Humankind: Player Mercenary and Privateer Regiments

Three abilities to use on a regiment of your choosing:

1. Create Highwaymen/Privateers: The ability to detach one of your regiments to become an independent AI unit with no/false markings on the map. They'll then go autonomously find trouble outside your borders, pillaging neighbors trade routes and terrain enhancements, of which they'll return a percentage of the spoils when (and if) they return to your territory. The trade-off is that sinking privateer ships or destroying highwaymen will return (or sink) their plundered gold and roll a chance to reveal their allegiance to the empire defeating them, creating a grievance and giving the offending player the "Thief" badge.

2. Create Mercenary Company: The ability to detach one of your regiments to become a non-hostile wandering independent AI unit on the map, again, with no or fake markings. Players determine who the company will fight for/against upon creation, but the empire renting the company gets to see who the company will and won't touch before paying as well. Players might end up attacked by their own mercenaries, depending if they want to maintain transparency, but this could be a means of generating revenue as well. The player can set the price to one of 3 tiers (scaling with # and power of units) upon detaching the unit, for competition's sake. If another empire decides to hire them, you receive that gold upfront with a notification, but not the location. The drawback is that another empire may decide to use them for target practice without you knowing or being able to retaliate politically. Successful contracts increase their price, generate additional experience for the regiment and influence for the originating empire. "Did you hear about that commando PMC? I heard tell they're Aussies that train bareknuckle with kangaroos!"

3. Sell/Auction Regiment: Upon researching 'Guilds', empires may permanently transfer control of a regiment by: 

a) Putting a regiment up for auction to all known empires.

b) Putting a regiment up for auction to allies only.

c) Offer a regiment to a single empire, which they may then counter the price of, or refuse.

Upon payment, control is transferred and the regiment is transported to the winning empire's nearest city, garrison. or water tile. The purchasing empire has full autonomy over the units upon transfer, so players should be wary of who they selling to, or ensure they only sell comparatively obsolete units. The ability to churn old units could help gold-poor players modernize their existing armies or stop the bleeding of an army budget that's grown too large in an empire that's also become overcrowded. Additionally, an empire may wish to maneuver themselves between two eternal enemies and be the supplier of their dooms. Either way, pops will transfer back to the selling empire upon purchase and they will be able to choose which cities to rebase the population in. Purchasing empires should also be aware that their newly purchased units cannot be disbanded for population or refund of any kind, but they can upgrade them as they choose just like their own units.

Anyway, that's just a series of thoughts. I enjoyed the patronage and mercenary mechanics with the Independent Peoples in the early game and employed them to very nice effect. It got me thinking about how a player might be inspired to want to get in on the action as well. Fun game, great job!