Favorite unit(s)

[Noir]

For MedMod VI that takes my SP interest as of late:

Sicilian Chivalric Knights: reliable charging and killing machines.

Berber Cavalry: providing for the most elegant way to play with cavalry, i find - good in any terrain, good for charges - good for melee - good to cover all zones due to speed, stamina and moral - perfect for a combined arms approach

Handgunners: that is arquebusiers, in effect - with proper handling they can accomplish much more than meets the eye

Mounted crossbows (Be it Spanish, Italian or Russian): a sort of "aircraft carrier" that beats down the "battleship" knights and their one trick charge approach. Range, melee reliability, charge and speed all in one.

Knights Templar: no introductions needed - finally with lances!

Italian heavy Infantry: a sort of a terminator unit: moving slowly, ruthlessly and unmistekably towards annihilating anything in their path.

Contadina Cavalry & Stratiotai: Deceptively useful in the later stages where their speed/charge combination becomes deadly for their heavily armoured/slow opponents.

Polish Retainers: in the same league with Berber cavalry - its east northern cousin.

[mfberg]

Cav: Avar Nobles - Disciplined
HA: Steppe Heavy Cavalry - Heavy Horse Archers
Spears: Armored Spears - Fun in VI
Sword/Axe/Pole: Berserkers - even more fun in VI
Archers: Genoese Archers - nice and cheap and easy to get good valor on
Artillery: Organ Gun - well, any of the anti personell artillery

mfberg

[Caliburn]

I always loved Futuwwa, they pack a nice punch and yet can be a fickle unit to play with.

Armenian cavalry looks great, works well and doesn't break the bank. Along with Steppe cav.

I tend to prefer Gallowglasses over MAA, even if they can be wiped out by almost anyone if flanked. Still, they're cool, pack an armour piercing punch, add some colour, can be used in the desert...

Steppe heavy always has a place in my armies, though I think Byzantine cavalry is cooler.

Camels against Kataphraktoi always makes my heart race.

[Innocentius]

As I mod my game quite a lot, I've come to love Handgunners. They're like somewhat weaker CMAA, just - of course - with handgonnes (in my game, that is). Of course, I made them available in late only, upped their cost and made them dependant on Swordsmith's Workshop and Gunsmith's Guild.
Great unit once you reach them anyway...

Otherwise (un-modded) it'd be Halberdiers, the workhorses of all sensible armies

[gunslinger]

As the English, my goal is always to start making Billmen. I play the Rock-Paper-Scissors strategy pretty consistently, and I've found that Billmen don't really have a counter unit. I know there are other units out there that can beat them, but they can always at least hold their own for awhile until help arrives. I like an army of Billmen, backed up by vanilla archers (with tons of archers in reserve), a couple units of light cavalry, plus my general (heavy cavalry) to fight the Mongols. I've never seen anything absolutely wipe out a unit of Mongol Heavy Cavalry, or any other heavies, as effortlessly as Billmen.

For the most part, I've always been a good Catholic when it comes to MTW, but right now I'm trying out the Kievans in XL. I'm really starting to like the Voi in early. They are light, fast swordsmen. I don't usually check stats, but in practice they seem to be as fast as Urban Militia with better morale and more killing power.

[Innocentius]

Oh, yes, speaking of the Russian XL factions: How can one not love the Druzhina Infantry? Their info-pic has to be the best there ever was.

[Kavhan Isbul]

Oh, yes, speaking of the Russian XL factions: How can one not love the Druzhina Infantry? Their info-pic has to be the best there ever was.

I agree with this, but I also find the Cherniye Klobuki info picture nice - there is something about helms with visors I really like.

[Deus ret.]

I like an army of Billmen, backed up by vanilla archers (with tons of archers in reserve), a couple units of light cavalry, plus my general (heavy cavalry) to fight the Mongols. I've never seen anything absolutely wipe out a unit of Mongol Heavy Cavalry, or any other heavies, as effortlessly as Billmen.

