Rule Interpretation

[Kent Lerch]

Greetings!
I've got a pretty much straightforward question as to the Birthright rules for
you:
Is the possession of a level 0 holding sufficient for performing the
domain actions which require a regent to have "a holding" ?
This might seem like a rules' lawyer's quibbling to most of you, but I think if
you consider the possible implications of the interpretation of this rule you
might come to see my point.
Quite a lot of potentially nasty domain actions (Agitate and Contest come to
mind) require a holding ("A regent with a holding can use his influence to
agitate or stabilize the privince's loyalty toward its ruler"). As the number of
level 1+ holdings is limited by the level of the province, while the number of
level 0 holdings isn't, allowing regents of level 0 holdings to perform these
domain actions might make these holdings quite powerful, maybe too powerful ...
I've tended to regard a level 0 holding as a "presence" of the organization in
question rather than an "influence" (level 1+ holdings). The question is whether
this might not in turn devalue level 0 holdings. And: how can you get rid of
your opponents annoying level 1 holding in a level 3 province, which hinders you
to rule your holding to level 1 too, if you can't use the Contest action on him
(under the premise that only level 1+ hholdings are allowed to do so ...)
A slight variation on this theme is the rule as to the creation of Trade Routes,
which seems excessively unclear to me. It says: " A regent who controls a guild
holding can attempt to open a trade route ...". Again, a guild holding level 0
or level 1+. And: will one guild holding suffice? And, if so, where has it to
be? On the starting point or the end point of the route? Or can you create
trade routes anywhere you want? Or are guild holdings required to be present at
the endpoints of the route, albeit not your own?
The subsequent text seems to imply the necessity of the regent having guild
holdings at the endpoints of the route ("Trade routes are neutralized if the
regent's guild holding in either province is contested ..."), but why then write
"a regent who controls >>a

[Jonathan Picklesimer]

Well, the way I read the rules in regards to trade routes in particular
was that the regent need only have a guild holding at one end of the
trade route. Otherwise, guilders would not be able to establish trade
routes from a domain in say Coeryans to Zikala. The way that I see the
rules is that if you have an overland trade route that begins and ends
at one of your own guild holdings and one of those holdings becomes
contested, then you are out one trade route. I also see where same rule
could apply to two different guilds that have established a trade route.
If one guild becomes contested, then they are going to be way too busy,
for that domain turn, or at least an action round, to be concerned about
trading with someone in a different domain. I can also see that if a
guilder has an open ended sea trading route, one which does not connect
with a specific country, but does ensure that the goods reach tradable
ports, could be adversely affected by not only contest actions at its
origin, but also any unusual sea activity, i.e. violent storms, the
Kraken, or the Leviathan, etc.

I think that level 0 holdings must have some sort of power and should
count as a holding for the purpose of contest and agitate actions. How
else can one exert influence, or disrupt the activity in a province? For
example, suppose that I wanted to invade a province in Keirgard. The
first thing I would do is try to establish a level 0 law holding there.
Then I would try to agitate the people so that there was some amount of
civil unrest to cover my actions, and to instill general disastifaction
with the current regime. Then I would try to contest the province so
that I could rule my law holding up to level 1. I think that the level 0
holding must count as a holding so that actions like these may be
performed, in particular in provinces where all of the holding levels
have been used. I see this as the only way that one could influence the
province enough to knock someone else out of power.

Just my 2 coppers worth.

Jonathan

[Jonathan Picklesimer]

Well, the way I read the rules in regards to trade routes in particular
was that the regent need only have a guild holding at one end of the
trade route. Otherwise, guilders would not be able to establish trade
routes from a domain in say Coeryans to Zikala. The way that I see the
rules is that if you have an overland trade route that begins and ends
at one of your own guild holdings and one of those holdings becomes
contested, then you are out one trade route. I also see where same rule
could apply to two different guilds that have established a trade route.
If one guild becomes contested, then they are going to be way too busy,
for that domain turn, or at least an action round, to be concerned about
trading with someone in a different domain. I can also see that if a
guilder has an open ended sea trading route, one which does not connect
with a specific country, but does ensure that the goods reach tradable
ports, could be adversely affected by not only contest actions at its
origin, but also any unusual sea activity, i.e. violent storms, the
Kraken, or the Leviathan, etc.

I think that level 0 holdings must have some sort of power and should
count as a holding for the purpose of contest and agitate actions. How
else can one exert influence, or disrupt the activity in a province? For
example, suppose that I wanted to invade a province in Keirgard. The
first thing I would do is try to establish a level 0 law holding there.
Then I would try to agitate the people so that there was some amount of
civil unrest to cover my actions, and to instill general disastifaction
with the current regime. Then I would try to contest the province so
that I could rule my law holding up to level 1. I think that the level 0
holding must count as a holding so that actions like these may be
performed, in particular in provinces where all of the holding levels
have been used. I see this as the only way that one could influence the
province enough to knock someone else out of power.

Just my 2 coppers worth.

Jonathan