rdfs:comment
| - A Druzhinnik is a heavy cavalryman, distinguished by a higher cost in metal, but a correspondingly lower cost in wealth. This means that as long as Slavic nations can find sources of metal, such as pelts, or mountains, you can be assured of a large number of heavy cavalry, without exhausting your supply of wealth. That wealth can then be used to purchase mercenaries, such as Kipchak Horse Archers, or Caucasus Mountain Men to bolster your ranks.
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abstract
| - A Druzhinnik is a heavy cavalryman, distinguished by a higher cost in metal, but a correspondingly lower cost in wealth. This means that as long as Slavic nations can find sources of metal, such as pelts, or mountains, you can be assured of a large number of heavy cavalry, without exhausting your supply of wealth. That wealth can then be used to purchase mercenaries, such as Kipchak Horse Archers, or Caucasus Mountain Men to bolster your ranks. Because of its special bonus, namely your ability to save on wealth at the cost of higher amounts of metal spent, this dictates two different styles of play. For Poland, getting hordes of cavalry druzhina out to compensate for the slower train times of its signature axe units (and the plodding speed of its heavy archer line) means that it will have more wealth on hand to spend on archers, spies, and, more importantly, mercenaries. The somewhat different cost structure of cavalry druzhina will go a long way until Poland's more powerful light units are finally ready to take to the field. For Russia, however, the perennial increased consumption of iron as opposed to food and wealth means that Russia, while capable of creating immense wealth and wood, will lose out on metal production, meaning that whatever amounts of heavy infantry and cavalry created will be limited in size and scope - so Russia must use these units as conservatively as possible. Nevertheless, the Russian boyar cavalry, to which the druzhina are upgraded to, have a small speed bonus, making them more worthwhile to train once they are ready, and whatever units are boosted by the additional savings of food and wealth are somewhat noteworthy: pomestia cavalry and heavy archers all benefit from this discount. The strength of your heavy archers, combined with the stalwart performance of your berdishy infantry should help in holding your lines together, even as you use your cheaper pomestia cavalry to knock out your opponents' non-heavy units.
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