Expensive slaves who think they're elites?

**Intranetusa** · 11-24-2007, 19:03

Why are slaves, the weakest unit in the game (4 melee, 1 missile, ~8 defense skill, no decent traits) so expensive to recruit and maintain?

They cost around ~1400-1500 to train, which is more than many "good" levies such as levy archers and levy skirmishers, and is very expensive to maintain ~360-370+
(I think their unit size is either 100 or 120 on large/200 or 240 on huge)

Why do these "freed slave" units who have wooden sticks and no armor cost more to maintain than a unit of heavy infantry principes?

**Dayve** · 11-24-2007, 19:06

Because they've all been personally trained by Chuck Norris himself. Have you ever fought them without using that mini-fix someone on the forum made? They're bloody lethal. One unit will wipe out an entire army!

**bovi** · 11-24-2007, 19:09

They are more expensive so that they will not be good at anything. They are only there to avoid the rebellion CTDs. See their description too.

**Intranetusa** · 11-24-2007, 19:12

Originally Posted by bovi

They are more expensive so that they will not be good at anything. They are only there to avoid the rebellion CTDs. See their description too.

But I don't understand why they cost so much? If they suck so badly, shouldn't freed slaves be paid dirt?

**Philippus Flavius Homovallumus** · 11-24-2007, 19:14

They are expensive so that the AI will be dissuaded from training them. In fact only the Slave faction can train them, you'll notice they never show up in your recruitment viewer.

They're an engine work around, which is the only reason for their existance.

**Intranetusa** · 11-24-2007, 19:22

Originally Posted by Philipvs Vallindervs Calicvla

They are expensive so that the AI will be dissuaded from training them. In fact only the Slave faction can train them, you'll notice they never show up in your recruitment viewer.

They're an engine work around, which is the only reason for their existance.

Actually, the reason why I asked this question is because I just fought a 2300+ Epierot army composed of 50% "free slaves." I thought I was doomed ( I had 800 troops) but I routed half their army in 15 seconds and won the battle.

**bovi** · 11-24-2007, 19:24

Originally Posted by Intranetusa

But I don't understand why they cost so much? If they suck so badly, shouldn't freed slaves be paid dirt?

Also, this way they are not useful as garrison. There will always be a better unit for garrison duty for every faction, and there will always be a better levy unit for fighting.

**Digby Tatham Warter** · 11-26-2007, 09:58

Originally Posted by Dayve

Because they've all been personally trained by Chuck Norris himself. Have you ever fought them without using that mini-fix someone on the forum made? They're bloody lethal. One unit will wipe out an entire army!

Your not far wrong there mi old sausage.
My plans back fired slightly recently, when I took a village, stripped it of it's buildings, hoping it would revolt to rebel to serve as a buffer state. The problem was it came back to the faction with gold chevroned, weapons, etc Peasants.

Normally I sally out from my Pike wall, but on this occasion it didn't go so well. After softening with missiles I attacked 2 units of the blighters on my left flank, with 1 armoured Nellie, 1 Thoratikai heavy inf and 1 Cataphract cav, all had 2-3 cheverons, needless to say I got creamed.

**Soggius Chippius** · 11-25-2007, 03:05

Originally Posted by Intranetusa

Why do these "freed slave" units who have wooden sticks and no armor cost more to maintain than a unit of heavy infantry principes?

Really? I was under the impression they were baguettes.
Though admittedly having a weapon made out of wood *does* make a bit more sense.

**antisocialmunky** · 11-25-2007, 03:21

Baguettes hurt.

**Tellos Athenaios** · 11-25-2007, 03:34

Especially the longer French version after it's 'dried out'...

Anywho they got a stick and some rocks... Just bring on the archers + flaming arrows and explain it afterwards in Geneva.

**Intranetusa** · 11-25-2007, 04:17

Dip the baguette in pig's fat and light it on fire - it's a useful weapon to scare away elephants, as well as a good emergency high calorie food.

**Thaatu** · 11-25-2007, 10:07

Not that I'm complaining (much), but as the Aedui, KH had taken the eastern Europe between Getai and Illyria, and I had all those worthless provinces rebel to me. My income was something in the area of 2500 per season, so when most garrisons of the freedom fighters had 8 Apeleutheroi plus 4 random merc units, and the total income from the settlement was below 1000, it's needless to say I was f-. I disbanded all the garrisons as soon at it came my turn and gave away the province to Getai. This happened three times with different settlements, meaning I was 3xF-. But, as I said, that's about the only downside of the Apeleutheroi upkeep.

That campaign has some other nifty stuff going on too. For example, when my Insubre horde was stranded behind Roman lines and couldn't break on through to the other side, I bought Syracusa from Epirus and used it to build a fleet which then ferried my horde to Crete. Now I have a band of Celtic pirates controlling the island, raiding Greece. Needless to say, Rhodos had a little accident.