Who acts as a guarantor for mercenary contracts?

Bren · January 25, 2018, 04:30:20 PM

Quote from: Gronan of Simmerya;1021823Historically, mercenaries unpaid had a tendency to loot the area held by the employer that stiffed them.

Weren't they actually a lot more likely to loot the area they were currently in at the time which might, or might not, be controlled by their employer?

After the medieval period troops were often not paid in a timely fashion. Getting paid the agreed amount on time was much more the exception than it was the rule.

RPGPundit · January 27, 2018, 03:05:08 AM

Quote from: Gronan of Simmerya;1021823Historically, mercenaries unpaid had a tendency to loot the area held by the employer that stiffed them.

Sometimes they would loot even when they were paid!

Gronan of Simmerya · January 27, 2018, 07:39:15 PM

Both of you are right. So always cheat your mercenaries when they're in enemy territory. Of course if your enemy knows this they might pay the mercs...

"Pas d'argent, pas de Suisse."

Bren · January 28, 2018, 02:16:27 PM

Quote from: Gronan of Simmerya;1022286Both of you are right. So always cheat your mercenaries when they're in enemy territory. Of course if your enemy knows this they might pay the mercs...

In that case you steal the enemy pay wagon before it is delivered.

Gronan of Simmerya · January 28, 2018, 05:42:32 PM

Quote from: Bren;1022376In that case you steal the enemy pay wagon before it is delivered.

Which, in fact, is the theme of "Siege of Bodenberg," the miniatures game using Elastolin medieval figures that inspired Jeff Perren to create the first draft of the CHAINMAIL rules.

RPGPundit · January 30, 2018, 01:24:45 AM

You want to be careful about cheating your mercenaries for another reason... you might need mercenaries again in some future war.

Gronan of Simmerya · January 30, 2018, 01:46:09 AM

Quote from: RPGPundit;1022662You want to be careful about cheating your mercenaries for another reason... you might need mercenaries again in some future war.

That indeed is a HUGE reason.

RPGPundit · February 01, 2018, 12:37:47 AM

I don't know of any occasion in the War of the Roses, for example, where mercenaries went unpaid. I know of a couple of instances where Scottish mercenaries went on rampages just because, mind you.