Post by Emperor Shao on Jul 8, 2006 23:32:50 GMT -5
In this game you can buy troops or items for troops. Troops are secondary purchases though most of the time, since they come unarmed and are more expensive if you buy them than if you obtain them directly from your barracks. On the other hand, you may acquire more professional soldiers from the market than from your barracks, which is an incentive to use money to get soldiers as well as weapons, mounts and armour from this market.
The system of buying weapons rather than troops in 3k games was brought back into popular use by a few people who I'd like to give credit to, these people being Lyle/Conqueror, Brian/Sun Yuan Ci and Shikahamaru/Yuan Shu/Zhang Jiao (I'd also like to give credit to a probably retired roleplayer named Emperor Yuan Shu, as well as to the probably not retired Li Dian for being the first people I have seen to use this system). Tweaked slightly, troops in chronicles of destiny are able to carry as many items as they want, though obviously forcing them to wield too much would be costly and make them ineffective. There are also different sorts of troops besides militia. Remember when you buy the Men they come unarmed so you must arm them by buying the weapon as well. Here are all the things you can buy in this game:
Troops:
Unarmed Militia - 10 for 40 gold
Militia: Militia are normally drafted automatically from the provincincial countryside, but a few peasants that are not 'tied down to the land' so to speak sometimes will sell their services as laborers or soldiers. Militia are pretty much untrained for the most part, and they carry terrible farming implements as weapons before you give them armaments. Once they have armaments they drop whatever weak stuff they brought before being armed with good weapons.
Unarmed Barbarian Mercenaries (can be Qiang, Xiongnu, Wuwan, Yue or Nanman) - 10 for 50 gold
Barbarian Mercenaries (see above for selection): Barbarian soldiers were relied on heavily as auxilaries or troops in Ancient China. They fought with several factions but several tribes were also absorbed by other kingdoms. Much of Dong Zhuo's army was said to be comprised of Qiang mercenaries and the Yue both fought against and later became an integral part of the Wu kingdom. Foreign mercenaries are somewhat undisciplined, but they are good riders, excel in areas with hilly or mountainous terrain, and are better than militia in any case.
Unarmed Marines - 10 for 60 gold
Marines: Marines are an upgraded form of militia that can be trained if militia enter battle enough. Marine units originally were invented in the southern areas of China. They basically are better than militia in nearly every way, especially since they receive or have had at least some training and are proficient in using most weapons. They are known to be especially skilled in river combat and sea battles and they are better than most troop types at boarding ships.
Items:
Swords - 20 for 20 Gold
Swords: Swords are quicker than spears or other tier 1 melee weapons. Against spearmen and units that hold heavier weapons, swordsmen dominate in battle, whether the particular swordsmen is mounted (in which case it would be powerful against mounted troops with spears but not good against spearmen) or on foot (in which case the swordsmen would fight well against pikemen or spearmen).
Spears - 20 for 20 Gold
Spears: Spears are the common melee weapon of infantry in Ancient China. They, being polearms, work well against cavalry but don't usually match up that well against other kinds of infantry in open combat. Spears must be carried with two hands by ordinary, untrained militia. More professional troops can hold them and still utilize them effectively though with only one.
Slings - 25 for 15 Gold
Slings: Slings are quite nearly an obsolete weapon. They are not too effective at all in battle, but slingers still have obvious advantages (such as the ability to have an infinite amount of ammo in certain locations at their disposal), and thus are used effectively by guerilla armies situated in mountains. Beyond mountainous terrain, where slingers can conceal themselves and have plenty of rocks near them to work with, slings are not a weapon that is very often employed.
Javelin Quivers - 25 for 15 Gold
Javelin Quivers: Javelin Quivers are quite simply quivers (similar to the type used to hold arrows) that can be equipped on the backs of soldiers. They hold anywhere from 5-10 Javelin, which can be thrown at enemies from a distance before troops with these quivers unsheathe other melee weapons and charge forward into battle. It is not recommended that soldiers be only equipped with Javelin quivers, because the number of Javelins that soldiers can throw is quite limited and the Javelins are very short and not designed at all to handle hand-to-hand combat.
Crossbows - 20 for 20 Gold
Crossbows: Easily the most desired weapon of infantry in Qin and Warring States times, as well as during the Han period, the crossbow is an easy weapon to use in battle, especially for untrained militia. It is, however, not as powerful or accurate as other types of bows from the north but it has the advantages of range.
