Retinue Creation Strategy

[Zakath]

Heres a screenshot of my most recent battle of that nature. Things of note, my King is leading, with martial 17. Take a look thoughView attachment 69808

That's just.....sick. I love the Longbow retinues, but I've never dared to have them on their own. Guess I should give it a go in my current game. In another thread about retinues I think someone calculated that they did some 50-60 damage in skirmish with the cultural tactic, so it is pretty insane. Even if skirmish only lasts three days you butcher your enemy before they can close.

Have you ever had any issues with Shieldwall tactics in skirmish, and then a flank charge? Or is it insane enough that you never worry about it? From what I thought I knew all Longbow would be a glass cannon.

 

[deknegt]

Wow at that utter abusive destruction. I would love to get Longbows in my Apulia/Sicily game. I guess normal archers aren't that strong?

 

[Bob_the_Insane]

The LC in the cavalry retinues don't get the advantages of your cultural building (so no +60%), but they're still quite useful in the pursuit and skirmish phases.

Really??

How does the game differentiate them? I mean in your army the cultural retinues are just labelled LC (or HI for Saxons, or A for English, HC for Norman, etc, etc)...

 

[Bill_Wong]

Heres a screenshot of my most recent battle of that nature. Things of note, my King is leading, with martial 17. Take a look thoughView attachment 69808

Yup. I've had the same kind of results with norwegian heavy infantry assisted by cavalry.

 

[Lessing]

For a long time I used the cheapest retinue money can buy (heh). That's because retinue is perfect for long-drawn siege warfare where nothing happens. That's also the phase that is the costliest if you use vassal levies or your own: it either costs opinion or money. Retinue on the other hand, when it's only sieging, costs nothing and causes no penalties. For small rulers, that's what I suggest.

Assaulting is much faster, but for that I'd use vassal levies or my own levy. I also use vassal levies for destroying the enemies levies, then disband them. The thing with levies is that repleneshing doesnt cost you, so if you disband them after the fights are done and take retinue for sieges, you save a lot of money and opinion. Takes its time tho.

 

[unmerged(575134)]

That's just.....sick. I love the Longbow retinues, but I've never dared to have them on their own. Guess I should give it a go in my current game. In another thread about retinues I think someone calculated that they did some 50-60 damage in skirmish with the cultural tactic, so it is pretty insane. Even if skirmish only lasts three days you butcher your enemy before they can close.

Have you ever had any issues with Shieldwall tactics in skirmish, and then a flank charge? Or is it insane enough that you never worry about it? From what I thought I knew all Longbow would be a glass cannon.

Youre right about the glass cannon factor. If the enemy manages to survive my skirmish phase and close in on my archers, they retreat pretty quickly. This doesnt happen very often though, and even when it does, the enemy still suffers 2-2.5X the losses that I do. Archers just dont like being in melee and tend to run away

 

[Eldorian]

I was trying to figure out if any other retinue could beat a massed longbow retinue. The problem is, the best I can think of would be a pike or heavy infantry retinue with cultural defense bonus and the shieldwall tactic surviving to be able to charge on undefended flank, but the archers would outnumber them 2 to 1. The only real issue with archers is gonna be attrition limits due to having huge armies.

 

[Nerhesi]

Funny enough, I think Camel-Cav, probably one of the worst retinues, would be able to beat that retinue. Cheap with an amazing defence in all phases, minus melee which is just average.

I'm not sure if they can do charge on undefended flank, which would seal the deal very easily. What is the manpower cost of a single unit of welsh longbowmen? Comparable to Camel Cav?

 

[Eldorian]

Funny enough, I think Camel-Cav, probably one of the worst retinues, would be able to beat that retinue.

Simply because of the ability to survive a ridiculous amount of damage, I'm not sure if they can do charge on undefended flank, which would seal the deal very easily. What is the manpower cost of a single unit of welsh longbowmen? Comparable to Camel Cav?

Camel Cavalry would be destroyed. Two archers for every cavalryman, and light cav don't have any defensive boosting tactics to use in skirmish that will prevent them from being destroyed by arrows. They also don't have the morale of heavy infantry or pikemen.

Everyone can use the "charge on undefended" tactic. The massed archers do so well because in the 3 days it takes for that tactic to be chosen, they've done enough damage with their massive longbow valley to be the overwhelming leaders in casualties inflicted over the whole battle.