Military unit
Definition
A military unit represents a small band of approximately 20 skilled soldiers. The military unit could be as few as a dozen elite warriors or it could be as many as a hundred regular soldiers.
Production
The production a military unit gains are based on what action the unit takes each downtime.
If a player does not select a downtime option for their military unit, then the unit defaults to paid work. A new player who starts with a military unit always receives this random result; it is not possible to choose an action for your unit before you attend your first event.
Downtime Options
A military unit can pick one of four different types of action; described blow.
Independent Action
A military unit can choose to take independent action. They will always be able to choose to take paid work; other options may be available depending on the campaign.
Paid work provides a standard return based on the rank of the military unit, but other independent actions do not provide any returns by default. Make sure to check what production is shown when you select the action from the dropdown if that it is important.
Paid Work
Any military unit can always choose to engage in paid work. This happens automatically if the owner does not select any other option. The unit has an equal chance of gaining herbs, ingots or measures, money, or mana crystals as a result of this action - as if it were an appropriate resource of equivalent level.
The most common form of paid work is guard duty (protecting a business, safeguarding a caravan, or working as hired muscle, for example), but it might also represent raiding barbarian strongholds, or adventuring in the wild places of the Empire. You are free to roleplay the details of this paid work as you wish, as it does not have an impact on the ongoing campaign. Despite the name, you do not need to roleplay that the materials your military unit produces are actual payment - they can just as easily represent loot claimed from defeated opponents.
Support an Army
A military unit can choose to support an army. They will always be able to support any Imperial army; other military engagements may be available depending on the campaign.
A normal Imperial army has an effective fighting force equivalent to 5000 soldiers who are trained soldiers. When the skills and experience of a military unit are combined with a campaign army, or fortification, they improve the effective fighting force of the army by the equivalent of 100 soldiers.
Defend a Fortification
A military unit can choose to defend a territory or region. They will always be able to assist the garrison of any Imperial fortification; other options to defend an area may be available depending on the campaign.
Any military units assigned to defend a fortification are automatically assumed to patrol the area, seeking out enemy forces and other threats. This improves the defensive strength of the fortification, by the equivalent of 100 soldiers. The units will also help to prevent barbarian raids, bandit attacks and similar threats where these are taking place.
Perform Reconnaissance
A military unit can choose to perform reconnaissance in a territory or region. They will always be able to spy on an area using any Imperial spy network; other options to scout an area may be available depending on the campaign.
In most cases, the degree of success depends on the total strength of the military units assigned to support the project - a single military unit is not normally sufficient.
Imperial Guerdon
Military units do not automatically earn wealth unless they take paid work, a type of independent action. Other options may provide income for the unit, but they do not do so by default.
The Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies has control of the Imperial Guerdon, a purse drawn from the Imperial treasury to recompense commanders who act in the interests of the Empire. It is shared between military units whose actions the Quartermaster deems eligible. The Quartermaster makes an announcement to the Imperial Senate each season to indicate which military options will benefit - they may choose any of the options available - they could even give the guerdon to those units taking paid work if they cared to.
The value of the Imperial Guerdon is divided between each captain whose military unit supports an army in proportion to the effective strength of their military unit. The Senate may vote to increase or decrease the size of this fund.
Upgrades
A military unit can be upgraded using mithril obtained from the Imperial Bourse. Each time a military unit is upgraded, the effective fighting force of the unit is increased by 20. This means a 20% increase in returns from paid work, and a similar proportional increase in the share of the bursary assigned to the military unit if it supports an army or fortification.
To upgrade a military unit requires Imperial wains of mithril equal to the level the military unit is being upgraded to. So the first upgrade of a starting level 1 military unit costs 2 Imperial wains of mithril, from 2 to 3 costs 3 Imperial wains, etc.
Diversification
A military unit cannot be diversified.