On Governors

[Agent Miles]

I suppose that most people choose peasant generals with at least 4 acumen to be their governors, because they are cheapest to maintain. Here’s an even better trick. Whatever unit I use for the governor, be it Royal Knights or Gallowglasses, I find a partial unit of the same kind, led by a one star or at least someone with one virtue or vice. I then move them to the same province and drop the whole governor unit on the partial unit, effectively switching the sizes. Now my gov’s partial unit costs even less to maintain. Be careful to use a partial unit that is led by someone who will not himself merge into the gov’s unit. Do this several times and you end up with the governor in a unit all by himself that costs nothing (or just a few florins) to maintain. If you repeat this with all of your governors, you can reduce your per turn support costs by hundreds of florins.
I also usually keep most governors stacked with my ruler, to keep them safe from assassins and Inquisitors. One exception is governor candidates, men with four acumen for whom I don’t yet have provinces. I leave them stacked alone in a safe province. This way they can hopefully accrue random virtues that will raise their acumen or make their future citizens happy (they may also become vice ridden and useless). The other exception is Great Steward candidates. I make an agricultural research province(s) where I build then destroy and rebuild the 20% farm upgrade. Do this enough and the governor who is present can become a Great Steward (and your faction ruler too), adding 30% to his province’s (faction’s) farm income. I then switch him to a province with a high farm income.
What are your tips?

[Don Corleone]

The problem with that approach is what happens to the command bonus some provinces grant? You'll be wasting it by dropping it onto a 3 or 4 man unit of knights that you never lead out into battle.

As a role-playing rule, I never grant governerships to anybody that doesn't ride a horse, regardless of the faction I'm playing (really tough when I play the Danes!)

But, as long as we're talking about cost-savings tips, I have a good one, but its very, very cheesy, and I don't do it any more because it violates my whole 'reality role-playing'. When you want to attack a non-Catholic faction, buy all the best mercenaries you can. Don't worry about their upkeep. Why not? Because you're not going to pay it. Put them all into a crusade marker. You don't pay upkeep on crusading units.

In truth, that really doesn't make sense from a role-playing perspective. Somebody that's selling their sword to the highest bidder wouldn't just say 'ah forget it' and take up the cross.

I don't play muslim factions much, but I imagine the same trick would work with a Jihad.

[Agent Miles]

I heartily agree. However, most provinces don't grant command stars. Those are the ones that I meant.

[Martok]

I don't roleplay to the extent that Don Corleone does -- except for peasants, I'll grant titles to any unit leader with the right attributes (regardless of whether they command infantry or cavalry) -- but I also dislike one-man "Governor units".

In fact, I actually try and keep a governor's personal unit as fully trained up as possible. I prefer to do this because should the governor's province be invaded, the extra men in his regiment act as "filler", and minimize his chances of being killed in combat. In addition, a governor's personal unit is often the only garrison needed in the quieter provinces (the ones that aren't likely to rebel).

I don't play muslim factions much, but I imagine the same trick would work with a Jihad.

It does, but I never do so. While I admit I sometimes add mercs to Crusades, adding them to Jihads just feels....wrong.

[Roark]

I don't roleplay to the extent that Don Corleone does

Ditto.

I'll grant governorships to any elite unit, unless I'm playing a total mongrel of a campaign (Turks/High, Volgas/High, Polish/Late) in which case it's all go for peasant mathematicians!

I don't do cheese at all, except for the fact that I reload mindbuggeringly unfair naval battle results.

[dknight]

@Agent Miles: a bit side track, but I read somewhere that the governor's effect (i.e. increase income, happiness etc) need your governor in the governing province. In that case, if you stacked your governor with the rule, would that be wasted ?

[Tratorix]

I think the govenors have to be in the province for their dread rating to have an effect, not their acumen.

[Agent Miles]

No, I always got the full effect of the governor, even though they were elsewhere. I even noticed that when I've stacked my governors with their ruler in one province, some of them still got VnV's, even though they were not in their own province or in command of the stack. BTW, dread only works until the balance of the population is of your religion, then the piety of the governor takes over.
I have partially filled units anyway, so I just restack them to my advantage. My administrators don't fight and my fighters don't sit around doing nothing. This method keeps great governor's safe so that they don't get assassinated, burned at the stake or lost in combat, because they are stacked with their ruler in one safe place.

[Martok]

I think the govenors have to be in the province for their dread rating to have an effect, not their acumen.

This is a common misconception, albeit an understandable one -- I myself was once under this impression as well. However, it is in fact incorrect. A governor doesn't have to physically be in his province in order for his dread to help cow the people there.

So strictly speaking, there's very few reasons to not copy Agent Miles and stack your governors with your faction ruler. (I myself generally don't do this, mostly for role-playing reasons, but that's me.) The only real argument for not stacking governors with your king is the "putting your eggs in one basket" issue -- should your faction ruler unexpectedly become involved in a battle, then suddenly all your decent governors are at risk of suffering a swift & violent end to their careers.

[Brandy Blue]

When you want to attack a non-Catholic faction, buy all the best mercenaries you can. Put them all into a crusade marker. You don't pay upkeep on crusading units.

In truth, that really doesn't make sense from a role-playing perspective. Somebody that's selling their sword to the highest bidder wouldn't just say 'ah forget it' and take up the cross.
with a Jihad.

The way I see it, many people who went on crusades were younger sons of knights or nobles seeking land, or peasants looking for a better life, etc. I pretend that the mercinaries I hire for a crusade are not really mercinaries, but people who join a crusade in hopes of improving their lives. If my king pays for their start up costs (armor etc) they will crusade for free. When the crusade is over, I disband them, because either they have achieved a better life or became disillusioned and wander off. The only problem is that too much of this trick can make crusading too easy.

I don't really know anything about the history of Jihads, so I don't know if a similar rationale would apply.