How do you even make peace?

[ZumZoom]

Playing the campaign, Frostlings allied themselves with orks and goblins, I defeated both of those, made multiple tributes and offered them all of my gold (4000), still no success.

[GreyHuntr]

I don't think I ever beat that mission without killing the Frostling leader.

[dtt.scanner]

I think the only time I was successful making peace was to capture their last city while they were outside (occasionally also possible if you are able to capture the opposite side of a 4-tile city, so that it becomes contested ownership), and then sue for peace. The leader will usually abandon the city at that point and try to take and hold some strategic location. They will make peace if they have no cities left and the leader is still alive. It is difficult to arrange strategically to catch them outside their city, especially after they start to turtle up. It can also be difficult to retreat with your forces intact before actually killing the leader, if you are using the battle to level up your units.

You will also want to NOT convert their city populations as you capture them, and instead upgrade them intact. You can build and fortify them with ballista, which are always neutral, and they can occupy and hold the enemy cities even if the relationship is hostile. This will greatly improve the faction relationship for the next scenario, if you plan on forging future alliances.

[ZumZoom]

Originally posted by dtt.scanner:

I think the only time I was successful making peace was to capture their last city while they were outside (occasionally also possible if you are able to capture the opposite side of a 4-tile city, so that it becomes contested ownership), and then sue for peace. The leader will usually abandon the city at that point and try to take and hold some strategic location. They will make peace if they have no cities left and the leader is still alive. It is difficult to arrange strategically to catch them outside their city, especially after they start to turtle up. It can also be difficult to retreat with your forces intact before actually killing the leader, if you are using the battle to level up your units.

You will also want to NOT convert their city populations as you capture them, and instead upgrade them intact. You can build and fortify them with ballista, which are always neutral, and they can occupy and hold the enemy cities even if the relationship is hostile. This will greatly improve the faction relationship for the next scenario, if you plan on forging future alliances.

Thanks, very useful info!

[GreyHuntr]

Originally posted by dtt.scanner:

This will greatly improve the faction relationship for the next scenario, if you plan on forging future alliances.

Race relationships don't carry over from one scenario to the next in the campaign, except for the races you directly played as. For example, playing as Halfling and changing to Lizards means the Halflings will still like you. However all the other good races won't like you anymore since you are Neutral alignment now. In the same manner, making the Frostlings like you in the United Cities map, and then choosing Dwarves next will set the Frostlings back to neutral attitude.

[dtt.scanner]

I'll have to play again and test this. It seems to me that relations do carry over, but as you say, you have to work out relations with each race that you help. When you cycle through them all, you should start with high affinity with whichever one you play.

Even the enemies seem to start with less hostility, and captured cities become stable more easily.

EDIT: Okay, checking on this a little more... I have not seen an improvement yet, but still early in the campaign. It did reset to hostile playing as a halfling character. Perhaps I was having better relations in the other campaign because I chose a neutral race character (Lizardman), instead of the Good-natured Halfling. Only on the third scenario.

[GreyHuntr]

In the campaign the race of your leader doesn't affect relations. You just get a bonus to the races you select to control that carry over. So in Keeper campaign after United cities, if you choose Lizards, you will have normal relations for a neutral race plus Halflings will like you. Lizards and Frostlings naturally have good relations with each other, regardless of how you treated them in the last mission. Then if you choose Undead after that, Halflings and lizards will still like you. Although you may run into morale problems if you keep them in the same stack.