kalarhan said:provide your own equipment != have random gear. One way for states to gather coin is to force the soldiers to buy standard gear from them. The soldier still needs to pay for it, and maintain it in good order when not in the field.
it doesn't exclude the case of state being the one responsible for gear. It just don't mean it is the exclusive way.
True, it is also possible that, again, if we want to look at it from a 'realistic' perspective the soldiers would be able to buy standard equipment from their states, which technically they'd own. I suppose this reinforces my point that I'd be able to equip my men with the gear I want, and have them look the same as the rest of my soldiers, be it their own equipment or state funded.
On a sidenote though, I think all of this doesn't really matter, since as far as I know the game won't simulate soldiers buying their own equipment or not regardless. What I'm trying to say is that I don't see why I'd not be able to equip men of different cultures with the same gear as the rest of my men.
Same goes for troop types. I'm sure I can train a Sarranid recruit to use a crossbow as much as I can train a Rhodok to do the same, yet for example we can only train Sarranid men into archers, which kind of bothered me, especially since usually half my force would be made of crossbowmen, and the two things didn't look right to me when put together.