Small Mercenary rework

[Skadidesu]

I have an idea for a small Mercenary rework.
Why not allow others than Sweden to unlock Mercenaries to be trained, but only a limited number.
For example the British gets a card that unlocks Highlanders but they can only have 20 of them in the field (Like Natives).

Also a Home City card that sends a second Saloon (Saloon limit +1 and 1 Saloon wagon) to be able to train more Mercenaries for some civilisations like Germany. Could be combined with the card mentioned above.

The Mercenary Contractor gets turned into a Capitol Technology. Having such a powerful technology as a choice against like 2000 coin doesn’t seem to be that fair. Why would a Swedish player ever not choose that?
The politician now ships an army of mercenaries that depends on the Civilisation.

This could also be a good chance to add some new Mercenaries. Switzerland as the most famous Mercenary country should be represented by more than one Mercenary. But there are also a lot of other countries. TAD only gave us 5 new Mercenaries for all of Asia (plus 3 that existed before).

[ArrivedLeader22]

Training mercs is still not viable at present (except for Swedes) even with the mercenary politician. Saloon has a build limit of 1 and the training is too slow.

@Skadidesu

For example the British gets a card that unlocks Highlanders but they can only have 20 of them in the field (Like Natives).

This is similar to many church technologies. Maybe we can make these techs more accessible and allow them to be sent repetitively.

[KarlosBR96]

I suggested in another similar topic that you should be able to build 1 Saloon per Town Center, or just have a 2 or 3 base limit for all European civs.

[ArrivedLeader22]

I think it is also possible to add a tech/card that boosts the training speed similar to standing army.

[JonOli12]

Dutch also play with Mercenaries a lot, and so do Germans.
I think Dutch should be allowed to build 2 Saloons, and the Mercenary Contracts card should diminish training time for all civs that have it.

[KarlosBR96]

I think that Outlaws and Mercenaries in general should have fast training speeds, but be considerably more expensive than the average unit. With outlaws being better at raiding roles(good vs. villagers and buildings) and mercenaries being better at fighting actual military units.

[JonOli12]

@KarlosBR96

but be considerably more expensive than the average unit.

They already are, specially in population costs, which is why pure Mercenary armies are not viable, you will be brutally outnumbered everytime, and they already start not trading too well with Industrial Age upgrade units.

[Moonshadow7475]

There should be an upgrade to boost mercenaries in industrial age. Maybe a 200w/200g for a 20% boost. Each unit is upgraded individually, only for age2 and 3 mercs. So you can’t boost the age4 ones.

[JonOli12]

There is Wild West, for Outlaws, which are the ones taht need sta boosts the most, and are the most grievously overpriced.
You also have the Dance Hall card, that reduces pop cost for Outlaws and gives you Ronin (some of the best Mercs).

[KarlosBR96]

@Moonshadow7475

There should be an upgrade to boost mercenaries in industrial age. Maybe a 200w/200g for a 20% boost. Each unit is upgraded individually, only for age2 and 3 mercs. So you can’t boost the age4 ones

I kind of like that mercenaries become less powerful in the later ages when compared to regular units, since it mirrors history during that time period as nations had more professionalized armies and had to rely less on mercenaries. But gameplay wise, your idea makes sense.

[JonOli12]

Also, Mercs benefit from Standing Army and Mass Cavalry, and even training time cards and Arsenal upgrades, just like regular units. The thing that really holds them back, is the 1 Saloon limit.

