Bad Generals?

[disorientalist]

i actually had the same problem, although its not like its something i've proven once and again, im currently playing my first SS w/o BGR or real recruitment and had this one general fighting almost all my battles and he didnt developed any command, in fact it only got worse, what got better was dread, he's now called the merciless!! awesome lol. but no command. although that poses no problem to me, fear is all my troops need!

[Wizav85]

Well if im not mistaken the general with the most command is the leader during a battle unless there is a faction leader or heir present.

So command helps when using multiple generals if you have a nice dread general with no command and an utter crap general with 1 command, The crap general will be the leader in the battle

I know this has certain impacts but not sure what they are.

Do units only receive benefits of the general in command or do they receive benefits from all generals on the battle field?

I.e If you have a 10 chivalry general and two 5 chivalry generals do your units receive the bonus of 20 chivalry morale or just the 10 of your general in command?

Im guessing it's just the general in command because putting 5-6 generals with lots of bonuses into a battle would make your infantry almost god like.

[Vaz]

Just the 10 of the Commander. However, it's impossible to judge otherwise the exact difference in morale benefits. However, if you field a general with 10 Command, 10 Chivalry, and numerous other Morale Up stats, there's a hugely noticeably difference between a 0 Morale, 0 Chivalry/Dread and Negative Troop Morale Boosts.

I can tell that one - I had my Faction Leader with the high stats, 9 gold chevrons, and 4 Units of Italian Spear Militia in my Sicilian Campaign ambushed by such a Fatimid General with a full stack of Bedouin Infantry, Dismounted Arab Spears, and Afghan Javeliners. Not the greatest army, I admit, but when you manage to win such a battle having taken 32 Losses out of 260 Men (I play small, so the enemy stack had 1100 ish), and one charge from your general routs half a dozen units before the charge hits home (flanked) you know you're onto a winner. Needless to say, being only 23 years old, I let the enemy general go, so he could return.

[Wizav85]

So if you have

1 general with 8 chivalry and 0 command and a general with 1 command and 0 chivalry your units receive 0 chivalry bonuses?

What about dread also does dread only effect the enemy units if that dread is on your commanding general?

If i have a general with 10 stars and 0 dread and a general with 0 stars and 10 dread will the enemy units still receive damage to morale or not?

[Vaz]

I think it's an army wide effect - i.e Huge Morale Debuffs when your friendly units charge with High Dread. However, it's such a fluid situation, there's no possible way of making that known without a set value.

[Callawyn]

I'm always much more concerned about getting a general a lot of either Chivalry or Dread (either is good) as opposed to Command, which really doesn't seem to matter much.

One quick and easy way to control your general's stats is through titles. Shuffle the titles among your generals as needed, so that one gets all the +Chiv and another all the +Dread. As for Command, you can get +1 Command for title in: Caen, Angers, Bulgar, Bran, Halych, Bryansk, Smyrna, Acre, Rhodes and +2 for Jerusalem.

You can also get a nice ancillary for +1 Command called the Marshall, 100% chance to acquire if you meet the requirements. Have a general that is military minded and has >=6 loyalty, that is not faction leader or heir, end turn in a castle that has at least a "mustering hall" in the barracks line of buildings. Next turn he'll be get a Marshall ancillary (+1 Command and reduced cost to recruit infantry).

[Vaz]

That's why I always move my Capital to Jerusalem or Gaza, and take a Theologians Guild (or Horsemaster in the Castle), and upgrade it to master. I currently have the Faction Heir Heir (no that's not a mistake) who is 17 years old (the King is 67, Adopted son who is the Heir is 59 with Pneumonia, Scurvy and Heavily Wounded who is going to suicide himself in front of the oncoming Mongols), with 7 Command (Prince of Acre and King of jerusalem, 40% additional movement (master of horse, and Black Horse), Paladin, Mentor, Level 3 Military Education, Chivalric Father, 3 Heroic Victories, and huge Hit Points (Scarred, Fine Armour, Marks of Battle), in addition to a large bodyguard (+6 Personal Security). He's a Poulain, which is annoying, and Bent on Glory. But yeah, a 17 year old 9 Star, 6 Chivalry, 3 Loyalty, 6 Piety Prince? Gotta love em.

[Callawyn]

I do like getting merchant / theologians guild (thief and assassins guilds too) in the middle east, nice to be able to build good quality agents right where you need them. Its amazing how many AI Faction provinces you can get to rebel by parking a spy inside, moving a pack of priests into the province and, if necessary, having an assassin sabotage a few key buildings.

I wouldn't move my capital there though: check out what you're doing to your corruption% in your starting territories when you do that. If your economic base is in western europe and you shift your capital to Jerusalem your income will drop dramatically. Look at your settlement panels. The % corruption in a region is based on its distance from capital, and can only be lowered by building buildings with +Law (or temporarily lowered by parking a general there with +Law traits).

It can be worthwhile sending a general east that has a few sons: when they come of age they do so near their father. Nice to have a few generals auto-reinforce your crusader state like that, rather than having to have to ship them from home.