Mount and Blade: Warband

[LT Sandpaw]

Does anyone else on this forum play Mount and Blade? Warband in particular? I got the game about three weeks ago on steam and I've been addicted ever since. It has got to be one of the best looking, top performance games I have ever played, its longest loading time is when you start up the game itself. Sure the graphics are sub-par but the game is old-ish.

Basically for those who don't know M&B Warband is a tabletop-style game involving five to six factions who are competing for supreme control over the fictional land called Calarada or something like that. Every time you enter a battle or a village the game then switches to a first or third person view of your character, and you can command armies, give them orders, and even fight with sword, shield, bow, or lance. On foot or on horseback. You can recruit followers and there is a neat, very in-depth upgrading system that goes beyond what you see in games like Warcraft.

The gameplay is very challenging, and when your starting off it can be nearly impossible to get anywhere. When I started I kept getting murdered by desert bandits who would capture me and drag me around for a while, and they would always steal my shirt. It was very annoying.

I began my adventures in the Sarrarid Sultanate (Spelling) and joined up as a mercenary for the Sultan, eventually I gained enough renown to become a lord for the Sultanate which I did, and after a while I became one of the richest Emirs in the Sultanate owning nearly six fiefs, and city and two castles. I gave it all up though and broke from my vows to the Sultan to aid Lady Isolla of Suno in reclaiming Swadia. I've basically destroyed the little bits of Swadia that was left after they got pummeled by the Khans (Another in-game faction) They only have two castles remaining, and I already have convinced two of their lords to join me. Once I've defeated Swadia I plan on creating my own kingdom and conquering the world.

There is only one problem though... I think I made the Sarrarid Sultanate a little to powerful during my time as an Emir with them. They're destroying everyone... And since I have such a good reputation with them I don't want too start a war. Especially since the Emirs are some of my best allies. Not too mention I really love the troops I get from the Sarrarid Sultanate, Mamalukes are the best at crushing my enemies armies. No one can stand up to a full charge of thirty mamalukes, followed by Slaver Chiefs and Sultan Guards.

[Hickory]

Talk to Ash.

[NileJoy]

Nice story
You should have waited for Mount & Blade II Bannerlord though...
I heard that the game (Bannerlord) has better grahpics and allows you to customize your weapons ( I didn't get too much into it, feel free to do some research)
I've played Chivalry for a while, this game has a better combat system and better graphics than both Bannerlord and Warband, but it doesn't have so many possibilities as Mount & Blade.
I will buy Bannerlord when it comes out, and if you do the same we will play together 

[Delthion]

I have the original Mount and Blade, and it gets a little tedious, because it takes so long to get going. But the battles are really fun. Especially if you get caught by an enemy lord with a huge army, and then to their surprise you manage to defeat them with one hit-point left.

[Lady Ashenwyte]

I love this game. I've played it for 370 hours now, and it's fantastic. Also, Swadia sucks. I play with mods though, there are a ton of good ones. I love the Floris mod, it's Native Warband but expanded a lot.

Nice story
You should have waited for Mount & Blade II Bannerlord though...
I heard that the game (Bannerlord) has better grahpics and allows you to customize your weapons ( I didn't get too much into it, feel free to do some research)
I've played Chivalry for a while, this game has a better combat system and better graphics than both Bannerlord and Warband, but it doesn't have so many possibilities as Mount & Blade.
I will buy Bannerlord when it comes out, and if you do the same we will play together 

Bannerlord won't be out for a few years.

[Blaggut]

Mamalukes Rekt the Austrians when they were part of the army of Napoleon.

[Lady Ashenwyte]

Sarranid Mamelukes are as good as Swadian Knights.

[LT Sandpaw]

Swadian knights are great, I like keeping a spattering of them mixed in with the Mamalukes. I also like the Khergit Lancers, but I don't use them as much because they always die so easy. I think the strongest faction is definitely the Sarrarid Sultanate. They have a solid mix of good archers, elite heavy infantry, and excellent cavalry.

Anyway I finally started my own kingdom by capturing Jelkala from the Rhodocks, which I consider the weakest faction. Though their sharpshooters can get a bit irksome when you have a siege tower battle. So far I've captured several castles, and I have my eyes on Yelan.

[Delthion]

Is Warband easier than the original? Because it is nigh impossible to do anything quickly on it.

[LT Sandpaw]

I couldn't tell you, I've never played the original. But I can tell you that Warband even with all the settings on easy is still really difficult. It took me a long time to get anywhere, but once I got going it got easier.

[Delthion]

I must not play it very well, or I've never really got going, because I can never really hold onto towns or castles.

I require enlightenment, how do you play the game? What stats do you focus on?

[LT Sandpaw]

Well I generally made my character a really good fighter, with high leadership skill and charisma, prisoner management, inventory management and so forth. I went big on horse archery and one handed weapons and I've gotten a pretty high level with my one handed sword. I prefer the nomad saber to all other weapons.

For all the other necessary skills I recruited three companions and upgraded them for specific skills only. Basically they all have really high intelligence, and are really weak. So they get knocked out in a fight real fast, so I usually have them follow me around because their jobs are more a support role then combative. I have a trainer and tactician named Katrin, she can get me high level soldiers really fast now because she's at level 9 training skill. I have a healer named Jeramus who also doubles as my engineer, Jeramus was a good find cause he already started out as a solid healer, and whenever I max out on his surgery, wound treatment, and first aid I start upgrading his engineering skill. He's a nice addition plus he keeps my men alive thanks to his surgery skill. Then I have Marnid whose my path finder, spotter, and tracker. He's very important and because of him my army practically flies from place to place.

I recently recruited a new companion named Artimus who I'm using as an emissary/messenger. I'm upgrading his persuasion skill so he can convince people to join me. I also had this crazy lady named Mathelda, she had great charisma and intelligence but kept fighting with my other companions so I put her in charge of my court.

As for play style I'm not entirely sure how to explain it, but I'll do my best. For the most part, due to the morale system, I keep a my army really small, with loads of elite troops, like mamalukes and lancers. Unless I'm going to take a castle I keep my army around seventy to fifty soldiers usually nothing but cav. This makes my army really fast, and incredibly dangerous. I can outrun larger three hundred - two hundred men sized armies and just wipe out anything smaller.

Thanks to the location of my first town I have this neat chokepoint where I can funnel enemy lords through, making it easy to stop them from raiding my villages, and that way they can't build up an army big enough to take my town/castles.

After battles if I do capture a enemy lord I usually let them go, I'm hoping to bring in more honorable lords to my side, so basically everyone likes me, and usually tell me, "Good day," right before I wreck their whole army except a few of course. There is this one guy though that has a negative one hundred feeling towards me, and he keeps sending assassins to kill me, so I capture and sell him a lot.

So yeah that was probably more information then you ever wanted to know.

[Lady Ashenwyte]

You should try playing with either the Floris or Diplomacy mod. Both are on the Steam workshop. It does take a long time to get a good army, but once you get there you're unstoppable.

[Hickory]

Interesting strategy guys. Are you only allowed one army?

[Lady Ashenwyte]

Interesting strategy guys. Are you only allowed one army?

Yes, but you can have nobles with their personal armies under your command when you become king.