For example:

Barbary Corsair

" Improvements
Hit points Infantry Breastplate (+10%)
Thin Red Line (+20%, British only)
Corselet (+25%, Spanish only)
Cree Tanning (+5%)
Maya Cotton Armor (+20%)
Navajo Weaving (+5%)
Attack Customized Merc Weapons (+30%, John Black’s Mercenaries only)
Carib Kasiri Beer (+10%)
Mapuche Tactics (+50% siege attack)
Zapotec Cult of the Dead (+20%)
Yoga (+5%)
Master Lessons (+10%)
Speed Military Drummers (+10%)
Tilly’s Discipline (+20%, Germans only)
Incan Road-building (+20%)
Apache Endurance (+5%)
Sight Town Watch (+2)
Creation speed Standing Army (-25%)
Incan Chasquis Messengers (-25%)
Train cost Mapuche Ad-mapu (-10% coin cost)
Penalties Thin Red Line (-25% speed, British only)
Coffee Trade (-10% speed, Dutch only)
Tilly’s Discipline (+10% cost, Germans only)
Corselet (-15% speed, Spanish only)

Home City Cardsedit | edit source

[hide]Click for a list of Home City Cards related to the Barbary Corsair

• Green: TEAM Shipment that is sent to each player in a team
• Purple: Shipment that can be sent an INFINITE number of times

Alledit edit source

Card Description Age HC level
Fencing School Infantry train time -40% 10

The Fencing School card is not available to Chinese, Japanese, and Ottomans.

Chineseedit edit source

Card Description Age HC level
Western Reforms All units get +8% hit points and attack 40
Acupuncture Unit train time -20% 10

Dutchedit edit source

Card Description Age HC level
TEAM Infantry Hitpoints Infantry get +15% hit points 10

Europeansedit edit source

Card Description Age HC level
Hire Barbary Corsairs Ships 9 Barbary Corsairs; costs 1,000 coin 10
Hire Mediterranean Mercenary Army Ships 4 Stradiots, 6 Barbary Corsairs, and 3 Mamelukes; costs 2,000 coin 25
Hire Barbary Corsair Force Ships 15 Barbary Corsairs; costs 2,000 coin 40

The Hire Barbary Corsairs card is available to British, Ottomans, and Portuguese.

The Hire Mediterranean Mercenary Army card is not available to Dutch and Russians, and ships 1 extra Barbary Corsair and Mameluke for the Germans.

The Hire Barbary Corsair Force card is available to Ottomans and Portuguese.

Germansedit edit source

Card Description Age HC level
Improved Mercenaries Mercenaries get +20% hit points and attack +3 Uhlans 10

Indiansedit edit source

Card Description Age HC level
Dravidian Martial Arts All units get +15% melee attack +1 Villager 40
TEAM Shivaji’s Tactics All units get +5% hit points and attack 25

Iroquoisedit edit source

Card Description Age HC level
TEAM Scout Infantry Infantry get +8 LOS 10

Japaneseedit edit source

Card Description Age HC level
Onin War Infantry get +33% siege attack 40

Russiansedit edit source

Card Description Age HC level
Ransack Infantry get +50% siege attack 25
TEAM Dueling School Infantry train time -25%; banner army train time -12% 25

Spanishedit edit source

Card Description Age HC level
TEAM Hand Infantry Attack Melee infantry get +15% attack 10
TEAM Inquisition All units get +10 LOS 10"

[Skadidesu]

I think the feature of being able to train Mercenaries in Barracks and Stables should be unique for Sweden as they leak basic unit types like a Skirmisher and a Dragoon.

But there should be the option to have more than 1 saloon, especially for the civilisations that heavily rely on them.
Adding a Saloon Wagon and a +1 Saloon limit to some of the existing Mercenary/Saloon related cards would be a nice addition.

The combination of Wallenstein’s Contracts and the Mercenary Loyalty card seems strange.
You have to send 2 cards (Church card and the Mercenary Loyalty) to get free Mercenaries (besides the infinite ones that don’t even get a discount from Wallenstein’s Contracts). That is a lot of upfront investment for the later benefit of free Mercenaries than can only really pay out in Industrial Age.
And it doesn’t change the training cost of them at all. Maybe a -10% would be nice.
I think the Wallenstein’s Contracts should be reworked. It could give a completely different bonus like permanently unlocking some mercenaries in the Saloon.

Being able to send Mercenaries twice (at last for some civilisations like Germany) would be an interesting change too.

[JonOli12]

@Skadidesu

Adding a Saloon Wagon and a +1 Saloon limit to some of the existing Mercenary/Saloon related cards would be a nice addition.

