How To Get Rich and Keep the Peasants Happy

Getting rich in the game won't automatically mean you will emerge victorious, but it will make life a lot easier and winning a lot more likely. There are several ways to get money in the game. Pillaging and begging are not a sure thing, getting lots of ducats out of your fiefs is. In fact, if you get good at running fiefs, you can offer to do it for other players, by having them appoint you manager of some of their fiefs and then splitting the income with the owners.

Observe well the items below. Each contains essential information you will need to know to become an expert manager of fiefs.

Your fiefs are the source of your wealth and power. Take care of them, and they will take care of you. On the Main Menu and Travel Menu there are Fief Management options that takes you to a list of your fiefs.

All fiefs are basically the same. However, there are some subtle variations. For one thing, not all fiefs are ports from which you can travel by sea. Fiefs with ports are marked with "&" on the travel display. The larger Spanish, Italian, Irish and Scottish fiefs are actually many normal sized fiefs combined into large one fief. These are called "megafiefs" and they otherwise differ in that they sometimes spontaneously go into unrest or rebellion, and don't generate as much revenue as their size would suggest.

While there is a lot going on with fiefs, there are basically two things you are concerned about with your fiefs;

1-How much money you can get out of it without the oppressed inhabitants rebelling against you. Basically, you raise the tax rate slowly, and try to spend as much as possible on improving the fief. Details below.

2-Make the fief more difficult for someone to take from you. This is largely a matter of increasing the KEEP level as quickly as possible.

3-Invest money in the infrastructure of your fief. This is a long term investment, but HYW is a long game and such investments pay off later in the game.

First and foremost, find a good bailiff. If he is good, you will consistently have negative fief expense. He is great if his negative fief expense consistently exceeds graft.

Your main objective is to extract the maximum taxes out of your fief while at the same time increasing fief productivity (by investing in infrastructure.) You also want to invest in fortifications (keep expense) if your lands are likely to be fought over. You also want to avoid rebellion, which is done by keeping loyalty high. This is done by a combination of careful taxation and spending on the garrison and local officials.

You have to have some taxation, as without supplying minimal services to your fiefs, they go into rebellion and you lose control of them. Most of the money you obtain from taxation goes to pay these fief expenses.

When you go to manage your fiefs, you will have two menus to do it with. One is the Fief Management Menu, which allows you to assign a bailiff to the fief, or remove one, and perform other related tasks.

Fief Management Menu

            Fief ID     Fief        Trsry       Kp Lvl      Surp        Llty     Bail        Mngr        Status      
                        Name                                                                                            

1.          EKE06       Romney      0           27.61       1049        9.0         5138        0           Calm
2.          ESR01       Croydon     0           15.61       160         1.3         3261        262         Unrest      
3.          ESX03       Pulborough  0           15.56       347         4.1         3499        0           Calm        
4.          EYS04       Whitby      0           20.22       567         8.8         3325        262         Calm
        

If you select a fief by typing its number  in the fief management menu, the following is displayed:

Spring Of 1377 90.0 Days Left

Current Fief FSA03 Pons
Llty 6.01 Srpls 7.58 Trsry 0.00 Stat Calm
Ancestral Owner 222
Bailiff ID Auto Mode

Personal Purse 108736.54

1. <E>xamine Fief
2. <S>et Self As Bailiff
3. Choose NPC As <B>ailiff
4. <R>emove NPC As Bailiff
5. <T>reasury To Purse Transfer
6. <P>urse To Treasury Transfer
7. Appoint <M>anager
8. <F>ire A Manager, or Quit as Manager
9. <Q>uell Rebellion
10. <L>ocking Utilities For Keep
11. Tr<A>nsfer Fief To Another Player
12. <?> for Help
13. <ENTER> To Quit


Enter #

The other is the Individual Fief Management Menu which is accessed via typing the E plus the fief number (E1)

This menu allows you to work with the spending and taxation of a specific fief.

Enter 1-5 to change, <Z> To Redisplay, or <ENTER> to Quit:

Related Topics:

• Inflation
• Items Not Shown
• Language Codes
• Elements That Influence Fief Effectiveness
• Some helpful hints on managing fiefs...
• Fief Management During Peace Time.
• Fief Management During War Time
• Fief Ownership
• Managing Your Family and Household
• Characteristics and Skills
• Wills