mp84
Knight at Arms
Greetings Everyone,
Allow me to introduce myself; I’m mp84, a new addition to the Prophesy of Pendor development team. The Dev Team and I think that a new Warband-centric FAQ is needed for clarity’s sake, since we already have the FAQ for PoP 3 for M&B V 1.011.
The following is a compendium of the most Frequently Asked Questions about our mod, to assist you in finding the answer to most questions about POP 3, WB. Please keep in mind, if you’ve read the other POP FAQ, that there are similarities between that FAQ and this one, because a lot of that information is still relevant for the Warband port as well. I will detail in this FAQ where PoP 3, Warband differs from PoP 3, V 1.011. Please also note that from now on in this FAQ, I will refer to POP as “POP 3: WB” to prevent any confusion with the Original POP for M&B. In conclusion, I’d like to give special thanks to the following contributors of this FAQ since a lot of this source material is from the original POP for M&B V1.011: Fawzia Dokhtar-I-Sanjar, Griefer, Treebeard, Abyss, Achilla, M0rdred, Talon Aquilla, Chiksika, Gerhart, SCGavin, thethiefofdarkness, and Saxondragon. Here is some important information.
1. Important Legal Notices concerning POP 3: WB
You may not use PoP 3: WB music with "_lic.ogg" in its title in any mod but PoP 3: WB or for any other purpose whatsoever. It is licensed for PoP 3: WB under paid non-commercial distribution licenses and copyrighted by its composers and Shockwave Sound.
You may not use any non-OSP model or mesh in PoP 3: WB without explicit written permission from Saxondragon.
Before using any non-Native feature, or something attributed specifically to another modder or mod found (ie. a great many things!) in PoP 3 WB in a mod, you'd be very wise to consult Saxondragon for permission. There are enormous amounts of original voices, artwork, codes, models, writing, meshes and other copyrighted work in PoP 3 WB.
2. Prophesy of Pendor 3.2xx: WB is made for M&B: Warband V 1.134 and above
PoP 3: WB is designed for experienced M&B WB players. If you just began playing Mount and Blade: Warband, you may want to develop your fighting skills in Native or easier mods before trying PoP 3: WB, but we welcome all comers if you are like us and just want to get right into the fire and take your beatings as you play. Whatever the case, be advised that you have been WARNED.
3.My game crashed, what’s going on!!?
4.Game Breakers and Cheats you should be aware of
5. Griefer’s Guide to POP WB Strategy and Tactics:
6.Treebeard’s Guide to the new Formations and VI in POP 3:WB:
7. Abyss’s Companion Bubble and Tips on some of the best companion combinations
Dev Notes: (Revised 9/27/11)
-One companion will tolerate another companion he/she does not like if he/she also has a likeable companion in the party as well. Example: Boadice will tolerate Ansen, as long as Sir Jocelyn is in the party as well (Since Boadice likes Sir Jocelyn), but if you have Ansen and Sir Rayne (who Boadice also dislikes) in your party then it will not work and one or both companions who do not like each other may leave you eventually.
-The maximum allowed companions you can have that will not cause any trouble for you is 11. If you have more than 11, even if every single party member gets along, companions will start to leave you no matter what you do.
-Please note that this initial companion setup was created a very, very long time ago and was originally meant PoP 3.01 for the Original M&B. However, since a lot of this material is still relevant to the WB Port, you can at least get an understanding on what kind of companions will "gel" together sort of speak
Maximum Companion Count option #1
Diev-Siggy-Leslie-Kaverra-Lethaldiran-Julia-Alyssa-Alistair
You can add Ansen+Sir Rayne for versatility or Boadice+Frederic for more asskicking power.
Key Points about Option #1
-Do not raid villages,steal from peasants or rob merchants,otherwise Leslie,Diev,Boadice are upset.
-Do not run from battles,or Sir Alistair,Sir Rayne,Frederick are upset.
-Do not fail quests,or Alyssa is upset.
-Do not fail to feed or pay the men,do not get slaughtered or Kaverra,Siggy,LethalD,Julia,Ansen are upset.
Maximum Companion Count option #2
Adonja-Donavan-Kassim-Ediz-Riva-Sara-Roland-Jocelyn
You can add ANY combination of the inner circle to this build.ie,Boadice+Ansen,Frederick+Sir Rayne,Ansen+Sir Rayne etc.
Key Points to Option #2
-Do not raid villages, steal from peasants or rob merchants,otherwise Jocelyn and Roland are upset.
-Do not run from battles,or Donavan,Ediz,Sara are upset.
-Do not fail to feed or pay the men,do not get slaughtered or Adonja,Kassim,Riva are upset.
Maximum Companion Count option #3 (For the not so honorable players)
Alistair-Adonja-Donavan-Kassim-Ediz-Riva-Alyssa-Ansen
The upside to this choice is you get Ansen and Alyssa.
OR
Alistair-Siggy-Donavan-Kassim-Ediz-Riva-Sara-Sir Rayne
The upside to this choice is you get Sigismund and Sir Rayne.
Key points to Option #3
-With the above groups, FEEL FREE TO raid villages, steal from poor miserable peasants, rob merchants and GET AWAY WITH IT.
Maximum Companion Count Option #4 (For the Chivalry Haters)
Roland-Jocelyn-Diev-Sigismund-Leslie-Kaverra-Lethaldiran-Julia-Boadice
Key Points about option #4
-This is probably the most hard core, kick ass warring joint ever.
-Though you lack a medic with this build.
-Feel free to run from battles as much as you like, surrender, pay off bullies and bandits, leave some men behind to cover your escape, and even then everyone is happy!
Maximum Companion Count option #5 (You simply don't like Egalitarians and It’s survival of the fittest)
Leslie-Diev-Donavan-Frederick-Jocelyn-Boadice-Ediz
Upon this seven, you can either add;
Alistair + Alyssa or Roland + Sara by choice.
Key points about option #5
-It would appear that Double A's would be a better choice. Unless you're a real big fan of funny moustaches and man-eaters.
-The upside of this build is that you don't have to feed your men any more, or pay them. No companions will object. You can get slaughtered like lambs, and everyone's happy.
-This build is also quite versatile in skills distribution of companions.
-But the downside is it has all the rest of the some packages mentioned already. So, Can't go raiding stuff or surrendering, or failing quests with this group.
8.Tips on recruiting Lords and Vassals once you’re a King by SCGavin .
Allow me to introduce myself; I’m mp84, a new addition to the Prophesy of Pendor development team. The Dev Team and I think that a new Warband-centric FAQ is needed for clarity’s sake, since we already have the FAQ for PoP 3 for M&B V 1.011.
