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4 Tiers of manpower


Michael Gladius

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In the original game, manpower was pretty straightforward. However, in the Middle Ages there were noticeable quality differences between classes of men at war, and this should be a factor in building armies. The crusader states, for example, had plenty of population but only a few hundred knights available at a time- the local Arab/Greek people were not very warlike, and thus couldn't be mass-mobilized like modern armies today. After Hattin, the Crusader states simply ran out of men.

One way the first game tried to compensate was by having 3 tiers of unit types (Kingdom units, local units, and special/regional units). However, this was set in stone and didn't allow for cultural changes like the English kings outlawing ball games on Sunday to free up time for archery practice.

 

So the 4 tiers would be:

  1. Nobility. These are the men who train from the age of 7 to wage war. They are the best of the best, and provide the top-tier units (particularly heavy cavalry).
  2. Men-At-Arms. These are not nobility, but are the next best option. These are former criminals, gloryseekers, and mercenaries who enlist from lower social classes and serve for life. They have good discipline and are reliable in battle. These are ideal for units like Genoese crossbowmen (the finest in Europe), Mongolian horse-archers, and other regional/cultural units.
  3. Guildsmen. These are not warriors, but the bodyguards of merchants and tradesmen. They have lower discipline but higher morale to compensate. If their leader is killed then they'll automatically flee.
  4. Peasants. These men are unwarlike conscripts, and are not very reliable. You can dress them in armor, but they'll still run away easily. Best used for town defense and raiding.
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