Should I train sherwood forresters?

**King of Bavaria** · 02-18-2007, 21:58

Just some questions: Playing as the Scots in XL mod, I've conquered Mercia.
I'm able to train sherwood forresters there.
Now the question: Are they worth to use? And how?
They are quite small in number, can I use them instead of archers?

P.S.: If the answers are already somewhere around here, then sorry, I just didn't found!

**Martok** · 02-19-2007, 05:36

Sherwood Foresters are generally most useful when defending. With their ability to hide in plain sight, they're quite effective at ambushing an attacking army. For this reason, they're also pretty good at killling enemy generals.

I would never use them as a regular archer unit, however -- they cost too much to just utilize as missile troops, as well as being too few in number. You should think of SF as more of a "special forces" unit.

**Eternity** · 02-19-2007, 06:12

Sherwood Foresters are quite expensive to train, 600 florins for just 20 men, so I don't think you should train them unless you're financially stable. That said, their combat skills are excellent, and are great for flanking the enemy, such as generals as Martok said. I use them in my Irish XL campaign for melee, and see their bow and arrows as just an added bonus, using the ranged attack only when I know the battle will be short since I don't want to tire them out and only kill several men when they can kill many more in hand to hand.

I would always have one or two in my armies, trained up with the best armor in Mercia since they're expensive to recruit. I'd also stretch them out to a single line to maximize their engagement line, which results in more valor for these killing machines, able to slice through any unit despite not having an armor piercing attack. However, since you have Highlanders, I don't think these units are crucial, as the Highlanders have more men and better attack against heavy armor than Sherwood Foresters. Nonetheless, I'd put some in my armies, since I prefer quality over quantity, even on Huge unit sizes.

**Mooks** · 02-19-2007, 08:57

I was train them because I like my armies to have that "exotic" touch on them.

**Scurvy** · 02-19-2007, 10:16

same as bandit, they might be expensive and not all that useful at times, but i like the variation in armies

**macsen rufus** · 02-19-2007, 12:25

I like to use them to protect my flanks, especially when I can bury one end of my line in woods. Oh what a surprise when the enemy tries to flank you by going through the trees

I do pretty much the same with hashishin when I play a Muslim faction, too...

**Caerfanan** · 02-19-2007, 15:58

Originally Posted by macsen rufus

I like to use them to protect my flanks, especially when I can bury one end of my line in woods. Oh what a surprise when the enemy tries to flank you by going through the trees

I do pretty much the same with hashishin when I play a Muslim faction, too...

Speaking of this, does anyone here knows what being hidden means? Do you just have the AI act as if the unit was not there?

**Ludens** · 02-19-2007, 16:56

Originally Posted by Caerfanan

Speaking of this, does anyone here knows what being hidden means? Do you just have the AI act as if the unit was not there?

The A.I. doesn't see the unit, but at higher difficulty levels the A.I. will notice it when your visible forces don't add up to the number on the campaign map, and will scout for ambushes. A hidden unit will also give a morale penalty to any unit it is ordered to attack. This applies when (and only when) the attack-movement is started while the unit is hidden. If you give only a short movement order before ordering the attack, the target won't get a morale penalty. On the other hand, if you do order the attack while the unit is still hidden, the target will receive a penalty even if the attacking unit still has to cross the entire map before reaching it.

**Caerfanan** · 02-19-2007, 17:43

Originally Posted by Ludens

The A.I. doesn't see the unit, but at higher difficulty levels the A.I. will notice it when your visible forces don't add up to the number on the campaign map, and will scout for ambushes. A hidden unit will also give a morale penalty to any unit it is ordered to attack. This applies when (and only when) the attack-movement is started while the unit is hidden. If you give only a short movement order before ordering the attack, the target won't get a morale penalty. On the other hand, if you do order the attack while the unit is still hidden, the target will receive a penalty even if the attacking unit still has to cross the entire map before reaching it.

Uhuh... Thanks Ludens! I admit, this is weird, not without reminding me a scene from the Holy Grail movie (the one when Lancelot charges for like an hour, with the guards watching, across a field to take the guards "by surprise" anyway)

**King of Bavaria** · 02-19-2007, 17:59

Thanks, guys.

Money is not that problem, i get 4000+ every turn, although i trade just in Northsea/Baltikum, and i just have to defend one border (saxony).
Time for trying some ambushes!

**Deus ret.** · 02-20-2007, 11:23

Originally Posted by Ludens

A hidden unit will also give a morale penalty to any unit it is ordered to attack.

what, a morale penalty? even better! I read recently somewhere that the ambushing unit gets an attack bonus vs. its target, but the morale thingy sounds much more realistic.

time for more ambushes

**Caerfanan** · 02-20-2007, 15:21

Originally Posted by Deus ret.

what, a morale penalty? even better! I read recently somewhere that the ambushing unit gets an attack bonus vs. its target, but the morale thingy sounds much more realistic.

time for more ambushes

Yep. But the "even if charging across the whole battle map", lets me a bit thoughtful. does anyone think that this attack bonus could be seen while pressing F1?

**mfberg** · 02-20-2007, 20:42

Remember to take them off fire at will, otherwise they will fire upon the first unit that gets within range. I made that mistake once with a forward ambush and got their heads handed back to me.

mfberg