Swadian Strategies

[Failing Conquer]

I kind of messed up my last game by starting a kingdom too early. No going back now. So I plan on starting a game where I use Swadian troops. Unfortunately, I don't know good strategies with their troops.(Other than charge with knights ) I know that they're not too good on the infantry/archer front, so how would I use them effectively?

 

[Stepsongrapes]

Unfortunately, I don't know good strategies with their troops.(Other than charge with knights )

Charge with knights, you win! 

Seriously, the faction difference in native are noticeable, but not a difference in kind, for the most part.  As you say, their heavy cav is exceptional and is the easiest path to victory.  Their infantry is mediocre to slightly above average, and their crossbowman are okay, but inferior to Rhodoks (mostly in their melee fighting ability). 

You can pretty much do anything with Swads that you do with other facts (except build a horse archer army, of course), just to varying degrees of effectiveness.  Heck, you can win without using heavy cav by playing as sort of gimped Rhodok using an infantry line protecting crossbowmen.  All-infantry is tough with Swads, because Swad Sergeants are slooowwww.

 

[NJSQRL]

Last time I played Swadian I went 40/30/30 for my troops.

40 inf, 30 missile, 30 cav

Line up my inf in a nice little line, park the sharpies behind them (they shoot almost as well as Rhodoks they are just useless in melee) and lead the cav myself into the enemy lines.

I only had trouble with the Sarranids and the few Vaegir lords that went crazy high on the cav in their armies but even then it was managable.

The real trouble I had was in sieges, knights are nowhere near as effective on foot and the Swadian sergeant is next to useless imo.. I did keep a few hired blades (15-30) in a garrison for when I felt like sieging.

 

[Captain_Octavius]

For field battles, go all knights or 40/60 with knights and crossbows. For sieges, go 30/70 infantry and crossbows. I don't see a reason to choose Swadian infantry over Swadian cavalry in field battles, unless you do it just for the challenge or roleplay.

 

[gabriot]

If you're going pure swad army, you have no real good reason not to just use all knights.

But honestly, I don't think (other than for RP reasons) that going with just swads, or just one of any army is beneficial.  Each faction has their "Money" unit, and you should build an army based on all of these.  For instance, if you want the best ranged units, get rhodok sharpshooters.  If you want the best cav, go Swad Knight or Mamalukes.  If you want the bets infantry, Huscarls are your friend

 

[Remedius]

....and no mention of Vaegir Marksmen????

Swadian footsoldiers are poor from recruit up to infantry - infantry is sub par and constantly underwhelms. Sergeants are tough and reliable but timely to produce in good numbers. If you go the archer route then crossbowmen aren't terrible and Sharpshooters are good at ranged though forget any semblance of melee capability (surprisingly).

With Swadia it's all about the cavalry and when it comes down to the nitty gritty - Knights are borderline OP and Men-at-arms are good but fallible.

One real advantage to Swadian forces is the amazing propensity for crossbows among their troops - even militia and footmen carry them and can add a very valuable source of missile troops to your army. Unless you are serious about producing an expensive group of sergeants then Swadian infantry is weak and is best used as a weak obstacle to enemy troops while your cavalry gets into charge position.

 

[NJSQRL]

If you're going pure swad army, you have no real good reason not to just use all knights.

But honestly, I don't think (other than for RP reasons) that going with just swads, or just one of any army is beneficial.  Each faction has their "Money" unit, and you should build an army based on all of these.  For instance, if you want the best ranged units, get rhodok sharpshooters.  If you want the best cav, go Swad Knight or Mamalukes.  If you want the bets infantry, Huscarls are your friend

As a swadian I have always, always, always, had trouble doing this. It seemed to me that the only safe time to use a different factions troops is when they were eliminated... Otherwise the constant wars with... well everyone made me have to continually re-assemble my army.

I was using huscarls as my infantry, we went to war with the Nords so now I cannot recruit huscarls and I am getting a pretty big drop in moral for Nord units so I switch them out for Rhodok sergeants... but then we go to war with the Rhodoks... now I have to hope for peace with the Nords or switch to Vaegir infantry (or just use swadian).

I don't know about you people, or what exactly determines how much you get, but I rack up the negative morale for troops from an enemy faction pdq.

This is why I tend to stick to faction troops... and if used wisely you can have a very effective army of all swadian (few mercs would help) with no need for other troops.

Also why no mention of Vaegir knights?  I will be the first to admit they are not the greatest mounted unit in the game but they can be a incredible force.