The following is a compendium of the most Frequently Asked Questions about our mod, to assist you in finding the answer to most questions about POP 3, WB. Please keep in mind, if you’ve read the other POP FAQ, that there are similarities between that FAQ and this one, because a lot of that information is still relevant for the Warband port as well. I will detail in this FAQ where PoP 3, Warband differs from PoP 3, V 1.011. Please also note that from now on in this FAQ, I will refer to POP as “POP 3: WB” to prevent any confusion with the Original POP for M&B. In conclusion, I’d like to give special thanks to the following contributors of this FAQ since a lot of this source material is from the original POP for M&B V1.011: Fawzia Dokhtar-I-Sanjar, Griefer, Treebeard, Abyss, Achilla, M0rdred, Talon Aquilla, Chiksika, Gerhart, SCGavin, thethiefofdarkness, and Saxondragon. Here is some important information.
1. Important Legal Notices concerning POP 3: WB
You may not use PoP 3: WB music with "_lic.ogg" in its title in any mod but PoP 3: WB or for any other purpose whatsoever. It is licensed for PoP 3: WB under paid non-commercial distribution licenses and copyrighted by its composers and Shockwave Sound.
You may not use any non-OSP model or mesh in PoP 3: WB without explicit written permission from Saxondragon.
Before using any non-Native feature, or something attributed specifically to another modder or mod found (ie. a great many things!) in PoP 3 WB in a mod, you'd be very wise to consult Saxondragon for permission. There are enormous amounts of original voices, artwork, codes, models, writing, meshes and other copyrighted work in PoP 3 WB.
2. Prophesy of Pendor 3.2xx: WB is made for M&B: Warband V 1.134 and above
PoP 3: WB is designed for experienced M&B WB players. If you just began playing Mount and Blade: Warband, you may want to develop your fighting skills in Native or easier mods before trying PoP 3: WB, but we welcome all comers if you are like us and just want to get right into the fire and take your beatings as you play. Whatever the case, be advised that you have been WARNED.
3.My game crashed, what’s going on!!?
Be advised that this is not a technical support thread, so do not expect major answers to your hardware issues here. This FAQ for POP 3: WB is going to be more about actual game play than anything else. If you need assistance on technical matters, please visit our Warband support thread located here
4.Game Breakers and Cheats you should be aware of
1) Do not alter the codes in any way. PoP 3: WB has been extensively recoded and you will cause many bugs or experience crashes if you combine PoP 3: WB’s codes with tweaks designed for Native, or even tweaks from other mods because so much has changed. Bugs caused by your tweaks to the code are NOT supported.
2) If you alter the items file to make items available to you or to increase their stats/hp, remember that all your enemies who use that equipment will benefit from your tweaks. All the armor, horses and weapons are in use in the game, many by your enemies. If your tweaks cause bugs, (which they probably will) those bugs are unsupported.
3) Do not add anything to the items file. We are maxed out. Your game won't load or will crash if you do. Please don't report this as a bug.
4) If you cheat, you will get two warnings about it. After cheating three times, you will get the Cheater’s Achievement Award. That award, (different from the PoP 3 , V 1.011 version) will disable all the rewards you would have gotten from your Achievements for the duration of that game, even though you still get the Achievement Awards themselves. This is not a bug. Save before you use a cheat. The only cheats that trigger the cheater’s achievement are ctrl+h in battle to restore health and ctl+shift+f4 in battle (Hand of God) If you use these cheats, than the Cheater’s Achievement WILL trigger. The trigger ONLY happens with those two cheats specifically. It does not matter if you have cheats enabled in the game or not - the Cheaters Award triggers from those two key combinations. (Be careful with horse rear – key combination ctrl+j – you may hit ctrl+h instead by mistake. The only way to remove the record of that first warning is to revert to a previous save game.)
5) Do not add any other mods to PoP 3: WB. Doing so may crash your game.
Reminder from MadVader:
Common Native cheats/hacks you don't need because they are in the game:
1. Make cattle follow you
2. Disable companion complaints
3. Talk to village elders from a village menu
4. Change your banner
5. Make more cattle available in late game
6. Allow inventory/party/player hotkeys in menus during sieges and joined battles
7. Prisoner price varies with their level
8. Weekly cost in party screen shows all your costs including garrisons
2) If you alter the items file to make items available to you or to increase their stats/hp, remember that all your enemies who use that equipment will benefit from your tweaks. All the armor, horses and weapons are in use in the game, many by your enemies. If your tweaks cause bugs, (which they probably will) those bugs are unsupported.
3) Do not add anything to the items file. We are maxed out. Your game won't load or will crash if you do. Please don't report this as a bug.
4) If you cheat, you will get two warnings about it. After cheating three times, you will get the Cheater’s Achievement Award. That award, (different from the PoP 3 , V 1.011 version) will disable all the rewards you would have gotten from your Achievements for the duration of that game, even though you still get the Achievement Awards themselves. This is not a bug. Save before you use a cheat. The only cheats that trigger the cheater’s achievement are ctrl+h in battle to restore health and ctl+shift+f4 in battle (Hand of God) If you use these cheats, than the Cheater’s Achievement WILL trigger. The trigger ONLY happens with those two cheats specifically. It does not matter if you have cheats enabled in the game or not - the Cheaters Award triggers from those two key combinations. (Be careful with horse rear – key combination ctrl+j – you may hit ctrl+h instead by mistake. The only way to remove the record of that first warning is to revert to a previous save game.)
5) Do not add any other mods to PoP 3: WB. Doing so may crash your game.
Reminder from MadVader:
Common Native cheats/hacks you don't need because they are in the game:
1. Make cattle follow you
2. Disable companion complaints
3. Talk to village elders from a village menu
4. Change your banner
5. Make more cattle available in late game
6. Allow inventory/party/player hotkeys in menus during sieges and joined battles
7. Prisoner price varies with their level
8. Weekly cost in party screen shows all your costs including garrisons
5. Griefer’s Guide to POP WB Strategy and Tactics:
Campaign tactics
The Campaign AI is brutal and relentless and with formations enabled Vicky really shines (read - beats you down and passes you around like the last pack of smokes in a prison yard) in larger battles between Lords. In Warband you're going to find the mid-late game is even tougher than the early game. Don't get frustrated, get smart. If you're having a hard time stop a moment, zoom way out and start putting a plan together. Formations only work against organized enemies like lord’s armies, not against disorganized groups like bandits.
Early game
-Take advantage of one-sided battles. Jump into them to grab a little renown. You can also pick up little bonuses in relation to the lords involved for fighting on the same side together.
