peasants???

[Odyssey of War]

I have been wondering about these players that say they only use peasants and still win the game. On expert no less. My question is how do they do this? Peasants route easily and are no match for any other units. So how do they win with them? Overwhelm by numbers? And even so, they route so easily. Or is this just B.S. by players?

So all peasant only players tell us others how you do it, if you actually do. And dont tell me its because you are a superb commander on the battlefield. Tell us others how you do it. Cause there must be some strategy you are using.

[LadyAnn]

Not all posts here should be taken seriously...

Certainly not my post about the Ctrl-O rout-bug key combo...
http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/joker.gif

Annie

[eXoMagus]

haha I'd love to see someone attempt to use 12 units peasants to defeat one unit of chivalric knights =]

[solypsist]

It's more a tactic in MP than in the SP campaign or custom battles. The argument goes that high-valor and equipped peasants are less expensive than standard, equitable foot-soldiers, and can out-fight them.
It worked in the STW multiplayer, but I myself have doubts about this in MTW, mostly because of the above mentioned cavalry (if used properly)

[The Last Emperor]

With the peasants routing so easily, its quite possible to see a morale penalty vice attached to it much less an increase in valor... http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/tongue.gif

[Knight_Yellow]

But even the theory that low cost peasents can be upgraded enough to take out the same priced but more proffesional soldiery is doubtful since the "elite" units are not all that expensive.

having 3 weapons and 3 armour is no use when the enemy brings "fear" weapons like catapults guns arrows etc.

also i reckon a 2 deep 1 valour merc cav charge would decimate a peasent unit.


but i have seen stranger things. ie. my general surviving most of his recent battles in mp. very odd that, he usualy kicks it but his men need fear not as they still win http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[Red Harvest]

Quote[/b] (Odyssey of War @ Jan. 24 2003,15:01)]I have been wondering about these players that say they only use peasants and still win the game. On expert no less. My question is how do they do this?
If you are thinking of the "hardcore" thread, I think those of us that mentioned it were kidding. Although I have to admit I've been thinking of trying a peasant only campaign just to see what is possible...I don't seriouly expect to win many battles that way unless the enemy cavalry all die of exhaustion chasing routing peasants.

[el_slapper]

Peasants are useful as bait, i.e. attack those castle doors & taking the punishment while your other units are on shelter. Other than that, I don't see.

[kaaskop]

Please don't listen to elmo

[Oberiko]

Yup, peasants are only useful as fodder.

Personally I use them to tie up better units, then attack the entire fray with my archers.

Who says Braveheart isn't educational?

[Rowan11088]

Well if you wanted to get all fancy about it, you could potentially create some pretty powerful peasants in time. If you have master swordsmith or master spearmaker (one of those, I don't know which for peasants), and a church and cathedral and build them in Provence (+1 valour) with full armour and weapon upgrades. The church and cathedral increase that crappy morale a little bit, an I think either master swordsmith or master spearmaker give peasants a bonus just as they do for more advanced units. Those peasants could take almost anything...the only problem is by that time, you could have made at least some feudal men-at-arms with the exact same upgrades and thus better overall stats.

[A.Saturnus]

Peasants don`t get any valour bonusses from buildings, they are a fort-unit and you can`t have weapon upgrades in Provence.

[Mr Frost]

Quote[/b] (A.Saturnus @ Jan. 29 2003,07:35)]Peasants don`t get any valour bonusses from buildings, they are a fort-unit and you can`t have weapon upgrades in Provence.
Granted , but you could put Provincial Peasants through another province with a metal smith for retraining {if you reall felt the burning need to waste a year and fiftey florins . As for building bonuses ... bugs happen , so perhaps some building might give them a booster ?

I have managed to actually get some use from unwashed peasants in battle , but only when I had better units to take the brunt of the fighting {flankin and charging said flanks and hoping they don't rout in the process} except for one Quick Battle {Frogs Vs Poms in hilly country with woods on much of the main hill} where three or four hundred Peasants managed to stop a unit of Mounted Sergents in the woods with a pretty decent downhill advantage then helped a unit of Holbilars beat a unit of Feudal Men at Arms . Even then , they were pretty dodgey .

The only real use for Peasants is as garrison troops or Governors {especially easrly on , where you need all the feathers you can get and a nice use is to mind the best titles , like the ones which boost command , untill a better candidate comes along to use it . I like to have a peasant hold Tresibond for the arival of Nur Al Din and his six stars , specifically as an Armenian Heavy Cavalry from Armenia} .
Using them as arrow sponges or bait is risky as when they break {think of it as WHEN rather than IF when dealing with peasants , and you will avoid a lot of anoyance that way} they might convince some of your real troops to join them .
They are fun to slaughter however . Nice valour boosters for you real troops ; never pass up a good peasant slaughter unless you really need to fill their castle for a quick waiting-them-out seige .

[A.Saturnus]

That with the peasant slaughter is right (well, actually, the rest as well), but it isn`t a real slaughter since they usually get captured (unless you slaughter them afterwards).

[PanthaPower]

I don't know too much about these "iron man" rules either. But I do know that Archers, Spearman, Urban Militia are also "peasant"-based units. So maybe these iron-man guys use a combination of these units only. Winning the game with these early peasant units should be possible I guess.