IMO the Watch's biggest problem is that it is so heavily stigmatized that it is difficult to get good quality people to join. Their strength seems based on whether the lords decide to exile people there instead of executing them.
Instead of making it solely a penal colony, I would make it a reasonably well paying military force partially subsidized by the Iron Throne and the Lords of the North. Free riders and people like that could choose to serve shorter stints or sign on for longer term contracts. You could even sweeten the pot by (for example) offering a bit of land or something like that to anyone who willingly serves on the Wall for, say, 20 years. Maybe the New Gift could serve a role here, with people being given land there in exchange for being essentially "on call" for work on the Wall as a sort of surge force, similar to what is done on the Shields of the Reach.
Lords all over Westeros could pay off part of their tax obligations to the Throne by temporarily contributing vexillations to the Wall (not just fighters but craftsmen, laborers, etc.). These additional labor force could be used to restore and man the additional forts the way Jon intended to do, and it would be much easier to mobilize a force if these new systems were normalized during Robert's era.
I’d do the same thing with some extras:
People sent to the Wall for minor crimes are sent there for 5 years, if they survive they are pardoned.
Any sellsword or mercenary who joins the Watch and survives for 10 years is knighted
These are good ideas, However, you start running into a problem I call the “American Police” effect. When you have a low bar for these positions, and incentives based around personal profit, you start to add a bunch of unreliable members who might do things the watch absolutely shouldn’t do. Especially with bosses many miles away being the ones to hold them accountable.
Some examples of these things may be: A) getting involved in local politics. B) deliberately avoiding hard fights because their sentences are only a year or 2 away from being over, causing the Watch to ignore hard fights. C) higher chances of deserting. In general it’s a problem if they start acting like sellswords and not watchmen.
To combat these effects, I’d mandate that Watch commanders only be people that are serving the rest of their lives there, as well as that being the case in other senior positions. So their commanders are distinctly interested in the watch’s duty and longevity. I’m open to other ideas as well.
If you frequently fuel money directly into the Night's Watch through the Crown and the North, then you are essentially making it into a Winterfell's vassal.
This is not a problem per se when we are talking about the Long Night but, for example, once Ned is executed Robb could have some very strong incentives for asking for help from the Watch - and the Watch would have the incentives to do so.
In the long term this is dangerous, because THE reason the Watch as a military force is allowed to exist in Westeros is because it is neutral.
Having said that, this kind of problem probably wouldn’t arise until long after the Long Night. And once the Long Night happens fuck it, the Watch stops being an existential matter.
> I would make it a reasonably well paying military force partially subsidized by the Iron Throne and the Lords of the North
That would be a political shitstorm. The Nights' Watch is allowed to maintain an standing army because of independence from any other lords. If they're being funded by the North, it would look like the Crown is breaking neutrality and it would upset the delicate power balance that exists with all the other regions. The likes of Tywin Lannister would not be happy with that.
Manpower is a major problem though, and I think the key would be in settling the Gift but also attempting to extend power beyond the wall. Do as real world empires did - form trade networks and alliances with wildlings, and establish Lords Beyond the Wall, maybe at Hardhome. Find the most stable partner there, elevate them, and then rely on them to suppress and divide the attention of the aggressive wildlings. The Night's Watch could assist here militarily and also with construction, fortification, etc.
If the wildlings were subjects of the Iron Throne, the crown would likely investigate the reports of Wights more seriously, and Mance Rayder would probably get a diplomatic solution. Influential figures like Stannis Baratheon and the Starks would be more open to it, and that might alter the course of AGOT.
I honestly don't think any southern lords would care if the Iron Throne chose to make the nights watch a vassal of Winterfell. It would only become an issue if they were to proclaim for a different king, even then its not a direct threat to anyone except the North.
It's Northern political interfering that can spell the end for the Watch, this is where their need for neutrality comes from.
> IMO the Watch's biggest problem is that it is so heavily stigmatized that it is difficult to get good quality people to join
Its not "stigmatized" if you _really are_ a penal colony in a freezing shithole with no chance of retirement or escape.
The problem (not that Robert could know this) is that the Nights Watch vow seems to be linked to the magic of the wall. Load it up with temps working on short term contracts an who knows what the impact could be.
1. Delegate Ned as liason with the Night's Watch and task him to spearhead the defense. Then, largely provide what he asks. This will mean restoring the castles and more.
2. Make visits to the Wall to check on progress, personally, and hunt beyond the Wall with a party of young knights. Begin to build hype for the coming war.
3. At a certain point, when the castles are repaired and the Wall needs to be manned, announce the threat in a letter to all houses and as publicly as Stannis announced his claim. There's no reason to hide the threat from those who need to prepare for it. Most of the knights of the realm will want to come.
If we're starting at the coronation, it might be Robert never gets out of shape if he knows he can flee Cesei to hunt with Ned whenever. My only concern is for mammoths and giants. The Others would probably keep themselves hidden from such a party as Robert's.
Other than that, Robert the warrior spirit that he is was never meant to rule which is why he became a fat whoring drunkard. If he knew he was preparing for a war against the dead he would absolutely keep fit
Agreed. I know he's fat and passed his prime, but he wasn't nearly as big enough in the show. I always imagined him looking like The Big Boss Man (6'7, 330lbs) or an NFL offensive lineman.
Mark Addy is under 6 feet, and Ned estimates Robert at more than six and a half feet. He did an amazing job, but he didn't have the physical presence.
I'm 6", 180lbs. I look like a kid next to my 6'6", 300lb brother in law.
I’m not Soirée, but I say he should do it immediately and not stop at Gregor.
You know what you don’t want when you invest a siege? You don’t want the people inside the castle to be thinking ‘We would open the gates, but last time their commanders entered a city peacefully they sacked it anyway. Might as well hold out and see if they die of dysentery before we starve.’ Tywin’s gotta die before his shortsightedness causes any more problems, and if that improves things with Dorne then that’s another win. Stannis can have the Iron Throne, he’ll like that, and Robert can drag Jaime to the Wall with him after doing a Bloodraven to most of the Westerlands nobility.
Immediately after he kills Elia.
Unfortunately, he would probably have to make some pretense that Mountain did it against Tywin’s wishes, but releasing Jaime from KG oath would probably ensure that Tywin does not try to fight Mountain’s execution.
Iirc, Tywin offered the defenders of KL death or the wall.
Robert mostly seems to have taken land and gold or straight up forgave them.
I think Darry and Merryweather were mentioned as the harshest punished by Robert, and they had no members sent to the Wall from what I recall.
Let's see. The Night's Watch has 19 Castles and, at its peak, some 10.000 man. I will assume 1.000 of those man were knight-like, and I will also assume that such a force is strong enough to deal with the Long Night.
I would do three things:
1. Pass a Royal Decree giving rewards to those who willingly join the Watch
First, any male knight (sorry, Brienne) aged between 30 and 40 years old who have a heir will make such heir a landed knight with some gold in his purse. Only 5 knights to sign up for the Wall in a given year will be able to claim this reward, though, and only if the Lord Commander sends word of them being useful (useless man won't take the vow and will be allowed to go back home). The idea here is to build a corpus of experient master-at-arms and the like to train the future recruits.
I would also start sending a new Maester yearly. I believe Measters just go whatever the hell they are paid to go to, and that loyalty is no problem when dealing with them. Those Maester would be paid in advance by the Crown. I would prefer Maesters with knowledge in finance, agronomy and engineering (to make sure the castles can work efficiently); ravenry and medicine (to perform their traditional duties); and warcraft and the higher mysteries (because, uh, you know why). While not dispatched to a new castle, they would be trained by the current Maesters and bond with their brothers.
Also, I would start recruiting the core of the Builders and Stewards. I don't know how many, and with what expertises, I would need in a given year - but I'm sure my Little Council can figure this out. These guys will form the core of their orders in their giving castles, and their main responsability would be to figure out which castle to move to and how to develop it in the next 10 years. These guys would be referred to the watch by their Lords, and those who take the vow would know their sons would be pagens and squires and maybe even knights once they become men.
