Encouraging individuality for Horde and Alliance over Suzerainty system

[usfshihy]

Hello! This is a part of a longer suggestion I posted since Zumbak asked me to narrow it down. While I know the work on the CK2 version has stopped, this could offer some useful suggestions for the upcoming CK3 one. Now I just finished a nearly 30 year playthrough of the Goldrinn of Shadowfang Keep. My goal was to establish a rival human/Worgen resistance to the Scourge and one that looks at Garithos with suspicion and as someone who can form an important piece in our resistance rather than we form an irrelevant piece in his.

The mod has a real problem when it comes with alliances, whether we are talking about Horde, Alliance or the Scourge. Any 5-10 year playthrough would result in a world mainly split between those powers and the eradication of most small/medium sized states. For example, Garithos can always win the civil war by just calling all the Alliance armies, and the Scourge won't stop winning since it can put in it's 100k army wherever it pleases always beating the Forsaken in a few years. That's why, gameplay wise, Pandaria is by far the most fun continent to play in as it's the one with the least obvious power projectors, it's filled with small powers making for an amazing interregnum like experience for a CK game where anything can happen (It's the same reason why Elder Kings, another great mod focuses most on it Interregnum start date as it is by far the most popular). I rarely play in Lorderaon as I'll always find myself squished between those great powers so I tried to make my playthrough more fun by first controlling Thrall and Varian and making them break up the Horde and the Alliance and then giving independence to all the smaller Scourge vassals to add more singularity and personality to the world rather than 3 big blobs.

And so it began! With the great powers broken up, so much more fun scenarios began to brew up. An Ironforge-Shadowforge war (which wouldn't have started if Ironforge had 50k soldiers behind it) blew up, putting central Azeroth at risk. The Dragonmaw began seizing territories in the highlands and made 5 failed invasions on Grim Batol. Eventually forming an alliance with the Rend Blackhand who rebelled from Nefarien and slaughtered him giving a rise to a true "Dark Horde". The Newly split Scourge power of Tranquillien ruled by the traitor Dar'Khan Drathir began a major offensive against Quel'thalas, losing in the process and quickly falling back in both power and land giving sway to a reunited Quel'thalas (Again, wouldn't have happened if he had the 100k Lich King behind him). The Scarlet Crusade began to advance and capture parts of Northern Trisfal and eventually made an attempt to take Strathholme, taking control of the Burning City for 5 years and appearing as the renewed bastion of Humanity in Lorderaon before collapsing in a three way civil war with one side led by Saidan Dathrohan holding the lands around the Capital City and the Monastery, another controlling parts in the plaguelands and the last holding Tarren Mill(If the Scourge was united, the Scarlet Crusade usually dies off in 2 years and that's that). In the south, a rising alliance between the Atal'ai and the Gurubashi began to threaten Stormwind making considerable raid incursions deep in Azeroth's territory. The two sides fought each other in 4 wars with no side showing any signs of stopping (They usually get curb stomped if the Alliance is there with full power). In Andorhal, Araj the Summoner began an attack against Scholomance trying to enlarge his territory giving way to a more complex Scourge than the one usually exists. The Forsaken made several major offensives against Dalaran eventually taking control of the great city (Forsaken usually get humiliated by the Scourge in 2-3 years). And finally, perhaps my most favorite development, a scarlet light uprising took place in Stromgarde forcing Galen Trollbane to flee to the newly captured Durholde Keep (A very unique development that wouldn't have happened since Stromgarde usually dies from Horde in the first 10 years along with the death of Scarlet light religion as it also falls apart in 2 years).

And now we can come to how I think this situation should be improved, and that is by prioritizing individuality over the alliances:

For the Horde and the Alliance, the separate nations like the Tauren and Trolls should be nearly independent from their factions. Once any new member joins a faction, the member gets a considerable boost in a large free retinue force stationed at their capital representing the faction's defense force for this group (ie. A horde defense force stationed at Thunder Bluff for example). That retinue should be appropriate to the size of the faction member ie. A kingdom should have 9k while a Barony 4k. The retinue should also replace the ability of a faction member to call for their suzerain's aid as that aid is always present in the form of the retinue force, this will also fix the worst problem currently in the game which is the blob power. It will also make way for the various faction members to gain individuality as they are responsible for themselves more or less, and will provide a fertile ground in which the factions as a whole will more fluid as now the Horde can suffer defeat at a specific front (ie. The Taurens losing a war in Desolace against the various Centaur clans) while AT THE SAME TIME another front advances (ie. The orcish forces driving night elves back in another UNRELATED front in Ashenvale). It will also make playing the smaller states a whole lot more fun as the existing scenario in the CK2 version is that once a neighbor joins one of the great powers then that that's as you can't contend with the 100k army that they boast and call whenever you attack. Now instead, if you are powerful enough, you can take him on even with the extra forces he has with him. Also strong conditions need to be added to make it really hard to join either one of the factions and instead encourage states to remain mostly neutral.