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In addition, depending on the type of settlement, the AI's reaction to needs may be vastly different. Also, in terms of blockading, both the terrain and the AI behaviour may influence the effectivity of the blockade.
For instance, imagine a drow settlement which in fact grows underground. There are perhaps two or three access points, with only one clearly visible, the others hidden. Blockading is made easy here, but a paranoid AI model would send out all it has to break a blockade at the first sign of trouble.
On the contrary, a human settlement located on the surface in the middle of a vast plain might prove extremely difficult to blockade for players: if the settlement proper is eg on a 7x7 grid, you need players to blockade 15 squares, not a small feat. From that, depending on the society model, the AI may just defend its position (perhaps there can grow food inside the settlement's borders to hold out a longer siege), try to break the siege, or even call for help (definitely works very well in PvP environments).
This sound too much H&S for me. I wouldn't design such a system as solely an xp / equipment farm as the target.
Beyond that, having settlements matching existing playable races certainly adds an interesting twist to the notion of nations...
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