RFE: Bondsmen and Clan Recruiting

[N7Danny]

(FAO @IllianiCBT) Currently, Clan prisoners follow the same prisoner rules/settings as IS prisoners - a random chance at defecting. Whilst the role can be set via GM settings to Willing to Defect, or Bondsman, applying the latter via GM leads to some strange interactions with rank issuing, namely the syntax comes out as "BondsmanRank Personnel Name", IE: BondsmanLance Corporal.

Would it be possible to set any character with the role "Trueborn/Freeborn" to always be Willing to Defect to replicate Bondsman/woman status, or to correct the presentation of the role/rank? Currently leaving the character as "Bondsman/No Rank" leaves them at the bottom of the list when sorting and could potentially lead to them being included in bulk prisoner interactions. (No-one wants to lose their 2/3 awesome Bloodnamed Bondsman because they got mixed in with the 50+ prisoners from an infantry battle)

Thanks!

(Currently on Nightly 0.50.0, 10/07/2024)

[IllianiCBT]

Our prisoner rework is on the docket, but with 50.0 so close around the corner it might not be ready until 50.1. I've popped this issue into my name as once we get to the rework I'll make sure we wrap this into it. :)

[HammerGS]

Like this. But I think it would need some of this factored in.

https://www.sarna.net/wiki/Bondsman

[ShadowDragon8685]

Note that Clan prisoners don't (usually) just go "you beat me, so I'm your pilot now."

To start with, some of them exercise the option of "bondsref," wherein they formally refuse to be taken as a Bondsman by the party who stands to claim them; at this point, unless the party that stands to claim them is feeling incredibly generous (as in, 'release them to go back to their Clan' generous), they unalive themselves. (This is typically done with the permission of the party who stands to claim them, but can be done 'in the field,' before capture, if they stand to be captured by someone they consider totally unworthy, like pirates.)

In MekHQ, I think that would mean that Clan prisoners either "die" even if they survived the fight, or are willing to be recruited immediately.

Caveat: There is also usually a period of adjustment, wherein the adopting Clan (or mercenary group, or Great House, if they're following the Clan traditions more closely than "you're on our team now? Cool, here's a neurohelmet.") takes the bondsman and assigns them to lesser duties, like MechTech, AsTech, etc. If they're really bullying the adoptee, they'll assign them to scrub latrines, etc. But in MekHQ, I'd just say that, to abstract this, at the end of the contract in which a Clanner was taken prisoner, they either die (or you can be generous and say you put them on a DropShip heading home; or release them to find their way in the Sphere), or become a pilot for you, with no chance of them just 'staying a prisoner.'

[repligator]

Just like most other Clan things, it varies a lot between Clans.

[IllianiCBT]

While I agree that the adjustment period is in lore, it would require a bit of tracking. Probably the easiest solution would be to have prisoners have the 'prisoner' role, but then allow clan prisoners to be made into bondsmen. Then track an x week period during which they are 'becoming bondsmen'. Ostensibly they're still treated as prisoners, but once the period has ended they get the Bondsman prisoner status, allowing them to be assigned roles as normal.

Regarding bonsref, I think that could should hook into unit rating and faction. Would require a bit of logic to find the right balance and the right exceptions, but that seems workable.

[IllianiCBT]

Just like most other Clan things, it varies a lot between Clans.

While true, due to the sheer volume of different Clans and clan cultures, we need to program for Generic Clan and then provide campaign options so users can adjust to meet the needs of their favorite brand of space furries.

[ShadowDragon8685]

Just like most other Clan things, it varies a lot between Clans.

While true, due to the sheer volume of different Clans and clan cultures, we need to program for Generic Clan and then provide campaign options so users can adjust to meet the needs of their favorite brand of space furries.

To be clear, are you saying "that's too much work, it'll never happen," or outlining the stretch goals?

[IllianiCBT]

To be clear, are you saying "that's too much work, it'll never happen," or outlining the stretch goals?

This is me saying "I'm not going to factor in the nuance of how each Clan handles bondsmen, because that is a lot of work for minimal benefit". Also, there are a lot of clans. So we program for how the theoretical average clan handles things, and then try to include campaign options to allow users to tailor their experience to match how their particular clan handles things.

[SirChaos1]

Personally, I would handle the bondsman labor period as a Unit Education module, maybe give it the Reeducation Camp tag so it regenerates loyalty, too. Stick ´em in there for a couple of months; if at the end, their loyalty is at or above X, you recruit them, if not, stick ´em right back into the module.