So, I just switched from Warband to With Fire and Sword

[Dodosaur]

I'm a bit confused right now. What's the difference between mercenaries and troops from villages? Which is better and which is cheaper? Can the troops from villages eventually become troops with muskets? Is there a troop-tree for these troops (if so, can someone link me to it)? And is this game focused on the firing-line volleying like in the musket-era of real life? What's the point of horses if they just die in a few seconds from musket shots? And what's the point of melee anymore?

It's all a bit new right now. I'm guessing this game is more based on ranged now. Mostly it's the new recruiting thing, since there's two options available now. Oh, and should I ride a horse and take a carbine, or should I wield a musket? And one more thing, what skills are useful in Fire and Sword? (I'm guessing Quick Draw isn't worth it since it doesn't seem to affect firearms, and Shooting from Horseback isn't useful either since you won't be running straight into enemy lines very often.) Is it worth it to take Grenade Throwing? How about Athletics and Ironflesh? Or is this game less about personal skills and more about combat party skills like Leadership, Trainer, Tactics, and Surgery?

 

[Cleomenes]

Well, you can't recruit the excellent Polish Winged Hussars from villages. Actually, I have no idea how to get them 

M&B WFaS is based on muskets, yes. But look at Polish Commonwealth, they are crap at muskets. Cav is their strong side

 

[mureika]

Well, you can't recruit the excellent Polish Winged Hussars from villages. Actually, I have no idea how to get them 

Become a lord, then go to a town and recruit them from commander.

 

[Cleomenes]

Well, you can't recruit the excellent Polish Winged Hussars from villages. Actually, I have no idea how to get them 

Become a lord, then go to a town and recruit them from commander.

Oh, Okay. Didn't really know, more into Warband 
Thanks

 

[jackx]

There are troop guides floating around, here is the one for Sweden made by Cerlin. His signature has links for the Commonwealth and the Crimeans as well.

Tavern mercenaries, particularly the pikemen due to their armour, offer good value for money.

Village troops/Militias are mostly bodies to boost garrison numbers, the less they actually have to fight, the better.

Mercenary camp troops are expensive, and in their recruit version, have less than impressive stats. Can provide some specialists if needed, and are available without delay, but are generally not very cost-effective.

Faction troops are recruited from faction cities and castles after you join that faction, and will be the mainstay of your armies frmo that point on.  It'll take a few days for faction troops to be trained, and availability of high-tier troops can be limited further by settlements lacking the prerequisite buildings and commanders.

By default, there is no battle continuation and a lot of airborne lead, so a "commander" approach that keeps your character out of the fighting for the most part is advisable, particularly before you can afford the heavier, and somewhat bulletproof, armours.
Once you can afford it, you should probably obtain some good gear for fighting on foot, mostly for use in sieges, but generally, fighting and commanding from the saddle is preferable when possible.

Carbines aren't all that great, the good pistols are just as effective at close range while being faster to reload, and while the carbines have greater effective range, at ~80p, their damage is too low for this really to matter once you start shooting at armoured targets.
I prefer carbines over muskets on my companions for the early game, though, as they benefit more from the faster rate of fire than they would from the slightly better damage and accuracy of a musket.

Turning yourself into a musketeer serves little purpose, the effectiveness of musketry comes not from individual excellence, but from sheer numbers and volume of fire.
You'll contribute to your musketeers' effectiveness much more by controlling their fire (i.e. waiting until an enemy coming over a rise is fully in view before letting them fire, instead of having the AI waste a volley at the first head that popus up) than by pushing into the ranks and adding one more gun to the discharge.