[DrPraetorious]

Disclaimer: I'm durnk.

"thugging" your commanders means using them as melle combatants. Unless they are equipped with some magic items ("thugged"), this is generally a bad idea, because they cost more than regular troops (often a lot more) and are only marginally better.

However, given a few magic items, thugged commanders can be extremely effective, with the ability to mow throw disproportionate (although seldom infinite) numbers of lesser troops.

Typical base-line thug equipment includes anything strongly beneficial that costs 5 gems are less, such as the ice brand, the amulet of luck, the bracers of defense, maybe a black steel breastplate if their basic armor has a low protection value, stuff like that. Fire brand, armor of displacement and jade armor cost somewhat more but are also popular choices.

Generally, you want to field a lot of thugs, you expect some of them to die, so cost is a big issue - you don't want to spend too many gems to outfit each thug.

This is distinct from a "supercombatant" strategy, where you try to make units who are literally invulnerable (or close to it), and who are expected to mow through entire enemy armies all by themselves.