Is it possible to play as a mercenary band?

[CaliphateStrategist]

I’ve seen people talking about making your commanders and children mercenaries so you can reap the profits when you die and the mercenary son inherits and you play as him, or when the commander gives you monthly merc payments when it is hired. However, I have not seen anyone talk about actually playing as a leader of a band of mercenaries. Is this possible, or is it not possible without using mods?

[bri]

Not possible without mods.

[Poliut]

You can vassalize them under certain conditions, but that's about it.

[Malus]

the other 2 guys are wrong

there arent many special mechanics tied to mercenaries. but you might be restricted from arranging new marriage for yourself while youre the captain. its not possible to have the mercenary title as your primary title, as that will give you a game over. but you can have some other duchy or kingdom as your primary title, and hold the mercenary title as your secondary.

as a player, it is only possible to hold a mercenary title which is already existing at the games start, the predefined one like saxon or breton band. it doesnt seem to be possible to be captain of dynamic company like the one you get when you send away your children as mercenaries, or when you sponsor your own.

the merc strategy you heard is probably the one i invented :D

with most governments, you can right click on a courtier with martial education (tier doesnt matter) and there will be button to create the company (conclave dlc required)

you can replace the captain with wealthy courtiers, and when you replace them again, the new captain inherits all of the old captains money. but if the captain inherits land, he abdicates from the mercenary company, but keeps all the gold he has. after stacking some gold on the captain, you can replace him with your heir, to get all the gold.

why this strategy is good is because the gold spent on contract fees and maintenance goes into the hands of the captain instead of dissapering from the game. like 19% of this income goes to their sponsor directly, but thr captain keeps the rest. so you have essentially maintenance free standing army

if you plan to use this strategy in multiplayer, keep in mind that to reinforce the company, you need to dismiss them for few days, which makes you vulnerable for the enemy player to buy your company, and cut your access to it temporarily

if youre interested in how to get predefined mercenaries as your vassals (similiar to varangians or mamluks, but you can vassalise any) let me know and i can give you some strategies on how to inherit them. you can also ask about what comps are best for mercs. i will probably forgot to check this thread, so feel free to send me PM or FR