Horses - 10 for 20 Gold
Horses: The most common type of mount in Ancient China, horses actually come from the north of the country, from the various barbarian tribes which at one time ravaged China with mounted riders. Even though there are now great numbers of horses in China, especially in the North, horses still cost a lot because of the difficulty in finding specially bred warhorses. Cavalry however is effective in running down infantry or archers (except for spear/pike men and such).
Camels - 10 for 20 gold
Camels: Camels are actually very similar to horses. They too are imported and brought to China, though instead of being taken from the north, camels come from the West and live wildly very close to the Gobi Desert (which is near Xi Liang). Camels fare much better in hot climates than horses do, but on the other hand they are unable to cope with colder temperatures, something that horses are a bit better at doing. Their stench happens to be highly disliked by horses, making camel riders effective against cavalry in hand to hand combat.
Chariots - 10 for 25 gold
Chariots: Chariots are an anti-infantry and anti-armour weapon, but their weakness is against units that have height advantages against them, such as horsemen, camel mounted troops and soldiers on elephants. To compensate for this weakness, chariots are one of the quickest weapons in the game, and rip through troops, including troops with armour and/or spears, with utter ease. On chariots spears are actually better than swordsmen, so charioteers armed with polearms or bows are a deadly weapon...
Thatch Sheilds - 20 for 15 gold
Thatch Shields: Thatched shields are by far the most basic forms protection you'll have, but it is protection none the less. Used more by desert dwelling peoples than by their winter and humid neighbors, thatched sheilds still were used widely by all factions, just with others placing animal skin over it to add a thin extra layer of defence. Thatched shields, are simply put, woven shields made from wood. They can't stop many heavy - and even some lighter - weapons, but they offer more protection than no shielding what-so-ever.
Leather Armour - 20 for 15 gold
Leather Armour: Essentially a leather jerkin and slightly more armoured pants, leather armour is not the best guard against enemy attacks, but it certainly works much better than the ordinary battle garb that unarmoured troops wear. Leather armour is suited for both very hot and very cold climates, as heavier armour like chain mail or plate mail tends to
Light Chain Mail - 20 for 15 gold
Light Chain Mail: Light chain mail is more protective than the ordinary battle garb that regular troops wear and also stronger and more fit than leather armour, though consequentely it is also heavier and thus makes troops wearing it slower. It is particularly effective for cavalry, but it is not at all suited for very hot or very cold climates no matter what kind of troops wear them, as donning metal armour will cause troops to get exhausted much too easily in arid or freezing environments.
Troops:
Engineers - 10 for 40 Gold
Engineers - These men simply help construct walls, dig pits, man siege weapons and so forth. They can do all this much better than ordinary militia, but they do not fight that well and are not proficient in using weapons; they fight about as well as militia in battle. Because of this they are cheap, but they are still good units to have to do some non-combat tasks during battles. Militia who work on any of the aforementioned tasks may be upgraded to engineers after a few battles.
Pirates - 10 for 70 Gold
Pirates - Like Marines, Pirates were born to fight on the waves. However, they aren't nearly as honorable as the Marines, and are quire feroicious in battle. They are particularly adept at taking enemy ships, and working as the crews on sea vessels, but they are also decent land soldiers as well. Experienced marines occassionally will advance to become pirates.
Shock Troops/Storm Troops - 10 for 70 Gold
Shock Troops/Storm Troops - Shock Troops and Storm troops are not the same thing, though they are similar units. Both are adept at handling all weapons and fighting on any terrain, though pirates slightly one-up them in river and naval combat. They are basically another form of upgraded marines, and are obtained when veterans like marines in an army particularly distinguish themselves. Very good militia may also become shock or storm troops. The main difference between the two actually lies in their abilities in different kinds of battles. Shock Troops are a unit used by Gao Shun that would historically go into the center of an enemy formation and fight completely surrounded, making them awesome units for defense since they don't break under pressure (even when flanked on all sides). Storm Troops are basically raiders who are better used for attacking.
Amazons/Amazonesses- 10 for 65 gold
Amazons- These are powerful barbarian troops that come in mostly female varieties. They are a specialized costly unit that is good with all throwing and ranged weapons, though weaker with melee ones. Putting them in the rear of the army and just in the army itself is also good for supporting the male units and raising morale anyways, which makes them generally a particularly effective unit.