Perhaps Mercenary Contracts could allow for an extra Saloon.
You would still have to build it, but it would make the card actually useful for non-card Mercenary strategies, because getting all your Mercs from Shipments is a bad idea, if you want to go Mercs.

@Skadidesu

I think the Wallenstein’s Contracts should be reworked. It could give a completely different bonus like permanently unlocking some mercenaries in the Saloon.

It think it should give a discount at Saloon Mercenaries, or make them train instantly (which would still kill your Gold reserves).

[ArrivedLeader22]

@JonOli12

Also, Mercs benefit from Standing Army and Mass Cavalry, and even training time cards and Arsenal upgrades, just like regular units. The thing that really holds them back, is the 1 Saloon limit.

Ah I didn’t notice that because I rarely trained mercs after age 3 due to the 1 saloon limit.

The other thing that really prevents the use of saloons is the randomness. Imaging trying to go merc and finding ninja+arsonist, etc. The merc politician is a good start. Maybe all mercenary cards should enable the mercs permanently at the saloon (while being able to train them at barracks/stables remains a Swedish unique trait).

[JonOli12]

But you can only train Mercs from Age 3 onward, before that you only get Outlaws, which are super expensive and cost 4 and 6 pop each.

Never go for Outlaws, they are just trash, unless you get the Dance Hall card.
And even then they are still a waste of Gold.

@ArrivedLeader22

The other thing that really prevents the use of saloons is the randomness.

I agree, only Outlaws should have map variation. Mercs should be civ-specific, like Germans always having Black Riders, and Portuguese always having Shinobi.

[ArrivedLeader22]

@JonOli12

But you can only train Mercs from Age 3 onward

By “after age 3” I mean “after leaving age 3 and advancing into age 4”. Sorry for the confusion.

@JonOli12

Mercs should be civ-specific

If mercs are civ-specific then the merc contractor politician may not be that useful. I’d prefer each civ having several ways to unlock certain mercs just like being able to send certain mercs through shipments.

Edit: Or at least make the merc options visible when loading the map. Otherwise you’ll have to build your strategies after building the saloon.

[JonOli12]

@ArrivedLeader22

If mercs are civ-specific then the merc contractor politician may not be that useful.

Why not? It would just give you Mercs you do not usually get in your civ-specific Saloon.
This could be easily adjusted.

Example:
-Portuguese always get Ninja, Arsonist and Lil’ Bombard in their Saloon. With Mercenary Contractor they also get Stradiots and Yojimbo.
-Ottomans always get Barbary Corsairs, Arsonist and Mamelukes in their Saloon. With Mercenary Contractor they get Manchu and Jaeger.
-Dutch always get Fusilier, Harquebusier and Landsknetch in their Saloon. With Mercenary Contractor they get Jaeger and Lil’ Bombard.

[WiryScissors465]

I want Fusilier to become a Swiss mercenary and Harquebusier to become an Irish mercenary. It is not appropriate for the French and the British to act as mercenaries.

[Skadidesu]

I think the Harquebusier is kinda supposed to be Irish but they didn’t want to record new voice clips.
I think a few resking Mecrs would be ok if it makes the available mercs more historic. I mean the Swedish already have a reskin Jäger.

Most of the new Revolutionary units are slight edits of existing units. I think that’s totally ok.
I guess the new African and Algerian units in the game are already planned for the first DLC so they can’t just be used for Mercs now.

More Asian Mercs please.

The Mercs should also be reworked for the Asians in the same way of course. They have them in the monastery right now and they can only build 1.

[Millor312]

Not bad ideas. There definitely needs to be a way to increase merc training speed through a new card/tech or an add-on to the mercenary loyalty card. They are mercenaries after all, they’re already trained, they should be pretty quick to acquire as long as you have the coin, and maybe some established relationship (like a card or tech would represent). Limited recruiting through the saloon of certain mercenaries for certain civs after shipping a card like Sweden is an interesting idea too, but perhaps there should just be more infinite merc shipment cards instead.