Garisson your cities and castles?

[Graphic]

When I have the means I like to set up a zone of settlements for a good stack of units to defend. They'll stand in a forest or sit in a fort within 1 turns walking distance of 2 or more settlements ready to meet the challenge. The settlements this stack will defend will only have enough town militia to not revolt.

[Ars Moriendi]

My border cities are garrisoned by whatever army took them, until the unrest settles, it's time to move forward and I had time to build a permanent garrison. When expanding, I usually intercept enemy stacks in the field, so getting besieged it's not usually an issue. Therefore I only use free militias up to the max number allowed, half spears + half crossbows.

Defense tactics : park the crossbows on the walls near the gate and use the spears to create a plug on the main street - not right at the gate, but not too far either. Crossbowmen are much more effective when firing inwards - their bolts have flat trajectories, not the high arc - so if the spears hold long enough, the enemy will form a huge blob of troops right between the plug and the gate, creating a perfect target. I lost the few battles I fought this way, against vastly superior force, but caused massive casualties each time : 200~300 kills for each crossbow unit that was still on the walls after the enemy broke through. Having a morale boosting device (or a general) behind the spears helps a lot.

Castles : as others have suggested, the missile/melee hybrids are best. I usually have between 3 and 6 of them, depending on the risk rating of the region.

[Askthepizzaguy]

My border cities are garrisoned by whatever army took them, until the unrest settles, it's time to move forward and I had time to build a permanent garrison. When expanding, I usually intercept enemy stacks in the field, so getting besieged it's not usually an issue. Therefore I only use free militias up to the max number allowed, half spears + half crossbows.

I differ, respectfully, with this strategy. (lol, as if anyone cared for my opinion)

I just hate using good offensive troops like heavy cavalry and heavy infantry as garrison forces. These men aren't babysitters, they are brave and bloodthirsty shock troops! I move them forward as soon as they are done pillaging, and I reinforce my new territory with already-prepared militia units that I sent towards the city before I captured it. If I bother garrisoning the new city at all.

Different playing styles, to be sure. It isn't as though one method is more right than the other. But I personally despise using my main imperial forces as policemen. Slightly reminiscent of certain elite fighting units policing the streets of Baghdad... what a waste of manpower and firepower. It is expensive too, and it leaves your best troops vulnerable inside city walls where they can be trapped like... well, the army you just defeated in order to claim the city.

Just a difference of opinion. Go with whichever method suits your playing style!

[Ars Moriendi]

Well, the professionals don't get too much garrison duty : just enough to recover, retrain and have some townsmen part-time soldiers replacing them as "police force". Most of the time I send them out rather soon, to take position on bridges, mountain passes or forest ambushes, or just head straight to the next target.

EDIT : I don't think I ever fought a battle with my main field army trapped inside a city. I did however got trapped inside a fort, and it wasn't pretty.

[Askthepizzaguy]

Is anyone actually stupid enough to use forts as defensive structures? After their first bad experience, that is? Building a fort is the same as digging a grave for whatever foolish army happens to occupy it. Once it happens to you one time, you never let it happen again!

Forts have exactly two functions: making trading posts for merchants and for being roadblocks for any army foolish enough to not carry artillery.
(of course, armies foolish enough to carry artillery move too slowly for my taste... so they are foolish either way, if they are foolish enough to face me!)

I still can't believe how ridiculously useless forts are as defensive structures in this game. Does anyone use them as such?

[phonicsmonkey]

I once used them to trap Timurids - I built a bunch of them in a line and put depleted units in them. The Timmahs just couldn't resist taking the fort then sitting in it for the next turn, too far away from their buddies to get help from them when my stack of trebuchets wheeled up to barbecue them to death...

I love the smell of roasting elephant in the morning - smells like....victory

[Askthepizzaguy]

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I once used them to trap Timurids - I built a bunch of them in a line and put depleted units in them. The Timmahs just couldn't resist taking the fort then sitting in it for the next turn, too far away from their buddies to get help from them when my stack of trebuchets wheeled up to barbecue them to death...

I love the smell of roasting elephant in the morning - smells like....victory

Phonicsmonkey: You are truly a despicable and monstrously evil warlord after my own heart! Forts are like rat traps for stupid AI-led armies.

SNAP! Looks like we caught ourselves another Mongolian rat. Time to flush it down the toilet like all the others.

I'd capture the Kahn, torture and imprison him, and force-feed him the mangled remains of his own troops. Then I'd smack him around a bit and send him back home, perpetually scarred by the experience. Perhaps then they would learn never to invade my territory.