Items:
Scimitars/Sabers - 10 for 20 Gold
Scimitars/Sabers: Scimitars and sabers are curved blades that are designed to be stronger than ordinary swords, as well as longer and more curved. Armed men with sabers or scimitars will destroy lesser swordsmen, as when they deflect a sword, they can deflect not only blade to blade, but blade to side, effectively eliminating the swords shortcomings. Both weapons are slightly heavier than swords but can still be carried with one hand by militia and other troops, who will need however to rest every now and then when they wield these weapons. Scimitars and sabers come at the same price and are pretty much equally as effective, even though they look slightly different.
Pikes - 10 for 20 Gold
Pikes: Basically, these are spears, with poles that have been strengthed and lengthened, and who's spearheads are bigger, so that they incur more damage. These can be wielded effectively by even the most raw recruits, however they take two hands at almost all times to wield effectively by militia. More professional troops on the other hand can wield them with only one.
Glaives - 10 for 25 Gold
Glaives: Glaives combine the best aspects of pikes and sabers. They are essentially the ultimate cavalry anti-cavalry weapon. Confusing? Basically glaives, when wielded from horseback, can take out any other cavalry units save elephants, with swords or spears. They are also powerful against charioteers as well. When wielded by foot soldiers they are not nearly as effective though, and fall susceptible to cavalry themselves. This, however, is off-setted by the ability of men with glaives against all other foot units from the ground and against elephants.
Heavy Javelin Quivers - 10 for 15 Gold
Heavy Javelin Quivers: These are like their predecessor, however the javelins are strengthened, the quiver holds more Javelins, and when thrown by the right troop, javelins can actually skewer multiple opponents. The last Javelin is actually a modified spear, so that it can be used not only to be thrown, but in melee as well, though it will be as effective as a tier 1 spear. All of the Javelins are bent at an angle which insures they will get stuck in their victims, ripping flesh and making them painful to remove.
Throwing Knives - 10 for 15 Gold
Throwing Knives: Throwing Knives are used by the Nanman in the southwest of China. The most famous character to use them is Zhu Rong from Luo Guanzhong's Romance of the Three Kingdoms. They are excellent weapons for assassins outside of battle or for skirmishers within battle. Though throwing knives do not have a lot of range, dozens can be carried in quivers, on belts, and so forth held by enemy infantry. At close range they are also more accurate, but they may not necessarily penetrate enemy armour and can be guarded against with shields.
Composite Bow- 10 for 20 Gold
Composite Bow: These bows were made to bend, and as such, they have extra power when their arrows are released. Capable of shooting straight through leather and light metal armor, they are thus very destructive, especially when volleyed. They are also very effective bows to be used from horses.
Elephants - 10 for 30 gold
Elephants: White elephants come primarily from Wu Yue, although a few can be seen in the southwest of China. They are hardened beasts that can sometimes be difficult to tame, and even after being tamed it is even more challenging to get them to keep collected in a battle situation. Unlike other mounts, the elephants you buy in this shop can be used without needing a rider, although they are more effective if you have someone on top of them with a pike (spears are too short to use from atop a pachyderm) or a bow. In general elephants are anti-cavalry weapons, since the easily scare off camels and horses alike. They also are tough versus chariots. Their weakness is against horsebowmen and men armed with throwing weapons, troops that, with deftness, can land a spear, throwing axe, knife, whatever right in an elephants' rump, which will cause the poor animals to stampede crazily all over the place, making them susceptible to follow up blows...
Armoured (Kataphractoi) Cavalry - 10 for 25 gold
Armoured Cavalry: Armoured Cavalry essentially are horses with professionally crafted horse armour. Horse armour, being rare, adds a little bit to the price of the cavalry, though the advantages can be easily seen in battle; spear or pikemen will kill closer to a 2 to one rather than 4 to one or even higher ratio when they are up against armoured horses. Other units will be trampled to oblivion in the face of charging knights mounted on armoured horses meanwhile.
Kataphractoi Camels - 10 for 25 gold
Kataphractoi Camels: Kataphractoi Camels are better than ordinary camels because of extra armour that is equipped on them. They do, however, suffer a speed reduction that horses don't necessarily have when armoured. They also tend to do even worse than ordinary camel units outside of areas with hot climates. On the other hand, in warm environments and in warm weather, they become not only the bane of cavalry because of the smell emitting from them which scares off horses, but also are feared by infantry more than regular camel riders.
