Akesh the Cursed said:
Gorvex said:
restock food in every village and town that comes down my way during my travels -> even in times of war, you got enemy villages still accessible. Or you can even try breaking into towns towards the end-game (when you are powerful enough)
==>> a bit of micro and grind, but overall it's worth it if you want to roll with relatively big party sizes
Fielding a large army is all about keeping your micro game up when it comes to food and inventory space. The vast majority of all inventory space needs to be reserved for food and the key is to keep replenishing said food. I find the easiest way is like you said, simply hit every town/village that is within a reasonable distance along the way to your destination. You will run into villages that do not have any food but it's still worth checking to keep topped off. Getting rid of rotten food so it does not waste space is also important.
FWIW, when leading a huge army, I have the non-perishable foods (grain, bread, etc.) 3 across using the bottom inventory rows. Ummm .... Grapes, Olives, Dates, Honey, Butter, Sausages, Dried Meat, Cheese, Smoked Fish, Fruit, Cabbage, Bread, and Grain at the bottom. When the leftmost box is empty, I look for a refill (... except for Grapes, Olives and Dates ... the guys chow through those so fast, I just grab 'em when I see them.)
This is pretty late game when I have lots of $$ and can spare inventory space. Earlier on, I only have 2 of each.
I will also keep a siege train in the mix. I suppose all I really need is the siege train, but I like to think my troops appreciate the extra effort to provide a lot of variety.
Having 3 across usually means I can pull of a siege before I totally run out.