Lasanar/Mentor Lessons/Kestrelle/Lesson 1

Lesson One: Troops and Troop Management

IMPORTANT: Now that you're a noble, you need to familiarize yourself with the realm. So at some point, go to:

Information --> Local Information

Read ALL the Bulletins, plus Realm Laws. Whenever you join a new realm, this is the first thing you should do. Onward...

You'll likely need to go to the capital of Lasanar to recruit troops. The capital is Ozrat. Click on Travel on the menu at the left to find your way to Ozrat. (You can also go to Information --> Realm and Regions and take a look around to familiarize yourself with Lasanar and the island.) Once you're in Ozrat, click on Orders --> Recruit A Unit.

Troop Types

• Infantry: Best general, all-around unit. Men with big swords. Close combat only.
• Archers: Ranged units. Bows and arrows. Terrible in close combat.
• Mixed Infantry: Short swords and crossbows. Not as good as straight Infantry or straight Archers.
• Cavalry: Horse mounted units. Very good on open battlefield, bad when you're fighting fortifications. Advanced unit type (you probably can't recruit these yet).
• Special Forces: Long range Archery, or strong Infantry. Expensive. Advanced unit type (again, you probably can't get these yet).

You should stick with Infantry or Archer units for now, unless the General (a.k.a. the Minister of Defense) tells you to get something else.

Paraphernalia (support workers and items for your troops)

• Healers: As your troops get injured, it's good to have healers. They'll help save your men's lives.
• Scouts: Scouts run to neighbouring regions and tell you what is there. You can have regular troops do this, but scouts are cheap and give you more detail. Regular troops will just show enemy units. Trained scouts will give their combat strength and if they are traveling or not. Scouts also can increase your chances of finding a better route and might even reduce your travel time. Buy at least two scouts because you can lose them!
• Siege Engines: These are the ladders that you lean up against city walls to attack a city. Only needed if we are making a campaign against fortified regions. They slow your travel times down A LOT so don't get them unless the General asks and you have Infantry. Don't get Siege Engines at all if you have Archers.
• Banners: One of your troops carries a banner with the realm seal. This increases your men’s morale/staying power in battle, but makes you more likely to be a target for archers.

Generally I get two or three scouts and a healer for my units. Get Siege engines when the General tells you that we are going to attack a city, since this doesn't happen often. You should get 1 banner for every 10-20 troops.

Go to the Banker's Bulletin to find out where you can buy paraphernalia. You can find the Banker's Bulletin through Information under Messages. Go to: Information --> Banker's Bulletin

You will have to pay your men a certain amount of gold per week. They don't work for free! No two troops are the same, and even your unit will vary from week to week. But you can get an idea by going to Orders --> Pay Your Men. You will see how much you have to pay them today and figure it out over 7 days.

You should check this screen often, because you can sometimes stay longer in the battlefield by paying your men sooner. As an example, let's say you are low on gold and decide to pay them early at 3 days instead of at the end of the week. That means it's cheaper for you, and you can wait another 7 days before they get restless and start to complain again about not getting paid. You might get back to a city in time for tax day by then, which is when you collect more gold. Also, if you pay your men sooner before the week is up, that increases their Morale. If they have a high Morale they fight better for you because they like you.

Also, you can go to Paperwork --> Payment Settings to adjust how many days you want to pay your men. Usually it's a good idea to pay them regularly somewhere in between 4 to 7 days, but that's up to you. Your troops will desert, that's walk off and leave you, if you don't pay them regularly. So be warned!