A noble family in Norland is an important aspect of successfully managing a kingdom. Lords not only oversee the household but also influence foreign policy and trade. The game allows you to customize the lords when creating a party, and in this guide, we will look at how to ensure that from the very beginning you have not just a noble family, but an efficient machine that will give a powerful start to the entire kingdom.
Speaking of default settings (two brothers and a wife for one of them), the game strives to endow characters with similar traits. For example, a leader with a high «Command» skill will also be a skilled «Fighter». His brother with a high «Management» skill is usually strong in «Trade».
However, the first two lords have the duties of traveling around the surroundings to establish friendly relations and conclude profitable deals. Here arises a problem. A leader with a low level of «Manners» will not be able to effectively make friends, and a skilled ruler will be torn between giving orders and traveling to conclude trade deals, as his skills are likely higher than most neighboring kings (the game usually appoints only fighters).
Therefore, when creating a noble family, you need to choose traits that will free the starting characters from double-triple workloads. Let each one handle their main task, and for this, they will have enough time, and in between, they can help with less busy issues. For example:
First Brother (King): «Manners» (with the «Charismatic» perk), «Persuasion» and a bit of «Intellect» so that diplomacy is at the highest level, and the study of new knowledge is not delayed. The «Empath» trait will further help in making friends, and «Ugly» is the most harmless of the negative traits.
Wife of the First Brother: «Intellect», «Management», «Teaching». Initially, she will have to deal with internal politics and the study of new knowledge. Over time, when children appear, she will be involved in their education, and the teaching skill (with the «Insightful» perk) will come in handy. Additional traits — «High Fertility» and «Unattractive» to better cope with the absence of her husband.
Second Brother: «Trade» (with the «Forecaster» perk), a bit in «Combat» and «Intellect». His main task is to conclude profitable trade agreements and fight well (stronger than ordinary peasant soldiers + equipment). This brother will often be on the external track, only occasionally distracted by the study of knowledge.
Remember that each skill point of a character is «bought» with age: the more experienced the lord, the older he is, which is not always good. Creating a family with characters over 35 years old is still age-related and you should not get carried away with giving them skills. Optimally 30 years.
Tip: You will recruit a good managing lord and a warrior lord later. Do not worry if your characters at the beginning of the game are not as good at management as you would like. Any enterprise produces 100% of its resources, and all that a manager gives is a productivity bonus.
But in early access, this aspect was not well adjusted and even characters who are amateurs in management often have 110%, while experienced ones have no more than 130%. In numbers, it looks significant, but in practice, the bonus is revealed in the endgame. At the beginning of the game, your industry is unlikely to produce more than 20-30 units of goods per day, and the bonus from a cool manager will be an additional 1-2 units.
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Creating a noble family requires a strategic approach to choosing lords and their duties. And if your own did not turn out well — you can always strengthen the family with more eminent outsiders!