A Question about garrisons and defence of settlements

[Grand Duke Vytautas]

Hello everyone! I want to bath in barbarian blood, I want to bath in barbarian blood for a week, now kill them all!!! Yes a question about garrisons in settlements: can anyone tell me what size they should be, and what units should be garrisoned to provide order and defence? (what's more of a use: town watch or peasants?). Should I keep centralized armies or something? By the way I always build forts in chokepoints. So how do you organize the defence of your cities? I'm waiting for your answers, experts! Your knowledge is appreciated . Good luck!

[lars573]

For the Romans you should keep town watch in your cities. For Greeks keeping garrisons of militia hoplites, backed by greek cav peltasts and hoplites/levy pikemen will keep you in good stead. For Egypt nubian spearmen +nubian or desert cav. For carthage libian spearmen slingers and round shield cav and maybe some iberian infantry.

[Maltz]

Against the AI, attack is the best defense. Attack is actually much easier than defense.

For all my recent campaigns I only use peasants for garrison purpose, and haven't encountered any problem at all throughout every campaign. Peasants are cheap for upkeep for their size. You might already know that, only quantity of men, not quality, affects garrison effectiveness.

If there are captain-led rebels I just bribe them. If that's led by a brigand family member then I will wait a few turns to raise a small force, led by any family member nearby to crush them.

For frontline provinces, since you are constantly expanding, you really don't need to have an armored garrison. Your attacking army in that area will get rid off any annoying counterstrikes that dares marching towards your cities.

[Grand Duke Vytautas]

Thanks indeed. Any more strategies on garrisons?

[Ellesthyan]

Usually a few militia troops and a single missile unit will do fine to defend against an early army. In my current Seleucid campaign Im keeping usually 2 peasant and 2 militia hoplite units per city; depends on how unruly it is.

[Sin Qua Non]

I usually have peasant garrisons in the more secure center of my empire, and more combat able troops on the border towns. This seems to be a good combo of low price/good defense for me.

ex. in my Selucid game, the interior of Arabia and Asia Minor is mainly peasant garrisons, while the cities closer to the action get levy pikemen, archers and cavalry. Some lucky cities are guarded by some of my full strength inactive armies, and have a small force for when that army is away.

[NicSO]

I dont use "crap" units because Im quite wealthy, I have 46 provinces with cca 30k denarii/turn, Rome is part of my great empire, Im beating Egyptians and I have alliance with thrace (It helps me agains Brutii)....but thy are on their knees anyway:)

All my cities have few good units (my public order is ok), maybe 10 of them has town watch.

Its good this way because I can strike hard on damn rebbels. I also have Governor in almost every city (46 provinces/over 40 famly members) and I have few really superb generals:"Kaeso the great, Herrenius the Infantryman, Publius the Cruel...etc."

My naval forces are weak...Im making new flets on the north of my Julii teritory because damn enemy fleets are to numerous so I willl strike them hard in next 20 years:)