The Skinflint's Guide to Military Superiority?

[Frodo52]

Thanks to my penchant for overbuilding (no, I really NEED five different ballista makers in Italy), I find myself constantly running short on cash.

When I find myself running short on cash, I am forced to find new ways to reduce my cashflow. Like assembling my mercenary forces into a "suicide squad" to pin the enemy in the town square while my archers fire wantonly into the battle. This saves prescious seconds of hand-to-hand combat. And a few extra casualties means a few extra florins, after all.

I'm too cheap to dismiss a mercenary unit after I spent all those florins to raise it, so don't even *suggest* that.

Lately, I've been thinking about how a nation can stock up on "bargain" military units... Ones that are as good or nearly as good as their name-brand counterparts. But don't require so much pesky annual renumeration.

Like generic Light Swordsmen. They have stats almost identical to their name-brand Danish counterparts. But they're a full 30 florins per year cheaper (190 vs. 220). That adds up. And I've been filling around half of my heavy cavalry slots with Militia Cav. Sure, they don't have that Ooomph of actual knights, but two units of Militia Cav will take one unit of Mailed Knights apart for virtually the same price.

So what are your picks for the best military bargain? What soldiers can do the most with the least?

Spearmen?
Pikes?
Light Infantry?
Heavy Infantry?
Archers?
Crossbows?
Light Cav?
Heavy Cav?
Shock Cav?
Missile Cav?
Artillery?

[Byg]

Turning your question round a bit, my best military bargain is an army made from the strongest units because they will take more settlements and more settlements = more money = more and better units.

Within that army, foot archers will do the most killing without loss as the ai often likes to stand there while you empty all your arrows into it. I reckon good foot archers are the best value. As many as the rest of the army can protect.

Good foot infantry moves up in value, relatively, if you are assaulting walls.

[Hesus de bodemloze]

i only use good soldiers all heavy stuff but only use one army to assault settlements ore defent against invading armies. never use artillery it takes slots for usefull men. even dont use mercenerys so the cost keep low and convert mot and bailys to citys for the extra money

[Frankie1]

Most cost effective unit for me are Byzantine horse archers, in my current campaign using Nickman777's mod on stainless steel, I have 1 full stack of Byzantine Cavalry defending my entire northern border, against Hungary and Venice simeltaneously. So far this stack has took down 4 full enemy stacks with hardly any losses, I think the ratio of men killed to my casualties is about 10:1. Now they are heading back to Sofia to be retrained, so I don't lose their exp points by merging and sending new units to replace them.

I read a topic about how a full stack of HA's usually can only kill off half a stack of the enemy before running out of arrows. The way I do it I can usually get 3/4 or more before having to charge, I just make sure the HA's that are in front of the enemy are NOT firing, and the one's behind and on the flanks are. Of course this is difficult to do all at once, but the nice thing about HA's is they can protect themselves with skirmish, all you have to do is worry about if they should be shooting or not at that time.

I also use the HA stack to attack cities, whenever there is an enemy stack outside one of their settlements, I attack that stack immediately, in the hope the city garrison will come to reinforce them. Or just lay siege to the city and hope the stack outside will attack you next turn. Either way all that's left to do is to make sure none survive the battle, and you got yourself a brand new city, with no burning oil and cannon towers to worry about

[republic_bohemia]

Sicily does a great job at keeping the same type of Infantry,archers and heavy cavalry for the entire game in my opinion.
Consider this if you play a Catholic or Islam nation,the units who are in the Holy crusade or Jihad are free of cost,and this saves you a hole lot of money and than you disable them or keep them.


In my opinion when a player picks a faction,he/she has to think about if you want a faction with strong units or light-cheap recruit-able units?

[Inhuman One]

hmm what about a fleet of a few units sinking a fleet of one moorish unit that carries a returning full stack of Jihad warriors before it can get to land?

I had that happening not too long ago.

[republic_bohemia]

I dislike when things like that happen,but thats medieval!

Yes InHuman-One has a good point,So if your play Denmark or say Sicily,Venice ect. than you have a big advantage of not needing a lot of units,because your islands are surrounded by of course water,this way you have strong economy and don't need units generals defending those islands.
This way you use your units for something better,or lets say Professional army.

[Frodo52]

If you're playing VH or H, the mediteranean islands are constantly being invaded... As Genoa, I've had an island with a decent garrison with armies from Aragon, the Moors, and Sicily all queued up waiting for their turn to get slaughtered at the walls.

[republic_bohemia]

If you're playing VH or H, the mediteranean islands are constantly being invaded... As Genoa, I've had an island with a decent garrison with armies from Aragon, the Moors, and Sicily all queued up waiting for their turn to get slaughtered at the walls.

Um it:s call Ships,Marine Military.

[Frodo52]

Um it:s call Ships,Marine Military.

I usually don't use many ships. Too expensive to maintain. Each warship in action is a unit of warriors that I don't have to maintain ground superiority with. And it's ground superiority that takes cities and expands empires. Naval superiority is an afterthought.

Besides, even if you bleed florins to raise a big sea-dominating fleet, you're constantly sailing into port to retrain.

One or two decent-sized troop transport fleets and that's about it. I'd rather kill 'em at the walls.

[republic_bohemia]

I usually don't use many ships. Too expensive to maintain. Each warship in action is a unit of warriors that I don't have to maintain ground superiority with. And it's ground superiority that takes cities and expands empires. Naval superiority is an afterthought.

Besides, even if you bleed florins to raise a big sea-dominating fleet, you're constantly sailing into port to retrain.

One or two decent-sized troop transport fleets and that's about it. I'd rather kill 'em at the walls.

Okay well that is your game style,my is with seafaring factions I dominant the sea and if I need money I wage war against strong economy factions and earn top large amount of money from the ports.

Another thing if any enemy gets close to my islands I attack it before it gets inland.

[republic_bohemia]

Yes they do bring Florins,at least in another mod they did,and they should too,and should take the turns of Seige too.

Can you Byg add that in the next SS please?