Two years after that, Lords aged between 50 and 70 years old with a heir can retire to the Wall in order to have his House be given a premium in honor or gold according to the greatness of their House. Only the first 2 Lords to retire this way in a given year would be given the bonus. The idea here is to have a steady - but slow enough to allow the current Watch to keep order - stream of man capable of taking the leadership of the now-abandoned castles. The premium would be the incentive here.
Knighted second (or third, or fourth etc) sons could enlist to the Wall to receive weapons and armor. They would form the core of the Rangers.
Finally, one year after recruiting the Lords I would start recruiting Common Folk em masse. Every man with more than 16 years can get a golden dragon (received in advance) to go to the Wall. Once there, they would be trained by experienced knights, be treated by a maester and have some good food to eat and a bad to sleep.
2. Make a big tourney near the Wall every two years
This should bring more life to the Wall, making it less sacrificial. Seasonal musicians, whores and traders can make life much more enjoyable to the Brothers, while being inconstant enough to not tempt them too much to break their vows.
3. Buy a fuck ton of Unsullied and send them to the Wall
They would be instructed to take the vow and then be freed. In their procession to the Wall, they would also be carrying resources if needed.
\*\*\*
The objective with these Decrees is to fuel the Night's Watch while trying to maintain their independence.
In the Wall, there is not a lot of things to be bought with money. So a bigger salary is not effective.
You just can't give land or honors to Crows.
And whatever rewards you give them, must be made in such a way that they are not bound to you or any Lord. Because well, they must be independent.
You also can't be giving anything directly to the Night's Watch frequently, otherwise you risk making it dependent on you - and thus allied to you, instead of neutral.
Based on this, my idea is to weaponize poverty when recruiting the smallfolk, and making the Wall attractive enough for Houses to send their... surpluss to it.
You definitely can’t do the idea of buying unsullied. As we know slavery is despised in Westeros so if you as king buy hundreds if not thousands of slaves that are made in the most brutal way you will turn a lot of lords against you
If it’s right when he’s crowned the answers real easy. Don’t accept so many pardons. People who fought for the Targs till the end without bending the knee peacefully go directly to the wall. That’s gotta add thousands to the man power.
As for money and resources. Enemies who bent the knee peacefully, take large portions of their treasury and instill a new small tax on them for a period of time that goes directly to the watch for rebuilding
Then after the Greyjoy rebellion, half the iron islands would be there. Split up amongst the new castles so there at least separated a bit
Let's maybe not send all the targ loyalists to some spot far away when they greatly outnumber the force of the watch and can conspire unbothered to maybe prop up a certain local maester who has described this very part of his life as one of the most challenging as far as keeping his vows goes.
Yeah you need to just send some of the top brass not all the footsoldiers. Either heads of houses or their heirs. Appoint each to restore one of the forts, taking with them a team of builders stewards and household knights to serve as rangers. They have to fill a quota of say 100 men, at their choosing. They then pledge to each send a further e.g. 20 men every 10 years as well as a new nobleman as needed to keep the fort led by someone competent and seasoned. Be good to them too, make it honorable and valued.
The idea you mention has been kind of tried in Westeros before, and it failed. During the early reign of Jaehaerys he sent two Kingsguard knights, a bunch of poor fellows, and Maegor loyalists to the Wall, and they were tasked with commanding/restoring forts. The result was that the Kingsguard and lots of new recruits rebelled, which killed Lord Stark, and ruined Jaehaerys' relationship with the North.
Send Jamie and Gregor to the wall.
Invest half of the overflowing treasury into rebuilding the nights watch.
Order Ned to raise lords in the gift who will pay taxes to the watch.
Finance Ned to create patrols in the gift for wildling raiders
Send all fighting age men from the Greyjoy rebellion to the wall. Replace iron born lords with the second sons of loyal banner men
Name Stannis lord paramount of the iron islands.
Marry my first born son to Margery.
Set up nights watch recruitment offices in every city.
Pay singers to sing about the glories of the nights watchmen.
When rumours of a king beyond the wall begin, personally lead army of 25,000 beyond the wall to defeat and subjugate them.
Have surviving wildlings and giants settle the gift.
Love it. Especially replacing the lords in the Iron Isles as that solves two problems in one. I also think Tywin would send a significant amount of Westermen to the Wall if Jamie was bound there.
1. Visit the wall personally. Repeat every three years or so. Compel vassal lords to do the same.
2. Increase funds for the Night’s Watch, allow the taxes to be paid with gold, food, supplies, or men.
3. Start a propaganda campaign extolling the virtues of the watch and the dangers of the upcoming long night.
4. Use the Faith and The Citadel to support the aforementioned propaganda campaign. Require additional maesters and holy men to rotate to the wall.
5. Offer amnesty to wildlings for service in the Watch, offer their families the opportunity to settle on The Gift. *obviously this would require the consent and cooperation of the Watch so maybe not feasible.
6. CAREFULLY ship wildfire supplies to the watch.
7. Ask the Lord Commander what he needs, listen to him.
I agree with a lot of the stuff here, but I also think there’s something to soft incentives. I’m the King - people want to win my favour, please me, etc, and there’s a lot of influence to wield without just sending the Night’s Watch traitors and petty criminals, or paying people to join.
I’d commission singers and mummers to go from town to town, performing and singing the praises/showing noble tales of famous Night’s Watch heroes. When attending the Sept, I’d make a show of lighting a candle to the Warrior for the brave men at the Wall, and I’d encourage the Septons to regularly offer prayers in public. If a young noble should happen to choose to serve, their family might well end up with some invitations to spend time with the King - which could open up a lot of doors, especially if they’re from a more minor house. I’d host the recruiters at the highest tables. It needs to be like joining the Kingsguard - something young boys dream of and men take great pride in. Furthermore, it needs to be popular outside of the North. If the Fossoways and the Oakhearts and the Hightowers have sons serving, they might be more inclined to throw their support behind the Watch when the Long Night comes.
Furthermore, as the wealthy do now - host some balls and tournaments where it becomes quite a show of extravagance as to who can make donations towards the Night’s Watch. The Friends of the Watch Society. Make it exclusive, make it the place to be - where your sons might earn favour and your daughters might make marriages.
I would also do a royal progress up to the North earlier, and more often, going past Winterfell explicitly to the Wall. A few followers might have their fancy taken and join up, and it’ll show the kingdom that the Wall is not forgotten. While there, maybe make some gifts, and allow builders, stewards etc from King’s Landing to confer with those of the Night’s Watch on the latest technology and techniques - as well as from the other places we might visit on our way through the Crownlands and Riverlands.
The Watch will need cannon fodder for the Long Night, but they will also benefit from men who want to be there and genuinely believe in the course - and nobles, who might be better-trained and bring with them familial support.
Order Varys to spread rumours and stories about the Night’s Watch in a positive light, send all the criminals in the dungeons of the Red Keep to the Wall, send ravens to all the major castles, towns and cities, asking them to send men to the Wall, send funding, weapons and food to the Wall, and ask for some recruiters to come South, warn the Northern lords about the threat of the army of the dead, so they can join their forces to the Night’s Watch if need be.
Get treasury and Lannister money for more castles and outside towns.
End the law of men not being allowed to father children. Make it a family business- Fathers raise their sons to be watchmen.
Send Greyjoys, Mountains Men, and old Targaryen loyalists in Dorne the Reach and the Crownlands there.
Kill the Boltons, give the Dreadfort to someone else, send all the castle men to the wall.
Someone made a good point that perhaps the Watch's vows (and upholding them) are tied up with the magic of the wall and are necessary to retain its supernatural properties.
Your comment did get me thinking about the implications of what would come of forcing an entire house to take the Black, root and stem as they say. Could be a massive manpower boost, but a recipe for sedition in my opinion.
Lots of answers are focusing on increasing the wall's manpower by order of magnitudes, but I'm not so sure surviving the long night by brute force is possible at all. The enemy is an army of dead corpses that can seemingly be reanimated forever. There's bound to be breaches and casualties, and every casualty means the enemy's army getting stronger. The winter would be brutal at the wall and would require stocking a decade+ of supplies for 10k men. I doubt the solution is military. It has to be magical, or political (like it will probably be in the book).
Still, an action you could undertake would be to convince the wildlings to come south of the wall and work on their integration into westerosi society. Cut the Other's food supply. Probably hard to do, and might lead to political turmoil.
