Raids vs encounters: a story telling suggestion

[Robc]

Players at all difficulty levels depend on the availability of easy to convert 'foreign' pawns when starting a new game.  To that end our current AI personalities often send a few single person "raids" early on.  We see the hapless pawn charging forward with their club intent on bringing the whole encampment to its knees.  On the one hand players love these events because its an opportunity to increase pawn population.  On the other we laugh because the story here is untenable.  Lone club or even knife carriers might be able to take out a single unarmed pawn but even a couple months into NB most settlements are not at much risk from this "harrowing" encounter.  Putting infections from knife scratches aside of course.

Alternative:  An aggressive single pawn encounter could be substituted for single pawn raids.  The arriving pawn is a guest without trade options.  The arriving pawn attempts to interact with colony pawns and entice them to leave the colony.  After all the place probably doesn't have too many comforts and amenities early on and the "guest" could spin tales of a wonderful town just over the hill.   As social interactions improve between the guest and a colony member the opportunity to convert the pawn one way or the other should occur leaving the player not really knowing if his pawns are about to add this guest to the colony population or pack their bags and leave the map with the guest.  The RNG chance to convert in either direction should depend on social skill and ideally mood as well.  In this way a player investing in high social skills and properly managing early moods will be rewarded with a faster growing population without the nuisance of imprisoning and converting.  But there remains a risk of loss of key colony personnel too.  Risk too high?  Kill or capture the "aggressive" but not guilty guest with all the normal consequences.

"Raids" are appropriate for a group of assailants who really do have a chance to capture/ kidnap/ or steal colony assets.  Single pawn raids don't enhance the story whereas aggressive encounters as suggested here would do the trick.  Aggressive encounters don't have to be restricted to single pawns but I think it would work best if restricted to one.  The AI could send these encounters more frequently than early single person raids and it would make for an interesting early dynamic imo.  Players would be compelled to do a little microing to keep track of who the guest is talking to which is a downside for QoL but upside for story telling.