 

[Sir No0b]

Yeah I agree with NJSQRL, with the swadians you almost have to use them exclusively given King Harlaus' love for fighting on 3-4 fronts simultaneously.

 

[candyman]

and if you have your own kingdom you're stuffed anyway cause your neighbors will all declare war on you at once, leaving no place recruit without a -99 hit to morale  >.>

 

[Caba`drin]

Fill your castles/towns with Swad Militia. RPly it is accurate, and since many of them will spawn with crossbows, it turns out be a cost-effective mass-bolt situation.

But for field battles, if you're Swadia, "spam knights" is really the MO.

 

[NJSQRL]

and if you have your own kingdom you're stuffed anyway cause your neighbors will all declare war on you at once, leaving no place recruit without a -99 hit to morale  >.>

While this is always a possibility I find that having a fair bit of rtr before beginning your own kingdom makes it very rare... by fair amount I am talkin 50-70... usually have to be married, and send most if not all of your companions off to get that but it does work.

 

[Captain_Octavius]

The morale hit isn't influenced by RTR as far as I am aware? For each 5 soldiers you kill from a faction, you get one morale point penalty, which slowly fades over time.

 

[NJSQRL]

I was talking more about the situation you find yourself in where everyone and their red-headed step child decides to wipe you off the face of the earth... With high rtr I rarely if ever find myself with that problem... in fact I cannot remember the last time I was at war with more than two factions when I had over 60 rtr aside from when I had taken over pretty much everything and they banded together as a last ditch effort.

 

[candyman]

yeah, I declared independence by accident, I only have 21 rtr =/
at least militarily I was kinda prepared 200 troops half sharpies have sergeants (rhodok, naturally) in each castle, and about 200 mixed heavy cav (salver chiefs, mamelukes, swadian knights, etc

Still, not fun

 

[VikingHaag]

Call me a cheater, but if you hate morale loss, just use TweakM&B and double the morale gain for each point in leadership, i manage to have high morale huscarl while at war with nords. they have about 85 morale, a -99 drop, some 150 from leadership, and some random amount from food variety. Anyway swadians without mods have useless infantry. Pike and blade gives them some much needed variety. Pikeman as first line makes the game already much more enjoyable, and pikes actualy kill horses now.
Pike and blade and your game finally gets the good infantry that it deserves

 

[Felonious]

I would advise combining Pike and Blade with Diplomacy and Pre Battle Orders and Deployment for the optimum experience.
You can find the compiled versions of P&B w/ Diplomacy on the Diplomacy board, and you can also find a compatible version of PBOD there, which is easy to install over the other two.

 

[Roran 13]

If I play Swadians (99% of the time) I rack up a cavalry force, and grab some cheap infas and sharpies to guard my castle (if I have).
Then, I go with a all cavalry army. I never go soloing, I always go together with some other lord who is raiding and I protect him while doing stuff, and I can chase faster opponents cause my army is all cav. During field battles, I always get all my cav following me, and wait for my allies to form up. Then, I start making a large circular move around enemy lines, who are attacking/getting attacked by my allies. When they have almost reached eachother, I just ride trough their archers, killing one here and there, while cav is still following me, causing mass chaos, I retreat, with all their guys attacking me, and hope my allies attack then (they probably will since enemy broke lines and some units will still attack original target) My allies then act as an anvil where I keep hammering the enemy on with my cavalry. When reinforcements arrive, I stay back, so I won't get encircled, and keep doing the same. During siege defences I rack my castle up with sharpies (Rhodoks or Swads) and put them in a tower to start massacring them, I also take a bit of infa to hold the ladder end, and keep enemies in the line of fire. I always use a crushtrough weapon there to kill enemies en masse, since range doesn't matters in siege, and defeat shielders.


-I use diplomacy module.

 

[gabriot]

I've never had a problem with morale using foreign troops, but then again I usually roll around with each type of food, and a small army of high quality soldiers (A few good companions, 10-20 Knights and 10-20 sharpshooters and I can take any size of army on really)

 

[candyman]

I've never had a problem with morale using foreign troops, but then again I usually roll around with each type of food, and a small army of high quality soldiers (A few good companions, 10-20 Knights and 10-20 sharpshooters and I can take any size of army on really)

yeah no offense, but it sounds like you're not really playing on the same scale I'm talking about
when I say I have problems with morale, thats because I'm rocking around with about 170 troops (instant -170 to morale), and destroying great hosts in sieges, meaning I have a constant -99 to morale...
doesn't matter how much food you have, -260 morale is kind of hard to overcome...