How much defence should i leave in my cities/castles

[pintu]

Just wondering because of the unit upkeep cost, how many units should i leave in a city/castle to defend it while my main army is out conquering

[Felixlynch777]

Depends on the city really. Can't give any clear answer.

[Mebbwebb]

Fill up your free militia spots with the best militia you have. Add a few ballista or mortars. and you should be good.

[Rossignol]

If they aren't frontline cities, a handful of militia should be enough. In the absence of external threats, two things will be important: order and cost. In a "safe" city, optimally you'll want the least expensive garrison that can still maintain good order.

Recently captured cities that had a different religion will be the toughest to keep order in. Sacking the city when it's captured will help early on for order, but usually is detrimental in the long run as unsacked cities will generally become orderly in much less time then a sacked city will recover from a sack.

If you can reach 80-85%+ order, the city should be more or less safe from revolts.

Larger settlements can maintain larger free garrisons. Castles have better order than cities. Use missionaries before and after taking a region with a different region. Keep the lowest tax rate that you can afford in cities as it both reduces discontent and fosters growth. High chivalry governors also help.

In my REMF (Rear Echelon, erm... Medieval Farmer) regions I generally don't keep more than 2-4 units garrisoned. I'll also keep a small but mobile army responsible for rebel control in a group of regions.

Also, while a bit cheesy, a unit that can deploy stakes can wreck city attackers, especially cavalry units. The AI doesn't deal well with stakes placed in the gateway. "Meat grinder" is the term that comes to mind.

[speedrat]

Originally Posted by Rossignol

If they aren't frontline cities, a handful of militia should be enough. In the absence of external threats, two things will be important: order and cost. In a "safe" city, optimally you'll want the least expensive garrison that can still maintain good order.

Recently captured cities that had a different religion will be the toughest to keep order in. Sacking the city when it's captured will help early on for order, but usually is detrimental in the long run as unsacked cities will generally become orderly in much less time then a sacked city will recover from a sack.

If you can reach 80-85%+ order, the city should be more or less safe from revolts.

Larger settlements can maintain larger free garrisons. Castles have better order than cities. Use missionaries before and after taking a region with a different region. Keep the lowest tax rate that you can afford in cities as it both reduces discontent and fosters growth. High chivalry governors also help.

In my REMF (Rear Echelon, erm... Medieval Farmer) regions I generally don't keep more than 2-4 units garrisoned. I'll also keep a small but mobile army responsible for rebel control in a group of regions.

Also, while a bit cheesy, a unit that can deploy stakes can wreck city attackers, especially cavalry units. The AI doesn't deal well with stakes placed in the gateway. "Meat grinder" is the term that comes to mind.

REMF (Rear Echelon, erm... Medieval Farmer) Well played...rep for you!

[bud380]

Originally Posted by Rossignol

If they aren't frontline cities, a handful of militia should be enough. In the absence of external threats, two things will be important: order and cost. In a "safe" city, optimally you'll want the least expensive garrison that can still maintain good order.

Recently captured cities that had a different religion will be the toughest to keep order in. Sacking the city when it's captured will help early on for order, but usually is detrimental in the long run as unsacked cities will generally become orderly in much less time then a sacked city will recover from a sack.

If you can reach 80-85%+ order, the city should be more or less safe from revolts.

Larger settlements can maintain larger free garrisons. Castles have better order than cities. Use missionaries before and after taking a region with a different region. Keep the lowest tax rate that you can afford in cities as it both reduces discontent and fosters growth. High chivalry governors also help.

In my REMF (Rear Echelon, erm... Medieval Farmer) regions I generally don't keep more than 2-4 units garrisoned. I'll also keep a small but mobile army responsible for rebel control in a group of regions.

Also, while a bit cheesy, a unit that can deploy stakes can wreck city attackers, especially cavalry units. The AI doesn't deal well with stakes placed in the gateway. "Meat grinder" is the term that comes to mind.

Wait, what, stakes? Where and how do you place stakes? I've played 17 hours of Medieval 2 and have not yet once seen any unit ability that allows them to place "stakes".

[Rossignol]

It's an ability that some foot archery units have.

[w00ties]

Originally Posted by bud380

Wait, what, stakes? Where and how do you place stakes? I've played 17 hours of Medieval 2 and have not yet once seen any unit ability that allows them to place "stakes".

English Longbow units have stakes as their special ability. Usually you put them in front of any units vulnerable to cavalry on the battlefield.