Alright so let me start by saying, this week has been interesting and troublesome to say the least. I have come into multiple problems and setbacks with my laptop and I'm awaiting a new keyboard after some keys got accidentally destroyed, there have also been some other issues I'm trying to solve so the workpace hasn't been where I've wanted it to be...

...However, I'm still super excited to bring this update which breathes a bit of life into an area that was flat and devoid of any depth for so long, it wasn't planned but after visiting the minor bandit code to put in the ability to hire the groups directly as a bandit king (thanks to a suggestion by Defender) I saw just how shallow the whole system was and decided to put and end to it.

**MINOR BANDIT OVERHAUL**

**New kinds of bandit leaders**

So this system was somewhat modelled on how the Goblin Slaver update was done, meaning there are numerous different traits available each having a different effect on how the leader acts. There are 10 different personalities total, some are similar like recruiter and expert recruiter, and some allow for special abilities like Mercenary captain or Land merchant.

* **Recruiter** (Double units each year)
* **Hordevassal** (Supports Phenor's Bandit Horde if it's active)
* **Brutal Trainer** (Half recruits, Men have +60% stats (120 battlescore bandits and 200 battlescore Warlords)
* **Expert Robbers** (Take more gold)
* **Honest Men** (No robbery)
* **Expert Recruiter** (Triple units each year) (option to sell them your bandits, at 10 gold each)
* **Merry Men** (Doesn't rob as much gold, and never robs you if it means you have nothing)
* **Moneygrubber** (+20% Gold gain from rents and robberies)
* **Mercenary Captain** (Option to buy bandits from him, Occasionally runs merc contract events)
* **Land Merchant** (Sells any lands above the one they have, if they have only one land he invades automatically)

So you'll now see a group a honest men who won't rob anyone, right next to a bandit group with an expert recruiter growing in number fast only to be replaced by a brutal trainer who turns that large army into a feared unit where a warlord could kill one of your knights with ease.

* Added expert robbers take twice the gold
* Added moneygrubber leaders gain 20% extra rental gold each turn
* Added honest men don't rob anyone
* Added land grab factions always invade when attacking and on only one land
* Added updated battlescore for brutal trainer units (125 and 200)
* Added merry men dont' rob you if it would leave you broke
* Added moneygrubbers gain +20% of normal stolen gold
* Added recruiter leaders get double units each turn
* Added brutal trainers get half units each turn
* Added expert recruiters get triple units each turn

**New stuff you can do with minor bandit groups**

This update hasn't just changed what they can do, but also what you can do with them. Now you can view additional stats, you can talk to the leader directly, you can speak to random local bandits and if you have the 'Bandit King' backstory you can actually attempt to hire the group with a chance of gaining it's leader as a personal champion whom you can send to the Arena/to run a fort/etc. It's also now possible for you to try and have your diplomat broker a truce with a group instead of just paying gold, but there are risks!

* Added ability to buy land from land merchant bandit leader (if truced)
* Added ability to buy men from merc captain leaders (if truced)
* Added ability to sell men to expert recruiter leaders (if truced)
* Added ability to view all stats for bandit leaders
* Added ability to hire bandit group if you are the bandit king and (public op lower than 20 or group is merry men or honest men) (credit Defender)
* Added ability to speak to random bandit (25 dialogues)
* Added 36 unique dialogues (4 for each bandit leader type)
* Added ability for bandit group leader to join you as a knight if his group is assimilated with you
* Added ability for bandit group leader to head off into the world if his group is assimilated with you
* Added ability for bandit group leader to join you as a champion if his group is assimilated with you
* Added dynamic refusal from bandit group leader if you ask them to join
* Added ability for diplomat to broker truce with the bandits
* Added ability for diplomat to be killed brokering truce with bandits

**New bandit leader random events**

Now there are several events with at least one for each trait that can happen at the end of a turn, and some pre-existing bandit events have been improved upon.

* Added rival group join event for recruiter bandit leaders
* Added successful robberies event for expert robbery bandits
* Added new potion merchant raid event
* Added new old artifact seller raid event
* Added robbed nobles for village event for merry men bandit leaders
* Added defend village and gain recruits for honest men bandit leaders
* Added impassioned speech event for expert recruiter bandit leaders
* Added call for the bandit horde event for hordevassal bandit leaders
* Added half men to horde event for hordevassal bandit leaders
* Added brutal training regime event for brutal trainer leaders
* Added land capture event for land merchant leaders
* Added merc contract event for merc leaders
* Added 1 in 3 chance event for successful scam to double gold for moneygrubber bandit leaders

**Minor bandit bugs and tweaks**

A couple of bugs and tweaks done during the development, also a little cheat code for testing different types of bandit leader!

* Reworked the hire attack screen
* Fixed bandit group 5 giving all of their end of turn gold to bandit group 1
* Fixed capitalisation bug in minor bandit group screen
* Reworked layout of minor bandit screen
* Merged minor bandit code and made it 5x more efficient
* Added secret code 69 in bandit group choice screen which spawns a random set of bandit leaders

**UNRELATED BUGFIXES**

Some bug fixes suggested by you guys! and one I found

* Fixed Flag of Aslona reference (credit u/Dargonsploof)
* Fixed broken bluetrii screen (credit HisShadow)
* Fixed hirelings unable to be ignored or trap doored (credit HisSHadow)
* Fixed hiring more units than intended (credit HisShadow)
* Fixed niklas text line bug

**SCREENSHOTS**