I rely way too much on mercenaries -- help and suggestions

[tinkthank]

It seems I rely way to much on mercs. I just cant get enough of them in early game. And I feel totally useless and lame without them.
I would like that to change.
Any suggestions from you? (Besides: "Dont bid on them!" It's like telling a smoker to simply quit.)

Suggestion from me for patch 2.13 or 2.15: Switch in Game Creation section for "Mercenaries Enabled" (default), which you can switch off. Would that be hard to do?

[Edit: fixed spelling errors]
thanks much

[ April 21, 2004, 17:05: Message edited by: tinkthank ]

[Gateway103]

To lessen your addiction, perhaps you can try one of those "only hire x mercs every 3 month" mercenary-nicotine patch

To be more specific, it means keep at most x merc companies under your payroll at all time. Start with x=2 say, and gradully drop it to 1. Not necessarily a winning strategy, but it'll train you into knowing which merc companies to select at different game situation, since your options are limited.

Alternative or in conjunction, play a gold poor nation (e.g. high Turmoil scales, Death scales, Ermor) and/or gold poor map (don't know any offhand... Harshland?), so you won't be able to hire all the mercs to your hearts content.

While you are at it, try to learn how to use your national troops via experimentations and ask questions. National troops are quite good usually. Sure they are probably more expensive and takes more time to build then the mercs, but they will be available throughout the game, where mercs won't.

In my 3 recent SP games, I haven't hired any merc companies, just relying on my national and indy troops. It may be hard to get used to, but certainly worth while as a learning experience to diversify your skills and options.

In MP or long SP games, you either won't be able to bid for all mercs (because there are just some really good ones every body wants, so you need to save the gold), or because none are available (typically in my SP games, the merc pool dries out around turn 60~80 at best between all the AIs)

Just some not necessarily useful/applicable ideas

-Gateway103

[ April 21, 2004, 17:14: Message edited by: Gateway103 ]

[Tricon]

Now there is one I haven't heard before.
Mmh.
Go for Starting provinces : 5 (or 6). This way you already have a fairly good economy, and can buy more of your national troops - therby forgoing the need for mercs.

[Vynd]

One strategy you might pursue is to always build troops first, and only bid on mercenaries with what you have available afterwards. Or if you have the discipline, you could set a limit as to how much money you will spend on mercenaries on any given turn (or over the course of three turns, or whatever). THe main thing is to force yourself to have money left over with which to build troops. Because once you build enough of your own troops you'll find that you don't really need the mercenaries anymore.

But if you just can't force yourself to stick to these strategies, then I agree with Gateway103: Play a nation that simply cannot use mercenaries effectively, like undead Ermor or miasma C'Tis.

[tinkthank]

thanks much, will try out all of these suggestions (possibly simultaneously).

(Still would be keen on game-creation feature: "Mercenaries Disabled")