...Isn't that the precise Reason why we SHOULD destroy the Beast paths? To make it harder for them to run circles around our Forces when they invade?
The answer to that is the tried and true tested " We don't know how many Paths there are, but Blastweave means the Army of the Forest, the militia and all our settlements will be able to put up a better fight. "
The Beast paths cannot all be shut, only the major paths can be patrolled. Instead of shutting the available paths down in what's a long term project we should not be able to confirm as complete (unless I'm missing something, I might be, gonna need to check that out). The solution is to improve the all around combat capability to withstand the flood of war we leave open. It also helps that the affects of the beastpaths not being shut are easy to ignore as a problem. Beastmen build up from the beastpaths? Ignore it for improving the army, so when an attack from the enemy inside/outside Ostland happens, the army can hopefully survive long enough for reinforcements, or to gather to fight the enemy forces.
I feel like if we want to find Beast-Paths easier we want to get the winged-scouts first. I assume with them finding the Beast-Paths odds get much better if not certain since they can literally find them from the air.
Not exactly, forest terrain is a problem for visibility. The beast-paths are not all visible from the air. If we had the winged scouts. We might be able to see beastmen roaming Oastland, or if warherds are on the march.
Issue with that logic is, it's useless until we get it built and eats up a sizable amount of funds which we ultimately cannot afford right now due to the actions of the holder of the shore. So it's a 6 turn of heavy spending that only benefits us after while the income it's meant to be buffing is in decline already. That's putting good after bad.
It also is not going to help spotting a black arc in any meaningful way, they have spells of obscurement and will if they are not blithering idiots, have raiding parties sent out ahead of time to hit watcher sights. The lighthouse itself is thus one huge target for them to blow up and or cause chaos with.
As for the prestige gain? Frankly Freddy doesn't really need any since his law reform is happening solely inside his own realm, not bucking too many norms, or otherwise being downright odd as he normally is. This is tame for him, and the nobles are more likely to be asking "Where's the crazy" than take any actual offense, especially since we're funding the rebuild entirely.
Don't get me wrong both the beast paths and light house are important. The light house needs to wait until our finances are less shot. Hopefully it's in 1-2 turns for that, but we're not solvent enough for funds if we get hit in earnest. As for the paths? Without our asrai mercs I have zero confidence in us doing much good with those as we lack their wood lore and would have to resort to the Greenskin way of scouting them. Which means throwing ruinous amounts of bodies at them which we cannot reasonably sustain.
Our finances are not that shot. We can afford the cost of the Lighthouse plan. Just like we can afford the plan with the vapor tanks (with a DD on vapor tanks). They even out at about the same price anyway. Our income is in the ascent, actually. We just need to build some of the infrastructure to ascend, do not buy mercs, and keep ascending for a few more turns. Six turns later, we start to build the lighthouse, and it would probably have been a better idea to have built it around now instead of then. If only because when it completes it'll be a boon for Ostland.
Shit, I'm repeating myself. Okay say we did start the lighthouse now.
Turn 36
Stewardship (Choose 2)
The Stone Beneath (Completes this turn)
The Lighthouse of Salkalten, foundation (will complete next turn)
Seeding Drills (will complete this turn, but not give the money until next turn ends)
Turn 37
Stewardship (Choose 2)
The Lighthouse of Salkalten, foundation (completes this turn)
Lumbering Heat (2 years)
Apple Expansion (1 year)
???
Turn 38
Stewardship (Choose 2, or maybe choose 3)
Yeah, we are in ascent economy wise. Assuming no more wall building projects get offered, and we don't take on more mercs. Looks like we may take the lighthouse sooner than six turns into the future.
The QM mentioned that there is a reason why even though the elven mercs left, the players have the same CoS for the beast paths.
Years of fighting/training/learning alongside Wood Elves and increased in-depth familiarity with the deeper forests compared to previous knowledge/capabilities plus Taal priests and flying scouts with the wing suits = unchanged and available, yes.