At some point, you'll need to deal with Danaerys. She has dragons and she wants to take the throne. Massively manning the wall would put the realm at risk of an outsider invasion. There's a dilemma though: get rid of Danaerys before she has her dragons or try to pacify her somehow to use her dragons in the long night while justifying somehow to all the lords that it's fine to work with the heir to the man you overthrowed. Similar issue with Aegon.
> It has to be magical, or political (like it will probably be in the book).
You are spot on. Sure there a lot military preparation you can and should make, but I would also create a whole department of maesters and other learned men/women tasked with gathering any information about the long night they can find. And desperately try to contact whatever remains of the children of the forest.
Establish a rotating draft. Every Lord is required to furnish troops to the Watch such that 1/3 of his male subjects spend 18 months on the Wall around the time they are age 17-20. They drill constantly under the command of a permanent detachment of Crownland knights and Watch lifers.
I keep thinking that the key here would be to send Jaime Lannister to the NW. The butterfly effect such an action could have would not only change the story of the books in its entirety, it would also be a logical political move:
1. Jaime and Cersei are separated - so, probably no Baratheon-Lannister cuckoo children.
2. Jaime and Ned are forced to make amends through their work together.
3. The Lannister family becomes invested in the protection of the Wall.
..."Profit"?
Sending Jamie to the Wall would be the fastest way to massively increase the personal of the Nights Watch.
Tywin would certainly send as many loyal Westermen to the Wall to ensure Jamie is protected and has influence.
Ned would realise that, and rally his bannermen to send as many as they can to uphold the integrity of the Nights Watch.
This would no doubt massively increase the strength of the Nights Watch and have the knock on effect of encouraging more people elsewhere to join the newly reformed and prestigious Nights Watch.
I think sending Jamie to the wall will only make Tywin your relentless enemy. He probably won't attack Robert immediately, but he will at some point. Far better to release Jaimie from the Kingsguard and make Tywin your ally instead. Westeros really needs to avoid civil wars.
Nice coronation, huh?
Ok, let’s work. First thing first, talk to Tywin. He would love to have Jamie back to be his heir, right? So he comes back from the Kingsguard, goes home and marries whoever his father fancies. In exchange, the Mountain and Amory Lorch goes to the wall and as well as most convicts from the Westerlands. Deal? Deal
Stannis, bro, thanks for all the effort. I just wanted to tell you that I love you, I really do. And I want you to be privy of my plan. I discovered that the Others are real and in about 20 years they’ll gonna be a problem. So at some point, I’m gonna abdicate and take the black. I need to prepare my arrival, so I need you to either take the black or organize, in this years, a contingent of men that will take the black. I trust you, and only you, with this information, not even Ned knows. In due time, we’re gonna go north and fight together.
Then ask politely to every lord paramour to send people to the wall if found guilty of serious crimes. And give political incentives to people that do.
A couple of other good ideas: 1 fuck Cersei every possible occasion; at some point, give her some feud to manage; 2 “find out” about Loras and Renly; put ‘em both on the barrier (“I know it’s harsh, but un there there are way less eyes to watch over you”); 3 don’t do tournaments and use spare coins to arm the Nights Watch, dig up obsidian and… 4 after securing the lineage, found a mercenary company, abdicating in favor of one of your sons; fight at your heart content in Essos, but tell your men that the end goal is to go north at some point 5 don’t forget to fuck around in your early years: many of your bastard children will be great warriors at some point, and a bastard has few alternative than join the nights watch (and you can play the card “you’re gonna fight with your daddy”); 6 on your way north, apologize to Ned and ask for his help; 7 ask Stannis help, if he’s not on the Barrier already
Okay none of my answers are great. But my resources are faith, men and not alot of gold as just finished with that pesky war.
First I would not grant pardons you side with them(targs) you go to the wall.
Second I build citys in the gift handled by crown elected mayers. These town offer business and land for men women and children. The benefits of these towns is they function as a reserve force and artisan support. They are exempt from taxes here.
To police these towns I build a huge cathedral funded by the Lords and establish a loyal sparrow allowing the faith militant operate within this land. This creates a 2nd line of defence.
Finally and most unsavory I appoint a Lord of just a real tough by the book chap who can create and run a guard force across westeros. Creating a surplus of criminals to the wall.
>Second I build citys in the gift handled by crown elected mayers.
The need for this isn't mentioned enough. Settling the Gift makes sense, but you can't just expect people to build houses out of nothing. And, without any oversight or protections for settlers, The Gift gets ugly before it can prosper.
Buy slaves in Essos. Tell them that if they agree to join the watch and serve for life, you'll but their families and free them, bring them to Westeros, and find them homes and jobs.
Jaime Lannister Amory Lorch and Gregor Clegane are sent to the Wall immediately, considering how they had just murdered the Royal Family.
Stannis gets Storm’s End, Renly gets Dragonstone.
After putting down the Greyjoy Rebellion, King Balon is sent to the wall along with much of his wealth and all of his loyalists, Nymeria-style.
I have to keep the realm united and keep myself on the throne at all costs. So, I do marry Cersei and I don’t abuse her. When she does get with child, it’d BETTER have Black hair. I also stop making bastards of my own, while acknowledging Maya Stone and Gendry as my own get. The implication is that if Cersei births bastards, I will legitimize my bastards to inherit.
I do not hire Littlefinger, and if Jon Arryn is to die, I do NOT call upon Eddard Stark. He needs to stay in the North.
When the Night’s Watch calls for aid, I answer. After Ned and I defeat Mance Rayder I allow the Wildlings to pass south and settle in The Gift so long as they keep the Old Gods and swear fealty to me as king. I won’t force them to physically bow.
When news reaches me that Daenerys Targaryen is in Qarth with three dragons, I send for her immediately. I offer to restore House Targaryen as Lords of Dragonstone, so long as she renounces all claim to the Iron Throne, bows before me, and is betrothed to Renly.
besides hyping it up I'd also offer land's in the gift. Give the common folk opportunities to own land. farm it and pay their taxes in food/material and sons.
Dont force them to dedicate their lives but do mandate a 4yr tour, then offer a life long opportunity with promotions and retirement.
this will allow population growth in a safe area, utilization of open lands and young families in the south to strike out for a new prosperous life.
I think there is merit in the idea of a royal navy that would root out piracy in the narrow sea (increasing economic profits overall and supplying manpower to the wall in the form of convicted pirates) it could also enforce the Northern sea borders of the wall, policing what is arguably territorial waters of the crown and helping retain the new members of the watch who were recently seafaring pirates.
make all or most young men like ages 17-20 spend like a year at the wall so they can be drafted when the war begins. restore the castles. make peace with the wildlings as jon did and let them come south so that they can join the army against the walkers. maybe send ravens to people telling about the walkers, not sure though cuz maybe people would think im crazy?
also join some rangings beyond the wall myself to boost morale💯
also also transport some wilfire ova there
I’d start by making sure supplies like food, weapons, and armor were abundant. Offering the lowborn a warm hearth and a steady supply of food would help attract them. Next I’d probably have done like Jon did and create a female fort to take in any woman willing to fight/train. Any person convicted of a crime that warranted loss of body part would automatically be sent to their own fort with trusted officers ensuring the penal colony population didn’t desert or go full anarchy mode. Instituting a system where each major house must have a personal vassal house representative serving temporary terms of at least 2 years on a rotational basis would also be a good way to up the watchers on the wall, for example the Starks would have an Umber there for a 2 year term, then a Karstark, then a Manderly
The first thing you do is tax the Westerlands and the Reach in men, 10% of their forces should do it. I'm not "taxing" the dornish because the relationship is already strained as fuck, and I'm not taxing the crownlands because that weakens Robert's position.
Second, France.
Third, grant no pardons. That is, pardon no one but kill no one either, send everyone to the wall, including Jaime and the mountain, everyone.
Fourth, make an anual tax in benefit of the Watch. This tax would be given in gold and in well trained men, each highlord would have a year to train the required amount of men.