-Don't just pick up troops willy-nilly. Have a plan and idea of what sort of force you're building. In the early game focus on quality mounted troops. Go for Adventurers. Rescuing a Huscarl may seem like a good opportunity but in the early game he will have little impact compared to an Adventurer or Jatu Mercenary.
-Be realistic in fights you pick and tournaments you join. Don't throw away expensive troops for the sake of a meaningless victory or waste money betting on yourself in tournaments you're unlikely to win.
-Save money. Invest in properties. Do village quests. Lay groundwork for the mid-game.
Mid-game
-Recruit and train troops for a pre-planned purpose.
-Find and recruit companions aggressively. Tailor their skills towards what you need and consider what faction you want to join. Remember that leaving a faction resets your relations with the faction as a whole but leaves your relations with individual lords intact.
-Scout out relative faction power and success. It varies from game to game. Choose where you want to start your empire. Think about how you want to do it. Look for properties that change hands often. They are great targets because they'll have weak garrisons. Get more aggressive in tournaments and investments; you need to build up large reserves of cash and renown for what comes next.
Late game
-With the Campaign AI at 'Good' and difficulty set to 100+ it may not even be possible to win the game without intelligent empire management and good Lord management. It will be less than 3 real-life minutes from the time you take an enemy castle to the time that the faction you took it from shows up to siege it with 1500 troops. Even if you survive the siege, they will be back very, very quickly, frequently with reinforcements. After a few game days, 2 or 3 lords with 500 troops may attack you just after you survived the first 1500+ horde.
-Have a starting plan. The first 30 days are critical and it's far easier to start out by taking a property and joining a faction to protect you than going it alone.
-Be a master-recruiter or rescuer. If you're going to go the recruitment route build high relations (+30 or more) with every village you can in the faction you want to recruit troops from. This will get you more troops faster.
-Build a Sheriff in your villages and create patrols. Help the patrols against enemies and try to let the patrol release prisoners to add to its army. This will make it bigger and stronger. These patrols will chase off bandits that harass your farmers. More farmers getting to and from towns = better economy for villages and towns. Do quests for your friendly villages whenever you have time. This raises relations with them and you'll get more and better recruits when you visit them.
Going the King route in the late game
-Collect Lords and make companions lords.
-Set timelines for yourself. 'By X days I want to have X troops and X allied Lords in position to take X city'. You don't want to get caught totally unprepared for a siege, either attacking or defending, suddenly finding your empire destroyed while you were hunting Qualis Gems for a Rune Axe.
-Despite the temptation, don't grant fiefs and towns indiscriminately. Give 1 or 2 lords the lion’s share of domains. Be sure each has a couple of villages, have 2 or 3 lords with a castle, too, but one or two that have a town, a castle or two and some villages. This drastically affects the size of the army the lords will have and how quickly it regenerates. Make on of these lords the Marshall of your kingdom. Then you will have time to chase Qualis gems, do quests and recruit troops. This will also give you a solid ally to take with you to larger sieges. They'll bring a 300 troop army that refills quickly. If you pick up a Lord who has some interesting unique units in his army, that's a best man to choose. You can even give them some soldiers from time to time to keep them buffed up. It is also a good idea to improve the towns and castles a bit before you give them away, because that will give your lords more money and better troops from them.
-The bump and drop of relationship points for granting/not granting fiefs isn't very serious. You'll get a +1 bonus for every battle you fight together. The easiest way to manage your lord relationships is to gather them and go curb-stomping with them. Attack enemy Lords, minor faction armies, etc. As soon as the battle is over, talk to everyone. You'll get a +1 relation.
-Don't hog the Marshall position. If you appoint an aggressive Lord as Marshall, he will ensure your Lords stay busy while you're occupied recruiting troops or attending to other things.
-Don't be stingy with troops for allies. Dropping 100 Ravenstern Rangers into an ally’s army will cut your monthly expenses and improve the power of your empire as a whole.
-There are towns with garrisons of 1000+ troops, quality troops, and you’ll need to bring a good 1500+ of your own troops to siege and take it. Expect a very bloody battle with high casualties. Have an overall strategy for how you intend to destroy each particular faction and build your army and your allied armies towards that goal.
-Manage your empire as an entirety; ensure all your peasants are protected from bandits and raids and their lands are prosperous and improved. Keep your Lords busy patrolling or conquering even when they're not following you. The enemy VI never sleeps. Don't let it catch you dozing.
Battlefield Tactics:
General unit-type tactics
-When leading a large cavalry charge (30+mounted units) against enemy archers or infantry, begin by charging the enemy’s right flank, then veer towards the enemy’s left flank so that your entire line of cavalry troops is parallel to the enemy before issuing a 'charge' command. This will spread your cavalry out to charge and maximize their effectiveness.
-Keep infantry in formation until after the fighting begins. In fact, unless they're fighting a larger enemy force, leave them in formation.
-Archers can be moved more closely together to maximize their firepower against more compact enemy groups or spread out to make it easier for your cavalry and infantry to advance past them if you're expecting an enemy cavalry charge.
-Respect the power of polearms. Mixing halberdiers and pikemen into your shield-wall infantry will increase their killing power and survival dramatically.
-Respect the killing power of archers in melee against other infantry. Armored Longbowmen and Armored Crossbowmen will kill all sorts of pure infantry units. Don't be afraid to order them to charge once battle is joined, if you think the odds are bad. Don't expect a few Huscarls to wipe out a Sarleon archer line!
Small band of soldiers, less than 50 units
-Quality is the key here. Companions, Adventurers, quality mounted units will make or break you on this scale. Mobility, the of yourself and your troops ability to hit and run will determine the ebb and flow of the battle.
-You may want to build a larger army with archers and infantry, but in the small battles, it is unquestionably the number and quality of your cavalry that determines your success and survival.
Smaller armies, 50-100 units
-Keep a good 50% balance of archers. Especially in smaller army versus smaller army conflicts, having about half your army as quality archers can be extremely powerful. Rangers, Armored Crossbowmen, Armored Longbowmen, Barclay Sappers, these
units can decimate the enemy before they close. Each casualty has a measurable impact on your army so play 100% defense. Don't bother with fragile cavalry at this point. Most of the smaller armies you'll be fighting will be sub-factions and not actual Lords, so they will not use the VI but the regular Warband AI. That means they will generally b-line towards your cavalry. Line up your archers, have your infantry form a shield-wall and stand you and your cavalry behind it. The enemy will often just meander towards you and try to push through your archers and infantry to get to you. When they scatter, attack with your cavalry and clean up. Do NOT use this approach if you're fighting an enemy Lord! The VI will behave very differently.
