Cheap mercenary unit

**bamff** · 04-11-2006, 00:58

Surely the reduced unit size of 1 would make him useless for any purpose whatsoever?

Mind you, hard to go past free stuff, isn't it....and there is an amusement factor in hiring him for not even food and board...

**Papewaio** · 04-11-2006, 01:11

I just wish you could retrain units into other units.

I would hire him and get him the best armour and weapons I could find.

BTW doesn't the act of hiring units encourage more units to appear in the province... so hiring him may attract other, better units?

**Asmodai** · 04-11-2006, 08:33

Think about their loyalty......low i think for merc of any sort, so their role as garrison duty is rather dangerous bussines. Having ticking bomb behind your back isnt good, so id rather keep any mercs in front of me, preferably sending them into best and most expensive enemy stack. Using mercs is very good tactic, if your economy is good, and you have big money to spend. So, even when mercs army will be destroyed, carnage attract more mercs to nearby inns, so there will be even more men to die for your money.

My favourite tactic is to use full stacks of mercs, preferably two or three, and when enemy armies are depleted and battered enough, my regular army beats them. And rather disbanding stacks of mercs, i throw them on the rest enemy forces, or pillage the neigbourhood. And when money drain caused by them is problem, i simply disband them.

**lar** · 04-11-2006, 10:36

give him a title and have a free governor? (if you can give titles to mercs)

**Peasant Phill** · 04-11-2006, 11:56

Originally Posted by lar

give him a title and have a free governor? (if you can give titles to mercs)

Sorry to disapoint you lar but you can't.

**p_nutter** · 04-11-2006, 20:36

Garrison duty is an interesting idea. But since you need 100 men to prevent a bandit attack, I would need 100 1-man peasant units, in a minimum of 7 stacks.

The peasant might be useful as a way to waste enemy arrows. I could run him around near the enemy archers... In loose formation, of course. In fact, the unit is guaranteed not to rout due to being shot at - it will stand firm under the hail of arrows until every man is killed.

Also, it's a valour 2 unit. If the AI ever tries to flank me with a 1-man peasant unit of valour 1 or 0, I would have the perfect counter.

In spite of all this, I did not hire him. I'm pretty sure I already disbanded him once - he's a Muslim peasant, and I'm the only Muslim faction around for some reason, so he's likely to be one of mine. He was probably a unit leader and I couldn't merge him into some other unit due to a virtue or vice.

**Ironside** · 04-12-2006, 07:29

Originally Posted by p_nutter

Garrison duty is an interesting idea. But since you need 100 men to prevent a bandit attack, I would need 100 1-man peasant units, in a minimum of 7 stacks.

100 men isn't needed to prevent bandit attacks if the loyalty is high enough.
1-man garrisions is the best garrisions (lowest maintenance cost) and occationally I've been running provinces for decades without any garrision at all (not prefered though, as rebellions due to cut-off shiplines makes you immidiatly lose the provinces).
Bandit attacks is a kind of rebellion, not some special type with other rules.

And yeah it's probably one of your peasants, depleted units only show up as merc if disbanded and the comp never disbands his troops.

**Asmodai** · 04-12-2006, 12:11

Originally Posted by p_nutter

Garrison duty is an interesting idea. But since you need 100 men to prevent a bandit attack, I would need 100 1-man peasant units, in a minimum of 7 stacks.

The peasant might be useful as a way to waste enemy arrows. I could run him around near the enemy archers... In loose formation, of course. In fact, the unit is guaranteed not to rout due to being shot at - it will stand firm under the hail of arrows until every man is killed.

Also, it's a valour 2 unit. If the AI ever tries to flank me with a 1-man peasant unit of valour 1 or 0, I would have the perfect counter.

In spite of all this, I did not hire him. I'm pretty sure I already disbanded him once - he's a Muslim peasant, and I'm the only Muslim faction around for some reason, so he's likely to be one of mine. He was probably a unit leader and I couldn't merge him into some other unit due to a virtue or vice.

I agree with you almous completely!

I simulated cathing arrows with peasants. Even valour 3 full peasant unit will break and flee when they casualties reach about 60-70%. And in addition, loose formation lower thier morale, so even enemy couterattack may rout them(without casualties). Waste of time and money...and your attention in battle.

You play as HRE? Can you share of your achevments in that game? If you dont want to do this in public, at least send PM to me. Thats my favourite faction, so i always read some news about them. Thanx in advice.