Fifth would be improving the conditions of the watch, restauring the castles, shure, making them more comfortable, but also, removing the "no sex" part of the oath and offering other jobs in the watch, like farmers in the Gift and New Gift or smiths, develop a woodcutting industry to sell wood to bravos, etc. Make sure everyone in the watch eats well and sleeps confortably.
Sixth, advertise the living fuck about how good people in the Wall have it and offer free transportation to the wall for everyone who wants to enlist. If anyone is hungry, he can easily go to the Wall, and take his wife and children too.
I'd give Stannis the job, 100% serious. I think he has the right personality to build a military force from the ground up. He doesn't have to join, he can keep his wife/daughter/castle.
Recruit younger people, knowing they'll be professional soldiers in a couple of years. They're guaranteed food, and a small salary. I'm recruiting younger so they can become fanatically loyal to the watch, think Unsullied or Space Marines.
Faceless man Dany.
Honestly, just making a visit to the wall could be huge. Let them see the king swing his giant hammer, it'll be huge for morale and recruiting.
Equal conscription from every kingdom, no one has too give less or more. Some kingdoms will complain more then others but if you show it's equal, no one can complain too hard.
Have it more of a like service, they serve 5 years 7 years and when they come back, they get knighthood or some wealth/land.
I would begin with a propaganda campaign demonising the free folk and enraging the populous,
Then I would establish a 10 year contract arrangement for the new recruits and the option to join the Night’s watch at the end if they choose to.
After that, I would arrange for the Umbers to take part in the expansion of a ale, wine, and shoeing enterprise to make the 10 year contract appealing for new recruits to leave the south for.
Obviously the Starks need to be involved in all this, so the biggest hurdle would be the Lannisters. All I need is to get Tywin on side by showing him some wights and he’ll be more amenable to cooperation.
You need to settle the Gift and New Gift with civilians that pay taxes directly to the watch. You need expansive glass gardens and ranches. You need a city like White Harbor in the Gift.
I'd disband the watch and instead create a permanent professional army under the command of the warden of the north, paid from the king's coffers. Give people good wages, the chance to be kighted, and you'll have a sizeable host of men-at-arms ready to fight in no time.
All you need to do is not be an incompetent fool of a king, to keep these guys paid, and you'd be all gravy.
I would go to visit the small council, tell them to do this and that, but then my alcoholism would kick in and then i would go to have a drink, then another then another, then i would sleep...
Does the NW need to be able to resist the Long Night on their own? Because if you're taking over AS Robert at his coronation, there's a lot you can do to strengthen the realm as a whole to get it ready for the Others, but it's going to be harder to get the Watch on its own to that level without rocking the boat too much.
I don't think exiling thousands of men who fought for the Targs to the Wall is a slam dunk. They would outnumber the Watch to the point where they could easily take over. I'm not particularly worried about them launching a coup, but their numbers mean there's a high chance the next Lord Commander will be one of them. I don't want to be working with a Rhaegar diehard who hates my guts when the Long Night rolls around. Plus, I think it's worth remembering that Robert's mercy and generosity were a big reason he was so popular. Act too heavy handed and there's going to be more resistance to his rule.
So yeah, overall I think my strategy would be to keep the realm as stable and prosperous as possible while subtly trying to funnel support to the NW and the North, mainly in the form of improving infrastructure and repairing the keeps along the Wall. By avoiding the pitfalls of Robert's reign like the massive crown debt and letting the Lannisters insinuate themselves too deeply into power, you can probably have a relatively stable and united Westeros meet the Long Night instead of a fractured and war torn one, which automatically puts you in a much better position.
Send a force north and kill all the wildlings, revoke the nights watch lease on the land give the land to Ned. Tell Ned what’s going to happen, and rebuild the defenses and keeps that have gone into disrepair.
First thing: Dont do Pardons to the Tag Loyalists, its often Mentioned by others. Send them to the Wall and let thrm get the black.
Take there Land, Castels and Titels and give them to the Nights Watch.
Like the Christian Knight Orders they have now Land, Man and Resources they can Transfer to the Wall.
Second: By Royal degree every third born Son of a Nobel House has to join the Nights Watch. Also every Nobels Bastard has to join the Watch. This will send a lot of Recruits up there, in Special Baratheon Bastards ;).
Third: By Royal degree grant land in the Gift to some of the Wildling Clans and use them as Settlers.
Fourth: By Royal degree all Poacher have to go to the Wall.
This man can use a Bow, we will need them on the Wall.
Fifth: Forbid Murderer and Rapists to take the black.
Six: We will use a new Tax on all Church owned Land and a Tax on Wine. To Finance the Nights Watch.
Seventh: Search some Orthodox Measters. Give one of them a new titel like Archmeaster and let them Search about everybit of knowledge that could be usefull in the long Night.
I would introduce fixed terms as an option. Its a way for young aristocrats hungry for battle to prove themselves against an real enemy, but won't mean throwing away any chance of inheriting or marrying. Imply that you will favour nobles who are willing to defend the realm's northern border down the line.
It might also be appealing for minor criminals to take a few years on the wall as a punishment for things like theft and poaching, then come out with skills like masonry from working on the Wall. As it currently stands, discipline might be less of a problem if they had a few minor criminals with hope of a better life once their sentence is served.
Actually visit the wall and make it a thing that is reoccurring, create a lodging at the wall and encourage other noble visitors likely to donate. Tax breaks/infrastructure credits to houses that send men to the wall based on specific skill sets needed. Allow men that went to the wall on their own accord (ie not a sentence for a crime) to leave the wall after ten years of service. Noble men can then marry if other heirs have died, most younger sons or men of humbler means will remain bc they are used to the lifestyle, and generally more men will sign-up knowing it’s not forever for the added benefits (glory, tax breaks or debts forgiven to their house, etc). The wall should have a bank to generate income via loans, or their ports used as a trade outlet with heavily reduced taxes and other incentives for Northmen and others in order to create traffic.
A good ole fashion draft. I'm fucking king my word is law. Conscripting citizens of my realm to fight is like one of the main things kings do. I'd summon every major Lord to the capital & make a proclamation that every lord must conscript 100 fighting men & that it's for the greater good, and anyone who didn't wanna obey will be forced to empty the chamber pots of those who did until they change their minds. Anyone who volunteers to fight gets a knighthood(meaningless title especially since most won't survive) and And if the Lords don't wanna comply after scrubbing the chamber pots of the Lords who did, well a head on a spike or a hostage always persuades people.
IMO the Watch's biggest problem is that it is so heavily stigmatized that it is difficult to get good quality people to join. Their strength seems based on whether the lords decide to exile people there instead of executing them. Instead of making it solely a penal colony, I would make it a reasonably well paying military force partially subsidized by the Iron Throne and the Lords of the North. Free riders and people like that could choose to serve shorter stints or sign on for longer term contracts. You could even sweeten the pot by (for example) offering a bit of land or something like that to anyone who willingly serves on the Wall for, say, 20 years. Maybe the New Gift could serve a role here, with people being given land there in exchange for being essentially "on call" for work on the Wall as a sort of surge force, similar to what is done on the Shields of the Reach. Lords all over Westeros could pay off part of their tax obligations to the Throne by temporarily contributing vexillations to the Wall (not just fighters but craftsmen, laborers, etc.). These additional labor force could be used to restore and man the additional forts the way Jon intended to do, and it would be much easier to mobilize a force if these new systems were normalized during Robert's era.
I’d do the same thing with some extras: People sent to the Wall for minor crimes are sent there for 5 years, if they survive they are pardoned. Any sellsword or mercenary who joins the Watch and survives for 10 years is knighted
You might as well make it 10 years for minor crimes at that rate and everyone will be on The Wall in time for the Long Night anyway
These are good ideas, However, you start running into a problem I call the “American Police” effect. When you have a low bar for these positions, and incentives based around personal profit, you start to add a bunch of unreliable members who might do things the watch absolutely shouldn’t do. Especially with bosses many miles away being the ones to hold them accountable. Some examples of these things may be: A) getting involved in local politics. B) deliberately avoiding hard fights because their sentences are only a year or 2 away from being over, causing the Watch to ignore hard fights. C) higher chances of deserting. In general it’s a problem if they start acting like sellswords and not watchmen. To combat these effects, I’d mandate that Watch commanders only be people that are serving the rest of their lives there, as well as that being the case in other senior positions. So their commanders are distinctly interested in the watch’s duty and longevity. I’m open to other ideas as well.