Mid-range armies, 100-200 units
-As you start to hit 150 or more troops and get into battles with 200 and more enemies, the composition of your army needs to change. 50% archers is no longer effective; the VI will lead enemy cavalry into vulnerable sections of your archers, who will be spread in a long line. They will be numerous enough that cavalry charges will hit your archer line and start chewing them up. Enemy cavalry will attempt to flank you and draw fire on the move while enemy infantry advances. At this point archers should be around a third of your army size and cavalry becomes far more important. You may also find it better to get aggressive, advancing your infantry ahead to soak arrows with their shields while your archers advance behind protected by your cavalry. Battles of this size are rarely one-sided unless one side is drastically larger or superior than the other. Do not lead your cavalry around to flank early because they will likely be isolated and destroyed. Keep them back to meet enemy cavalry charges. After your infantry engages, move them around to flank and destroy enemy archers before attacking enemy infantry.
Large armies, 200-400 units
-Here is where tactics really start to shine, both yours and the VI’s. If you don't take the time to intelligently manage your troops and their movement and position on the field the VI is going to demolish you. Even if you win it's going to be very, very bloody. Use asymmetric formations, keep your infantry all up behind one side of your archer line and your cavalry behind the other. Consider separating out faster 'shock' infantry like Gladiators and put them past the left or right flank of your archers. That way you can command them to advance a few times and charge to move them past the enemies flank after battle is joined.
-Watch out for cavalry forces moving to flank your infantry and cavalry to get at your archers. When attacking aggressively, be careful of traps - the VI will try to lure your cavalry into a charge and then ram them into a tight infantry formation of pikes and spears who will kill even Hero Adventurers before you realize what happened. If you have the best infantry, advance them ahead of your archers - if the enemy runs out to meet them, great. Move your archers to a flank and let them do their work while your cavalry flanks the enemy to destroy the enemy archers. If they don't, just ram your infantry into the enemy line and then command it to charge. Keep your cavalry on the move so they don't get caught flat-footed. Be aware of where enemy reinforcements will spawn from so that you don't get caught trapped between retreating enemy troops and advancing enemy reinforcements. Don't get lured into chasing retreating enemies back into enemy reinforcements. Reform your troops or the enemy reinforcement charge can do you a lot of damage. Have your archers hold fire until the enemy is close, actively manage your ranged units to conserve ammunition or you'll be facing a wave of fierce and fresh reinforcements with empty quivers and wounded infantry.
Huge battles with multiple lords on each side, 400-2500 units
-Don't just leave your allies to it. Regardless of their tactics you have to stay on the move to support them. Hang together or you will surely hang apart. Move immediately to a flank and expect to be on the offense. Let your allies take the bulk of the enemy force. Set up your infantry and archers to attack the next waves of enemy reinforcements. Order your archers to hold fire or they will exhaust their ammunition far too early. After your infantry and archers are positioned to deal with enemy reinforcements use your cavalry to charge the enemy attacking your allies and hit them from behind. When they scatter and retreat reform your cavalry so they don't run off and get nailed by a massive cavalry horde that pops up as reinforcements or leave your infantry and archers unprotected from flanking enemy attack.
-Keep your cavalry with you or they'll likely get caught up among allied troops as much as enemies, dragged from their horses and killed. Stay on the move. Hit large enemy cavalry formations dead-on, this will grind them to a halt. When possible get them to chase you at an angle relative to your archers so their sides are exposed. Don't hesitate to fall back to allied reinforcements if the battle is turning against you. Always stay focused on where the next wave of reinforcements is coming from or you can find the battle swinging suddenly out of control.
The Campaign AI is brutal and relentless and with formations enabled Vicky really shines (read - beats you down and passes you around like the last pack of smokes in a prison yard) in larger battles between Lords. In Warband you're going to find the mid-late game is even tougher than the early game. Don't get frustrated, get smart. If you're having a hard time stop a moment, zoom way out and start putting a plan together. Formations only work against organized enemies like lord’s armies, not against disorganized groups like bandits.
Early game
-Take advantage of one-sided battles. Jump into them to grab a little renown. You can also pick up little bonuses in relation to the lords involved for fighting on the same side together.
-Don't just pick up troops willy-nilly. Have a plan and idea of what sort of force you're building. In the early game focus on quality mounted troops. Go for Adventurers. Rescuing a Huscarl may seem like a good opportunity but in the early game he will have little impact compared to an Adventurer or Jatu Mercenary.
-Be realistic in fights you pick and tournaments you join. Don't throw away expensive troops for the sake of a meaningless victory or waste money betting on yourself in tournaments you're unlikely to win.
-Save money. Invest in properties. Do village quests. Lay groundwork for the mid-game.
Mid-game
-Recruit and train troops for a pre-planned purpose.
-Find and recruit companions aggressively. Tailor their skills towards what you need and consider what faction you want to join. Remember that leaving a faction resets your relations with the faction as a whole but leaves your relations with individual lords intact.
-Scout out relative faction power and success. It varies from game to game. Choose where you want to start your empire. Think about how you want to do it. Look for properties that change hands often. They are great targets because they'll have weak garrisons. Get more aggressive in tournaments and investments; you need to build up large reserves of cash and renown for what comes next.
Late game
-With the Campaign AI at 'Good' and difficulty set to 100+ it may not even be possible to win the game without intelligent empire management and good Lord management. It will be less than 3 real-life minutes from the time you take an enemy castle to the time that the faction you took it from shows up to siege it with 1500 troops. Even if you survive the siege, they will be back very, very quickly, frequently with reinforcements. After a few game days, 2 or 3 lords with 500 troops may attack you just after you survived the first 1500+ horde.
-Have a starting plan. The first 30 days are critical and it's far easier to start out by taking a property and joining a faction to protect you than going it alone.
-Be a master-recruiter or rescuer. If you're going to go the recruitment route build high relations (+30 or more) with every village you can in the faction you want to recruit troops from. This will get you more troops faster.
-Build a Sheriff in your villages and create patrols. Help the patrols against enemies and try to let the patrol release prisoners to add to its army. This will make it bigger and stronger. These patrols will chase off bandits that harass your farmers. More farmers getting to and from towns = better economy for villages and towns. Do quests for your friendly villages whenever you have time. This raises relations with them and you'll get more and better recruits when you visit them.
Going the King route in the late game
-Collect Lords and make companions lords.
-Set timelines for yourself. 'By X days I want to have X troops and X allied Lords in position to take X city'. You don't want to get caught totally unprepared for a siege, either attacking or defending, suddenly finding your empire destroyed while you were hunting Qualis Gems for a Rune Axe.
