Cannon fodder

[GreenKnight]

I've been wondering, what strategy do you guys generally use for keeping your weak units alive long enough for them to upgrade into formidable ones? Is there a series of commands that generally work well to that effect, while still giving them some appreciable measure of experience? Me, I've found it fairly effective, at least against relatively low threat opponents like bandits and foragers, to simply send my crappiest units first. Let the enemy hurl themselves against a wall of peasants, and while they're getting slaughtered, I'm killing everyone I can. With luck, the enemy's numbers will be diminished enough that my most valuable units just need to clean up. What peasants survive can gradually help me put together that big cavalry army I dream of.

 

[Tiedye]

Yeah, I do the same. Just toss a bunch of footment into the grinder, and some of them will survive long enough to become knights. Same with peasant women when I'm trying to breed sword sisters (except I work a little harder to keep them alive). It just takes too long if you rely on that post-battle experience. Your units need to get a few kills in.

 

[Farok]

I often run around and find swadians to upgrade into crossbows before seeking out the units I REALLY want to upgrade. Just have everyone hold position at the beginning of the fight, and the crossbows will defend my upgrading troops while I wreak havoc. Very effective, yet simple.

 

[barthok]

Just toss the guys you want to level up on the bottom of your list. If you have enough troops the ones on the bottom wont be able to fight but will still get the split xp for the fight

 

[nightrunn3r]

When I start a battle, i usually have mostly mounted units and like 2 or 3 footmen. I pretty much let the mounted guys alone, and help out the footmen. If my footmen are fighting other footmen or weak units, i'll charge through and soften them up a bit, or shoot them in the legs with my bow. If they're fighting. If the enemy is a high level on foot, I'll shoot him in the stomach twice if he has a sword or axe, or I'll kill him if he has a polearm. If it's a mounted enemy, I'll shoot his horse once and use my heavy great axe (41 damage ) and chop his horse out from under him, taking 3/4 of his hp in the process. Then I let my footmen poke them to death.

 

[Worbah]

Depends of my character. I usually RP in the game. for an example, I like to think of my Archer/Knight/Merchant/Highwayman, Deg Nabiroth, as some captain known for his near suicidal tactics. Fame and riches await all who join him. Most die, yet those that survive he takes care of like his one children.

 

[Tyreal the Imperishable]

At present, I favour my 20 Swadian knights with my character being a lancer. Even with the difficulty turned up, very few battles give me pause or concern and even if massively outnumbered I rarely suffer more than the rare lone casualty excepting against large hosts of dark knights.

Most of the time, my army quickly cuts down anything not on a horse with the possible exception of Swadian crossbowmen deserters.

With an earlier character, I enjoyed purchasing 20 peasants for every battle, and using them as a human shield while I sniped with my crossbow. Sacrificing peasants every battle to bring about victory and ensure my own safety was fun.

 

[JohnathanStrange]

Keeping my weak troops alive so that I'll have stronger troops:

1) Having them "Hold Position" while I do the actual fighting and they're dealing only with the random enemy which they can swarm.
2) Training so they can clear the first upgrade hurdle
3) Surgery to increase the probability their wounds are not mortal
4) Accepting that early casualties will happen so recruit much more that I expect to survive
5) At times, I stick close with my horse archer shooting their enemies or disrupting their enemy's attack with charge damage

It's said that the order of the units are your party menu screen determines the order of their fighting or if they'll even fight at all (except as reinforcements) but it seems to me random who will appear on the battlefield with me. Supposedly you could keep your weaker units on the bottom of the list and they'll share in the XP without risk of combat. That's what I do at times but I'm not sure it's correct. I'll have to really pay more attn to that.

 

[Blade]

Im not sure if this "put it on the bottom of the list" thing is working for me. I have right now 10 Sword sisters which i have in the first slot after me, then come my 9 Swadian Knights and then some Men at arms. I never get my 10 SS in the first battle, but mostlly knights.........