"Allows mercenary units to drill"

[ArcaniteM]

I have defensive tactics idea 2 so my guys can drill (+15% morale) and I took merc ideas to let my mercenaries also drill.

Does it mean they get +15 morale also ?
Was the defensive ideas needed to get the mercs to be able to drill ?

I only have base game.

[ArcaniteM]

Is drilling just the morale thing ?
People online say its something different with a dlc.

Does drill do nothing if I only have base game ? (I mean it says 15% morale, but doesnt say anything for mercs)

[Azunai]

Drill is a DLC feature. The 2nd idea in defensive is just 15% morale, nothing more.

[Triple G]

Defensive ideas can still be okay if You play a lot with forts - like defensive. Like it´s not a bad group, and 15% morale is nice.

Mercenary ideas can still be okay, because they give more discipline, and mainly more manpower to the mercs - and for some reason these idea groups in the bottom line have good policies.

And with the DLC people would occasionally drill - but it´s mainly about the professionalism which comes with it, while mercenary ideas would make it so that You don´t lose professionalism, when You hire them.

It´s just that the idea itself is called military drill - it´s not that it unlocks drilling as said above.

[aloup.saipuol]

Yeah. The idea was given a name long before drilling was introduced. Don't really take any stock in the name of ideas - it's just flavour text without much gameplay significance.

Drill is indeed an entirely separate mechanic, that anyone (with the right DLC) can do with regular troops. It gives some buffs to the regiments who were doing the drilling, and gives professionalism (another DLC-locked feature). The idea lets you do that with mercenary troops.

This said, the bonus from defensive ideas applies to all your troops, regular or mercs.

[ArcaniteM]

So what does the last idea in the mercenary group do for me ?
"Allows mercenary units to drill" what does it do for me in my vanilla game ?

[Triple G]

Nothing, but it also gives 30% manpower for mercenaries, 5% mercenary discipline and 100% more condottieri.

Also "allows" is not the same as "enables".

[Marquoz]

A very good point. English is a sometimes subtle language with many shades of meaning.

[ArcaniteM]

Ah, okay I got it.