Divesture

[John]

> I play in many diffrent BR PBeMs and I have never seen divesture used as a
> weapon. Why bother creating a holding, double contesting that other guy's
> holding, and ruling yours up when you can do it all in one 10+ action (with
> modifers, as usual) with just the help of a priest? In my home game one of my
> players was a priest and never even thought of divesture. Maybe I'm
> overlooking something but this simple realm spells looks to me like a very
> potent, but unused, weapon.

As I recall, you need to conquer a province before it can be divested
from its owning regent, and you need to be in the province itself
for the ceremony. Holdings I don't remember too well, but I think
(and even if it didn't mention it in the rules, I'd personally rule
IMC) that you'd need to do the same with holdings.
For a guild, for example, I'd think you'd have to have your men seize
the regent's guildhouse, merchants and places of business before
divesting that holding. It takes a bit more organisation (you'd need
quite a few men to do the job properly with a sizable holding) but in
game terms it wouldn't make too much difference. A lot more dramatic,
soldiers bursting in like police on a dawn raid, people swinging in
through windows and suchlike. Such seizures by force wouldd be fun if
used against the players occasionally, too.
The downside for the divesting regent, which is not generally the
case for simple contest actions, is that forcibly seizing holdings
and taking control of them yourself is tantamount to an act of war.
Even if the holding you're taking isn't an actual building as such
(an enemy law holding consisting of 'bandits & other lawless
elements' supplied by the enemy state, for example) then the people
there are still citizens or agents of a foreign power. Holdings
(building-wise) themselves might be considered foreign soil, rather
like embassies.
I did something broadly similar to the above in the first run of
Chris Kira's PBeM when in control of Taeghas, playing the new Count
following a 'Velvet Revolution' after a surge in Taeghan nationalism.
I had my men seize almost all of Darien Avan's & Aeric Boeuine's law
holdings in Taeghas, either destroying, reducing or taking them
myself, and told them, in so many words, to "get off my land".
Taeghas & Avanil nearly came to blows over the whole affair (even if
we got on very well as players). In the end, Avanil decided it wasn't
worth wading through seas of blood simply to regain control of
Taeghas, so the matter was dropped. Fun, though..... ;-)

John.
"Once I was a lamb, playing in a green field. Then
the wolves came. Now I am an eagle and I fly in a
different universe."
"And now you kill the lambs," whispered Dardalion.
"No, priest. No one pays for lambs."
- David Gemmel, Waylander

[Olesens]

This word sound familar? Yes. Commonly used? Nope.

I play in many diffrent BR PBeMs and I have never seen divesture used as a
weapon. Why bother creating a holding, double contesting that other guy's
holding, and ruling yours up when you can do it all in one 10+ action (with
modifers, as usual) with just the help of a priest? In my home game one of my
players was a priest and never even thought of divesture. Maybe I'm
overlooking something but this simple realm spells looks to me like a very
potent, but unused, weapon.

- -Andrew