Demonstrably untrue. You’re changing a bunch of things about the civ, that will change the meta way they’re being played. For one, you think they should be making your new unique unit rather than the famous Frank paladin.
Added a new unit is not a buff, it add just more strategy and diversity, Franks advantages are cavalry this is why a unit like gendarmes who replace the throwing axe units is more logic.
So it’s better, better and also better in every way than the Frank paladin, the unit that has served as the gold standard for a great unit nonstop ever since the game’s release. This is a game build around balance. There’s not supposed to be one best unit.
Like i said a unit don’t change the meta, it’s only the bonus who change the meta, for example economic change the meta, the rest is about strategy.
I know the execution feels a bit random, but the throwing axeman is based on how the earlyish Franks often had axes they would throw right before clashing into the enemy, a bit like how the Romans had their darts/plumbata. It’s a distinguishing characteristic of the civ, even if worked into a unit in a bit of a weird way.
I know it’s based on that, but my main argument is to add them to Caslte, who is the place who feat more for them, throwing axe man place are in casern.
Did you ever hear about the battle of the golden spurs? That’s what the Flemish Militia/Revolution is based upon. The French knights got creamed by melee infantry in that one. It’s one of the earliest signs of how the relationship between infantry and cavalry would develop towards and around the early military revolution. Agincourt does not prove that French knights were very strong in melee but very weak in range. They were perfectly fine against ranged units under most circumstances. If anything in the end melee proved to be any knight’s weakness. The British successes with archers are mostly a testament to the quality of their archer’s, not to a lack of certain qualities in the opposing knights.
(Also: didn’t you say the gendarmes would have better protection than the knight line?)
I honestly don’t really see where you’re going with this. You feel the axe throwing thing is too much of a random detail worked into a weird unit, but introduce a random detail worked into a weird tower bonus. You think the Franks should have a unit best described as mostly just “better” which doesn’t really work with the game, and the historic trivia you use for this seems pretty random. Yes, it’s weird that the knight line uses swords as their primary weapon instead of lances, but that’s weird for all civs. We just have to kind of imagine the lances to be there.
I just don’t really see how this makes the Franks more like Franks. I think the Franks are pretty Frankish, to be frank.
Kind regards,
Frank
Gendarmes was the strongest warrior of French, French strategy was very bad this is why they lose, imagine slow unit like gendarmes with infantry and english who have great tactical position, the one who win will be the english. After it has nothing to do with it, Gendarmes like i said will be the slowest cavalry with great damage, health, protection, but their will be still weak in a way than Paladins.
To be Frank this is how i see Frank.