[Scott Hebert]

Originally posted by HotNifeThruButr:
Why buy Farstrikers? If I remember right\ it's a captain and 30 shortbowmen with, I believe ringmail cuirasses for around 130 gold. Shortbows aren't amazing, and Machaka has plenty of heavy armor to make them go crying for their respective mamas (who I'm sure are all saints ).

First, as Sheap said, these are longbowmen, which are far better than shortbowmen. Second, while Machaka has a lot of heavy armor, their archers are VERY vulnerable to counter battery fire. As you point out later, my Rangers will do quite well against Machakan armor, and so I'm going to want archers to counter the Machakan archers. Besides, I find the Farstrikers the best investment of any merc.

Do you pay upkeep for wolves? If so, how much?

According to my brother Wyatt, Wolves are free. If they aren't, then they are probably like slaves, which have a gold cost of 1, for an upkeep of 1/15.

If I read the roleplay part of the report right, you intend to make researchers in the mausoleum as well as your capital.

Slight correction. My capital will be making my Fortunetellers and my Wolfherds (which depends on money), while the Mausoleum will be making Members of the Second Tier for Bloodhunting.

Also, from the roleplay part, it looks like you mean that Irma and Ulrich are sitting on their fat asses in Ulm, eating chocolate and the occasional child/virgin. Is it for some kind of master plan?

The story is just that: a story. While it does give direction to the game, it's not the main part. If you notice in my troop movements, Ulrich is leading troops in battle, while Irma is starting to take provinces.

How did/will you deal with Machaka?

As I've said, I am now 'in present time', as it were, and I plan to do one turn a day. I plan to host to turn 8 and have a write-up in the next 4 hours.

If I were you, I would've kept the Farstrikers around to deal with Warriors, Militia, Spider Riders, and their own Archers.

See above.

I would also employ masses of Rangers gunning for the closest enemy in case they have Knights or Hunters.

If I want to deal with them, I would set to 'fire cavalry' or 'large monsters', just so they don't get confused. Probably large monsters, since after the riders die, I don't know if they're classified as 'cavalry' anymore.

For hoplites, I would also have a small diVersionary force of Infantry of Ulm to fend off Warriors and Militia until they route, if they're present along with hoplites.

I have a hard time seeing Ulmish infantry as 'diVersionary'. I plan to have a center line/block of Ulmish infantry whose job is to hold that line until my Rangers/other archers defeat the enemy.

Once the hoplites are at the front, my rangers can cut them down with relatively close range fire. How will you fight Machaka archers after the Strikers have died or left, though? That I want to know.

I highly doubt that the Farstrikers will ever die or leave my service. However, in that event, Wolves are my best fast flankers, and especially against archers with no armor, will really rip them up.

Are you compromising your fighting forces by creating a research team?

I don't feel I am. More than researchers right now, I need Blood hunters to get my first Blood Count. I'll be switching over to Construction this turn to get to 4 ASAP for SDRs, and the Death/Blood path-enhancing items.

Early-game, mercs are your way of enhancing your forces while maintaining decent mage production.

Thanks for the questions, though. It helps to clarify everything and enhances the AAR.