Igelfeld Family/Von Igelfeld family Memoirs/The Wisdom of Moritz/Paraphernalia

"The time has come for us to talk about Paraphernalia. Now based on the name you may conclude these are optional, but in that you would be gravely mistaken for an army cannot function without a considerable force of non-military accompaniment. As a troopleader, there are certain essentials with which you cannot do without. Healers and scouts are absolutely essential to all troopleaders regardless of the type of unit you command or how many men you possess.

"Healers are the most expensive type of paraphernalia that will be accompanying you, but they are also the most indispensable. It is a forgone conclusion your unit will be sustaining casualties and injuries. When that happens they only way to save your men is to have a healer or healers on hand, and don't forget, it is cheaper to maintain a unit then recruit a new one."

"How many healers should I have for my troops?"

That depends greatly on how many units you have and their type. For infantry it is advisable to carry 1 healer per 15 soldiers as they tend to sustain a considerable amount of damage being on the front line and the same goes for cavalry and infantry based special forces. That means that if you have 25 infantry you should round up and have two healers, but if you have 20 you should be save with one. Archers can get away with fewer healers because if their army functions properly, casualties should be limited to those sustained from other archers. Also, archers should withdraw after sustaining fewer casualties than any other type of unit. Therefore, archers are typically alright with 1 healer per 25 soldiers. In order to save money with healers, it is advisable to pay them every two days. One side note on healing, if some of your men are injured, if it is possible you should try and set up camp and not travel, as that will allow your men to heal more speediantly and with fewer deaths."

"What about mixed infantry?" I asked.

Anger flashed across the face of Moritz as his hand once again jumped to the small scar, "What!? why would you even ask? Mixed infantry are of the vile serpantists sent to destroy us! Healers should not be provided them as we should work to see them destroyed. Refrain from asking such silly questions."

quickly my hands went up in surrender. "My apologies. No mixed infantry, got it, please continue."

"Just as long as we are clear on the subject of mixed infantry," Moritz gave a slight involuntary shutter," we should move on to scouts and their proper use. Scouts are cheap they require one gold every week, but you can actually get away with paying them one gold every ten days. It is truly amazing how cheap they are given their central importance to military success. Scouts are the eyes of the battlefield, allowing you to see enemy troop movements and details of enemy lands. Once you obtain these reports they should be shared with your army so the marshals and generals can plan accordingly. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of information gathering to successful military operations. Scouts also enable you to travel faster between regions, a significant advantage. Therefore, I advise to always keep at least one scout around to help with travel times and when possible, every troopleader should have at least 3 scouts and the more the better."

"So those are the people, but what about the other items such as siege engines?"

"Well siege engines are only useful when attacking fortifications, so unless your marshal tells you to pick them up don't buy any because they slow down your movement considerably. Carts help to maintain movement speed when some of your men are injured which can be useful, but I never use them. Caravans are really only useful to traders so unless you wish to move into that profession they are an unneeded expense. But banners on the other hand are extremely useful to infantry as they help to keep your men organized when attacking and maintain morale on the battlefield. You should have 1 banner per 20 infantry. Besides, banners are really nice looking and make battles more interesting to watch with all the different colors about." And with that Moritz grabbed the glass of wine and happy sipped.