-Despite the temptation, don't grant fiefs and towns indiscriminately. Give 1 or 2 lords the lion’s share of domains. Be sure each has a couple of villages, have 2 or 3 lords with a castle, too, but one or two that have a town, a castle or two and some villages. This drastically affects the size of the army the lords will have and how quickly it regenerates. Make on of these lords the Marshall of your kingdom. Then you will have time to chase Qualis gems, do quests and recruit troops. This will also give you a solid ally to take with you to larger sieges. They'll bring a 300 troop army that refills quickly. If you pick up a Lord who has some interesting unique units in his army, that's a best man to choose. You can even give them some soldiers from time to time to keep them buffed up. It is also a good idea to improve the towns and castles a bit before you give them away, because that will give your lords more money and better troops from them.
-The bump and drop of relationship points for granting/not granting fiefs isn't very serious. You'll get a +1 bonus for every battle you fight together. The easiest way to manage your lord relationships is to gather them and go curb-stomping with them. Attack enemy Lords, minor faction armies, etc. As soon as the battle is over, talk to everyone. You'll get a +1 relation.
-Don't hog the Marshall position. If you appoint an aggressive Lord as Marshall, he will ensure your Lords stay busy while you're occupied recruiting troops or attending to other things.
-Don't be stingy with troops for allies. Dropping 100 Ravenstern Rangers into an ally’s army will cut your monthly expenses and improve the power of your empire as a whole.
-There are towns with garrisons of 1000+ troops, quality troops, and you’ll need to bring a good 1500+ of your own troops to siege and take it. Expect a very bloody battle with high casualties. Have an overall strategy for how you intend to destroy each particular faction and build your army and your allied armies towards that goal.
-Manage your empire as an entirety; ensure all your peasants are protected from bandits and raids and their lands are prosperous and improved. Keep your Lords busy patrolling or conquering even when they're not following you. The enemy VI never sleeps. Don't let it catch you dozing.
Battlefield Tactics:
General unit-type tactics
-When leading a large cavalry charge (30+mounted units) against enemy archers or infantry, begin by charging the enemy’s right flank, then veer towards the enemy’s left flank so that your entire line of cavalry troops is parallel to the enemy before issuing a 'charge' command. This will spread your cavalry out to charge and maximize their effectiveness.
-Keep infantry in formation until after the fighting begins. In fact, unless they're fighting a larger enemy force, leave them in formation.
-Archers can be moved more closely together to maximize their firepower against more compact enemy groups or spread out to make it easier for your cavalry and infantry to advance past them if you're expecting an enemy cavalry charge.
-Respect the power of polearms. Mixing halberdiers and pikemen into your shield-wall infantry will increase their killing power and survival dramatically.
-Respect the killing power of archers in melee against other infantry. Armored Longbowmen and Armored Crossbowmen will kill all sorts of pure infantry units. Don't be afraid to order them to charge once battle is joined, if you think the odds are bad. Don't expect a few Huscarls to wipe out a Sarleon archer line!
Small band of soldiers, less than 50 units
-Quality is the key here. Companions, Adventurers, quality mounted units will make or break you on this scale. Mobility, the of yourself and your troops ability to hit and run will determine the ebb and flow of the battle.
-You may want to build a larger army with archers and infantry, but in the small battles, it is unquestionably the number and quality of your cavalry that determines your success and survival.
Smaller armies, 50-100 units
-Keep a good 50% balance of archers. Especially in smaller army versus smaller army conflicts, having about half your army as quality archers can be extremely powerful. Rangers, Armored Crossbowmen, Armored Longbowmen, Barclay Sappers, these
units can decimate the enemy before they close. Each casualty has a measurable impact on your army so play 100% defense. Don't bother with fragile cavalry at this point. Most of the smaller armies you'll be fighting will be sub-factions and not actual Lords, so they will not use the VI but the regular Warband AI. That means they will generally b-line towards your cavalry. Line up your archers, have your infantry form a shield-wall and stand you and your cavalry behind it. The enemy will often just meander towards you and try to push through your archers and infantry to get to you. When they scatter, attack with your cavalry and clean up. Do NOT use this approach if you're fighting an enemy Lord! The VI will behave very differently.
Mid-range armies, 100-200 units
-As you start to hit 150 or more troops and get into battles with 200 and more enemies, the composition of your army needs to change. 50% archers is no longer effective; the VI will lead enemy cavalry into vulnerable sections of your archers, who will be spread in a long line. They will be numerous enough that cavalry charges will hit your archer line and start chewing them up. Enemy cavalry will attempt to flank you and draw fire on the move while enemy infantry advances. At this point archers should be around a third of your army size and cavalry becomes far more important. You may also find it better to get aggressive, advancing your infantry ahead to soak arrows with their shields while your archers advance behind protected by your cavalry. Battles of this size are rarely one-sided unless one side is drastically larger or superior than the other. Do not lead your cavalry around to flank early because they will likely be isolated and destroyed. Keep them back to meet enemy cavalry charges. After your infantry engages, move them around to flank and destroy enemy archers before attacking enemy infantry.
Large armies, 200-400 units
-Here is where tactics really start to shine, both yours and the VI’s. If you don't take the time to intelligently manage your troops and their movement and position on the field the VI is going to demolish you. Even if you win it's going to be very, very bloody. Use asymmetric formations, keep your infantry all up behind one side of your archer line and your cavalry behind the other. Consider separating out faster 'shock' infantry like Gladiators and put them past the left or right flank of your archers. That way you can command them to advance a few times and charge to move them past the enemies flank after battle is joined.
-Watch out for cavalry forces moving to flank your infantry and cavalry to get at your archers. When attacking aggressively, be careful of traps - the VI will try to lure your cavalry into a charge and then ram them into a tight infantry formation of pikes and spears who will kill even Hero Adventurers before you realize what happened. If you have the best infantry, advance them ahead of your archers - if the enemy runs out to meet them, great. Move your archers to a flank and let them do their work while your cavalry flanks the enemy to destroy the enemy archers. If they don't, just ram your infantry into the enemy line and then command it to charge. Keep your cavalry on the move so they don't get caught flat-footed. Be aware of where enemy reinforcements will spawn from so that you don't get caught trapped between retreating enemy troops and advancing enemy reinforcements. Don't get lured into chasing retreating enemies back into enemy reinforcements. Reform your troops or the enemy reinforcement charge can do you a lot of damage. Have your archers hold fire until the enemy is close, actively manage your ranged units to conserve ammunition or you'll be facing a wave of fierce and fresh reinforcements with empty quivers and wounded infantry.
