The other Roadwarden Centres at Nuln are Roadwarden West which is a ferry post now, but could be restored and used to train river patrols if there's an appetite for it in the thread. Roadwarden East is owned by the Cult of Morr, there's a prison and a Garden there.
You can use Improve a Free Company to increase the size of the Free Company which improves the recruitment rates for Iron Companies that draw from that region, e.g. the Elector's Own draw from the Sudenland.
I have added the below option to Martial:
The Officer's Academy
As its name suggests the Officer's Academy in the Militarstutz trains up officers for the Iron Companies it is also home to libraries of military manuals where tactics, strategy and doctrine are discussed and debated. In light of the Conference old manuals on warfare against necromancers will need to be dusted off and as something of an expert in tactics and strategy you shall go to the Academy and begin writing your own manual to revise the current doctrine of the Iron Companies.
(Write-In one change to make to the tactics, strategy or doctrine of the Iron Companies)
Cost 500 Marks per Die
Required Effort: 0/100
Okay so improving the Free Companies is a worthwhile action to take when we have the dice for it.
As to the officer's academy, here's some possible write-ins:
- Form the detachment system. Start training the foot Iron Companies in mixed formations.
- Equip and train our halberdiers and swordsmen with sidearm pistols. Drill our handgunners in melee combat.
- Equip and train the Elector's Own with pistols and skirmishing tactics. Develop a carbine based on our musket for use in horse-riding Iron Companies.
The first we can do now. The next two can be done when we start producing the flintlock.
@Warkeymon
I'm assuming if we wanted to start fielding pikemen we'd need some outside advisors first? Would approaching Trantio or Miragliano with a diplo action work? How difficult would it be in terms of dice? Would we need a crit success?
Halberdiers should be a fine bulwark for now, but pikes would really improve our infantry's ability to repel cavalry charges and keep undead and mortal chaff at bay. Lots of things in Warhammer are best fought with as much distance as possible. Halberds give us more range than swords but we could really use three tiers of range for melee fighting. We're only human after all. We can't make up for our weakness in cavalry without a crit success or a long road of research and development but we can improve what we have to make enemy cavalry less of a threat.
We should also endeavor to drill our free companies in firearm training. The more people that can shoot a gun the better. Restating it but maybe Bugman could be convinced to lend his expertise on ranger training to help develop a light infantry Iron Company? For scouting and skirmishing purposes as well as an Iron Company we can send out by themselves and still be effective. It would be useful to have something in case we need a presence in two fronts.
Won't be including this in my plan yet since we just got it, but we should definitely brainstorm more improvements to the military.
Edit: Another one! We can also consider mandating civil engineering training for a section of the Ironsides. Stuff like building basic bridges, repairing roads, creating fortified encampments. Not necessarily a fighting improvement but things to make logistics and defense out on campaign much easier.
Second Edit: I've thought long and hard about this over multiple quests but I don't think the Empire will ever fight in the exact likeness of OTL Pike & Shot formations. Our non-human enemies will have greater strength, speed or endurance or all three. Armor is always going to be useful. Especially when magic exists and can make armor much stronger and lighter than our world. I envision that eventually, our swordsmen will also act as handgunners. We'll have a mixed proportion of halberdiers and pikemen. Pikemen to provide the inital fighting range, halberdiers for killing power if they breach pike distance. Our handgunners/swordsmen fight at range and at breathing distance.
That all changes when we really start to improve our firearms. Eventually we can develop the bayonet and start making line infantry. They'll be way more armed and armored than otl line infantry but line infantry nonetheless.