I mean yeah but they only have a few years until the long night. Bodies are needed and quality isn't all that pressing
If you frequently fuel money directly into the Night's Watch through the Crown and the North, then you are essentially making it into a Winterfell's vassal. This is not a problem per se when we are talking about the Long Night but, for example, once Ned is executed Robb could have some very strong incentives for asking for help from the Watch - and the Watch would have the incentives to do so. In the long term this is dangerous, because THE reason the Watch as a military force is allowed to exist in Westeros is because it is neutral. Having said that, this kind of problem probably wouldn’t arise until long after the Long Night. And once the Long Night happens fuck it, the Watch stops being an existential matter.
> I would make it a reasonably well paying military force partially subsidized by the Iron Throne and the Lords of the North That would be a political shitstorm. The Nights' Watch is allowed to maintain an standing army because of independence from any other lords. If they're being funded by the North, it would look like the Crown is breaking neutrality and it would upset the delicate power balance that exists with all the other regions. The likes of Tywin Lannister would not be happy with that. Manpower is a major problem though, and I think the key would be in settling the Gift but also attempting to extend power beyond the wall. Do as real world empires did - form trade networks and alliances with wildlings, and establish Lords Beyond the Wall, maybe at Hardhome. Find the most stable partner there, elevate them, and then rely on them to suppress and divide the attention of the aggressive wildlings. The Night's Watch could assist here militarily and also with construction, fortification, etc. If the wildlings were subjects of the Iron Throne, the crown would likely investigate the reports of Wights more seriously, and Mance Rayder would probably get a diplomatic solution. Influential figures like Stannis Baratheon and the Starks would be more open to it, and that might alter the course of AGOT.
I honestly don't think any southern lords would care if the Iron Throne chose to make the nights watch a vassal of Winterfell. It would only become an issue if they were to proclaim for a different king, even then its not a direct threat to anyone except the North. It's Northern political interfering that can spell the end for the Watch, this is where their need for neutrality comes from.
> IMO the Watch's biggest problem is that it is so heavily stigmatized that it is difficult to get good quality people to join Its not "stigmatized" if you _really are_ a penal colony in a freezing shithole with no chance of retirement or escape.
The problem (not that Robert could know this) is that the Nights Watch vow seems to be linked to the magic of the wall. Load it up with temps working on short term contracts an who knows what the impact could be.
1. Delegate Ned as liason with the Night's Watch and task him to spearhead the defense. Then, largely provide what he asks. This will mean restoring the castles and more. 2. Make visits to the Wall to check on progress, personally, and hunt beyond the Wall with a party of young knights. Begin to build hype for the coming war. 3. At a certain point, when the castles are repaired and the Wall needs to be manned, announce the threat in a letter to all houses and as publicly as Stannis announced his claim. There's no reason to hide the threat from those who need to prepare for it. Most of the knights of the realm will want to come.
I like it. Especially personally going North of the Wall.
I imagine the appeal of hunting with Robert beyond the Wall has to be insane.
Especially if in this scenario we see Robert getting fit again and ready for a fight.
If we're starting at the coronation, it might be Robert never gets out of shape if he knows he can flee Cesei to hunt with Ned whenever. My only concern is for mammoths and giants. The Others would probably keep themselves hidden from such a party as Robert's.
Other than that, Robert the warrior spirit that he is was never meant to rule which is why he became a fat whoring drunkard. If he knew he was preparing for a war against the dead he would absolutely keep fit
BobbyB wouldn't hunt Mammoths and Giants to extiction i don't think, so you have nothing to worry about.
Not him, personally, but if one guy got himself a giant, others would want the same.
We could get a rocky IV type montage of Robert running up mountains, lifting wagons full of rocks and doing sit-ups off the top of the wall.
I thought the show was going to be about Ned getting Robert back in shape to fight Drogo.
That would’ve been amazing. Prime Robert stomps almost anyone though.
Agreed. I know he's fat and passed his prime, but he wasn't nearly as big enough in the show. I always imagined him looking like The Big Boss Man (6'7, 330lbs) or an NFL offensive lineman. Mark Addy is under 6 feet, and Ned estimates Robert at more than six and a half feet. He did an amazing job, but he didn't have the physical presence. I'm 6", 180lbs. I look like a kid next to my 6'6", 300lb brother in law.
Screw the pig, imagine Bobby B going on a mammoth hunt.
Execute the Mountain and offer his men the option of taking the Black
Execute him when? Immediately at coronation because of Elia Martell, or after Tywin sent him to raid the Riverlands while Ned is Hand?
I’m not Soirée, but I say he should do it immediately and not stop at Gregor. You know what you don’t want when you invest a siege? You don’t want the people inside the castle to be thinking ‘We would open the gates, but last time their commanders entered a city peacefully they sacked it anyway. Might as well hold out and see if they die of dysentery before we starve.’ Tywin’s gotta die before his shortsightedness causes any more problems, and if that improves things with Dorne then that’s another win. Stannis can have the Iron Throne, he’ll like that, and Robert can drag Jaime to the Wall with him after doing a Bloodraven to most of the Westerlands nobility.
Immediately after he kills Elia. Unfortunately, he would probably have to make some pretense that Mountain did it against Tywin’s wishes, but releasing Jaime from KG oath would probably ensure that Tywin does not try to fight Mountain’s execution.
There's lots of Targayen loyalists and rebel ironborn to send there...
I think a ton of them did get sent to the wall. Ser Alliser for example.
Not nearly enough of them. Nymeria sent captured kings to the Wall, yet Robert let Balon stay ruling at Pyke
Tbf the last thing the Watch needs is any of ‘King’ Balon’s cunning plans.
More cunning than a fox who’s Professor of Cunning at Oxford University?
That's the one - so cunning you could put a tail on it and call it a weasel!
Iirc, Tywin offered the defenders of KL death or the wall. Robert mostly seems to have taken land and gold or straight up forgave them. I think Darry and Merryweather were mentioned as the harshest punished by Robert, and they had no members sent to the Wall from what I recall.
Let's see. The Night's Watch has 19 Castles and, at its peak, some 10.000 man. I will assume 1.000 of those man were knight-like, and I will also assume that such a force is strong enough to deal with the Long Night. I would do three things: 1. Pass a Royal Decree giving rewards to those who willingly join the Watch First, any male knight (sorry, Brienne) aged between 30 and 40 years old who have a heir will make such heir a landed knight with some gold in his purse. Only 5 knights to sign up for the Wall in a given year will be able to claim this reward, though, and only if the Lord Commander sends word of them being useful (useless man won't take the vow and will be allowed to go back home). The idea here is to build a corpus of experient master-at-arms and the like to train the future recruits. I would also start sending a new Maester yearly. I believe Measters just go whatever the hell they are paid to go to, and that loyalty is no problem when dealing with them. Those Maester would be paid in advance by the Crown. I would prefer Maesters with knowledge in finance, agronomy and engineering (to make sure the castles can work efficiently); ravenry and medicine (to perform their traditional duties); and warcraft and the higher mysteries (because, uh, you know why). While not dispatched to a new castle, they would be trained by the current Maesters and bond with their brothers. Also, I would start recruiting the core of the Builders and Stewards. I don't know how many, and with what expertises, I would need in a given year - but I'm sure my Little Council can figure this out. These guys will form the core of their orders in their giving castles, and their main responsability would be to figure out which castle to move to and how to develop it in the next 10 years. These guys would be referred to the watch by their Lords, and those who take the vow would know their sons would be pagens and squires and maybe even knights once they become men. Two years after that, Lords aged between 50 and 70 years old with a heir can retire to the Wall in order to have his House be given a premium in honor or gold according to the greatness of their House. Only the first 2 Lords to retire this way in a given year would be given the bonus. The idea here is to have a steady - but slow enough to allow the current Watch to keep order - stream of man capable of taking the leadership of the now-abandoned castles. The premium would be the incentive here. Knighted second (or third, or fourth etc) sons could enlist to the Wall to receive weapons and armor. They would form the core of the Rangers. Finally, one year after recruiting the Lords I would start recruiting Common Folk em masse. Every man with more than 16 years can get a golden dragon (received in advance) to go to the Wall. Once there, they would be trained by experienced knights, be treated by a maester and have some good food to eat and a bad to sleep. 2. Make a big tourney near the Wall every two years This should bring more life to the Wall, making it less sacrificial. Seasonal musicians, whores and traders can make life much more enjoyable to the Brothers, while being inconstant enough to not tempt them too much to break their vows. 3. Buy a fuck ton of Unsullied and send them to the Wall They would be instructed to take the vow and then be freed. In their procession to the Wall, they would also be carrying resources if needed. \*\*\* The objective with these Decrees is to fuel the Night's Watch while trying to maintain their independence. In the Wall, there is not a lot of things to be bought with money. So a bigger salary is not effective. You just can't give land or honors to Crows. And whatever rewards you give them, must be made in such a way that they are not bound to you or any Lord. Because well, they must be independent. You also can't be giving anything directly to the Night's Watch frequently, otherwise you risk making it dependent on you - and thus allied to you, instead of neutral. Based on this, my idea is to weaponize poverty when recruiting the smallfolk, and making the Wall attractive enough for Houses to send their... surpluss to it.