Embossed Shields - 20 for 20 gold
Embossed Shields: Embossed Shields are finely crafted shields that are usually emblazoned with the crest of a kingdom on them. They are tall like tower shields and are extremely durable and good defensively. They are able to fend off attacks and keep troops protected much better than simple thatched shields.
Battle Robes - 15 for 20 gold
Battle Robes: Battle Robes are made of silk and are can be both light and warm enough to work well in hot or cold climates. They are lighter than plate mail and offer less protection, but battle robes also come with breastplates, caps, shoulder, knee and shin guards and other protection so that troops wearing battle robes are much more guarded than if they wear
Plate Mail - 15 for 20 gold
Plate Mail: Plate Mail is tier 2 heavy armour. It is the most protective armour in the game, but is also the heaviest, and thus troops will have problems in very hot or cold climates wearing it.
Troops-
Beserkers - 10 for 80 Gold
Beserkers: Beserkers are really not much more disciplined than barbarians, if not less disciplined. But they have better fighting records and thus make for deadly soldiers. They are best kept at the very frontlines of an army as they are foreign mercenaries and thus have a shaky record with loyalty. It is not uncommon for barbarian support troops to join beserker bands after gaining a bit of combat experience.
Imperial Guards - 10 for 90 Gold
Imperial Guards - Skilled infantry, these troops are usually found in prominent positions as guards of a city or gate, though they can often also be recruited and sent to war, for a costly price of course. Imperial Guards are strong, durable men, who's allegiance can't be swayed. They are most useful in Urban situations but are also good on the offense or defense side during sieges.
Items-
Eastern Swords - 10 for 30 Gold
Eastern Swords: Created in the style of the Japanese Katana, these blades were forged through a secret process of folded metal. As such, these are almost unbreakable, and perhaps some of the deadliest blades in the realm. Can Cleave most armor in twain and are quick enough and long enough to cut down men with battleaxes before the axemen can even swing their weapons.
Battleaxes - 10 for 30 Gold
Battleaxes: These weapons, used by famous characters like Xu Huang, are strong as hell, and are terribly feared by charging cavalry. When equipped on cavalry they are even stronger, as they are tough versus enemy infantry too, though still cannot match up with cavalry wielding eastern swords. Requires two hands to use by militia, qiang barbarians and marines, though more professional units can carry them with one.
Composite Longbow - 10 for 30 Gold
Composite Longbow: A machine of great Ranged power. It combines the range of the longbow, with the power of the composite bow, to create one of the most dangerous weapons for ranged combat. With power, speed, and distance on its side, it's only a matter of time before the enemy is nothing but porcupines.
Zweihander - 10 for 40 Gold
The ULTIMATE sword. This sword is massive and wide, but unfortunately it is extremely awkward when wielded by militia, and practically requires[/u] more professional units to carry it. These swords are similar to the weapon that Guan Ping uses in Dynasty Warriors. It can easily cleave through lower tier cavalry and equal tier infantry armed with halberds alike but troops carrying it, even strong ones, need two hands on it to use it properly.
Halberds - 10 for 40 Gold
Halberds - A devastating weapon that is essentially a mix between a spear and an axe. It has a sharp point that can be used for piercing but also an axe blade that can chop down troops with horizontal slashes as well. They will ultimately destroy just about any enemy cavalry in the game and will also be a match for all tier 3 and below infantry. The Zweihander is really the halberd's only weakness. The halberd can be wielded with one hand by every army unit except for militia.
Enhanced Chu Ko Nu - 10 for 40 Gold
Chu Ko Nu - Chu Ko Nu were fast firing Chinese Crossbows. However, historically innacurate, these versions are spot on with accuracy. Not a good volleying weapon, but when firing in rows, they can be deadly. Loaded with 6 missiles, they fire as fast as the wielder can pull the string back.
Titan - 10 for 50 Gold
Titan Horses - These horses are mastiffs. They easily crush through enemy lines, with extrememely hard hitting hooves, and dense armor. They aren't as fast as basic horses, but with the extra armor, the sacrifice is well worth it. The Horse itself is near unkillable, however the rider is only as armored as you make it.
Notes-
1.) Prices may fluctuate.
