Sure, mercenary band can skip a meal or two in times of need, but staying hungry for too long will affect their battle prowess and eventually lead to death of starvation. Oh! And it’s a good opportunity to suggest adding status/trait like Drunk-Hangover done, but related to food: Hungry, Starving. It should lower their Resolve, max Fatigue and Initiative, and maybe even AP by 1-2.
But, on contrary, i vote for gradual consumption of food – it balances nicely with one-time money payments, and because from developers standpoint you can’t really decide for player or his characters when and how often they should eat:
Maybe they eat properly 3 times a day? Or maybe they are a dirty esthetes and like to have 5-7 meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner, afternoon tea, evening meal, supper, midnight snack, and so on.. and then there is a random feast to celebrate something – doesn’t matter what, it’s just another reason to eat.
Or maybe they chase their prey and have to eat on the move, not having spare time to sit and roast on campfire that strange meat you got recently.
Which results in consuming their food stocks bit by bit. So let’s leave it as is and give freedom to our imagination.
I took a look at how desertion works, and regardless of what you lack – money, food or both – when the pay time comes only one brother leaves, first in your roster in 95% cases, which should have been longest with you through thick and thin with blood and sweat, and most loyal to company, sans trait ‘loyal’. While beggars and other freshly recruited scum stays until the end, whole 12 days, which needed to disband your company this way one by one.
And the notice avery time the same : “A man can only take it for so long before giving up. With no pay and going hungry every night, why risk your life fighting? You should get crowns and provisions fast, or more men will desert you. And before long, you’ll be alone.”
Would be better if it was done like event system, with changing text according to circumstances and with useful suggestions and tips. And with probability to lose several random brothers, each time more so.
.