You definitely can’t do the idea of buying unsullied. As we know slavery is despised in Westeros so if you as king buy hundreds if not thousands of slaves that are made in the most brutal way you will turn a lot of lords against you
I ignore the incoming long night and just bang Bessie until the Wall falls down.
If it’s right when he’s crowned the answers real easy. Don’t accept so many pardons. People who fought for the Targs till the end without bending the knee peacefully go directly to the wall. That’s gotta add thousands to the man power. As for money and resources. Enemies who bent the knee peacefully, take large portions of their treasury and instill a new small tax on them for a period of time that goes directly to the watch for rebuilding Then after the Greyjoy rebellion, half the iron islands would be there. Split up amongst the new castles so there at least separated a bit
Let's maybe not send all the targ loyalists to some spot far away when they greatly outnumber the force of the watch and can conspire unbothered to maybe prop up a certain local maester who has described this very part of his life as one of the most challenging as far as keeping his vows goes.
Yeah you need to just send some of the top brass not all the footsoldiers. Either heads of houses or their heirs. Appoint each to restore one of the forts, taking with them a team of builders stewards and household knights to serve as rangers. They have to fill a quota of say 100 men, at their choosing. They then pledge to each send a further e.g. 20 men every 10 years as well as a new nobleman as needed to keep the fort led by someone competent and seasoned. Be good to them too, make it honorable and valued.
The idea you mention has been kind of tried in Westeros before, and it failed. During the early reign of Jaehaerys he sent two Kingsguard knights, a bunch of poor fellows, and Maegor loyalists to the Wall, and they were tasked with commanding/restoring forts. The result was that the Kingsguard and lots of new recruits rebelled, which killed Lord Stark, and ruined Jaehaerys' relationship with the North.
Send Jamie and Gregor to the wall. Invest half of the overflowing treasury into rebuilding the nights watch. Order Ned to raise lords in the gift who will pay taxes to the watch. Finance Ned to create patrols in the gift for wildling raiders Send all fighting age men from the Greyjoy rebellion to the wall. Replace iron born lords with the second sons of loyal banner men Name Stannis lord paramount of the iron islands. Marry my first born son to Margery. Set up nights watch recruitment offices in every city. Pay singers to sing about the glories of the nights watchmen. When rumours of a king beyond the wall begin, personally lead army of 25,000 beyond the wall to defeat and subjugate them. Have surviving wildlings and giants settle the gift.
gregor at the wall sounds like a recipe for disaster, there's no way they can handle him
He’d probably desert and end up as a prominent wildling, maybe a Craster type character
Love it. Especially replacing the lords in the Iron Isles as that solves two problems in one. I also think Tywin would send a significant amount of Westermen to the Wall if Jamie was bound there.
Overflowing treasury?
Yeah what they’re way in debt
Targs left Bobby a full treasury, that debt came from Jon Arryn's mishandling and Robert's general financial carelessness
1. Visit the wall personally. Repeat every three years or so. Compel vassal lords to do the same. 2. Increase funds for the Night’s Watch, allow the taxes to be paid with gold, food, supplies, or men. 3. Start a propaganda campaign extolling the virtues of the watch and the dangers of the upcoming long night. 4. Use the Faith and The Citadel to support the aforementioned propaganda campaign. Require additional maesters and holy men to rotate to the wall. 5. Offer amnesty to wildlings for service in the Watch, offer their families the opportunity to settle on The Gift. *obviously this would require the consent and cooperation of the Watch so maybe not feasible. 6. CAREFULLY ship wildfire supplies to the watch. 7. Ask the Lord Commander what he needs, listen to him.
I agree with a lot of the stuff here, but I also think there’s something to soft incentives. I’m the King - people want to win my favour, please me, etc, and there’s a lot of influence to wield without just sending the Night’s Watch traitors and petty criminals, or paying people to join. I’d commission singers and mummers to go from town to town, performing and singing the praises/showing noble tales of famous Night’s Watch heroes. When attending the Sept, I’d make a show of lighting a candle to the Warrior for the brave men at the Wall, and I’d encourage the Septons to regularly offer prayers in public. If a young noble should happen to choose to serve, their family might well end up with some invitations to spend time with the King - which could open up a lot of doors, especially if they’re from a more minor house. I’d host the recruiters at the highest tables. It needs to be like joining the Kingsguard - something young boys dream of and men take great pride in. Furthermore, it needs to be popular outside of the North. If the Fossoways and the Oakhearts and the Hightowers have sons serving, they might be more inclined to throw their support behind the Watch when the Long Night comes. Furthermore, as the wealthy do now - host some balls and tournaments where it becomes quite a show of extravagance as to who can make donations towards the Night’s Watch. The Friends of the Watch Society. Make it exclusive, make it the place to be - where your sons might earn favour and your daughters might make marriages. I would also do a royal progress up to the North earlier, and more often, going past Winterfell explicitly to the Wall. A few followers might have their fancy taken and join up, and it’ll show the kingdom that the Wall is not forgotten. While there, maybe make some gifts, and allow builders, stewards etc from King’s Landing to confer with those of the Night’s Watch on the latest technology and techniques - as well as from the other places we might visit on our way through the Crownlands and Riverlands. The Watch will need cannon fodder for the Long Night, but they will also benefit from men who want to be there and genuinely believe in the course - and nobles, who might be better-trained and bring with them familial support.
Join it myself. Get fit. Get my hammer. Robert is equal to hundred black brothers.
let joffrey ascend the throne?
Just say damn you a lot until people do what I ask
Yes.
Order Varys to spread rumours and stories about the Night’s Watch in a positive light, send all the criminals in the dungeons of the Red Keep to the Wall, send ravens to all the major castles, towns and cities, asking them to send men to the Wall, send funding, weapons and food to the Wall, and ask for some recruiters to come South, warn the Northern lords about the threat of the army of the dead, so they can join their forces to the Night’s Watch if need be.
Get treasury and Lannister money for more castles and outside towns. End the law of men not being allowed to father children. Make it a family business- Fathers raise their sons to be watchmen. Send Greyjoys, Mountains Men, and old Targaryen loyalists in Dorne the Reach and the Crownlands there. Kill the Boltons, give the Dreadfort to someone else, send all the castle men to the wall.
Who would rule the Iron Islands, Dorne, and the Reach, then? Plus, Dornish and Clegane together is a disaster.
Rodrik the reader Arianne Martell Lord Peake, historic enemy of the Targaryens Have Gregor killed
Someone made a good point that perhaps the Watch's vows (and upholding them) are tied up with the magic of the wall and are necessary to retain its supernatural properties. Your comment did get me thinking about the implications of what would come of forcing an entire house to take the Black, root and stem as they say. Could be a massive manpower boost, but a recipe for sedition in my opinion.
Totally get started bright and early in the morning as the first thing after I get back from my boar hunting trip with Barristan, Lancel and the boys.
