What effect do assassins have on a stack?

[jackbush]

I love assassins. I love seeing the enemy's body collapse, especially when it's a starred general or family member. BUT my question is what real effect do assassins have on an army stack. There is an army besieging my city now and I have 3 top rate assassins hacking away. The bodies collapse but there is no apparent weakness in the strength of the army. Am I wasting my time?

[Ayfins]

Assassin can kill only one person at a time, so he kills the general or captain leading the stack and none of the soldiers. When commander is killed, another captain replaces him.

[jackbush]

Assassin can kill only one person at a time, so he kills the general or captain leading the stack and none of the soldiers. When commander is killed, another captain replaces him.

Yes, I know, but I keep on knocking off the new captains and the stack seems never to be reduced. Is it?

[Vissewalde rex de Gerzika]

Yes, I know, but I keep on knocking off the new captains and the stack seems never to be reduced. Is it?

It is. By one man at a time, so thats not really a efficient way of killing an army

[Shea O'Gorath]

The loss of a general will reduce enemy morale

[Shea O'Gorath]

I would be the slowest way EVER of destroying a stack. In Empire they brought is that you could sabotage the army but Medieval is limited to killing only

[eXistenZ]

killig captins is just a good way to gain experience for your assassins, but not very usefull otherwise

[UndrState]

Routing the enemy more easily seems like a good benefit to me - combo that with a high Dread general leading your army should put them to flight in a hurry. Frankly, when I have a high Dread general I usually have my assassins swarming like flies around him.

[Kaiser Nonsense]

The loss of a general will reduce enemy morale

You are wrong, that only affects the morale of the army if the general or captain dies during battle, otherwise, old age and assassination, plague or wrath of God, in the campaign map, does not affect the morale of troops on their next attack.

killig captins is just a good way to gain experience for your assassins, but not very usefull otherwise

Yes, just as she said, to gain experience and get them to be more effective against the Pope or Generals or Imams or something. Kill captains, diplomats, etc.

Yeah, the bodyguard unit is dismissed automatically when general dies under any circumstances.

No, not under any circumstances, only if he dies in the campaign map, if he dies in battle it's possible they will keep fighting, although they will have a very reduced morale and are likely to run away, easier than peasants.

[Shea O'Gorath]

You are wrong, that only affects the morale of the army if the general or captain dies during battle, otherwise, old age and assassination, plague or wrath of God, in the campaign map, does not affect the morale of troops on their next attack..

But a good general gives a boost to morale. I dont mean that if ht is eliminated they incur a penalty to marale but is he dies any boosts are removed.

[Kaiser Nonsense]

But a good general gives a boost to morale. I dont mean that if ht is eliminated they incur a penalty to marale but is he dies any boosts are removed.

Well, their liege commander would be a Captain, and a General is always more efficient than a captain, so basically yes.

[Vampiresbane]

Does killing a captain of a cpt led army even reduce its size by 1? Captains aren't part of the army in a general led army and a new cpt replaces the dead cpt immediately.

In my mind, if you have an army of 500 plus a captain, and then the cpt is assassinated and a new one replaces him, you end up with an army of 500 plus the new captain. Not 499 plus a new captain (unless the new captain isn't just added, but instead is taken from the ranks.)

[UndrState]

Does killing a captain of a cpt led army even reduce its size by 1? Captains aren't part of the army in a general led army and a new cpt replaces the dead cpt immediately.

In my mind, if you have an army of 500 plus a captain, and then the cpt is assassinated and a new one replaces him, you end up with an army of 500 plus the new captain. Not 499 plus a new captain (unless the new captain isn't just added, but instead is taken from the ranks.)

I think that's right. On the other hand, killing a family member general must also eliminate the heavy calvalry bodyguard unit that goes with him, right? That's got to count for something.

[Sar1n]

I think that's right. On the other hand, killing a family member general must also eliminate the heavy calvalry bodyguard unit that goes with him, right? That's got to count for something.

Yeah, the bodyguard unit is dismissed automatically when general dies under any circumstances.

[Sar1n]

The new captain is taken from the ranks of first unit in stack.

In my current KGCM campaign, I have a rebel stack occupying a watchtower near my city that houses assassin guild, so I use that for training my assassins and farming the guild points. I went on a assassin spree and recruited over 20 of them, and already hacked away a full unit of spear militia (150 soldiers).

[Aeratus]

The new captain is taken from the ranks of first unit in stack.

In my current KGCM campaign, I have a rebel stack occupying a watchtower near my city that houses assassin guild, so I use that for training my assassins and farming the guild points. I went on a assassin spree and recruited over 20 of them, and already hacked away a full unit of spear militia (150 soldiers).

hmm I don't think assassinating captains actually reduce the size of the stack. So if the stack only has 1 unit with 1 soldier, assassinating the captain won't eliminate the stack.

[tudor93]

hmm I don't think assassinating captains actually reduce the size of the stack. So if the stack only has 1 unit with 1 soldier, assassinating the captain won't eliminate the stack.

Exactly.

[AqD]

No but an army without general is far more likely to rebel.

[UndrState]

...And the positive effects of Command stars and Chivlary/Dread disappear.

[Sitalkes]

It says in the manual somewhere that assasinating a general reduces the morale of a stack, though it does not explain how. I thought this meant that if you killed the general then fought a battle the same turn, the stack would receive a morale hit, but I have never been able to determine if that is what happens. I think it more likely that the stack suffers a morale drop because it no longer has a general and gets a captain instead. This is one way to defeat the Mongols as if you kill off their generals then the faction is destroyed. Also, the Mongol generals are pretty nasty so killing them off increases your chances of winning a battle against them.

Assasinating a general or captain does reduce the number of troops in an army, just look at the total number of troops in the enemy army before and afterwards and you will see it has reduced by one.