JacketOfGreen
Grandmaster Knight
One of the most evident things about the current play styles of the former Mount & Musket: Battalion (now Napoleonic Wars) was that there are a system of clans known as "regiments". It's fairly self explanatory what a regiment is, if you know your history well enough. A regiment is a collection of soldiers arranged into battalions, companies and sections, under a common title. Such as one of the most famous regiments of the period, the 1er Régiment de Grenadiers-à-Pied de la Vielle Garde. This, therefore, allows for a large scene of historical re-enacting and for a clan of sorts, in which members of the community come together and play under a common title. This is what you may see when playing on one of the public servers. For example, if you are a member or, more appropriately, a soldier of say the 92nd "Gordon Highlanders" Regiment of Foot, then you will wear what are known as tags. Such as say 92nd_Col_Donald_MacDonald. These regiments then arrange events, like a training or a linebattle, and linebattles are one of the biggest part of the community that bring in so many new players.
Joining a Regiment
How can I start? I want to join a regiment, but which one do I choose and how do I do it? For most regiments it's quite simple. There will be an application form somewhere on their thread here at Taleworlds. Sometimes there is an external site at which you must apply, however, if you're looking for a regiment to join there is certainly no shortage. Just check out some of the regiments listed here in the regiment section and you'll find one you are interested in. However, first you must choose a type of regiment that you wish to join. There are roughly 4 types, all of which with sub-categories:
- Infantry:
- Line Infantry: This is your regular type of infantry, they're the backbone of the game generally speaking, the most common type of regiment and the most popular by far. These are the infantry that line up and exchange volleys, such as you might see in a film, before a rather climactic finish; coming together in a final melee charge, with a clash of bayonets.
- Light Infantry/Skirmishers: Depending on who you talk to, light infantry and skirmishers are the same thing as far as this game is concerned, though light infantry can also be considered line. Light is more of a title because it's a play style both uncommon and generally unsupported, however skirmishing is more famous. You may know of the Sharpe series, that's the sort of thing that they do. They don't line up and take volleys, they spread out, split up and fire at will, causing havoc to the enemy's lines.
- Cavalry:
- Heavy Cavalry: Heavy cavalry is a common type of cavalry, they're the shock-troopers, they charge en masse at larger forces, have more health and more power, but are much slower than light cavalry. They're prone to more damage because they generally stay in combat, they charge and fight, unlike light cavalry. Heavy cavalry come under many names, such as Dragoons, Cuirassiers and Life Guards. Dragoons are a type of cavalry that are equipped with carbines, they can also be known as Carabiniers. Carabiniers may only shoot off horseback, therefore they often use skirmish tactics, such as riding up close, dismounting, firing and then riding away quickly to a safe place for reload before repeating the process. This is how the Dragoons work.
- Light Cavalry: Light cavalry is more uncommon but just as effective as heavy cavalry. They're the hit and run expert, picking off lines and skirmishers as quick as they can and removing themselves from danger as soon as possible, on incredibly fast horses, with much lower health, and with lighter weaponry, this type of cavalry rely on speed and surprise in order to achieve their desired effect. These regiments are most of the time Hussars, though can also be called Dragoons or Uhlans (also lancers).
- Lancer Cavalry: Though strictly speaking, lancers are a form of light cavalry, they are generally much less common and unfavorable to the standard infantryman. Lancers pose a real threat to all they oppose during a charge, but once at close range are significantly less effective than other forms of cavalry. Like light cavalry, they tend to blitz the enemy, not staying in the combat as long. Lancers are also known as Uhlans.
- Artillery/Special
- Artillery: Artillery is a very useful thing in any battles, if used effectively. They can deliver crushing blows from hundreds of metres away, and wreak havoc upon the enemy's lines by smashing multiple men down at a time. Artillery is fairly uncommon as far as regiments go, however there are still a few that you can join.
- Rocket Artillery: The rocket troop is a very new feature to Mount & Blade: Napoleonic Wars. It is a type of artillery that relies on high powered yet inaccurate explosives to cause serious damage from either close or far distance. With the release of the DLC there will most likely be some Rocket Troops regiments available to join, but as for now there are none.
- Sappers: Like rocket artillery, sappers are a very new feature to this game. They are capable of constructing defenses and spawning in explosives for use in destruction of cover and for a somewhat nasty surprise of the enemy. The sapper is likely to be a rank assigned to people in a regiment upon release however sappers are usually only attached to skirmishers and not main line regiments.
Everything from here is simple! All you have to do once you've applied for a regiment is wait until you receive a reply of acceptance or declination. If accepted, you're ready to start playing in linebattles, trainings, and generally participating in events within a regiment, which is not just a group of players, but a group of friends.
Forming a Regiment
I'm interested in forming a regiment, how do I go about this? It is recommended that you have been in a regiment beforehand so that you can really make sure that you have some basic idea about the commands of the game used in events, otherwise you'll only make life difficult for yourself. However, that is not to say that you can't - everyone must start somewhere. There are a few steps that you must take when making your regiment, and they are like so:
1. - Finding Members: First of all, make sure you have some people/friends willing to join or form a regiment with you, as it's best to start with a few core members you can trust or rely on, and can start up quickly with. Though, it's not entirely necessary, it's merely suggested. Having friends with you from the start can certainly ease the responsibilities of forming a regiment and can really help to set up a chain of command, reliable officers for example are a must within a regiment.
2. - Picking a Regiment: Next, you should decide which regiment to pick. Generally speaking, almost all regiments are historically accurate: which is of course recommended, but once again not required. If you wish to make your regiment historically accurate, find out as much information as you can about the regiment in question, check different sites, wikipedia if necessary, and if dedicated enough you could check out the history of the regiment in literature available online or maybe even at your library. However, you really don't have to go this far, just some basic information is enough.
3. - Setting it Up: Start to make a Taleworlds post in this regiment section: include images if possible, but your thread should contain: regiment history, a rank system, a roster, some details on when events are, an application form and any other information you feel you should add. Making your Taleworlds thread as detailed as possible is really recommended because it can provide a lot of information for anyone who is interested in joining and may make the difference between gaining a recruit or not.
4. - Starting Out: Once you feel your Taleworlds thread is done, and everything else is ready for you to announce, then post your thread and officially start your regiment. You can ask Vincenzo for a TeamSpeak channel at ts.22nd.eu or you could even rent your own game/TS servers for your regiment too. TeamSpeak is not required, you could also use other sites like Ventrillo or Mumble, but you need some form of communication in order for your regiment to function. When you have enough members to correctly play (roughly 5+ members), you should begin to arrange trainings. These are where you and your men practice together and play, you learn the techniques and tactics and become a cohesive and well oiled machine. Once you feel you are ready, you can begin to arrange linebattles with other regiments.
Congratulations! You've successfully set up your own regiment, and you're now ready to step up to the world of Napoleonic Wars, the theatre of war, the field of battle. May your regiment be successful!
That's all you need to know! Hopefully my little guide has been helpful to you and your queries if you're wondering what a regiment really is, or how you can form one. If you have anything you think I should add, then please let me know and I will definitely do so. I'll be adding an FAQ section too, probably.
