Using the Army View

Selecting an Army

To select an army, simply find it in the drop-down list box at the top of the screen. The army information will immediately be displayed below for you to edit. Each colony starts with Reserves. This group is your permanent defense and can not be dismissed or put on the offensive. You can, however, transfer men to and from the reserve like any other army.

Transfering Troops

To transfer troops, click on the arrows to move men to and from the selected army. When the men are moved out of the army they remain idle unless you later put them into an army.

Troop Types

Troops come in four basic varieties:

• Dragoons or Cavalry - trained soldiers on horseback. They are the best offensive units.
• Artillerymen - the men in charge of your cannons. They make the best defensive units.
• Foot Soldiers or Militia - trained footmen, relatively cheap and efficient. They are adequate general purpose troops.
• Infantry - the less trained recruits of your army. They are the cheapest to hire, but are also the weakest to use.

Selecting a Leader

All armies start without having a leader, but if one is available they should be put in charge of your men. To do so, click on the button that displays the leadership status. This will give you the chance to browse through the available leaders. Some are better than others, to discern your best generals read their biographies, test them out in battle, and use your own best judgement.

Upkeep

This is the amount of money that you are spending to pay for the army's weapons, supplies, and wages. To keep your army in prime condition, pay all that you need to.

Orders

Using this drop-down list box you change your army's orders. There are three options available:

• Defend Colony - puts your army on guard. This order tells them to prepare for an oncoming attack and is the best option when there is a danger of an offensive strike by your opponent.
• March to... - tells your men to move to an adjacent colony. If you order them to go to enemy land, they will attack all defending armies there and attempt to take the colony.
• Rest - allows your men to take it easy for a while. This is good for morale, but renders the army useless if the colony should be attacked.

New Army

This button allows you to create a new empty army. Empty armies are useless until you supply them with men, orders, and perhaps a leader.

Dismiss Army

This button gets rid of the current army. CAUTION: THIS WILL REMOVE ALL THE MEN AND LEADERS IN THE ARMY FROM THE GAME! It's usually a good idea to remove anything you want to save from the army first.

Recruit Men

This allows you to hire new recruits. The men are placed in the idle troop pool until you give them further orders.