Vlad the Impaler has nothing on me.

EDIT: I've noticed a forum member known as The Fwapper. Handsome devil, isn't he?
https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showt...66#post1607866

EDIT: No, I am not The Fwapper.

[Ars Moriendi]

Hear this sad tale for an example of bad luck and stupidity using forts :
I had a stack of all elite heavy troops in recently conquered land, somewhere in the baltic region. I think "hmm, a watchtower will be nice over there" and send my general alone to build it (moves faster without inf). The target position was some 2 turns away. I figured I could use some anti-desertion insurance so I built a fort before the gen left the stack. One or two turns later, I get attacked. And not just by any army - you know those most useless, clueless stacks-o-trebuchets-with-militia-general the AI likes to build ? It was one of those.
Almost half of my silver & gold shiny knights died a fiery death inside that fort.

[Askthepizzaguy]

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Hear this sad tale for an example of bad luck and stupidity using forts :
I had a stack of all elite heavy troops in recently conquered land, somewhere in the baltic region. I think "hmm, a watchtower will be nice over there" and send my general alone to build it (moves faster without inf). The target position was some 2 turns away. I figured I could use some anti-desertion insurance so I built a fort before the gen left the stack. One or two turns later, I get attacked. And not just by any army - you know those most useless, clueless stacks-o-trebuchets-with-militia-general the AI likes to build ? It was one of those.
Almost half of my silver & gold shiny knights died a fiery death inside that fort.

Hmm... clueless, eh? Sounds like my style of play!

Maybe I should build a few stacks-o-trebuchet, store them on a rickety boat, and send it towards Rome or Constantinople some time. If it gets there, it immediately lays seige and attacks that turn, reducing the city and the garrison to ruins.

If they sally forth, I will probably at least get to destroy their walls and smash a bunch of idiots attempting to sally before I die gloriously.

What have I got to lose? A few florins and about 100 brave troops, I suppose.
I'd better start building artillery ranges inside my coastal fortresses along with some freakin ports.

Incredibly, I just learned something new from the AI. Add a few solid spearmen divisions, and you have yourself a bunch of serious troublemakers.

This discussion seems off-topic...

[TeutonicKnight]

When it comes to garrisoning a city, I use the best and most of the militia units I can get. F.ex. I'll use town militia until I can build spearmen, and spearmen until I can build halberds. Then I phase out the old, and replace them with the new. If I get archer or crossbow militia, I only use two of them. They aren't that good that they can replace my "into the breach" militia. I've had good luck holding the gatehouse if I can keep the enemy from knocking down a wall (or going over it). I've also had some luck holding the walls if I'm able to burn the ram. Of course, armor upgrades are a low priority for my cities, so casualties are high and morale is a problem, so I keep a family member in cities that are likely to be attacked.

For castles, I usually just leave what I can fit in under the free unit upkeep (Carl's ProblemFixer Pure ftw). Generally speaking that's Sergeant Spearmen, but if the castle is off in a lonely distant land, it'll have a fairly respectable force in it (but by no means an army). Something like three armored spears, three footknights, three missiles, and a horse unit. The spears will hold the gates, knights the walls, and the rest are there for what I can get out of them.

Otherwise, I generally have a field army in each theater of operation that is responsible for both offense and defense. It's not always enough, but I find that if your city is under seige, and you seige one of the enemy, they'll often times retreat from their seige to drive you off. Too bad they don't always make it. :)

[crniMuc]

you can have lots of units later in game when you have loads of money, but what about in the beginning...i'm playing venice and every city is a border city?

[icek]

when i obtain a big city or castle in vulnerable point on map first thing i build is towers and missile units.

[Valdincan]

There's no real "perfect" garrison, but I generally go with a mix of spear militia, archers and light cavalry.

Spear militia are cheap (thus can be built in large quantities), and can fill any gaps made in the defenses. The enemy will have a hard time getting through a small opening when its blocked by hundreds of spears.

I prefer archers over crossbow-men due to the flaming arrows option. This damaged moral, and will make fighting off charges easier.

I use light cavalry to sally forth and destroy siege equipment.

Of course, this only works if you are commanding the battle yourself.

[Jasper The Builder]

Ill keep it simple

An important city to me always has to be defended by a castle near by, I usually keep a few units in my cities around 3 or so, Not many as too many becames costly. In my Castles i have about 8 units, Then when an enemy is barring close to my city i can start to build on that, To meet my demands for whatever force is coming my way, Its crucial that my watchtowers are always in working order, Keep a spy near by, They are like fenians sometimes the enemy, creep up and wack ya