Hi @Axalon,

I guess that is part of the problem/dilemma with armies centred on quality/elite-formations they are seldom available in vast numbers. ..I guess the real question here is/was how badly do you want those provinces?
You sure remember from our Norse discussion: That was never a problem for me, but is my standard way of playing. I didn´t need nor want those regions, just wanted to weaken the Rus. And it worked the bribing way as good as if I had spent years with battle..

Yup, if you want spend the cash on it then that’s your headache, it won’t hurt the game,
Cash as well as time I happily spend for morale and valor - that´s why I go for those somewhat remote factions, giving me the calmness of being out of the main troubles to build, later breaking forth with small but tremendously suped-up armies, showing everyone the place of their own - in my backyard ;-))

and the HRE have the largest roster of them all
I never went for those potentially great factions, at least not in Vanilla. HRE, Byzantium, I gave them a try and got bored even on expert setting how easy it was to conquer the greatest part of the map in nearly no time - and not blitzing, thus far you know me... REDUX may be different, sure some time I give it a try just to know what you created there, but for my normal gameplay it´s remote factions like Norse and English, or underdogs like Polish...

Anyways, had it not been hard somehow to get the advanced and superior troops, then every player would spam such troops ASAP as they really are better then other lower tier troops, and they really do give an edge (as you have proven time and time again)
Thanks for the kind words, Axalon. One problem/chance I see, especially in Vanilla (REDUX changed that quite a bit): The AI hardly ever takes the "effort" to build and train in such a manner - had it my style of playing I´d sit in the shit, facing enemies really hard to come by. Would be quite a challenge, breaking out of the Norse forests and facing, for example, an army of some completely souped-up HRE superknights with highest armour, weapons, valor and morale... Mymymy, even my beloved Bodyguards would hesitate for a moment - and crash into them with even more enthusiasm, I could imagine ;-))

AND: Thanks for the links for 1004-VI. Downloaded, and give it a try these days.

Greetings and best wishes for you,
daigaku