2.) Troops and items are not all historically accurate. For a good view of historically accurate Han troops, take a look at the pictures at this site- protein.biochem.queensu.ca/~dlee/San9/maltz/school/special/armor_weapon.htm
The system of buying weapons rather than troops in 3k games was brought back into popular use by a few people who I'd like to give credit to, these people being Lyle/Conqueror, Brian/Sun Yuan Ci and Shikahamaru/Yuan Shu/Zhang Jiao (I'd also like to give credit to a probably retired roleplayer named Emperor Yuan Shu, as well as to the probably not retired Li Dian for being the first people I have seen to use this system). Tweaked slightly, troops in chronicles of destiny are able to carry as many items as they want, though obviously forcing them to wield too much would be costly and make them ineffective. There are also different sorts of troops besides militia. Remember when you buy the Men they come unarmed so you must arm them by buying the weapon as well. Here are all the things you can buy in this game:
Tier 1 Troops & Items
[/size][/b][/u]Troops:
Unarmed Militia - 10 for 40 gold
Militia: Militia are normally drafted automatically from the provincincial countryside, but a few peasants that are not 'tied down to the land' so to speak sometimes will sell their services as laborers or soldiers. Militia are pretty much untrained for the most part, and they carry terrible farming implements as weapons before you give them armaments. Once they have armaments they drop whatever weak stuff they brought before being armed with good weapons.
Unarmed Barbarian Mercenaries (can be Qiang, Xiongnu, Wuwan, Yue or Nanman) - 10 for 50 gold
Barbarian Mercenaries (see above for selection): Barbarian soldiers were relied on heavily as auxilaries or troops in Ancient China. They fought with several factions but several tribes were also absorbed by other kingdoms. Much of Dong Zhuo's army was said to be comprised of Qiang mercenaries and the Yue both fought against and later became an integral part of the Wu kingdom. Foreign mercenaries are somewhat undisciplined, but they are good riders, excel in areas with hilly or mountainous terrain, and are better than militia in any case.
Unarmed Marines - 10 for 60 gold
Marines: Marines are an upgraded form of militia that can be trained if militia enter battle enough. Marine units originally were invented in the southern areas of China. They basically are better than militia in nearly every way, especially since they receive or have had at least some training and are proficient in using most weapons. They are known to be especially skilled in river combat and sea battles and they are better than most troop types at boarding ships.
Items:
Swords - 20 for 20 Gold
Swords: Swords are quicker than spears or other tier 1 melee weapons. Against spearmen and units that hold heavier weapons, swordsmen dominate in battle, whether the particular swordsmen is mounted (in which case it would be powerful against mounted troops with spears but not good against spearmen) or on foot (in which case the swordsmen would fight well against pikemen or spearmen).
Spears - 20 for 20 Gold
Spears: Spears are the common melee weapon of infantry in Ancient China. They, being polearms, work well against cavalry but don't usually match up that well against other kinds of infantry in open combat. Spears must be carried with two hands by ordinary, untrained militia. More professional troops can hold them and still utilize them effectively though with only one.
Slings - 25 for 15 Gold
Slings: Slings are quite nearly an obsolete weapon. They are not too effective at all in battle, but slingers still have obvious advantages (such as the ability to have an infinite amount of ammo in certain locations at their disposal), and thus are used effectively by guerilla armies situated in mountains. Beyond mountainous terrain, where slingers can conceal themselves and have plenty of rocks near them to work with, slings are not a weapon that is very often employed.
Javelin Quivers - 25 for 15 Gold
Javelin Quivers: Javelin Quivers are quite simply quivers (similar to the type used to hold arrows) that can be equipped on the backs of soldiers. They hold anywhere from 5-10 Javelin, which can be thrown at enemies from a distance before troops with these quivers unsheathe other melee weapons and charge forward into battle. It is not recommended that soldiers be only equipped with Javelin quivers, because the number of Javelins that soldiers can throw is quite limited and the Javelins are very short and not designed at all to handle hand-to-hand combat.
Crossbows - 20 for 20 Gold
Crossbows: Easily the most desired weapon of infantry in Qin and Warring States times, as well as during the Han period, the crossbow is an easy weapon to use in battle, especially for untrained militia. It is, however, not as powerful or accurate as other types of bows from the north but it has the advantages of range.
Horses - 10 for 20 Gold
Horses: The most common type of mount in Ancient China, horses actually come from the north of the country, from the various barbarian tribes which at one time ravaged China with mounted riders. Even though there are now great numbers of horses in China, especially in the North, horses still cost a lot because of the difficulty in finding specially bred warhorses. Cavalry however is effective in running down infantry or archers (except for spear/pike men and such).
