The First Mega Game International Bank

[Darkwind]

The Bank of Ulm needs no ATMs--in an incredible breakthrough, the Bank has interfaced with Astral strands and is now available wherever there is a lab! This makes the BoU both the easiest to access and cheapest to use bank!

Unless, of course, you don't pay back your loan, in which case thugs will come to your door at midnight and steal you away to Bank HQ.

[Zenzei]

While this idea is nice in theory I'm not so sure I like it in practice. Mostly because it potentially adds a totally unneeded level of complexity to the game and smells a bit like pre-game alliance between the bank nations.

[hunt11]

this may be a stupid question but what is this, and what will this actually do

[Darkwind]

this may be a stupid question but what is this, and what will this actually do

I'll see if I can explain this correctly. "Banks" are essentially deposits of funds. One can take out funds at interest, and must eventually pay back the funds. Some banks(ie, me) have taken it a bit further and are applying it to other areas (Next branch of BoU: the Global Spell Branch!). Of course, there's going to be enforcement so no one can game any systems. And it's still a bit unclear on where the interest goes in each individual bank (I know I'll either take all the interest for myself or split it half-and-half with the bank funds).

Basically, you're trusting people not to take all the banks money and never use any, and people are trusting you not to just absorb all the funds they give you.

While this idea is nice in theory I'm not so sure I like it in practice. Mostly because it potentially adds a totally unneeded level of complexity to the game and smells a bit like pre-game alliance between the bank nations.

How is this complex? "Give bank funds, bank loans funds, funds are paid back with interest, wash, repeat" (at least for the BoU). Though I do see what you mean about pre-game alliances; perhaps we should wait for signing up until the game starts?

[cupido2]

Is there opening an insurance company? I'd like to insure my labs against fire, my temples against earthquakes, my troops against damages of my routing MA Caelum mammuts and my provinces against unfriendly take-overs. Please pm me your offers.

[hunt11]

the idea makes sense but the real problem is how will you be able to trust somebody with your money. The only time you are really desperate for money is in the begging of the game

[Darkwind]

Some nations just can't seem to gather enough funds for that next castle. Taking out a loan can easily do the trick . . .

And about the trust issue, well, you can probably trust the first poster and me. The first poster because a scam wouldn't take such incredible detail; me because lying would damage my forging income.

[Ironhawk]

Why would anyone go through all this just to get some extra gold when they can just jack up thier taxes??

It even has exactly the same mechanic - more gold now at the cost of less gold later. The only bank to provide an interesting service is the Bank of Ulm, because they loan gems.

[Darkwind]

Jacking up taxes also kills population--sure, 200% tax rate will get you the same amount of gold, but it'll kill quite a bit of population and affect everything in that province. Not to mention that you need units to keep the unrest low, which somewhat dampens the use of increasing taxes. Unless you use undead to patrol, which is usually hard to do unless you're Ermor.

And don't forget, if the population demands it, the Bank of Ulm will open an item branch.

[hunt11]

As long as the people who control the loans are honest this could work out very well. For item forging Bogarus would have an easier time, because as long as they get Baba Yaga they can forge anything