Made-To-Order Heirs

[Kekvit Irae]

Apparently, when you play the Sassanids, if you build a unit of cavalry Immortals (4 turns), you dont get the cavalry unit, but rather a family member (it's still an Immortal unit). You can use this method to flood the enemy with plenty of generals, or use religious tactics (IE: Spy rush in MTW) against them as every one of the "made to order" family members will have the Zorowhatever religious trait.

[Barbarossa82]

Isn't that what happens when you recruit a new bodyguard-class unit for other factions, like the Roman Imperial German Bodyguard? I've never got round to it so I wouldn't know but I thought this was supposed to be a new feature, recruiting generals directly. Don't think they count as family members from the point of view of keeping your faction alive though.

[Prodigal]

If the manuals to be believed, they're not family & so cannot be set up as heirs

[lars573]

The way the trainable generals unit works is that it creates a general who is not part of your family. And can't become part of it either. Other wise they function just like a family member, gaining traits retinue have a religion etc. Plus if you train to many generals body guards they will end up led by a captain instead of a general, don't know what the limit is though.

[Kraxis]

Another reason why it is a good idea to read the manual.

[dismal]

As of now, I'm working on the assumption that paying for a general will displace one I get for free so I don't do it.

Or perhaps there no longer is Man of the Hour/Adoption?

Is there any benefit to this feature other than timing? (e.g., better traits, younger age?)