Byzantine Loyalists

[Lord Cazaric]

I was playing a game as the Byzantines, and I was at war with the Egyptians, who held from Turkey to Ireland. Turkey was constantly contested between me and the Egyptians, and year after year Byzantine loyalists appeared in Antioch, Lesser Armenia and Rum.

I'm confused as to why chivalric men-at-arms, Catholic swordsmen, appeared in the loyalist forces. (Other than them, the loyalists were usually made up of archers, pronolai allagion, byzantine infantry and Varangians) Why did these men-at-arms fight for me?

[caravel]

Are you playing MTW or MTW/VI? FMAA and CMAA are not part of the rebelling troop mixes for orthodox factions, that is to say that they simply cannot appear in orthodox rebellions of any kind AFAIK.

[Lord Cazaric]

I usually play VI but I was at a mate's place helping him with his campaign, and he doesn't have the expansion.

[Xehh II]

Since i've been able to play MTW:VI I also find very strange rebels, like one time there were Egyptian Loyalists emerging with Pictish M. Crossbows and normal Pictish Crossbows and I've also seen a Spanish Crusade with Viking Huscarles, Landsmenn and a couple thousand Thralls.

[Lord Cazaric]

That's only possible if they stole troops from an absolutely ENORMOUS Danish army....

[Xehh II]

Yes, that's what I thought, the Danish do control most of Europe apart from my tiny Kingdom on the eastern west coast.

[Caliburn]

I've had my English chrusade attract Saxon Huscarles and I was quite surprised at the time.

[edyzmedieval]

Not that big thing really. The English had Saxon roots after all. ~

[Roark]

From what I can gather, the location/faction/era rules are different for rebellions, mercs and crusades.

For example, berserkers will appear in a rebellion, but can never be recruited.

Guns appear prior to 1260...

Don't know the specifics, but anyway.

[edyzmedieval]

I never got units like Sherwood Foresters and Almughavars...

[seireikhaan]

I never got units like Sherwood Foresters and Almughavars...

Too bad, both are fun units. Almughavars are a personal favorite of mine, I love it whenever I can manage to find some. As you might've noticed, though, they're kinda rare.

[Vladimir]

Too bad, both are fun units. Almughavars are a personal favorite of mine, I love it whenever I can manage to find some. As you might've noticed, though, they're kinda rare.

I made armored almughavars recruitable by the Byzantines to hopefully help them fight off the Eggys. They're so awesome.

[bamff]

Some weird units do indeed get thrown up from time to time, both in crusades and as mercs...

In my current campaign (Aragon) I have had pictish crossbowmen, pictish mounted crossbowmen, and welsh bandits appear in crusade armies....and I have seen lancers among the available mercs a few times now, even though I have just moved from early period to high. Yes, I have resisted the temptation to snap them up.....

Odd units of the right time I can deal with as having been wandering far from home and deciding to join a crusade or rebellion, but units that appear many years ahead of their time are a bit harder to justify, for me.

[seireikhaan]

I made armored almughavars recruitable by the Byzantines to hopefully help them fight off the Eggys. They're so awesome.

WTF? You even gave them armor too? You basically just filled the only hole in the Byzantine lineup with one of the best of its kind. Don't you think the Byzantines are already a little overpowered to begin with?

Also, this isn't really the place to ask, but since it came up: How do you mod? I've been trying to figure it out myself and, as usual, I'm hopeless with the computer.

[ULC]

In my current campaign (Aragon) I have had pictish crossbowmen, pictish mounted crossbowmen, and welsh bandits appear in crusade armies....

Thats nothing. How about a Jihad that has CFK? Of course, that could be from the recently conquered Tripoli, but you get the idea.

....and I have seen lancers among the available mercs a few times now, even though I have just moved from early period to high. Yes, I have resisted the temptation to snap them up.....

Try handgunners in 1122. Or Viking Huscarles in 1340's.