2.8 Peasants and militia.

Peasants are, generally speaking, pretty damn crap! The Almohad urban militia is a honourable exception to this rule. All the other units in this category range from utterly crap to slightly crap.  

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Almohad urban militia.
Charge 3 Attack 3 Defence 3 Armour 4 Speed 6, 10, 11 Morale 2 Cost 200 Support cost 37

Almohad urban militia are very similar to the Catholic feudal men at arms. They have a shield and a sword, just like the men at arms and they have the same number of men in each unit (80). As far as use goes they should be used like men at arms; put them in two ranks and on engage at will before marching them at some spears or other infantry and letting them charge into battle. Almohad urban militia don’t really need to flank so you can use them to hold a good front line against infantry attacks. You should always endeavour to keep them far away from cavalry or they will die very quickly. If you have no choice but to fight cavalry with this unit put them in three or four ranks, try to find some trees to put the cavalry at a disadvantage and mob the cavalry with as many units as possible. This is an extremely solid unit and is a steal for its price. The militia’s shield only has a 0.5 modifer.

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Militia sergeants.
Charge 4 Attack 2 Defence 3 Armour 3 Speed 6, 10, 11 Morale 0 Cost 150 Support cost 30

Militia sergeants are an upgrade of urban militia. They are peasant level polearm troops so they have an armour piercing attack. Before the arrival of the better polearms this is the best you can do, the sergeants are available in early. Militia sergeants fair reasonably well against other early era units however they become more and more disadvantaged as the eras go by. Statistically they are the second best peasant unit but you must adjust your polearm tactics in order to make this unit shine. Rather than charging into battle against armoured units you should try to pin the armoured unit with another unit before sending the militia in to attack from behind. You need to do this because most of the early era armoured units are knights, men at arms and other elite level badasses. Never try to take on a unit of knights or other elite heavy cavalry head on with militia! They may have an advantage against cavalry and armour but they will still be swept away, instead pin the cavalry with some spears and let the militia attack from behind. Against particularly tough cavalry you may need to pin the unit and attack with more than one unit of militia. Don’t use militia sergeants against unarmoured targets if you can avoid it, as they don’t seem to do very well in that kind of situation. This unit’s main advantage is that it is the cheapest decent polearm unit and therefore quite disposable. They are also quite easy to reach in the campaign game, making them cheap to reach, cheap to build, cheap to keep and cheap to replace. They are also quite handy in the desert because of their low armour – unlike many other units the Catholics get they don’t come foil wrapped to speed cooking times!

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Muslim peasants.
Charge 4 Attack -2 Defence -4 Armour 1 Speed 6, 10, 11 Morale –2 Cost 50 Support cost 37

Muslim peasants are the single most useless unit in the game. They are utterly crap; they should be at home tending the fields rather than trying (and failing) to fight. Their morale is horrible, their attack awful, their defence non-existent. The only use for peasants is acting as a junk unit to absorb missiles that might damage more expensive units. Peasants are also used for pinning a unit while you carry out a flank attack or use destructive missiles (for example naptha) on the pinned unit. However they are not very good at this, as they tend to break and run away before you can finish your attack. If you want a junk unit to use while pinning a target use the plain, simple spearmen. For a more constructive, and suitable, use for your peasants you should use them as garrison units in your campaign map provinces. Peasants are cheap to maintain and fill the 100 man minimum quote well. They are just as effective at maintaining a provinces loyalty as the more expensive units.

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Peasants.
Charge 4 Attack -2 Defence -4 Armour 1 Speed 6, 10, 11 Morale –2 Cost 3 Support cost 37

Peasants are the non-Muslim version of Muslim peasants. They are identical except in name and unit graphic. Don’t use them except as garrisons.

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Urban militia.
Charge 4 Attack 2 Defence -1 Armour 1 Speed 6, 10, 11 Morale 0 Cost 100 Support cost 30

Urban militia are the predecessor to the handy urban sergeants. They have armour-piercing polearms coupled with not very good stats. They should be used like their more advanced brothers – pin an armoured target and use the militia to attack from the rear. Keep them away from unarmoured targets. Once you have access to the militia sergeant you have no reason to use this unit.

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