Nah, I like gendarmes. But losing the shield and 1 less defense for +2 armor over upgraded chivalrics is a poor trade. They are actually more vulnerable to missile fire as a result. They should get a defense BONUS since they don't have to carry shields, and their armor should be equal to partial plate plus shield (about 12 instead of 10 or 11), since that's why they didn't need to carry shields. Actually, chivalrics that upgrade to full plate should also lose their shields (and get more armor to compensate rather than a miserable +1), but the armor system doesn't even work properly, let alone include nifty features like that.