difficult with the elves. The higher ranking the noble, the easier time he will have getting a higher quality, cheaper, and more valuable item overall. After all nobles complete their meeting, or after the liaison assumes nobody else is coming, you're given a small list of what was ordered and he'll be off. Instead of making your duke or mayor or whatever conduct another meeting for this order sheet, the liaison will just inform him on his way out.
Now, it's quite awkward how it would start at first. These nobles would ask for these items at "happy" (or 130 happiness). Usually these items will be semi-useless to you, but still valuable to your fort as imported wealth. Nobles, depending on if the item is up to their standards, will usually take possession of it immediately after your purchase. Making these trades for items nobles want gives them a happy thought. Not a major one (unless the item exceeds expectations, which is easier on lower down on the noble chain) but still a happy thought. Ignoring their request gives them a bad thought, like you snuffed them, and the civilization thinks a bit less of your as well, since you made a request, they honored it, then you screwed 'em.
Once nobles reach a good amount of happiness past ecstatic, (say, 250-300 on the scale), they place their confidence in you and the leader dwarf, allowing you to make requests for them. This is a boon to the player since he can now get rarer items from the civilizations to trade at higher qualities and cheap cost. Nobles that don't have their request used get an unhappy thought (very minor though), used request is no thought at all, and a used request that is related to something the noble likes will get a happy thought, but the noble is also more likely to claim it right out of the trade depot (while if the noble has no preference, he's likely to ignore it). Past a certain point, though, nobles will have so many items they will be satisfied with their belongings and be less likely to claim an item, even if it's their favorite out of their favorite material.
While ordinarily by this point a player may already be ultra-self-sufficient, you still may have unavailable materials that you can get (or get MORE of) at cheaper prices. Elves may get rarer beasts in better condition, humans may trade more supplies and equipment, dwarves may bring powerful weapons/armor. They may even bring some blue diamond (!!!) armors if you become well-respected enough (since it's everywhere now, there's no reason why not). It should have a use for any player, no matter the situation.
Other civilizations may also make requests that fulfilling can make other civilizations appreciate you to a much greater degree, making your fort known for the best craftsdwarfship in the land can make you something worth keeping around. This could also eventually, one day, go towards getting civilizations to assist you and send an army of their own to defend your fortress against a siege since you're such a valuable asset, but that's a suggestion for another time.
tl;dr:
- Nobles make requests that can make them happier
- Once nobles are so happy, you make requests FOR them
- Requested items are often high quality and valuable, getting better depending on the rank/social skill of the noble
- Making requests can help you get items you couldn't before
- Makes nobles useful
- Civilization relations!
- Elves worth not making angry for at least a small amount of time longer than normal. Healthy and strong tame elephants, especially a breeding pair, are good for food, eh?
- You can also deny requests until nobles go absolutely insane/melancholic, if you like
As much as I hate to suggest something FOR nobles...... what do you think?
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Topic: Giving Nobles some kind of meager, acceptable usefulness (Read 514 times)