User Guide

61
Military Leaders
(Note: We will be introducing a few terms in
this section that you won’t have seeen yet if you
are reading this manual from cover to cover. Al-
though this will undoubtedly be somewhat confus-
ing, we won’t explain the meaning of them here
since they won’t make much sense unless explained
in the overall context of the way that land and
naval combats are handled by the game engine.
You may want to refer back to this section after
reading the chapter on the Military.)
The combat capabilities of your armies and na-
vies are determined by the type of units you
have, and your current level of land or naval
technology; however, they will usually be far
more effective in battle when commanded by
capable leaders. Europa Universalis III allows
you to recruit four different types of com-
manders:
General: A general is a leader who
specialises in land combat and will
be assigned to command one of
your armies in battle. His fire and
shock capabilities will be added to the attack
and defence capabilities of each of your regi-
ments, making them far more deadly in com-
bat. A general’s manoeuvre rating is not added
to the regiments’ rating. Instead, this is used to
give a movement bonus to the army he com-
mands. A general’s siege rating will give a bo-
nus to his army’s siege capabilities, allowing
them to breach any enemy’s provincial fortifi-
cations more rapidly. You will need to use one
diplomat to recruit a general, and there is a
base cost 100 ducats to hire him, which is sub-
ject to any surcharge resulting from your coun-
try’s inflation value.
Admiral: An admiral is a naval of-
ficer who will command one of
your fleets in battle. His fire and
shock values are added to the attack
and defence capabilities of each of the ships un-
der his command. His manoeuvre rating will
provide extra naval positioning bonuses to his
fleet during combat. This allows the ships to
begin their attack on an enemy fleet a little
sooner, and will improve their ability to target
an enemy vessel. You will need at least 100 duc-
ats and one diplomat to recruit an admiral.
Conquistador: Named after the
famed Spanish explorers of the New
World, a conquistador is the only
type of leader who can command
an army and be ordered to move into a prov-
ince that is terra incognita. No other force may
ever be ordered to enter a land area that is un-
known (obscured from your map by a white
blanket of fog). It will take a conquistador’s
army much longer than normal to enter an un-
known province as he must spend considerable
time mapping it while he moves. In all other
respects, he functions exactly as a regular gen-
eral. You will not be able to recruit a conquista-
dor until your country has adopted the “Quest
for the New World” as one of its national ideas.
You will also need one colonist and at least 100
ducats to hire him.
Explorer: An exporer is the naval
version of a conquistador. Only a
fleet commanded by this type of
leader is able to enter a sea area that
has not yet been charted by your country.
There is also a chance that an explorer may
“discover” and map an unknown land province
as he sails by it, although the chances are slim.
In combat, an explorer functions exactly like a
regular admiral. You will not be able to recruit
an explorer until your country has adopted the
“Quest for the New World” national idea. You
will also need 100 ducats and one colonist.
Recruiting new Leaders
There are four buttons located immediately
below the military tradition information that
allow you to recruit each of the four types of
military leader. As long as the button is a gold
colour, you may click on it to recruit the corre-