Camels - 10 for 20 gold
Camels: Camels are actually very similar to horses. They too are imported and brought to China, though instead of being taken from the north, camels come from the West and live wildly very close to the Gobi Desert (which is near Xi Liang). Camels fare much better in hot climates than horses do, but on the other hand they are unable to cope with colder temperatures, something that horses are a bit better at doing. Their stench happens to be highly disliked by horses, making camel riders effective against cavalry in hand to hand combat.
Chariots - 10 for 25 gold
Chariots: Chariots are an anti-infantry and anti-armour weapon, but their weakness is against units that have height advantages against them, such as horsemen, camel mounted troops and soldiers on elephants. To compensate for this weakness, chariots are one of the quickest weapons in the game, and rip through troops, including troops with armour and/or spears, with utter ease. On chariots spears are actually better than swordsmen, so charioteers armed with polearms or bows are a deadly weapon...
Thatch Sheilds - 20 for 15 gold
Thatch Shields: Thatched shields are by far the most basic forms protection you'll have, but it is protection none the less. Used more by desert dwelling peoples than by their winter and humid neighbors, thatched sheilds still were used widely by all factions, just with others placing animal skin over it to add a thin extra layer of defence. Thatched shields, are simply put, woven shields made from wood. They can't stop many heavy - and even some lighter - weapons, but they offer more protection than no shielding what-so-ever.
Leather Armour - 20 for 15 gold
Leather Armour: Essentially a leather jerkin and slightly more armoured pants, leather armour is not the best guard against enemy attacks, but it certainly works much better than the ordinary battle garb that unarmoured troops wear. Leather armour is suited for both very hot and very cold climates, as heavier armour like chain mail or plate mail tends to
Light Chain Mail - 20 for 15 gold
Light Chain Mail: Light chain mail is more protective than the ordinary battle garb that regular troops wear and also stronger and more fit than leather armour, though consequentely it is also heavier and thus makes troops wearing it slower. It is particularly effective for cavalry, but it is not at all suited for very hot or very cold climates no matter what kind of troops wear them, as donning metal armour will cause troops to get exhausted much too easily in arid or freezing environments.
Tier 2 Troops & Items (Capital factory level at 1000 required)
[/size][/b][/u]Troops:
Engineers - 10 for 40 Gold
Engineers - These men simply help construct walls, dig pits, man siege weapons and so forth. They can do all this much better than ordinary militia, but they do not fight that well and are not proficient in using weapons; they fight about as well as militia in battle. Because of this they are cheap, but they are still good units to have to do some non-combat tasks during battles. Militia who work on any of the aforementioned tasks may be upgraded to engineers after a few battles.
Pirates - 10 for 70 Gold
Pirates - Like Marines, Pirates were born to fight on the waves. However, they aren't nearly as honorable as the Marines, and are quire feroicious in battle. They are particularly adept at taking enemy ships, and working as the crews on sea vessels, but they are also decent land soldiers as well. Experienced marines occassionally will advance to become pirates.
Shock Troops/Storm Troops - 10 for 70 Gold
Shock Troops/Storm Troops - Shock Troops and Storm troops are not the same thing, though they are similar units. Both are adept at handling all weapons and fighting on any terrain, though pirates slightly one-up them in river and naval combat. They are basically another form of upgraded marines, and are obtained when veterans like marines in an army particularly distinguish themselves. Very good militia may also become shock or storm troops. The main difference between the two actually lies in their abilities in different kinds of battles. Shock Troops are a unit used by Gao Shun that would historically go into the center of an enemy formation and fight completely surrounded, making them awesome units for defense since they don't break under pressure (even when flanked on all sides). Storm Troops are basically raiders who are better used for attacking.
Amazons/Amazonesses- 10 for 65 gold
Amazons- These are powerful barbarian troops that come in mostly female varieties. They are a specialized costly unit that is good with all throwing and ranged weapons, though weaker with melee ones. Putting them in the rear of the army and just in the army itself is also good for supporting the male units and raising morale anyways, which makes them generally a particularly effective unit.
