On Sat, 7 Feb 1998, James Ruhland wrote:

> This is an interesting point and one I think we should discuss. Remembering
> that 20 turns is only 5 years, it's quite possible for a player to rule up
> a realm like, say Rovninodensk (in Vosgaard) from a bunch of 0/7 and 1/4
> provinces (with 1 4/1 province) to a bunch of 8/0 and 10/0 provinces within
> that time. Where do all the people come from? IMO, there should be some
> restrictions on how often, and how effective, ruling a Province (as opposed
> to a Holding) is. One suggesed change is to make it so you can't spend
> Regency Points to improve your success chance. Another I'd recomend is that
> you can only (successfully) rule a province once every four (4) turns (1
> year). This still means a player can grow the realm significanlty over the
> course of a 20 year reign, but you don't get the outlandish booms that many
> realms can experience. There could also be special rules for situations
> like Melyy ("gold rushes", or in this case a "Silver rush") that cause one
> or perhaps several provinces to be able to experience rapid growth over a
> short period.

My initial thought is to say, yes this is a topic that can be problematic.
But, upon further thought, these ideas occured to me: any Regent who has
the Regency, Gold and Time to do this much Rule Province actions is being
seriously underchallenged by the DM. He is ripe for a random event or a
marauding awnsheighlein.
Further, consider the usual way kingdoms increase their
populations: they offer free land to whomever is willing to take and tame
it. Often they also offer initial assistance to the potential new vassals.
So, when a regent raises his province levels a lot, he is inviting the
younger sons of nobles in the nearby kingdoms--including those of non-ally
and even cold enemy kingdoms--to set up housekeeping in his provinces. As
a DM you should feel perfectly justified to spring things like Great
Captains rising from provinces swollen with new colonists. Even if you
don't use the Covert Holdings domain rule I created and submitted to the
Netbook, power-hungry and untrustworthy temples and guilds and even
lawholders should immediately start challenging the regent to set up their
own holdings and brandishing their influence when they do. Remember: if
you raise a province above 3, a second holder can come in and claim
secondary holdings in it, plus they have the advantage. The choice to rule
a province must be a public one: while the regent is raising the province
level, some nefarious lawholder can be creating a 0-level law holding.
Then he only has to Rule that holding the next turn: if he can win
initiative, he gets the new law holding.
So, I see your point that it may well be possible to abuse that
certain aspect of the rules, the antidote is already there in the rules.
All it needs is some DM savvy to help powermongering PC to learn the
lessions of wisdom.

Mark VanderMeulen
vander+@pitt.edu