Companions as Captains are very fragile...need BUBBLEWRAP!

[AngryPanCake]

Hello,

Even though I hate the new troop assignment system, I've been trying to work with it (I don't really have a choice if I want to play the latest version of BL) and get used to it.
I have not tested this extensively, but it appears to me that the Captains (Companions) are prone to serious injury in battle.

My party consists of 5 formations:
- Unarmored Inf (I think tiers 1, 2 and maybe 3)
- Armored inf (maybe 3, 4 and 5)
- Arch
- HA
- Cav
Inf formations each have an unmounted Companion Captain, fairly well armored and armed (tiers 2-3 equipment for now).
Cav formation has a mounted Companion Captain, again fairly well equipped (tiers 2-3 stuff).
HA formation has player's MC as Captain.

I usually engage large Looter and small Bandit formations with my unarmored inf in order to upgrade my recruits then chase down routed enemy with Cav and/or HA to gain some XP for further upgrades.
In battles against minor enemy factions, I use all my formations accordingly.
Against hideouts, I always use Companions if they are not wounded from previous battles.


This is what I have seen so far:
- Against looters, my fairly well equipped Companion Captain is ALWAYS wounded and will not participate in future battles until he/she is healed. Sometimes, the only loss to Looters is the Captain!
- Against minor faction parties, almost every Captain is wounded, even Arch formation Captain that does not engage in close combat seems to get wounded by enemy ranged units.
- In hideouts, it seems like the first to fall is/are the Companions!

Do you guys experience this as well?

@Dejan @MRay @Callum is the "fragility" of the Companions something intended?

Thank you,
APC

 

[kweassa]

Not really.. no.

The only times when a significant amount of my party members would be wounded, is if I ever go through a very heated battle resulting in a Pyrrhic victory (or defeat). Of course, it also means I tend to choose my battles carefully to avoid dicey odds unless absolutely necessary. But I come to expect companions would be seriously wounded, or even killed at times, if I fight against forces that are as powerful, or even more powerful, than my own party.

 

[anoddhermit]

I've had good and bad luck different games or even in same game with different companions. Sometimes I pick companions to lead formations specifically because I don't care if they die - due to bad stats/traits/warped faces and so on. Then somehow they last forever while companions I would prefer to keep around die even in better gear and safer formations. /shrug.

I'm all for hiring custom companions for a high cost, maybe after reaching adequate relations with certain NPCs. Would solve all companion woes for me. But I can also understand it's a bit less realistic and more gamey.

 

[geala]

I see a high vulnerability only for my mounted companions and for the one guy who uses a twohanded axe while only wearing a loincloth. Nearly never do my ranged or heavily armored and shielded infantry companions suffer.

I have to say that if I don't use RBM combat module (which I have mixed feelings of), I always double the armor rate of metal body armor and metal helmets, so there is a big amount of armor on many of my companions. The mounted companions having the most of all, but the huge amount of damage in horse combat coupled with the stupidity of cavalry in this game take their toll.

What is remarkable, I never had a companion die in my 1.7.0 ("realistic") campaign, there must be something wrong in the code.

 

[humility925]

In meantime, best way is put your companion in range weapon, keep them safe from harm in good chance. Melee would easy got them harmed and put out of action for while.