Items:
Scimitars/Sabers - 10 for 20 Gold
Scimitars/Sabers: Scimitars and sabers are curved blades that are designed to be stronger than ordinary swords, as well as longer and more curved. Armed men with sabers or scimitars will destroy lesser swordsmen, as when they deflect a sword, they can deflect not only blade to blade, but blade to side, effectively eliminating the swords shortcomings. Both weapons are slightly heavier than swords but can still be carried with one hand by militia and other troops, who will need however to rest every now and then when they wield these weapons. Scimitars and sabers come at the same price and are pretty much equally as effective, even though they look slightly different.
Pikes - 10 for 20 Gold
Pikes: Basically, these are spears, with poles that have been strengthed and lengthened, and who's spearheads are bigger, so that they incur more damage. These can be wielded effectively by even the most raw recruits, however they take two hands at almost all times to wield effectively by militia. More professional troops on the other hand can wield them with only one.
Glaives - 10 for 25 Gold
Glaives: Glaives combine the best aspects of pikes and sabers. They are essentially the ultimate cavalry anti-cavalry weapon. Confusing? Basically glaives, when wielded from horseback, can take out any other cavalry units save elephants, with swords or spears. They are also powerful against charioteers as well. When wielded by foot soldiers they are not nearly as effective though, and fall susceptible to cavalry themselves. This, however, is off-setted by the ability of men with glaives against all other foot units from the ground and against elephants.
Heavy Javelin Quivers - 10 for 15 Gold
Heavy Javelin Quivers: These are like their predecessor, however the javelins are strengthened, the quiver holds more Javelins, and when thrown by the right troop, javelins can actually skewer multiple opponents. The last Javelin is actually a modified spear, so that it can be used not only to be thrown, but in melee as well, though it will be as effective as a tier 1 spear. All of the Javelins are bent at an angle which insures they will get stuck in their victims, ripping flesh and making them painful to remove.
Throwing Knives - 10 for 15 Gold
Throwing Knives: Throwing Knives are used by the Nanman in the southwest of China. The most famous character to use them is Zhu Rong from Luo Guanzhong's Romance of the Three Kingdoms. They are excellent weapons for assassins outside of battle or for skirmishers within battle. Though throwing knives do not have a lot of range, dozens can be carried in quivers, on belts, and so forth held by enemy infantry. At close range they are also more accurate, but they may not necessarily penetrate enemy armour and can be guarded against with shields.
Composite Bow- 10 for 20 Gold
Composite Bow: These bows were made to bend, and as such, they have extra power when their arrows are released. Capable of shooting straight through leather and light metal armor, they are thus very destructive, especially when volleyed. They are also very effective bows to be used from horses.
Elephants - 10 for 30 gold
Elephants: White elephants come primarily from Wu Yue, although a few can be seen in the southwest of China. They are hardened beasts that can sometimes be difficult to tame, and even after being tamed it is even more challenging to get them to keep collected in a battle situation. Unlike other mounts, the elephants you buy in this shop can be used without needing a rider, although they are more effective if you have someone on top of them with a pike (spears are too short to use from atop a pachyderm) or a bow. In general elephants are anti-cavalry weapons, since the easily scare off camels and horses alike. They also are tough versus chariots. Their weakness is against horsebowmen and men armed with throwing weapons, troops that, with deftness, can land a spear, throwing axe, knife, whatever right in an elephants' rump, which will cause the poor animals to stampede crazily all over the place, making them susceptible to follow up blows...
Armoured (Kataphractoi) Cavalry - 10 for 25 gold
Armoured Cavalry: Armoured Cavalry essentially are horses with professionally crafted horse armour. Horse armour, being rare, adds a little bit to the price of the cavalry, though the advantages can be easily seen in battle; spear or pikemen will kill closer to a 2 to one rather than 4 to one or even higher ratio when they are up against armoured horses. Other units will be trampled to oblivion in the face of charging knights mounted on armoured horses meanwhile.
Kataphractoi Camels - 10 for 25 gold
Kataphractoi Camels: Kataphractoi Camels are better than ordinary camels because of extra armour that is equipped on them. They do, however, suffer a speed reduction that horses don't necessarily have when armoured. They also tend to do even worse than ordinary camel units outside of areas with hot climates. On the other hand, in warm environments and in warm weather, they become not only the bane of cavalry because of the smell emitting from them which scares off horses, but also are feared by infantry more than regular camel riders.
Embossed Shields - 20 for 20 gold
Embossed Shields: Embossed Shields are finely crafted shields that are usually emblazoned with the crest of a kingdom on them. They are tall like tower shields and are extremely durable and good defensively. They are able to fend off attacks and keep troops protected much better than simple thatched shields.
