Developing your generals

**Kralizec** · 03-12-2005, 00:24

In my games I usually have very low grade kings and only a few good generals that I let do all the fighting. It seems to me that raising uber princes is the best way to get good generals and governors. So I've got a few questions about getting good generals & governors (heirs in particular)

1. for a governor to get the steward or builder virtues, does he have to be in his province when you build stuff?

2. does building certain buildings give your governor specific vices/virtues?

3. can your heirs get steward and builder virtues by being in provinces when something is built?

4. for getting virtues like specialist attacker and defender, do I just have to win battles with few losses on my side?

5. are there ways to improve your general's accumen, other then titles?

6. are the command stars of your maturing heirs determined by your ruler's influence or by his own command stars? What else effects this?

7. if your first heir is inferior to those who come after him, what is the best way of "disposing" of him?

**Procrustes** · 03-12-2005, 00:55

Hi,

I'll give 'em a shot....

1. I believe he has to be in the province to get the steward virtue, but not the builder virtue. I may be wrong here, though.

2. Not really, but certain buildings can give you a title you can give to one of your govs. Also, certain buildings like churches will improve the moral of all units built in that province. Some VnV's are random - assigned by the computer at the end of your turn - others are triggered by an event.

3. I believe that those virtues get dropped on whomever is the commanding general in the stack, so if your heir is the top of a stack with a gov in it, the heir will pick up the virtues/vices meant for that gov.

4. I believe that for the specialist attacker/defender you have to win battles where you have less than half the troops of the other side.

5. Kings with more stars have heirs with more stars. Also, marrying princesses from other factions will supposedly help prevent your heirs from getting the different incest vices (too many toes, etc.), but that's been the subject of debate at times.

6. Well, if you really want to get rid of him you could just send him off with few troops on some bloody battle some place - probably the most sure way. (Sometimes he'll keep winning anyways - next thing you know you have a retarded uber-general.)

HTH some, looking forward to other players comments.

P.

**ichi** · 03-12-2005, 01:09

1. for a governor to get the steward or builder virtues, does he have to be in his province when you build stuff?

No, guvs don't have to stay at home. But, if a guv is in a stack with a higher ranking general then the higher ranking guy will get the V&Vs

2. does building certain buildings give your governor specific vices/virtues?

There is a relationship, but it seems somewhat random. So if you build lots of farm upgrades and nice buildings you guv gets good steward and builder Virtues.

3. can your heirs get steward and builder virtues by being in provinces when something is built?

I don't think so, but Procrustes is right about the heirs getting V&Vs if they are leading the stack the guv is in.

4. for getting virtues like specialist attacker and defender, do I just have to win battles with few losses on my side?

Skilled defender or attacker virtues come from attacking or defending with fewer men than you face, less than 1/2 makes it quite likely.

5. are there ways to improve your general's accumen, other then titles?

not that I know of

6. are the command stars of your maturing heirs determined by your ruler's influence or by his own command stars? What else effects this?

There seems ot be a relationship between the King's cmmand rating and the heirs, but it still varies widely. Fight with your heirs in command and the rating will improve

7. if your first heir is inferior to those who come after him, what is the best way of "disposing" of him?x

Assassinate or send him across a bridge against 2000 enemies.

ichi

**Kralizec** · 03-13-2005, 00:52

Thanks guys! I think that things are going to get a lot easier with this knowledge

**2faced** · 03-13-2005, 03:46

Be careful w/ ichi's last suggestion. He might end up winning..

**Kralizec** · 03-18-2005, 13:19

Damn I'm pissed.

I started a campaign with Byz, early, hard level. One huge advantage is that their first monarch has already 7 stars (I think), giving them a good start. My tactic here was to use the emperor in almost every major engagement I faced, giving him some really good virtues (like skilled last stand one time). Everything went well, until my last 8-star emperor, expert attacker and skilled last stander spawned 2 heirs,both with 0 (zero) stars. Had there been other heirs starting to mature I'd just have shipped the two over to scotland to fight a doomed battle against rebels, but there weren't- most of my emperors seem to have had some sort of potency problem

Plus the guy was getting kind of old, 52 I think so his 2 worthless sons were the only hope for the family line.

Angrily, I quit the game and deleted all saves. I think that next campaign I'll settle for the 60% victory anyway because once you pass that point it gets really drawn out and boring.

**Biggus Diccus** · 03-21-2005, 00:01

How can I get the trader line of virtues for my governors? Is is possible to farm them (like steward - building farms). I have tested with mines and trader buildings, but no success.

**Mablung** · 03-21-2005, 10:51

You have to build about 6 or 7 mines for the governor - you have to keep demolishing them.

**Biggus Diccus** · 03-22-2005, 01:05

Thanks for the info! It will take forever to get magnificent trader, then. I'll locate a province with a salt resource to develop governors in main trade provinces.

**Patron** · 03-26-2005, 07:28

1. for a governor to get the steward or builder virtues, does he have to be in his province when you build stuff?

Nope. The steward virtue is hard to get, you can only build farms 4 times. Maybe burning down 20% farms and rebuilding over and over will improve the steward virtues or stripping him of his titles and giving him another title in a province who's farms you are going to develop will do this.

2. does building certain buildings give your governor specific vices/virtues?

Only the buildings that generate titles, like the cathedral which gives the archbishop of canterbury.

3. can your heirs get steward and builder virtues by being in provinces when something is built?

no

4. for getting virtues like specialist attacker and defender, do I just have to win battles with few losses on my side?

I think it compares the kill:losses ratio with the average amount it would calculate if you don't control the battle personally. So if you have a 1:1 kill ratio and you had an army of peasants vs knights, then your general would gain some command skill or gain a virtue.

5. are there ways to improve your general's accumen, other then titles?

Don't know, probably not. Though units who's generals have had the title for a long time and have a +1 acumen like eloquence gradually get improved to the virtue where it says court jester come to him for advice and gets a +3 acumen bonus.

6. are the command stars of your maturing heirs determined by your ruler's influence or by his own command stars? What else effects this?

I think so.

7. if your first heir is inferior to those who come after him, what is the best way of "disposing" of him?

Just hurl him by himself at some giant or elite enemy army and don't pay his ransom. Be sure to transfer his retinue to another unit of royal knights or ghulams first.

**Kralizec** · 03-26-2005, 19:35