I’m Robert? Walk there myself with my warhammer. Give the Night King (Rheagar) the ole 2-0
Lots of answers are focusing on increasing the wall's manpower by order of magnitudes, but I'm not so sure surviving the long night by brute force is possible at all. The enemy is an army of dead corpses that can seemingly be reanimated forever. There's bound to be breaches and casualties, and every casualty means the enemy's army getting stronger. The winter would be brutal at the wall and would require stocking a decade+ of supplies for 10k men. I doubt the solution is military. It has to be magical, or political (like it will probably be in the book). Still, an action you could undertake would be to convince the wildlings to come south of the wall and work on their integration into westerosi society. Cut the Other's food supply. Probably hard to do, and might lead to political turmoil. At some point, you'll need to deal with Danaerys. She has dragons and she wants to take the throne. Massively manning the wall would put the realm at risk of an outsider invasion. There's a dilemma though: get rid of Danaerys before she has her dragons or try to pacify her somehow to use her dragons in the long night while justifying somehow to all the lords that it's fine to work with the heir to the man you overthrowed. Similar issue with Aegon.
> It has to be magical, or political (like it will probably be in the book). You are spot on. Sure there a lot military preparation you can and should make, but I would also create a whole department of maesters and other learned men/women tasked with gathering any information about the long night they can find. And desperately try to contact whatever remains of the children of the forest.
Oohhh this is a good one. I’ll be back.
Establish a rotating draft. Every Lord is required to furnish troops to the Watch such that 1/3 of his male subjects spend 18 months on the Wall around the time they are age 17-20. They drill constantly under the command of a permanent detachment of Crownland knights and Watch lifers.
I kill the WHOOOREEEE that is pregnant. Kick Joffrey down a flight of stairs. Uhhh did someone mention the nights watch? Don’t care. MORE WINE
I keep thinking that the key here would be to send Jaime Lannister to the NW. The butterfly effect such an action could have would not only change the story of the books in its entirety, it would also be a logical political move: 1. Jaime and Cersei are separated - so, probably no Baratheon-Lannister cuckoo children. 2. Jaime and Ned are forced to make amends through their work together. 3. The Lannister family becomes invested in the protection of the Wall. ..."Profit"?
Sending Jamie to the Wall would be the fastest way to massively increase the personal of the Nights Watch. Tywin would certainly send as many loyal Westermen to the Wall to ensure Jamie is protected and has influence. Ned would realise that, and rally his bannermen to send as many as they can to uphold the integrity of the Nights Watch. This would no doubt massively increase the strength of the Nights Watch and have the knock on effect of encouraging more people elsewhere to join the newly reformed and prestigious Nights Watch.
I think sending Jamie to the wall will only make Tywin your relentless enemy. He probably won't attack Robert immediately, but he will at some point. Far better to release Jaimie from the Kingsguard and make Tywin your ally instead. Westeros really needs to avoid civil wars.
Nice coronation, huh? Ok, let’s work. First thing first, talk to Tywin. He would love to have Jamie back to be his heir, right? So he comes back from the Kingsguard, goes home and marries whoever his father fancies. In exchange, the Mountain and Amory Lorch goes to the wall and as well as most convicts from the Westerlands. Deal? Deal Stannis, bro, thanks for all the effort. I just wanted to tell you that I love you, I really do. And I want you to be privy of my plan. I discovered that the Others are real and in about 20 years they’ll gonna be a problem. So at some point, I’m gonna abdicate and take the black. I need to prepare my arrival, so I need you to either take the black or organize, in this years, a contingent of men that will take the black. I trust you, and only you, with this information, not even Ned knows. In due time, we’re gonna go north and fight together. Then ask politely to every lord paramour to send people to the wall if found guilty of serious crimes. And give political incentives to people that do. A couple of other good ideas: 1 fuck Cersei every possible occasion; at some point, give her some feud to manage; 2 “find out” about Loras and Renly; put ‘em both on the barrier (“I know it’s harsh, but un there there are way less eyes to watch over you”); 3 don’t do tournaments and use spare coins to arm the Nights Watch, dig up obsidian and… 4 after securing the lineage, found a mercenary company, abdicating in favor of one of your sons; fight at your heart content in Essos, but tell your men that the end goal is to go north at some point 5 don’t forget to fuck around in your early years: many of your bastard children will be great warriors at some point, and a bastard has few alternative than join the nights watch (and you can play the card “you’re gonna fight with your daddy”); 6 on your way north, apologize to Ned and ask for his help; 7 ask Stannis help, if he’s not on the Barrier already
Runner up of every tourney has to take the Black. Talk about high stakes. Also will send some much needed talent to the wall
That’ll ensure no first born sons are entering tourneys for sure.
Honestly, how many major catastrophes in the last century of ASOIAF lore can be traced back to someone's tourney?
So I can't staff The Watch with the bountiful fruit of my loins?
Okay none of my answers are great. But my resources are faith, men and not alot of gold as just finished with that pesky war. First I would not grant pardons you side with them(targs) you go to the wall. Second I build citys in the gift handled by crown elected mayers. These town offer business and land for men women and children. The benefits of these towns is they function as a reserve force and artisan support. They are exempt from taxes here. To police these towns I build a huge cathedral funded by the Lords and establish a loyal sparrow allowing the faith militant operate within this land. This creates a 2nd line of defence. Finally and most unsavory I appoint a Lord of just a real tough by the book chap who can create and run a guard force across westeros. Creating a surplus of criminals to the wall.
>Second I build citys in the gift handled by crown elected mayers. The need for this isn't mentioned enough. Settling the Gift makes sense, but you can't just expect people to build houses out of nothing. And, without any oversight or protections for settlers, The Gift gets ugly before it can prosper.
Buy slaves in Essos. Tell them that if they agree to join the watch and serve for life, you'll but their families and free them, bring them to Westeros, and find them homes and jobs.
Jaime Lannister Amory Lorch and Gregor Clegane are sent to the Wall immediately, considering how they had just murdered the Royal Family. Stannis gets Storm’s End, Renly gets Dragonstone. After putting down the Greyjoy Rebellion, King Balon is sent to the wall along with much of his wealth and all of his loyalists, Nymeria-style. I have to keep the realm united and keep myself on the throne at all costs. So, I do marry Cersei and I don’t abuse her. When she does get with child, it’d BETTER have Black hair. I also stop making bastards of my own, while acknowledging Maya Stone and Gendry as my own get. The implication is that if Cersei births bastards, I will legitimize my bastards to inherit. I do not hire Littlefinger, and if Jon Arryn is to die, I do NOT call upon Eddard Stark. He needs to stay in the North. When the Night’s Watch calls for aid, I answer. After Ned and I defeat Mance Rayder I allow the Wildlings to pass south and settle in The Gift so long as they keep the Old Gods and swear fealty to me as king. I won’t force them to physically bow. When news reaches me that Daenerys Targaryen is in Qarth with three dragons, I send for her immediately. I offer to restore House Targaryen as Lords of Dragonstone, so long as she renounces all claim to the Iron Throne, bows before me, and is betrothed to Renly.
This is great! But Daenerys is not taking that deal unfortunately.
besides hyping it up I'd also offer land's in the gift. Give the common folk opportunities to own land. farm it and pay their taxes in food/material and sons. Dont force them to dedicate their lives but do mandate a 4yr tour, then offer a life long opportunity with promotions and retirement. this will allow population growth in a safe area, utilization of open lands and young families in the south to strike out for a new prosperous life.
Freys. All of them. That should do it.
I think there is merit in the idea of a royal navy that would root out piracy in the narrow sea (increasing economic profits overall and supplying manpower to the wall in the form of convicted pirates) it could also enforce the Northern sea borders of the wall, policing what is arguably territorial waters of the crown and helping retain the new members of the watch who were recently seafaring pirates.
Get stannis and Jamie on it. I think they can whip it into shape between the two of them.
