Unit

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A unit is the basic military group, commanded by a single troop leader. The main function of a unit is fixed as long as any men remain in the unit; if the unit is disbanded then a new type of unit may be recruited. Troops, and thus units, may only be recruited when in your realm's capital.

Types of Units

Be aware that choosing the type of unit you recruit is one of a noble's inalienable rights in Battlemaster. Anyone who gives you orders about choosing the type of unit you recruit should be reported to the Titans or Magistrates.

Your unit will contain one, and only one, type of soldier. The only exception to this is that mixed infantry is a combination of infantry and archers. There are five types of units:

Infantry

The most common type of troops, these are foot soldiers equipped with swords, axes or other close-combat weapons. Most new troop leaders start with a squad of infantry.

Archers

Armed with crossbows, composite bows, or slings, all archers use ranged weapons. While they can be devastating if used effectively, archers fare poorly in close combat.

Mixed Infantry

Foot soldiers with a ranged attack (such as short bows, spears, or slings) are the usual compromise if a versatile force is required. They can perform adequately at range and in close combat. Their versatility comes with a price, however, they are not as good at ranged combat as archers, and they are not as good as infantry in close combat.

Cavalry

The most powerful and respected force on the battlefield is the cavalry. However, they are also by far the most expensive, and of little use against fortified targets. The main advantage of cavalry is the charge, meaning that on the first round of close combat, cavalry units can have a horrible impact on the enemy. If the enemy holds his lines, however, the advantage is lost. Cavalry forces can only be commanded by troop leaders with a prestige of 5 or more.

Special Ops

Elite Troops with special training, such as assassins or explosive specialists fall in this category. They are very expensive and rare, and their power on the battlefield is unsteady. Sometimes, there is no opportunity for them to bring their special abilities to bear, then again at other times they decide a battle almost on their own. Special Forces can only be commanded by troop leaders with a prestige of 10 or more.

Strength of a Unit

There are five major things which effect the overall combat strength of a unit: equipment quality, equipment damage, morale, cohesion and training; all shown as percentages. These are displayed on the main status screen in the 'unit' table.

Equipment Quality

The equipment quality shows just what it says. A higher equipment quality % means that the equipment will be able to sustain more damage before it begins to cause problems such as reduced travel time or injury during travel. This is the sole attribute which cannot be increased or decreased outside of recruiting new troops with different stats into an existing unit. When recruiting more men or a new unit, the equipment quality is listed for each type.

Equipment Damage

The equipment damage shows how much damage the unit's equipment has. Equipment is damaged through training, battle, travel or sitting in a region apart from a stronghold or city. Digging in when staying for periods of a turn or more in a single region can prevent equipment being damaged. Also, equipment can be repaired as a whole or in increments of 10% when in a city. As the equipment damage increases, the probability of troops injuring themselves as they argue over undamaged equipment increases. If the equipment damage reaches 100%, the equipment is destroyed.

Morale

Morale is the happiness of the men; clearly happy men fight better than depressed men. The morale of the group will decrease as the unit gets further away from the capital (dropping more rapidly when outside the home realm). Morale is one of the few attributes in the game that varies on the unit; units can have their morale rise and fall on their own 'personal preferences'. Battle or any other kind of work (Police Work, Civil Work, etc) will often have some sort of benefit or penalty to the morale of a unit. Having to wait for their pay beyond a period of time will also cause morale to drop rapidly (conversely, a quick way of increasing morale is to pay your men). When in a city, you can also take your men out on the town for a few hours, which will cost a few gold but result in a high increase in morale. More information is available at the full article.

Cohesion

Cohesion is the ability of your men to work together as a group. Newly recruited units will have low cohesion as they have only just been grouped together; new troops in an existing unit will likewise lower the cohesion. Infighting, such as over the last pieces of undamaged equipment, can lower cohesion. Cohesion increases through training, battle and time. If you hit on an entertainment that your men particularly like, cohesion may rise just because they get to be better friends.

Training

The training % shows how experienced the unit is. If recruiting a brand new unit, the details of the new troops being recruited is shown, the more expensive units usually having superior training. The higher the level of training, the more effective troops will be in battle and less losses you will take.

These five change the total combat strength, which is a numerical representation of the strength of your unit. Combat strength, or CS, is often used as a measure of an army's strength.