Hiring Troops

Overview

A PC might want to hire troops for many reasons - here a few examples of reasons.

You want someone to act as a servant / footman / page. (Watch)
A business wants to improve security. (Watch, Guard)
A homeowner wants to secure their house. (Watch, Guard)
As a status symbol - wealthy and important people/businesses have their own security.
A town needs guards. (Watch, Guard, Soldiers)
A Merchant or Ship's Captain wants to protect their cargo. (Guard, Soldiers)
As a status symbol (2) - Better equipped troops are higher status.
You want to clear or secure an area of countryside. (Soldiers)
You need to fight a war. (Soldiers)

Caveats

There are a couple of things to be aware of, when you look through the lists below.

Unless you provide accommodation (bunk or lodgings space) for your troops, they go home when they are off duty and are, effectively, part-timers. That probably means one person on duty at any particular time, which is enough to raise the alarm and call the watch, but with no chance to call out the whole unit if you are attacked.
Unless you have an armoury, troops come with the most basic equipment, and only have the minimum they need to do the job. You can buy extra gear for then, at cost (remembering there are five in each unit) which can be a cost-effective solution if item costs come to less than 39gp per person. However, if you want to employ a better, or higher status, guards an armoury (390gp) is the better option. Be aware that an armoury will only provide for 10 troopers - so you might find it beneficial to use different techniques for different troop types.

Troop Type & Cost

Guards & watchmen protect things and expect to stay in civilized areas. They are not deployed to fight wars or battles, and expect to spend the bulk of their time in secure areas (This might be a walled enclosure in the wilderness or on the frontier). All other troops can be deployed as guards (in both civilised, frontier or wilderness) OR be sent to fight in battles or wars.

Watchmen are Commoner, most other troops are Warrior-1, elite troops are Warrior-3. However, you should note that this is the average ability of the troop. A 'standard' unit might actually consist of an 2xExperts(L1), 2xWarriors(L1) and 1xFighter(L2) - but they will all be treated as L1 warriors. An elite unit will follow a similar pattern. However, no characters in the unit ever have individual character sheets, and they are not considered individually - except in very rare circumstances.

The costs shown are recruitment costs for each type of troop.

Simple Troops	These troops are the starting point for most people, and probably all the middle classes need. They offer security for upmarket families, homes and businesses in towns, making them less prone to burglaries and theft. Unless you have accommodation space (either Bunks or lodgings) available - these troops go home overnight.
Watchmen	70 gp	5x Watchmen come free with some buildings that include a gatehouse or a Guard Post. They wear a uniform and might carry a truncheon – although that is for their personal defence rather than anything else.
House Guards	100gp	It costs 100gp to recruit 5x house guards. This includes buying them the most basic of equipment (Padded and Spear). Guards cannot be deployed outside of their home town.
Foot Soldiers	220gp	It costs 220gp to recruit 5x Soldiers prepared to go to war and fight. These are the most basic foot troops and are equipped with Leather Armour and Spears. This is the absolute minimum require to meet the definition of ‘Soldier’
UPGRADES	You can improve equipment, by paying for the cost of new equipment for each member of staff. Note that there are 5 staff in each unit. Conversely, you can add an armoury to your building to give yourself the basic upgrades listed below.
Add an Armoury	Adding an Armoury changes the equipment and status of your troops significantly. They are better equipped, look the part and are often expected to be more professional. You can develop your own weapon set for troops, however they must conform to the wealth allocation as describe in This Table. Note that this will not affect eht combat values of the troops, when used in Mass combat situations.
Watchmen (Town)	70gp	New Gear = Padded Armour, Dagger & Sling (Town Watch trait). They patrol the town, but call out the guard to deal with trouble makers.
Watchmen (Trained)	70gp	New Gear = Padded Armour, Dagger & Sling (Town Watch trait). They add support to ranged defences, not melee.
Town Guards	100gp	New Gear = Chain Shirt & Glaive. Generally deployed at the gates to a town or to guard civic locations but can be called out to quell disturbances.
Guards	100gp	New Gear = Chain Shirt, Buckler, Short Sword & LXB. Generic guards, who might be employed as wall guards in a town, caravan guards or private house guards. If used as marine guards swap the Chain shirt for Leather Armour and the short sword for a boarding axe.
Soldiers	220gp	New Gear = Scale mail, Heavy Shield, Long Sword & 5x Javelins. The classic FRP ‘Sword and Board’ soldier.
Archers	310gp	New Gear = Scale Mail, Buckler, Long Bow & Longsword. The classic FRP ‘Archery’ soldier.
Elite Troops	Elite Troops are all L3 and have the gear described in the Downtime Teams section of the rules , or the same as their lower level counterparts. You will not be able to employ them without an armoury to provide their weapons and armour.
Elite Guards	170gp	-
Elite Soldiers	330gp	-
Skirmishers	360gp	Gear = Leather Armour, Buckler, Short Bow & Hand Axe. The classic FRP ‘Skirmish’ soldier with Ranger-like skills.
Elite Archers	380gp	-
Cavalry	410gp	Light Cavalry
Cavalry Archers	470gp	Light Cavalry with Short Bows

JohnB's Games

Table of Contents

Hiring Troops

Overview

Caveats

Troop Type & Cost