lithuanian cavalry

[mystic brew]

Playing as polish, and invaded Lithuania specifically so i can get my greedy little hands on these handy light cavalry/horse archers...

And I can't build them. The briefing says i have access.

i built - a fort, a keep, a spearmaker, 20% farmland, a bowyers guild...

How do I get these boys.
God the Poles are an interesting faction. It's a lot of fun though. Constant juggling - though training my 4* heir up into a monster by turning constant rebellions in Livonia into bloodbaths.

[LadyAnn]

Lithuanian Cav only is available in High/Late. If you play Early, you need to wait until 1205.

And you need Horsebreeder3 (Guild I think), Armorer3, Swordsmith3. That means these guys are kinda demanding in infrastructure.

I don't know specifically what Horse Archers you want to have, but the HorseArchers as a unit, the Poles never can have. Lithuanian Cav doesn't shoot arrow.

BTW, Polish Retainer is a better unit to have and you only need a HorseBreeder2 (Workshop) to build them. Costs 300 bucks (compared to 225 of Lith Cav), but much better combat power.

(This is based on V2.0 Viking Invasion stats, if it was v1.1 game, I may have to doublecheck further).

Annie

[mystic brew]

*eyes the requirements for lith cavalry* Jeez. That's insane. they aren't that tough. (thanks a lot, btw)

I know the Poles don't get horse archers as such, but I bribe 'em where I can, and there are 4 sitting right by Poland first thing.

Tried out the Spanish as well. Gotta love those Jinettes

I do like the Retainers so far, it's nice trying out the new units. It seems they are faster than sargeants, but still kick light cav arse.

[mystic brew]

one more quick question...

I'm not on the computer I play TW on. And I've just found out about Avar nobles http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/eek.gif Low tech, available early? could be a gamewinner for the Poles.

But for the life of me I can't remember where Moldavia is

Where is it? pleeeeease

[Quokka]

Its to the SE of Poland and E of Carpathia. It has Black Sea access between Kiev and Bulgaria.

[mystic brew]

ah, it's one of those crappy, not that koku rich provinces I let go because I was heading for Lithuania...

Damn. Everytime I come here i learn about more stuff I missed.

[Vanya]

GAH

Once... in band camp... Vanya played as Hungarians... He had an army with 10 Avar nobles in it... nobody, not even the Horde, dared attack or fight that army A meager 16 units, but even LARGER armies chose to retreat to their castle... In whole campaign, that army only had to fight ONCE... and, as it turned out, was against the Horde king... dumb sap didn't even bring any of his heavies to the fight... A total rundown that was...

GAH

[Kraxis]

Lith cav are actually fairly good, but they are far from worth it. The most useless unit in my oppinion.

Therefor I have lowered the requirements, made them fast and a more powerful charge. That way they have become the best light cavalry in the game. Making them vastly more interesting.

[LadyAnn]

Digression: obtain Horse Archers as Poles.

I found bribing rarely worth the economics and especially as cashstrapped Poles, with only two poor provinces to start with.

But it could be my bias toward using Merc. army. I found setting up shop in one of those poor provinces ... eh... says .... Moldavia... and build an Inn. Don't upgrade the province too much, just guarison it properly so noone too tempting to invade it.

Then wait for many good cav archers to come. You could even have Russian Boyars, Turks and Egyptian Cav Archers, Hungarian Zselky, etc. not just a couple of cav archers or mounted xbows.

Of course, the cost of keeping the merc. is hard to justify, so I would raise merc. army on demand only.

Annie

[Kraxis]

Damn, I have never seen Boyars as mercs... that would be cool But extremely expensive I guess.

[lancer63]

Lith cav. is way too hard to get imo. They are very good at their trade but you may be risking the stability of the realm by trying to hold on to Lithuania or Livonia or both.
My Danes have been bleed white trying to keep the Novs, GH, Hungarians and even the Egyptians off those pieces of real estate. Man, everybody seems to want those two provs. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/frown.gif
Moldavia on the othe hand, seems less appealing and humbler. Yet it has the best non-royal early heavy cavalry of the game. My Hungarian hosts kicked tail sections from the black sea to the strait of Gibraltar. Playing Poles, Hungarians or the Biz Empire you must get Moldavia by whatever means possible, to train Avar nobles. And while you're at it grab Kiev too, so that you can contain the horde when it comes.