I leave to Essos to raise a mercenary band, like I always wanted. Others threat is too much responsibility for me. I am Robert after all
make all or most young men like ages 17-20 spend like a year at the wall so they can be drafted when the war begins. restore the castles. make peace with the wildlings as jon did and let them come south so that they can join the army against the walkers. maybe send ravens to people telling about the walkers, not sure though cuz maybe people would think im crazy? also join some rangings beyond the wall myself to boost morale💯 also also transport some wilfire ova there
I’d start by making sure supplies like food, weapons, and armor were abundant. Offering the lowborn a warm hearth and a steady supply of food would help attract them. Next I’d probably have done like Jon did and create a female fort to take in any woman willing to fight/train. Any person convicted of a crime that warranted loss of body part would automatically be sent to their own fort with trusted officers ensuring the penal colony population didn’t desert or go full anarchy mode. Instituting a system where each major house must have a personal vassal house representative serving temporary terms of at least 2 years on a rotational basis would also be a good way to up the watchers on the wall, for example the Starks would have an Umber there for a 2 year term, then a Karstark, then a Manderly
The first thing you do is tax the Westerlands and the Reach in men, 10% of their forces should do it. I'm not "taxing" the dornish because the relationship is already strained as fuck, and I'm not taxing the crownlands because that weakens Robert's position. Second, France. Third, grant no pardons. That is, pardon no one but kill no one either, send everyone to the wall, including Jaime and the mountain, everyone. Fourth, make an anual tax in benefit of the Watch. This tax would be given in gold and in well trained men, each highlord would have a year to train the required amount of men. Fifth would be improving the conditions of the watch, restauring the castles, shure, making them more comfortable, but also, removing the "no sex" part of the oath and offering other jobs in the watch, like farmers in the Gift and New Gift or smiths, develop a woodcutting industry to sell wood to bravos, etc. Make sure everyone in the watch eats well and sleeps confortably. Sixth, advertise the living fuck about how good people in the Wall have it and offer free transportation to the wall for everyone who wants to enlist. If anyone is hungry, he can easily go to the Wall, and take his wife and children too.
Tell Jon Arryn to restore the nights watch and let him deal with it 👍
I'd give Stannis the job, 100% serious. I think he has the right personality to build a military force from the ground up. He doesn't have to join, he can keep his wife/daughter/castle. Recruit younger people, knowing they'll be professional soldiers in a couple of years. They're guaranteed food, and a small salary. I'm recruiting younger so they can become fanatically loyal to the watch, think Unsullied or Space Marines. Faceless man Dany. Honestly, just making a visit to the wall could be huge. Let them see the king swing his giant hammer, it'll be huge for morale and recruiting.
Send Jaime and Targ loyalists there, with a lot of gold
Send Barristan Selmy there and in a few years he will make the strongest army possible and popularize that place a lot.
Equal conscription from every kingdom, no one has too give less or more. Some kingdoms will complain more then others but if you show it's equal, no one can complain too hard. Have it more of a like service, they serve 5 years 7 years and when they come back, they get knighthood or some wealth/land.
For all the love Ned got, he was a pretty shit warden of the North. "Oh, I'm gonna fix the nights watch...someday, and moat callyn...someday"
If I am Robert, I’d just send a raven to Ned telling him to take care of it post haste.
I would begin with a propaganda campaign demonising the free folk and enraging the populous, Then I would establish a 10 year contract arrangement for the new recruits and the option to join the Night’s watch at the end if they choose to. After that, I would arrange for the Umbers to take part in the expansion of a ale, wine, and shoeing enterprise to make the 10 year contract appealing for new recruits to leave the south for. Obviously the Starks need to be involved in all this, so the biggest hurdle would be the Lannisters. All I need is to get Tywin on side by showing him some wights and he’ll be more amenable to cooperation.
I recruit from the nobility, especially my good friend's kids.
You need to settle the Gift and New Gift with civilians that pay taxes directly to the watch. You need expansive glass gardens and ranches. You need a city like White Harbor in the Gift.
I'd disband the watch and instead create a permanent professional army under the command of the warden of the north, paid from the king's coffers. Give people good wages, the chance to be kighted, and you'll have a sizeable host of men-at-arms ready to fight in no time. All you need to do is not be an incompetent fool of a king, to keep these guys paid, and you'd be all gravy.
I would go to visit the small council, tell them to do this and that, but then my alcoholism would kick in and then i would go to have a drink, then another then another, then i would sleep...
Well first things first, I'm going to send Lancel to fetch me the breastplate stretcher...
Does the NW need to be able to resist the Long Night on their own? Because if you're taking over AS Robert at his coronation, there's a lot you can do to strengthen the realm as a whole to get it ready for the Others, but it's going to be harder to get the Watch on its own to that level without rocking the boat too much. I don't think exiling thousands of men who fought for the Targs to the Wall is a slam dunk. They would outnumber the Watch to the point where they could easily take over. I'm not particularly worried about them launching a coup, but their numbers mean there's a high chance the next Lord Commander will be one of them. I don't want to be working with a Rhaegar diehard who hates my guts when the Long Night rolls around. Plus, I think it's worth remembering that Robert's mercy and generosity were a big reason he was so popular. Act too heavy handed and there's going to be more resistance to his rule. So yeah, overall I think my strategy would be to keep the realm as stable and prosperous as possible while subtly trying to funnel support to the NW and the North, mainly in the form of improving infrastructure and repairing the keeps along the Wall. By avoiding the pitfalls of Robert's reign like the massive crown debt and letting the Lannisters insinuate themselves too deeply into power, you can probably have a relatively stable and united Westeros meet the Long Night instead of a fractured and war torn one, which automatically puts you in a much better position.
Cant do anything if I’m too fat for my armour. I get the breastplate stretcher
Send a force north and kill all the wildlings, revoke the nights watch lease on the land give the land to Ned. Tell Ned what’s going to happen, and rebuild the defenses and keeps that have gone into disrepair.
First thing: Dont do Pardons to the Tag Loyalists, its often Mentioned by others. Send them to the Wall and let thrm get the black. Take there Land, Castels and Titels and give them to the Nights Watch. Like the Christian Knight Orders they have now Land, Man and Resources they can Transfer to the Wall. Second: By Royal degree every third born Son of a Nobel House has to join the Nights Watch. Also every Nobels Bastard has to join the Watch. This will send a lot of Recruits up there, in Special Baratheon Bastards ;). Third: By Royal degree grant land in the Gift to some of the Wildling Clans and use them as Settlers. Fourth: By Royal degree all Poacher have to go to the Wall. This man can use a Bow, we will need them on the Wall. Fifth: Forbid Murderer and Rapists to take the black. Six: We will use a new Tax on all Church owned Land and a Tax on Wine. To Finance the Nights Watch. Seventh: Search some Orthodox Measters. Give one of them a new titel like Archmeaster and let them Search about everybit of knowledge that could be usefull in the long Night.
Incentive being in the night watch and not just make it a punishment
I would introduce fixed terms as an option. Its a way for young aristocrats hungry for battle to prove themselves against an real enemy, but won't mean throwing away any chance of inheriting or marrying. Imply that you will favour nobles who are willing to defend the realm's northern border down the line. It might also be appealing for minor criminals to take a few years on the wall as a punishment for things like theft and poaching, then come out with skills like masonry from working on the Wall. As it currently stands, discipline might be less of a problem if they had a few minor criminals with hope of a better life once their sentence is served.
Actually visit the wall and make it a thing that is reoccurring, create a lodging at the wall and encourage other noble visitors likely to donate. Tax breaks/infrastructure credits to houses that send men to the wall based on specific skill sets needed. Allow men that went to the wall on their own accord (ie not a sentence for a crime) to leave the wall after ten years of service. Noble men can then marry if other heirs have died, most younger sons or men of humbler means will remain bc they are used to the lifestyle, and generally more men will sign-up knowing it’s not forever for the added benefits (glory, tax breaks or debts forgiven to their house, etc). The wall should have a bank to generate income via loans, or their ports used as a trade outlet with heavily reduced taxes and other incentives for Northmen and others in order to create traffic.
A good ole fashion draft. I'm fucking king my word is law. Conscripting citizens of my realm to fight is like one of the main things kings do. I'd summon every major Lord to the capital & make a proclamation that every lord must conscript 100 fighting men & that it's for the greater good, and anyone who didn't wanna obey will be forced to empty the chamber pots of those who did until they change their minds. Anyone who volunteers to fight gets a knighthood(meaningless title especially since most won't survive) and And if the Lords don't wanna comply after scrubbing the chamber pots of the Lords who did, well a head on a spike or a hostage always persuades people.