Captured troops.

[hochmeister devin]

When you fight a battle and you have a bunch of your men captured and then you win what happens to YOUR captured men?

[Shiina]

if you win nothing will happen to them and you'll get them back.
if you lose it's up to the ai

[Scelesticfish]

Yepp. You win, they live, you lose and you might lose them, get lucky and they'll be released or get a ransom note for them.

[Silverheart]

That kind of says itself...
If you win, you get your captured soldiers back, becuase the enemy has been defeated.

[Avatar]

Look at the battle results page when you win, Often you will see a unit that has taken something like 50-100 casualties, but then shows themselves "healing" back up 30-40 or more. I've always taken the assumption that these figures include released captives.

[thespaniard]

ok but what happens when an army is just killed to the last man and u pay the randsom i never found that they are actualy returned

[rebelyell2006]

It depends on the circumstances. If the army is surrounded by intervening enemy and neutral armies, along with impassible terrain, and that army loses, it will be destroyed no matter how many soldiers are left. Likewise in a siege battle, the defenders will be destroyed no matter how many survive. It is a bit of an exploit to offer ransom to captured soldiers in such circumstances because a player will still get the guilders even though the army will no longer exist.

[painter]

It is also a bit of an exploit to release the captives of a conquered settlement if the option ever came up. You will get free reputation and a chance to increase your general's captor chivalry.

Another similar exploit happens when you annihilated all of the general's bodyguards but captured the general when he routs. Released or successfully ransomed, a general without any bodyguards will simply disappear. I do not know how exactly the general is removed from the game.

[rebelyell2006]

Another similar exploit happens when you annihilated all of the general's bodyguards but captured the general when he routs. Released or successfully ransomed, a general without any bodyguards will simply disappear. I do not know how exactly the general is removed from the game.

That also happens when the entire army is destroyed, including his bodyguard, but the general (minus bodyguard) fled the battle map, instead of being captured. The first time it happened, I was greatly frustrated that the guy escaped unharmed, until I discovered that he died because his bodyguard was gone.

[General Dithrick]

Yeah, pretty much what the wigs above said. Just as long as you win you'll get your fellows back no prob.