Huge battles with multiple lords on each side, 400-2500 units
-Don't just leave your allies to it. Regardless of their tactics you have to stay on the move to support them. Hang together or you will surely hang apart. Move immediately to a flank and expect to be on the offense. Let your allies take the bulk of the enemy force. Set up your infantry and archers to attack the next waves of enemy reinforcements. Order your archers to hold fire or they will exhaust their ammunition far too early. After your infantry and archers are positioned to deal with enemy reinforcements use your cavalry to charge the enemy attacking your allies and hit them from behind. When they scatter and retreat reform your cavalry so they don't run off and get nailed by a massive cavalry horde that pops up as reinforcements or leave your infantry and archers unprotected from flanking enemy attack.
-Keep your cavalry with you or they'll likely get caught up among allied troops as much as enemies, dragged from their horses and killed. Stay on the move. Hit large enemy cavalry formations dead-on, this will grind them to a halt. When possible get them to chase you at an angle relative to your archers so their sides are exposed. Don't hesitate to fall back to allied reinforcements if the battle is turning against you. Always stay focused on where the next wave of reinforcements is coming from or you can find the battle swinging suddenly out of control.
6.Treebeard’s Guide to the new Formations and VI in POP 3:WB:
Note from the Dev Team: This guide is by Treebeard, fiendish inventor of Vicky, the new Virtual Intelligence, who has made it necessary for the Dev Team to invest in large quantities of Vaseline before a battle with any group of significant importance, because we knew we'd need it! She's whipped us like a red-headed stepchild on numerous occasions, and if you skip reading Treebeard's guide, you will shortly find yourselves in BIG trouble. Luckily, though the game starts with Formations turned on, you can turn off Formations in the camp menu if Vicky proves too much for you, particularly if you are not an experienced player. We also advise that, since no one but the Dev Team has played with Vicky activated, even quite experienced players reduce difficulty levels in your games initially until you get to know her better. (We did.) She's a whole new animal! Players new to M&B Warband and inexperienced players BEWARE! Please read Treebeard's guide which follows or you will definitely come to grief when Vicky gets hold of you!
TREEBEARD'S GUIDE TO FORMATIONS:
The new VI (Battle AI) triggers when the Battle Formations setting is turned ON (in PoP3 WB: options in the Camp Menu). It is combined with formations. Both the VI and the player have Formations capability. The VI will use formations in combination with maneuvering in order to give the player a greater challenge on the battlefield. The VI is also responsive to the player’s actions and will react in a sensible way. The VI is dynamic and will not act exactly the same in two repeated battles. If the player finds the VI to be too hard, it can be turned off in the PoP 3: WB settings. When the VI is active the player’s commands have a chance to be spoken. Do not use the Esc key when issuing orders. That will mess up the audio commands because the Esc key cannot be listened to by the code (- TW problem). If you have un-synced audio commands they can be re-synced by selecting a battle group (numeric keys 1 through 0 on the keyboard). On some occasions, the battle order panel may become disabled (it will not trigger by pressing the Backspace key) upon knockout of the player. If this happens you’ll have to watch the battle play out without being able to issue any “post-mortem” commands, so make sure you command your troops wisely. Player battles against the VI incur a small bonus to renown.
I decided to call it VI to make it stand out against normal Native AI and other mods’ AI.
AI means Artificial Intelligence and implies something that is real and has intelligence (- an Intelligent machine for example). An artificial intelligence is creative and can evolve on its own.
In contrast, VI means Virtual Intelligence. Virtual is something that is not real and that simulates something. In this case the computer simulates Intelligence by following logical rules and tracking information on the battlefield. A VI can’t be creative and evolve on its own. It is kind of like comparing “Virtual Reality” with “Actual Reality”.
Vicky is derived from the first letters in Virtual Intelligence. It gives the VI a nice personality tied to a name. Actually Vicky is gender neutral (the name can be derived from either Victoria or Victor), but it is commonly thought to be a female.
Vicky is the player’s challenger. She/He will do her/his best to challenge the player on the battlefield and make the player pay for being sloppy.
If the player likes he can turn off Vicky by changing the Battle Formations to OFF in the Camp Menu under POP 3:WB Options. Of course, once you have met Vicky you don’t want to turn her/him off, would you? That would be Rude!
Cavalry starts in Wedge and I rarely take them out of that formation prior to charging.
Upon charge any formation will be undone.
When Formations is turned ON in the Camp menu, it will add the ability for Infantry to form Ranks, Shield Wall, Square and Wedge. Archers gain the ability to form a staggered line. Cavalry gains the ability to form a Wedge.
In order for the troops to be able to form any formation, they will need to have a certain number. For cavalry the minimum number of troops is 5. For archers and Infantry the minimum number is 12 troops. At any time in a battle when you have issued a formation form command or give the Hold order, the current formation will set up near the position that you (the player) had when you issued the command: infantry to the left, cavalry to the right, and archers up front.
Player troops start every battle in formation. The AI also uses formations and can move in formations. If the player wants to move and keep formations, then he holds down the Hold order and points the “hold flag” at the position he wants his formations to move. Alternatively, he can use the Advance 10 Steps order repeatedly to move his selected troops in formation. A third alternative is to use the mini-map control panel (accessible by pressing Backspace) and click on a position on it to move and hold that position.
The formation key bindings are:
"J" for ranks – Ranks is a three line deep formation that puts the most experienced troops in the front. It is available for Infantry. The command also applies to Archers, but in their case they will form a Staggered Line. This formation is good against other infantry and archers.
"K" for Shield Wall –The shield wall command will only affect Infantry. This makes them form three lines. They will have shield units in the front, then short weapons, then pole weapons. This formation is good to use when advancing against archers.
"L" for Wedge (NOTE: the player should reassign the "L" for "Log" mapping to another unused key) – Wedge commands can affect Cavalry and Infantry. It is a triangular formation that has its tip towards the general enemy position. The formation uses its most experienced troops in the front. This formation is good to make a dent in a different formation and split it up. It is best used with high level troops that have good armor and weapons.
";" for Square - The Square command makes a square out of the square root of the number of Infantry units. If you have 25 Infantry units the square will be five columns with five units in each column. This formation is a useful defensive formation against cavalry.
"U" for No Formation (undo formation) –This command disassembles all current formations for the selected troop type(s) and puts them back in Native Hold formation mode.
When will a Formation be undone? It will be undone when you issue a Charge command. For Cavalry it will also be undone if you issue a Dismount command.
In what direction do formations face? Formations face the general direction of the enemy.
Please note:
Treebeard's formations only work against organized armies, like those of the lords, not with disorganized groups like bandits or Vanskerry raiders.
To make Formations work:
1.You must have Battle Formations ON
2.The encountered party must belong to a disciplined faction
3.The battle type must be a regular field battle (- i.e. not a village attack or siege or such battles)
Undisciplined factions are generally troops on the map that have white color. Other undisciplined factions are: Red Brotherhood, Mystmountain, Mountain Bandits, Forest Bandits, Outlaws.
