My Marnid is a medieval noob:P

[peedeeboy]

My Marnid isn't a noob. . . he just hit the enemy nobleman I was trying to capture right between the eyes with a javelin from 500 yards!!   

I've come to start thinking that maybe Marnid and Borcha aren't THAT terrible troops. . the thing is, you often see 'XXX killed by Swadian Knight', and only rarely see 'XXX killed by Marnid' (unless XXX = Borcha) but you may well have 20+ Swadian Knights in your party. .
The only fair comparison is with a troop type you only have 1 of in your party.  I currently have 1 Sea Raider (level 25) left in my party, and Marnid (level 14) and Borcha (level 16) get kills more often. . .

The most success I've had with Marnid and Borcha is building their strength up to 12, giving them a Heavy Bardiche and a decent horse, then building up their agility.  They are doing quite well for me cutting through enemy troops with their Bardiches.
I've also given them Jarids. . they can't hit a barn door at ten paces (but can hit a nobleman at 500, see above), but they do ride around the enemy distracting their archers whilst my infantry sneak up on them!  Quite a handy tactic!

 

[Mackyownsa]

My Marnid and Borcha are both godly.  Whether it be because they are out kicking some ass.  Or rather because they are taking one for the team.  I equipped them very well, to the best of their ability in which I designed to them.  So they're either holding up while dying, or holding up while killing. 

 

[Grocat]

My Marnid and Borcha are deliberately enfeabled.  I give them butcher knives and make them fight naked, at which point I make bets with my friends about which one goes down first.

-Grocat

 

[attackrat]

I use the Two Amigos as cleanup and distraction. I put them both on decent horses--Borcha with a heavy charger, Marnid with a heavy steppe until I can get his riding a bit higher--and give them big ol' maces. Send them straight into the enemy formation to scatter and confuse the foe, and to absorb all those sea raider axes that would otherwise be aimed for my head. When the three of us have the enemy suitably spread out, I call in the rest of my troops to finish them off. Good horses give them a much better shot at survival (Borcha can hold his own against most foes now), and the maces ensure a decent number of prisoners after a battle.

Only success I've had with giving them ranged weapons was in .751, when I made Borcha a foot archer and Marnid a crossbowman. Even then, Borcha nursed an inexplicable grudge agaisnt my sharpshooters, and tried his best to nail one whenever he thought I wasn't looking.

 

[Mackyownsa]

Borcha and Marnid served me well in a recent battle.  I had all my troops stationed at my castle, just around 100 of them.  Figured I'd head out and grab some more men on my way over to Veluca.  And somewhere around 50 Swadian Outlaws rush over and engage in battle with us.  I figured it'd be a sure loss (well, I did lose but it was a wild battle.)  In the first ten seconds Borcha already had a man unconscious at his feet, and just soon after Borcha had a man killed with the tip of his Lance.  Racked up well over 30 kills, I think there were about 10-11 left and then I got shot in the face by a sharpshooter and got KO.  But the moral of my story is..  Swadian Outlaws should all be blown up.

 

[calandale]

My Marnid and Borcha are deliberately enfeabled.  I give them butcher knives and make them fight naked, at which point I make bets with my friends about which one goes down first.

-Grocat

Heh. Mine are deliberately dinner.

 

[mrcrotch]

I gave them both double axes and no horses and some armor. No projectiles, or anything. With these axes alone they would sometimes kill around 8 footmen between them. But its too much hassel to actually get there strength high enough. Unless you cheat. Tuttut

 

[Nethoras]

I have equipped marnid as a lancer and borcha as an assasin, borcha is really effective, I don,t know why, but I gave him scale armour (light but still protective) quite a few throwing knives and a watered steel nomad sabre. Maybye try this I dunno

 

[Shik]

I turned both marnid and borcha into horse archers lolz. One time i told them to dismount, and then i charged all the way to the other side of the battle field near some river pirates, then a arrow went smack into my head killing me instantly. Marnid shot me from the entire other side of the battlefield.