In my experience the Mongols actually field an army which is quite dangerous to billmen. In my first English campaign (a long time ago...) I remember fighting a Mongol stack with a force consisting of about 50% billmen. I had been quite impressed of their killing power vs. MHC, too, so I figured they'd do the job for me.

Wrong. Granted, they took out the Mongols' cavalry, although they had significant losses. But it was the MHAs and MWs who teared them to shreds, first with their arrows, then the remainders in melee. Billmen are lighter armoured than Halberdiers, making them less unwieldy, but at the same time they succumb to massed missile fire at an alarming rate. I didn't have enough heavy cav to fight off all those MWs with them alone and thus lost the battle.

I learned the lesson to better bring some heavy armour when facing the Horde (this convintion changed in MedMod where the Mongols have AP missiles ) and to fight them only with a lot of trees on the battlefield.

[Kavhan Isbul]

Deus ret. has given some really wise advise here - it is one thing tod eal with the Mongol Heavies, and a completely different thing to deal with the pesky Mongol Horse Archers supported bu hordes of Mongol Warriors. Finally, bring in some Chinese Spearmen in MedMod and the Mongols are the challenge they should be. Which reminds me of two favorite units I missed, but should have included - Mongol Heavies and Mongol HAs. I usually end up with a nice number of them after I kill the Khan in the first wave and then bribe whatever is left of the Horde (my strategy, which is probably a poor one, is based on losing the major battle in Khazar, but killing the Khan and then bribing the remaining Mongol stacks to replenish my armies and provide me with some troops I can never dream of training myself, especially in MedMod). I have discovered the Mongol HAs to be able to deal with most light cavalry, such as Steppe Cavalry and Mounted Sergeants, which makes them almost invincible. The stupid tendency of the AI to move its missile infantry when approached by enemy units makes sure that you will always hit pavise crossbowmen and arbalesters in the back, routing them as a result. I love Mongol HAs, and add to that the punch that Mongol Heavies pack (they get all sorts of valor and armor bonuses in MedMod when they appear in Khazar), and you have a superb combo.

[The Unknown Guy]

The Prononai Kavalliori Toxotai in Medieval´s pocket mod. AKA: byzantine cavalry on steroids. Of course, they´re also horribly expensive (l20 upkeep cost), so its not like you can field entire armies of them. Still, two units as battle assistance are enough to turn the tide, since you can pepper with arrows the enemy to follow you into position (into the position you have placed your archers, ideally), and then hold them there with some melee unit, while slamming the cavalry at their rear.

[gunslinger]

Wrong. Granted, they took out the Mongols' cavalry, although they had significant losses. But it was the MHAs and MWs who teared them to shreds, first with their arrows, then the remainders in melee. Billmen are lighter armoured than Halberdiers, making them less unwieldy, but at the same time they succumb to massed missile fire at an alarming rate. I didn't have enough heavy cav to fight off all those MWs with them alone and thus lost the battle.

That's why I bring along all of the archers and the fast cav (like Mounted Sergeants). For the most part, I concentrate my fire on the MHAs. The cav works well against the warriors, but I really don't remember the billmen getting slaughtered by them. I should have mentioned that I keep quite a few cavalry units in the reinforcement pool along with the archers. This is just because they usually get exhausted.

[Deus ret.]

That's why I bring along all of the archers and the fast cav (like Mounted Sergeants). For the most part, I concentrate my fire on the MHAs. The cav works well against the warriors, but I really don't remember the billmen getting slaughtered by them. I should have mentioned that I keep quite a few cavalry units in the reinforcement pool along with the archers. This is just because they usually get exhausted.

Well IIRC Mongol warriors have quite decent melee capability, decent enough to fend off most light cavalry, and together with their ranged attack they are superior to billmen....in my experience

It might also be that
a) I wasn't feeling at ease on the tactical map yet, since it was my 2nd or so campaign. In the retrospective, I should have looked either for cover to hide the billmen in or for a bridge to better defend against the onslaught.

b) I've become too influenced by MedMod in myjudgement since I play it almost exclusively; in this mod, MWs are CMAA stat-wise plus they have very nasty AP missiles, which makes them quite deadly.