When you are in a Formations and VI battle you'll notice a message at the start of the battle about Forming troops. If there is no such message you are in a battle against undisciplined troops and Formations and VI are turned off.
Disciplined factions are all kingdom factions, heretics, snake cult, noldor, Renegade knights and Jatu. In these battles you'll face the VI and have formations (if you have the Battle Formations option turned ON).
When in a Formations and VI battle it also depends on which group/division you have currently selected. If you have archers listening and you order a square or wedge command it will have no effect. If you select everyone (0) then those who can form for example wedge will do so (if you order wedge). So if you have a selection that consists of less than required troop types for a certain formation, then they won't be able to form that formation.
TREEBEARD'S GUIDE TO FORMATIONS:
The new VI (Battle AI) triggers when the Battle Formations setting is turned ON (in PoP3 WB: options in the Camp Menu). It is combined with formations. Both the VI and the player have Formations capability. The VI will use formations in combination with maneuvering in order to give the player a greater challenge on the battlefield. The VI is also responsive to the player’s actions and will react in a sensible way. The VI is dynamic and will not act exactly the same in two repeated battles. If the player finds the VI to be too hard, it can be turned off in the PoP 3: WB settings. When the VI is active the player’s commands have a chance to be spoken. Do not use the Esc key when issuing orders. That will mess up the audio commands because the Esc key cannot be listened to by the code (- TW problem). If you have un-synced audio commands they can be re-synced by selecting a battle group (numeric keys 1 through 0 on the keyboard). On some occasions, the battle order panel may become disabled (it will not trigger by pressing the Backspace key) upon knockout of the player. If this happens you’ll have to watch the battle play out without being able to issue any “post-mortem” commands, so make sure you command your troops wisely. Player battles against the VI incur a small bonus to renown.
I decided to call it VI to make it stand out against normal Native AI and other mods’ AI.
AI means Artificial Intelligence and implies something that is real and has intelligence (- an Intelligent machine for example). An artificial intelligence is creative and can evolve on its own.
In contrast, VI means Virtual Intelligence. Virtual is something that is not real and that simulates something. In this case the computer simulates Intelligence by following logical rules and tracking information on the battlefield. A VI can’t be creative and evolve on its own. It is kind of like comparing “Virtual Reality” with “Actual Reality”.
Vicky is derived from the first letters in Virtual Intelligence. It gives the VI a nice personality tied to a name. Actually Vicky is gender neutral (the name can be derived from either Victoria or Victor), but it is commonly thought to be a female.
Vicky is the player’s challenger. She/He will do her/his best to challenge the player on the battlefield and make the player pay for being sloppy.
If the player likes he can turn off Vicky by changing the Battle Formations to OFF in the Camp Menu under POP 3:WB Options. Of course, once you have met Vicky you don’t want to turn her/him off, would you? That would be Rude!
Cavalry starts in Wedge and I rarely take them out of that formation prior to charging.
Upon charge any formation will be undone.
When Formations is turned ON in the Camp menu, it will add the ability for Infantry to form Ranks, Shield Wall, Square and Wedge. Archers gain the ability to form a staggered line. Cavalry gains the ability to form a Wedge.
In order for the troops to be able to form any formation, they will need to have a certain number. For cavalry the minimum number of troops is 5. For archers and Infantry the minimum number is 12 troops. At any time in a battle when you have issued a formation form command or give the Hold order, the current formation will set up near the position that you (the player) had when you issued the command: infantry to the left, cavalry to the right, and archers up front.
Player troops start every battle in formation. The AI also uses formations and can move in formations. If the player wants to move and keep formations, then he holds down the Hold order and points the “hold flag” at the position he wants his formations to move. Alternatively, he can use the Advance 10 Steps order repeatedly to move his selected troops in formation. A third alternative is to use the mini-map control panel (accessible by pressing Backspace) and click on a position on it to move and hold that position.
The formation key bindings are:
"J" for ranks – Ranks is a three line deep formation that puts the most experienced troops in the front. It is available for Infantry. The command also applies to Archers, but in their case they will form a Staggered Line. This formation is good against other infantry and archers.
"K" for Shield Wall –The shield wall command will only affect Infantry. This makes them form three lines. They will have shield units in the front, then short weapons, then pole weapons. This formation is good to use when advancing against archers.
"L" for Wedge (NOTE: the player should reassign the "L" for "Log" mapping to another unused key) – Wedge commands can affect Cavalry and Infantry. It is a triangular formation that has its tip towards the general enemy position. The formation uses its most experienced troops in the front. This formation is good to make a dent in a different formation and split it up. It is best used with high level troops that have good armor and weapons.
";" for Square - The Square command makes a square out of the square root of the number of Infantry units. If you have 25 Infantry units the square will be five columns with five units in each column. This formation is a useful defensive formation against cavalry.
"U" for No Formation (undo formation) –This command disassembles all current formations for the selected troop type(s) and puts them back in Native Hold formation mode.
When will a Formation be undone? It will be undone when you issue a Charge command. For Cavalry it will also be undone if you issue a Dismount command.
In what direction do formations face? Formations face the general direction of the enemy.
Please note:
Treebeard's formations only work against organized armies, like those of the lords, not with disorganized groups like bandits or Vanskerry raiders.
To make Formations work:
1.You must have Battle Formations ON
2.The encountered party must belong to a disciplined faction
3.The battle type must be a regular field battle (- i.e. not a village attack or siege or such battles)
Undisciplined factions are generally troops on the map that have white color. Other undisciplined factions are: Red Brotherhood, Mystmountain, Mountain Bandits, Forest Bandits, Outlaws.
When you are in a Formations and VI battle you'll notice a message at the start of the battle about Forming troops. If there is no such message you are in a battle against undisciplined troops and Formations and VI are turned off.
Disciplined factions are all kingdom factions, heretics, snake cult, noldor, Renegade knights and Jatu. In these battles you'll face the VI and have formations (if you have the Battle Formations option turned ON).
When in a Formations and VI battle it also depends on which group/division you have currently selected. If you have archers listening and you order a square or wedge command it will have no effect. If you select everyone (0) then those who can form for example wedge will do so (if you order wedge). So if you have a selection that consists of less than required troop types for a certain formation, then they won't be able to form that formation.
7. Abyss’s Companion Bubble and Tips on some of the best companion combinations
Dev Notes: (Revised 9/27/11)
-One companion will tolerate another companion he/she does not like if he/she also has a likeable companion in the party as well. Example: Boadice will tolerate Ansen, as long as Sir Jocelyn is in the party as well (Since Boadice likes Sir Jocelyn), but if you have Ansen and Sir Rayne (who Boadice also dislikes) in your party then it will not work and one or both companions who do not like each other may leave you eventually.
