Constructed units vs. special faction specific units

Well, you can easily create a cheaper Scout and give it a Telescope for the early game.

You can create a unit with Clubs, a Wooden Shield, the Muscle trait, and the Ironhide trait, although it's not cheap.

I created a unit I call "Banner" because I made it as cheap as possible. It's not meant to fight at all, just stand there. What it brings is the Shieldwall trait to buff the other units.

I tried creating a cheaper unit of Spears using the Conscripts trait, but they're pretty "Meh..."

Designed units are solid. Keep in mind that wages are the same for all units regardless of gear - I'm not suggesting a change to this, it makes sense.

But to give you an example of why you would want to design units yourself as apposed to the faction specific ones:

Pre-Designed Archers do not come with the accuracy trait, which should be a given

Pre-Designed Melee units come outfitted in auto-upgraded armor, which is way too resource intensive to mass produce

Pre-Designed horse units do not come with the fast/charge trait (which is needed to close distance in 1 round)

Pre-Designed units do not utilize all the available resources, such as compasses, rings, cloaks, poison

While I have never 'needed' anything other than a champion stack of doom, I have found a unit with 2-3 Ironhide, Sheildwall, muscle warriors with the best armor and sheilds, with 3-4 accuracy and fast bowmen  using fire and ice rings does very well at holding most moderate difficulty monster stacks at bay. This is using leather and longbows. Chain + yewbows could probably handle strong. Just fyi, dexterity is near pointless because regular units cannot critical hit. Even if they could critical hit chances are =much= too low.

I am pretty sure the champion stack of doom will be nerfed somehow. If not its not a game for me. Then normal army units will matter.

I think the items that have no materials cost currently should be given some cost, even if it is only 5.

I may not like the "look" of one unit and decide to give it a look of my choice. And certainly, being able to pick exactly what bits of armour to use, which traits and what weapon can allow me to create versions that suit better my needs. I don't tend to use anything default beyond the basic militia, spearmen and defender (ok, the pioneer is an exception during all the game). From there, it's all custom.

You should do fine with default units but using customs gives you more options.

That's my usual mid/late game army in my games. You may change the Champions and their gear but the regular troops are the same: non upgradeable troops armed with spears and leather armour, in groups, with Fast/Charge/BloodThirsty*.

In this pic's case: Until late game, only my designated mages (the two in the back) could have the time to strike the normal enemies before the troops obliterated them in the (usually) first turn as they can cross the whole map most of the time and can do some nice damage. The poor Othollo, the designated melee champion, had to get the best magical gear, buy a horse and get to level 16+ to actually be able to reach the enemy before my normal troops and be able to maul the enemy. Only against really strong enemies (HP + attack combo) is where my troops don't shine so much (and these days Othollo mauls them to death in first turn anyways, and lately my Sovereign seems to almost instacast Fireball too).

Of course, playing against the current AI in Normal doesn't suppose as much challenge as I thought... yet. But right now, in the mode i play, it works.

* I do make other designs for archers and "defenders" but this is my favourite offensive unit to go along with my Sovereign.

Eidt: Othollo goes the "General" route with Leadership and Tactician, which are great help for the troops (the "mages" focus on magic stuff, of course)

This is conjecture here, but my not-very-informed yet opinion.

I think the better option would be to buff the standard units instead of nerfing champions.  Also, having champions who lose in victorious battles get KOed and have to retreat  , would probably do the job.  AI would need to do a better job of protecting their champion stacks vs strong monsters though.

Alternative idea might be speeding up teching, so that standard units get better weapons quicker, and nerfing gold so that champions can't buy uber-gear, if needed.

Hmm... I currently have...

Lady of the Arrow: Shortbow, Precision, Fast  ( my staple archers).

Bid Faer: Chain Shirt, Vambraces, Boots and Leggings. Shortbow, Dexterity, Finesse, Precision. (elite archers)

Champions: Chain shirt, Boots and Leggigs. Battle Axe, Strength, Muscle, Brute. Ring of Embers ( frontline assault force).

City Guard: Chainmail all around, Kite Shield and Broadsword. Shieldwall, Iron Skin, Rage. (hold the line!)

Knights of the Realm : Chainmail all around, Kite Shield and Broadsword, Horse. Charge, Strength and Fast. (assault support). I do not use these much though.

And of course a mounted scout with a massive speed/sight.

My basic armies consist of:

1. Hero with a specialism ( archery, caster or melee) and preferably army-wide bonus traits.

2. Four-five units of archers.

3. A variety of Melee ( City Guard and Champions), three to four units.

All units are size 5, am working on a bigger unit size now. Soon as I get a bigger unit size I upgrade. Immedeately.

Ah, I wasn't aware of some of these issues, like the fact that melee pre-designed troops did not come with auto-upgraded armor. (Likewise I didn't realize how resource-intensive this was. Shows you how much I've been playing with troop designing :p)

One thing that needs working on, or could be removed altogether, is the "Conscripted" trait. Or is it still useful enough for making weird units, like the above poster's "Banner" unit, or super cheap scouts, to merit its continued inclusion as is?

Conscripted needs to come with a reduced (gildar) maintenance cost to be worth it, or the reduced build times need to be a percentage (with some minimum value). -10 to build time for -2 initiative and accuracy isn't close to be a fair trade.

I agree.

Yep. Initiative and accuracy are so vital that reducing them pretty well neuters any unit.

I think maybe reduced constitution or reduced attack might be a tad better? Also yeah better bonus from these penalties needed too.