Battle Robes - 15 for 20 gold
Battle Robes: Battle Robes are made of silk and are can be both light and warm enough to work well in hot or cold climates. They are lighter than plate mail and offer less protection, but battle robes also come with breastplates, caps, shoulder, knee and shin guards and other protection so that troops wearing battle robes are much more guarded than if they wear
Plate Mail - 15 for 20 gold
Plate Mail: Plate Mail is tier 2 heavy armour. It is the most protective armour in the game, but is also the heaviest, and thus troops will have problems in very hot or cold climates wearing it.
Tier 3 Troops & Items (Capital factory level at 2000 required)
[/size][/b][/u]Troops-
Beserkers - 10 for 80 Gold
Beserkers: Beserkers are really not much more disciplined than barbarians, if not less disciplined. But they have better fighting records and thus make for deadly soldiers. They are best kept at the very frontlines of an army as they are foreign mercenaries and thus have a shaky record with loyalty. It is not uncommon for barbarian support troops to join beserker bands after gaining a bit of combat experience.
Imperial Guards - 10 for 90 Gold
Imperial Guards - Skilled infantry, these troops are usually found in prominent positions as guards of a city or gate, though they can often also be recruited and sent to war, for a costly price of course. Imperial Guards are strong, durable men, who's allegiance can't be swayed. They are most useful in Urban situations but are also good on the offense or defense side during sieges.
Items-
Eastern Swords - 10 for 30 Gold
Eastern Swords: Created in the style of the Japanese Katana, these blades were forged through a secret process of folded metal. As such, these are almost unbreakable, and perhaps some of the deadliest blades in the realm. Can Cleave most armor in twain and are quick enough and long enough to cut down men with battleaxes before the axemen can even swing their weapons.
Battleaxes - 10 for 30 Gold
Battleaxes: These weapons, used by famous characters like Xu Huang, are strong as hell, and are terribly feared by charging cavalry. When equipped on cavalry they are even stronger, as they are tough versus enemy infantry too, though still cannot match up with cavalry wielding eastern swords. Requires two hands to use by militia, qiang barbarians and marines, though more professional units can carry them with one.
Composite Longbow - 10 for 30 Gold
Composite Longbow: A machine of great Ranged power. It combines the range of the longbow, with the power of the composite bow, to create one of the most dangerous weapons for ranged combat. With power, speed, and distance on its side, it's only a matter of time before the enemy is nothing but porcupines.
Tier 4 Troops & Items (Capital factory level at 4000 required)
[/size][/b][/u]Zweihander - 10 for 40 Gold
The ULTIMATE sword. This sword is massive and wide, but unfortunately it is extremely awkward when wielded by militia, and practically requires[/u] more professional units to carry it. These swords are similar to the weapon that Guan Ping uses in Dynasty Warriors. It can easily cleave through lower tier cavalry and equal tier infantry armed with halberds alike but troops carrying it, even strong ones, need two hands on it to use it properly.
Halberds - 10 for 40 Gold
Halberds - A devastating weapon that is essentially a mix between a spear and an axe. It has a sharp point that can be used for piercing but also an axe blade that can chop down troops with horizontal slashes as well. They will ultimately destroy just about any enemy cavalry in the game and will also be a match for all tier 3 and below infantry. The Zweihander is really the halberd's only weakness. The halberd can be wielded with one hand by every army unit except for militia.
Enhanced Chu Ko Nu - 10 for 40 Gold
Chu Ko Nu - Chu Ko Nu were fast firing Chinese Crossbows. However, historically innacurate, these versions are spot on with accuracy. Not a good volleying weapon, but when firing in rows, they can be deadly. Loaded with 6 missiles, they fire as fast as the wielder can pull the string back.
Titan - 10 for 50 Gold
Titan Horses - These horses are mastiffs. They easily crush through enemy lines, with extrememely hard hitting hooves, and dense armor. They aren't as fast as basic horses, but with the extra armor, the sacrifice is well worth it. The Horse itself is near unkillable, however the rider is only as armored as you make it.
Notes-
1.) Prices may fluctuate.
2.) Troops and items are not all historically accurate. For a good view of historically accurate Han troops, take a look at the pictures at this site- protein.biochem.queensu.ca/~dlee/San9/maltz/school/special/armor_weapon.htm
I think that rounds up to 1 gold so yeah 1 gold, thats a profit for the banker 
