Feasts are a new feature introduced with Warband. Feasts were not included in the next installment of the series, With Fire & Sword.
Feasts are held by wealthy and powerful land-owning nobles all over Calradia, specifically those wealthy enough to lord over towns and castles. Feasts typically last for short periods of time, but can last longer if the host is not close to the venue at the time the feast is started. These being gathering points of the rich and powerful, it is often wise for players to seek entry into them (though early in the game, this may not be easy).
Feasts can be freely entered in neutral or allied towns by players with more than 200 renown. If renown is less than 200 the player may still request entry, but unless they are of noble birth, they will be refused by the guards. However, the nobles will arrange tournaments outside of the usual tournament rotation in order to compete against friends and rivals. These tournaments, like all others, can be freely entered by the player and their party and have the usual benefits for winning: increased renown, improved relation with the town, etc.
Winning a tournament held alongside a feast allows the player to enter the feast and talk to the nobility attending. It is advised to try your luck in the accompanying tournament, even if you are capable of entering freely, where you can dedicate your victory to ladies at the castle afterwards. During the feast there will be an abundance of ladies, especially of the eligible kind, to which the dedication may be more beneficial.
Later in the game, as the player's renown increases and their relationship with nobles and monarchs improves, they may find themselves being invited to feasts personally from time to time. Attending these has the usual benefits, and talking to the host may grant the player a +2 relation bonus with him (so long as there are no outstanding events the host wishes to talk about, such as victories in battle, successful sieges, etc.) If the feast takes more than one day, you could receive a +2 bonus for every day you speak to the host while attending the party. Not attending feasts to which you are invited will have no negative effect on your relation with the host.
Hosting your own feast
You can hold your own feast, and though it can be boring and costly, it is the best and fastest way to improve relationship with lords (except for already hostile lords, who won't come to your home).
To hold a feast on your own, you should first marry a lord or lady. Then you should stock your household inventory with feast resources like:
- Food (4 of each for magnificent)
- Drink (Wine, Ale) (4 of each for magnificent)
- Spice (2 for magnificent)
- Oil (1 for magnificent)
For foods, you'll need at least 4 of each kind of food in game, from fresh meats (chicken, pork, beef) to grain and bread.
The amount and diversity of resource determines outcome of the feast, e.g. a feast with plentiful but unvaried food is bad, but so is a feast with a very small amount of everything.
If the household is fully stocked and you are prepared to start the feast, go tell your spouse that everything is ready. The feast will start 4-5 days later, and lords will come to your castle/town. Every greeting with a lord will give you +1 relationship with him (which may be repeated every day of the feast), and if you hold them until the end of the feast, +2 relationship with them is gained along with bit of renown. To end the feast, simply tell one of the nobles in attendance that you wish to begin a campaign.
Remember: as you start the feast, the items in the inventory will start to run out, so check your inventory often. Also, a feast may be held at any time, but they are unlikely to succeed in wartime as lords must attend to military matters.
A tournament is likely to take place whenever you hold a feast in a town. This kind of tournament can be participated in several times a day, providing a boost in the town's relationship as well as your personal wealth. However like all tournaments, the odds against you will decrease your winnings for each successive tournament.