-The maximum allowed companions you can have that will not cause any trouble for you is 11. If you have more than 11, even if every single party member gets along, companions will start to leave you no matter what you do.
-Please note that this initial companion setup was created a very, very long time ago and was originally meant PoP 3.01 for the Original M&B. However, since a lot of this material is still relevant to the WB Port, you can at least get an understanding on what kind of companions will "gel" together sort of speak
Maximum Companion Count option #1
Diev-Siggy-Leslie-Kaverra-Lethaldiran-Julia-Alyssa-Alistair
You can add Ansen+Sir Rayne for versatility or Boadice+Frederic for more asskicking power.
Key Points about Option #1
-Do not raid villages,steal from peasants or rob merchants,otherwise Leslie,Diev,Boadice are upset.
-Do not run from battles,or Sir Alistair,Sir Rayne,Frederick are upset.
-Do not fail quests,or Alyssa is upset.
-Do not fail to feed or pay the men,do not get slaughtered or Kaverra,Siggy,LethalD,Julia,Ansen are upset.
Maximum Companion Count option #2
Adonja-Donavan-Kassim-Ediz-Riva-Sara-Roland-Jocelyn
You can add ANY combination of the inner circle to this build.ie,Boadice+Ansen,Frederick+Sir Rayne,Ansen+Sir Rayne etc.
Key Points to Option #2
-Do not raid villages, steal from peasants or rob merchants,otherwise Jocelyn and Roland are upset.
-Do not run from battles,or Donavan,Ediz,Sara are upset.
-Do not fail to feed or pay the men,do not get slaughtered or Adonja,Kassim,Riva are upset.
Maximum Companion Count option #3 (For the not so honorable players)
Alistair-Adonja-Donavan-Kassim-Ediz-Riva-Alyssa-Ansen
The upside to this choice is you get Ansen and Alyssa.
OR
Alistair-Siggy-Donavan-Kassim-Ediz-Riva-Sara-Sir Rayne
The upside to this choice is you get Sigismund and Sir Rayne.
Key points to Option #3
-With the above groups, FEEL FREE TO raid villages, steal from poor miserable peasants, rob merchants and GET AWAY WITH IT.
Maximum Companion Count Option #4 (For the Chivalry Haters)
Roland-Jocelyn-Diev-Sigismund-Leslie-Kaverra-Lethaldiran-Julia-Boadice
Key Points about option #4
-This is probably the most hard core, kick ass warring joint ever.
-Though you lack a medic with this build.
-Feel free to run from battles as much as you like, surrender, pay off bullies and bandits, leave some men behind to cover your escape, and even then everyone is happy!
Maximum Companion Count option #5 (You simply don't like Egalitarians and It’s survival of the fittest)
Leslie-Diev-Donavan-Frederick-Jocelyn-Boadice-Ediz
Upon this seven, you can either add;
Alistair + Alyssa or Roland + Sara by choice.
Key points about option #5
-It would appear that Double A's would be a better choice. Unless you're a real big fan of funny moustaches and man-eaters.
-The upside of this build is that you don't have to feed your men any more, or pay them. No companions will object. You can get slaughtered like lambs, and everyone's happy.
-This build is also quite versatile in skills distribution of companions.
-But the downside is it has all the rest of the some packages mentioned already. So, Can't go raiding stuff or surrendering, or failing quests with this group.
8.Tips on recruiting Lords and Vassals once you’re a King by SCGavin .
It has often been asked on this forum how you can recruit lords in Prophesy of Pendor and although a multitude of threads have been written on the subject, I think that a concise thread might be of some use. This thread will explain how to get lords and hopefully help you enjoy Prophesy of Pendor.
How to recruit lords?
There are two ways to recruit lords. One of them is to befriend them and then take them prisoner, the other is to destroy their faction.
1. Befriend lords and take them prisoner
In order to befriend lords you need to increase your relationship with them. The relationship is shown in points. You can see it when you talk to a lord and move the courser over his face, which can be seen in the upper left corner of the conversation screen. You need to have a relationship of at least seventeen points with a lord to be able to recruit him. When you take a lord with whom you have 17 relationship-points or more prisoner and talk to him by clicking on "talk" in the party window, he will offer you to swear homage (or something along those lines). Accept this oath and he will be your vassal. Taking him prisoner will see the relationship decrease a few points, but if you give him towns, castles or villages or help him in battle, those points will quickly be back.
To gain those relationship-points or more, you can do several things:
-Do quests for the lord.
-Help him in battle.
-Beat him in battle and let him go instead of taking him prisoner.
-Gain honor. (You gain honor by letting lords go free instead of taking them prisoner and by freeing Noldor prisoners from your party (to do this go to the party screen, select a Noldor unit and click on "talk". After you have some honor your relationship with some lords will automatically improve from time to time, without any action on your part).
2. Defeat a faction
-When you defeat a faction the lords of that faction will be randomly shared between the remaining factions, so you stand a pretty good chances to get lords this way, although you could have the bad luck to get the worst lords or the lords who hate you (you could of course also have good luck and get the best lords).
How to recruit lords?
There are two ways to recruit lords. One of them is to befriend them and then take them prisoner, the other is to destroy their faction.
1. Befriend lords and take them prisoner
In order to befriend lords you need to increase your relationship with them. The relationship is shown in points. You can see it when you talk to a lord and move the courser over his face, which can be seen in the upper left corner of the conversation screen. You need to have a relationship of at least seventeen points with a lord to be able to recruit him. When you take a lord with whom you have 17 relationship-points or more prisoner and talk to him by clicking on "talk" in the party window, he will offer you to swear homage (or something along those lines). Accept this oath and he will be your vassal. Taking him prisoner will see the relationship decrease a few points, but if you give him towns, castles or villages or help him in battle, those points will quickly be back.
To gain those relationship-points or more, you can do several things:
-Do quests for the lord.
-Help him in battle.
-Beat him in battle and let him go instead of taking him prisoner.
-Gain honor. (You gain honor by letting lords go free instead of taking them prisoner and by freeing Noldor prisoners from your party (to do this go to the party screen, select a Noldor unit and click on "talk". After you have some honor your relationship with some lords will automatically improve from time to time, without any action on your part).
2. Defeat a faction
-When you defeat a faction the lords of that faction will be randomly shared between the remaining factions, so you stand a pretty good chances to get lords this way, although you could have the bad luck to get the worst lords or the lords who hate you (you could of course also have good luck and get the best lords).