OddjobXL
Recruit
Instead of special recruitable heroic NPCs perhaps you could turn an individual soldier, of your choice, into a nameable heroic NPC. The total number of special NPCs could be, say, half of your total stacks for troop types. Coupled with some way to track stats on your soldiers it would allow a kind of roleplaying aspect as you decided on battlefield promotions. Combine that with making special NPCs killable and you'd have some real drama on your hands protecting heroes you've become particularly attached to but you'd also be able to replace them with new heroes. Much along the lines of an X-Com where players could get very attached to particular named squaddies as they rise through the ranks.
To add a bit more of a sense of individuality to them maybe you could only "suggest" what skills an NPC should learn but a hidden personality trait might actually dictate which skills they buy if your suggestion doesn't take.
To add a bit more of a sense of individuality to them maybe you could only "suggest" what skills an NPC should learn but a hidden personality trait might actually dictate which skills they buy if your suggestion doesn't take.