Swordsmith Workshop

[MoKus]

Hi Everybody,

So I built Swordsmith Workshop to get Chivalric Man at Arms but I don't have the unite in my construction list.

Thanks,
MoKuS.

[Gilrandir]

Hi Everybody,

So I built Swordsmith Workshop to get Chivalric Man at Arms but I don't have the unite in my construction list.

Thanks,
MoKuS.

Perhaps you are in the wrong age. Chivalric units are available starting from the High.

[drone]

Perhaps you are in the wrong age. Chivalric units are available starting from the High.

Or faction, CMAA are only available to Catholics.

[MoKus]

Or faction, CMAA are only available to Catholics.

I am playing German.

[MoKus]

Thanks. I got it. I am playing in early campaign.

[drone]

Thanks. I got it. I am playing in early campaign.

Once you reach the year 1205, they will become available.

[Gilrandir]

I am playing German.

I'll venture to offer you some tips since (as it has been remarked) Germans are not a simple faction for a newbie to handle.

1. When I play HRE I fool around with men-at-arms only before Swiss units come into play. When the clock strikes 1205 Swiss halberdiers become available and in 1320 - Swiss pikemen and armored pikemen. I tend to rely heavily on the former. They are good against both spears and cavalry. The latter are also superb but I somehow get access to them when my armies are strong enough to do without them. So try to tech up Switzerland. It should be your core troop-producing province.

2. You start with lots of provinces and scanty troops to defend all of them. Since I can't have a strong army in all border provinces, I leave there a token garrisson and billet my main army in a hinter province that borders on several border provinces (forgive my tautology). For instance, instead of trying to provide Tyrolia, Austria and Bohemia with a strong army each, I rather keep one big army in Bavaria. This strategy has two advantages. First, your enemies can't see this army unless they send an agent there (and usually they don't). Second, when they do attack some border province they will do it with small forces just enough to outnumber your slim garrison. Then you either try to beat them off (who knows you may succeed) or retreat to your stronghold and come with a vengeance the next year from the hinter province.

3. Learn the type of your borders and discover which of them are river borders. You can do that by opening a province info panel and then mousing over a neighboring province. The bottom line on the panel will tell you what kind of terrain you will have to cross to get to this neigboring province. If it is a river you will fight a bridge battle. It is a fantastic boon if you defend and a nuisance when you attack. In your case, Burgundy and Provence have river borders with anything to the West. But beware: river borders are tricky, they may not work both ways. For example, if you attack Hungary from Austria you will have to cross a river, but when someone attacks your Austria from Hungary, he will have to cross none. The same is with Denmark/Saxony border, but it is in the Germans' favor, IIRC.

If you need more tips, don't be shy to ask.

[MoKus]

I'll venture to offer you some tips since (as it has been remarked) Germans are not a simple faction for a newbie to handle.

1. When I play HRE I fool around with men-at-arms only before Swiss units come into play. When the clock strikes 1205 Swiss halberdiers become available and in 1320 - Swiss pikemen and armored pikemen. I tend to rely heavily on the former. They are good against both spears and cavalry. The latter are also superb but I somehow get access to them when my armies are strong enough to do without them. So try to tech up Switzerland. It should be your core troop-producing province.

Thanks for the tip.

2. You start with lots of provinces and scanty troops to defend all of them. Since I can't have a strong army in all border provinces, I leave there a token garrisson and billet my main army in a hinter province that borders on several border provinces (forgive my tautology). For instance, instead of trying to provide Tyrolia, Austria and Bohemia with a strong army each, I rather keep one big army in Bavaria. This strategy has two advantages. First, your enemies can't see this army unless they send an agent there (and usually they don't). Second, when they do attack some border province they will do it with small forces just enough to outnumber your slim garrison. Then you either try to beat them off (who knows you may succeed) or retreat to your stronghold and come with a vengeance the next year from the hinter province.

I already used this strategy.

3. Learn the type of your borders and discover which of them are river borders. You can do that by opening a province info panel and then mousing over a neighboring province. The bottom line on the panel will tell you what kind of terrain you will have to cross to get to this neigboring province. If it is a river you will fight a bridge battle. It is a fantastic boon if you defend and a nuisance when you attack. In your case, Burgundy and Provence have river borders with anything to the West. But beware: river borders are tricky, they may not work both ways. For example, if you attack Hungary from Austria you will have to cross a river, but when someone attacks your Austria from Hungary, he will have to cross none. The same is with Denmark/Saxony border, but it is in the Germans' favor, IIRC.

If you need more tips, don't be shy to ask.

Thanks for the tip. This way I can leave small force, mainly archer to defend the province.

I am however very bad in tactics. Is there any guide for this?

[MoKus]

Perhaps you are in the wrong age.

What do you mean with the wrong age? Do you mean that they become available at specific year?

Chivalric units are available starting from the High.

What do you mean with "starting from the high"?