The title is it, in its simplest form. Unless your realm owns all of the keeps in your home frontier, you would be prevented from porting to another realm. This makes sense from a strategic point of view, spreads the action around the frontiers, and gives specific targets to attack and defend.
This could be done by removing the other realms from all porters and placing special porters to each enemy realm at each frontier gate. If your realm doesn't own all of your home keeps, then this NPC is missing, won't talk to you, or otherwise has a barrier.
This has implications on other related systems that I'm not going to list, but I will mention that for Darkess Falls, it could be changed so that it's open to any realm that can portal to other realms. So it could and often would be open to multiple realms at the same time.
This would solve a LOT of my gripes I've been airing on this board especially if also added to...
As a completely OPTIONAL backdoor...
Rework the BGs slightly to level ranges 21-30, 31-40, and 41-50. Put permanent portals to other realms in the central keep, providing an alternate route versus cleaning up one's own frontier. Moving between realms is quick and easy if your frontier is cleared... move massive armies directly from your frontier gates, no waiting. The backdoor would require traveling across another zone with potential foes the whole route to more slowly invade another realm.
As an additional OPTION, you could consider exactly how those BG portals work...
1. They could work for you only if your realm owns the central keep.
2. OR they could work for you if you can reach the porter (huge advantage to all stealthers, but any small group would have a chance to fight their way over without actually taking the keep).
3. OR they could work if you get inside the outer wall of the keep (huge advantage to climb wall, but works for any group that can take the outer door).
I wouldn't expect a backdoor into DF, though I could be convinced otherwise. I would also expect to have no caravan mechanic for the BGs, but again, I could be convinced.
This could be done by removing the other realms from all porters and placing special porters to each enemy realm at each frontier gate. If your realm doesn't own all of your home keeps, then this NPC is missing, won't talk to you, or otherwise has a barrier.
This has implications on other related systems that I'm not going to list, but I will mention that for Darkess Falls, it could be changed so that it's open to any realm that can portal to other realms. So it could and often would be open to multiple realms at the same time.
This would solve a LOT of my gripes I've been airing on this board especially if also added to...
As a completely OPTIONAL backdoor...
Rework the BGs slightly to level ranges 21-30, 31-40, and 41-50. Put permanent portals to other realms in the central keep, providing an alternate route versus cleaning up one's own frontier. Moving between realms is quick and easy if your frontier is cleared... move massive armies directly from your frontier gates, no waiting. The backdoor would require traveling across another zone with potential foes the whole route to more slowly invade another realm.
As an additional OPTION, you could consider exactly how those BG portals work...
1. They could work for you only if your realm owns the central keep.
2. OR they could work for you if you can reach the porter (huge advantage to all stealthers, but any small group would have a chance to fight their way over without actually taking the keep).
3. OR they could work if you get inside the outer wall of the keep (huge advantage to climb wall, but works for any group that can take the outer door).
I wouldn't expect a backdoor into DF, though I could be convinced otherwise. I would also expect to have no caravan mechanic for the BGs, but again, I could be convinced.
