I am playing from the scratch, yes you can do it, and it feels perfect! I mean, absolutely perfect. However, I must say, I roleplayed like a maniac, talked to myself in front of computer. I changed my clothes when I went to taverns, I didn't carry a lot stuff with me as that would be unrealistic to carry alone.
Hell, even my characters name was Österreichischer Rekrut. Yeah. Seriously. A Fusilier at the moment, still waiting to accomplish a heroic deed to give myself a name.
First, I tried to gain some money, Straussmeyer helped me a lot on that. After I joined the army, however I had some rules:
-As a peasant, I couldn't just run up into a commanders hall, or in front of Kaiser. I couldn't go and talk to them.
-As only a rekrut, I couldn't command any men. I could only have some friends, so I went and took some friends at Wien, thinking that these are fellow men who I became friends with after I joined the army. The 20 francs? Money for drinks. Why are they coming with me? We are great friends. Especially the no upkeep/wages made this much more realistic.
-Then, another problem, a poor peasant, how could he afford the uniform of a landwehr? Luckily, me and my friends found a villager requesting help, we went there and helped them, they requested us to sell some local manufacture of theirs at Wien, so we did. I also got 2-3 more friends from that village, so we were a 4 men group, who has no money and no renown. With that money, I got myself a landwehr uniform. As I left the depot, I made the commander over there order me to patrol the bridge near Buda & Pest for 2 weeks. I did, and rescued some peasants from hands of some treacherous deserters.
-Of course, this went right through the commander of Military Depot, he requested me, I went there, dressed up in my Plain Shirt, I just looked at his face, made myself a conscript in his army.
Afterwards? I followed that guy, battle after battle, battle after battle. I lost my friends, nearly all of them, I think only one of them is the same. Even on the battles I roleplayed, I never stole from anything from the battlefield, I always gave way for people that was way more ranked than me, Grenadiers, the noble cavalry. Most of the time I was ordered to stand as reserve. I ran away when I was scared, I stood with fellow landwehr's. Well, I wasn't ordered, but, you get the point...
In one battle against Rheinbund, our lines were completely crushed, and I was running away to our artillery positions, luckily reinforcements arrived. Then I saw a lone horseman charging to a commander of ours, Peter von Vecsey probably. I aimed, shot that gentleman off his horse. Saluted my commander, then returned to my lines.
Of course, he wanted to see me after the battle. I was now in his army, he promoted me to a fusilier, (yet I had no money for uniform) I followed that guy, many more battles, many more battles that I fought as a poor cannon fodder. After we made peace with Rheinbund, I finally took myself a leave with 100-120 francs in my pocket, 3 "friends", and an signed paper which has my promotion to a Fusilier.
Then I decided to visit my family at Wagram, I went there, spend a night with them, they requested me to sell some of their Flax Bundle at Pressburg, I did, got some more money, directly went to the depot, got myself a fusiliers uniform.
Right now it's around 100 days, and I am still a fusilier in Austrian army. My character's name is Oesterreicher Fusilier, and I have around 10 francs in my pocket, with 3 men in my party, 1 landwehr and 2 rekruts.
However the fun I had, it's priceless.
So, even though it is hard, it is not impossible to go along without Freelancer. Would it be a nice addition? Maybe. But unnecessary. And I am perfectly fine taking off my hat, changing into my fatigue hat each time I get to walk in the streets of Wien.
And this is my nameless hero. von Vecsey may have forgot his name, but he still keeps the Sabre Briquet he gave him (actually just appeared after the battle) after the battle in which he saved his life.