2nd Winter and accosted by enemy horde?

[FUPA DA GUNT]

Im, sorry but what am I missing? I have homes, everything built and there is no income. How am I supposed to defend against 50 enemy soldiers by the 2nd winter with 5 guys? I must be doing something wrong, but what?

[Cron]

boost

[Rebol]

Region wealth is gained either through higher tier houses ( upgraded ) or by selling resources via trading post. You can tax region wealth after you build manor which you can use to gain money. For faster economy boost, try utilizing local resources, iron, stone, deer, berries and clay. I usually just rush tannery and sell off hides and leather, amass region wealth of 200+, tax 30-50 depending on your town happiness ( 25 is where you lose people, 50+ is where you get more people, try to tax and keep above 50 ). That initial silver of 50~100 should be enough to buy mercs, rush nearby bandit camps, every cleared gives 100+ silver which pays back your merc upkeep and gives you more, not to mention 200+ influence which you can use to claim another land.

[madpraxis]

...my lord, there are raiders planning to come in a year! You must prepare!
Promptly don't prepare, everyone dies in fires and screams...

Depends, honestly. One, try playing the peaceful setting first, get a handle for how the game works. Then, when you feel prepared, do the game starts that *do* have raiders.

So, money. Do you mean regional or personal.

Regional, easy peasy. Set up a trade post and sell junk. Raise level of houses and collect taxes. Turn around and buy (my personal favorite import setting is 2) arms and armour to outfit militias.

You also have your retinue. Which, honestly, is amazing. Don't ever use them as front line fighters. Put spearmen out front, soak up the charge, then bring the retinue in from the sides, or preferably the back. Smash on through.

Personal cash, well, that is where it gets even easier, see! You use that to hire mercenaries or upgrade your retinue. You get it by...taxing the regional tax. The amount you set is the percentage of regional cash that gets converted to cold, hard, cashmoney in your grubby hands. I usually set it to a low amount, 2-5, just get a trickle coming in.

The major cashmoneydollahollaholla income is bandit camps though. Form up your spearmen (you did that, right) and your retinue. In winter. There isn't jack all to do in winter, see, so people getting called up doesn't bork things up that bad. Now, march them towards a bandit camp.

Set your spearmen in a line with the retinue a bit back and off center a bit. Preferably on a slope the enemy has to climb, see. Now move them forward until the bandits come out.

Now, the important part. Relax and don't do anything. Wait for the bandits to smash into your spearmen, move your retinue around to the side or back, and throw them in.

Now go march over the bandit camp and get at least 125 gold.

Repeat.

[Kevinfromsales]

I can never deal with the bandits. They just burn my village before I can raise an army. Then my people are too stupid to move back into my homes, or eat, or work. I just assume the game ends when the bandits come and burn me out

[CulturedThighLover]

Take your militia you should get very early and send them to wipe out the first bandit camp that appears on map. Take the rss and send to your treasury. Use that money to buy mercenary's to intercept those attacking troops. Taking out bandit camps is a must to win.

[Furin]

Use the initial spears and shields to immidiatly attack bandit camps, use the money gained for hiring mercs to attack the next bandit camp and gain more money. By the time the attack comes you should have around 300-500 gold and should be able to hire mercs again to defend your town.

[JunSunBro]

then we fight to the death.

Originally posted by Kevinfromsales:

I can never deal with the bandits. They just burn my village before I can raise an army. Then my people are too stupid to move back into my homes, or eat, or work. I just assume the game ends when the bandits come and burn me out

ive read about this issue. i might stop playing when i encounter this. Unless i have william wallace or conan the barbarian in my team.

[Kedryn]

Originally posted by madpraxis:

You also have your retinue. Which, honestly, is amazing. Don't ever use them as front line fighters. Put spearmen out front, soak up the charge, then bring the retinue in from the sides, or preferably the back. Smash on through.

Since the AI beelines toward my retinue, I do the exact opposite of this. AI walks right past my spearmen, that I have set up vertically, not more than a couple of meters to their right, yells and screams and charges my 5 retinue, then gets spears in the back and runs away.

[madpraxis]

Originally posted by Kedryn:

Originally posted by madpraxis:

You also have your retinue. Which, honestly, is amazing. Don't ever use them as front line fighters. Put spearmen out front, soak up the charge, then bring the retinue in from the sides, or preferably the back. Smash on through.

Since the AI beelines toward my retinue, I do the exact opposite of this. AI walks right past my spearmen, that I have set up vertically, not more than a couple of meters to their right, yells and screams and charges my 5 retinue, then gets spears in the back and runs away.

Pikemen better :D
In this case, at least. They get a charge bonus, you see ;)

Spearmen are amazing though. Like, just hit defense, watch them soak up the wacky.
Then walk up behind whoevers attacking them, and poke em in the ass dead.

[Nats]

If you raise houses to level 2 you get income from them. Also get your industry going and export it via the trade building. That will give you plenty of income to tax which will then allow you to increase your retinue and also trade for more weapons. Also attacking bandit camps gives you a load as well.

[AlienWired]

Part of the balancing issues I speak of.

[AlienWired]

Originally posted by Nats:

If you raise houses to level 2 you get income from them. Also get your industry going and export it via the trade building. That will give you plenty of income to tax which will then allow you to increase your retinue and also trade for more weapons. Also attacking bandit camps gives you a load as well.

You literally can't do all of that all at once, before the 2nd winter.

[Nats]

Originally posted by AlienWired:

You literally can't do all of that all at once, before the 2nd winter.

Maybe not. But you can set the AI to be reactive so they leave you alone for a while. Ive played two games now though and never had the AI attack me after several hours of play. I could see them attacking bandits but they never attacked me.

Now after maybe 4 years I have two 3/4 sized peasant units (spear and archers) plus a retinue of 12 knights. Still not been attacked though.

[FentanylWallaby]

Originally posted by Nats:

If you raise houses to level 2 you get income from them. Also get your industry going and export it via the trade building. That will give you plenty of income to tax which will then allow you to increase your retinue and also trade for more weapons. Also attacking bandit camps gives you a load as well.

How do I increase my retinue? It says I have 5/24 but I cant find where to add more men to it?

[Nats]

On the retinue screen, which you get by clicking on the retinue army portrait and then select the manage icon above.

You buy them up to 12. On that screen you an also buy armour for them, change their weapons etc. You can increase your retinue above 12 if you build the right building in your castle/manor.

They make mincemeat out of bandits.