 

[DJNad]

Meh, on my latest game I gave up on Marnid and just got Borcha.... they are actually ok as Knights (Charger, sword and heavy armour).

 

[CBCRonin]

I've equipped them both with Heavy Morning Stars, Steel Shields, and Heavy chargers (as well as Dark Knight plate, Great Helm, etc.)....they have turned into killing machines. I just challenged a 538 VG war party with 35 men (I wanted the 20 DK prisoners). For the first five/six waves it was just me, Marnid, and Borcha... facing seemingly endless calvary waves (35 VG knights, 90 VG Horsemen, 56 VG veterans, etc.). They did ultimately fall, but I can't complain as they fought exceptionally well.

 

[Painkiller31]

borchas best on a horse and marnid with a 8barelled shotgun (call to arms)

Not true.  I found Marnid works best with javelins and a great axe.  Borcha has killed more or just as many men as Marnid with a Nordic Sword and shield.  Actualy, I have seen Borcha's blade blak with blood more than I have seen Marnid's axe.  Oh and Borcha also is pretty good with Javelins.

Ah, both are unhorsed and stand by my side.

 

[Uther]

My Borcha is especially effective. I got him a spirited charger, full thick black armor, thick gauntlets and baskinet, so he can take lots of damage and still cause trouble to enemies. He uses a spear, so he rides around, occasionaly doing a couched lance kill, while distracting attention from me. Manrid is equipped with best chain armor, and is a horse archer. However, he's not as effective as Borcha.....partly because its harder to built a horse archer than a lancer. Borcha gets more kills in.

Sometimes i like to leave all my army in the castle and just raid smaller swadian parties, like prisoner trains, with M&B for huge XP.

 

[Shik]

I just use my Marnid and Borcha as a distraction to the enemy. The horse archery for them is so that they last longer.

 

[Painkiller31]

Well, my Marnid and Borcha actually provide a good bodyguard. 

 

[barton quint]

Ive got both of them equipped very similarly.  Watered steel scimitar or nomad sabre, war shields, jarid or javelin, both on heavy coursers wearing light leather without helmets.  They look stylish and they seem to do ... alright.

I used to have them all done up in plate mail and great helmets, they looked badass but I was always getting scared of them coming at me when I couldn't recognize them... plus I don't think they were any more effective.

I never count on them for much of anything besides ignoring my commands and riding ahead to get KO'd or to lead the enemy back at me from an angle I hadnt prepared for.  They do make some kills but, like I said, I don't really count on them for much.  Sometimes they will follow my "companions, follow me!" order but they like to ride right in front of my horse too often...

Perhaps I should try something else...

 

[Esce]

Living shields!  But, not as meat shields.  More like shieldbearers.  Each have heavy armor and thick shields and fast, short weapons so they can fight in tight melees.  Jarids or crossbows too, in case there's an enemy at a distance.  I like playing a foot spearertype, so they work great as mobile defense points.  I retreat behind them to shake off larger portions of enemies, or when combat gets thick, they stop enemy charges so I can circle around behind with my spear and get the enemies in their unprotected backs.  They work pretty reliably. 

Marnid's saved my life a bunch of times like that.  Sometimes he doesn't even have to get knocked out to do so!  Hurray Marnid.

But, usually, I outdistance my entire team thanks to my atheletics score and end up completely forsaking any semblence of formation or stragedy.  It's stab stab stab stab stab stab stab and then stab stab stab stab stab and then maybe I don't die.

 

[Painkiller31]

Yeah, well, usually Marnid, Borcha and I have to fight desperately because I am a jackass and make us three in nordic style gear fight off a group of like 20-25 river pirates.

 

[Kobrag]

marnids quite good if you give him a sword and a thick shield.....and a LOT of backup (100 or so will do)

 

[Painkiller31]

So basically you are saying he isn't good if you need to give him 100 backup soldiers.