This is part 1 of "The State of the Peasantry". It's my raw notes
on what I found when going through every single mainline and UMC
resource looking at the usage of Peasant units.
I'm posting this so others can check my work if they like, but it's
long and boring. If what you care about is the statistical summary
and reduction to which campaigns are actually significant in thinking
about Peasants, skip to Part 2. In Part 3 I will analyze the tactical
role of Peasants in those campaigns.
Part 3 will offer recommendations for the new L0.
First, the mainline campaigns...
6 Player Team Survival:
On turn 2, one Peasant is spawned for each of six teams.
Two Brothers:
1. In "Rooting Out a Mage", some units are IDed as "Peasant"
but are actually Spearmen.
The South Guard:
1. In "Proven By the Sword", Deoran can recruit Peasants, Bowmen,
and Spearmen. Four named units in the city are Peasants, but
would make more sense as Townsmen (they explain that their goal
is to defend the city).
2. In "Vengeance", Deoran can recruit Peasant, Bowman, Spearman, and
Cavalryman units. At campaign start, a Peasant move is faked for
storyline purposes but the unit does not fight. Recruiting Peasants
wouldn't be smart with Bowman and Spearman available.
3. In "A Desperate Errand", Deoran can recruit Peasant, Bowman,
Spearman, and Cavalryman units. It would be very silly for him to
recruit Peasants; this scenario is all about learning to use cavalry.
4. In "Born To The Banner", all Deoran can recruit is Peasants. At
HARD level his supporter Moreth is a Peasant. In the NORMAL variant
he may find a Peasant supporter (Aleron) in a village.
5. In "Into the Depths", Deoran may recruit as follows: Peasant,
Bowman, Spearman, Cavalryman, Elvish Shaman, Elvish Fighter.
6. In "Vale of Tears", Deoran may recruit as follows:
Peasant, Bowman, Spearman, Cavalryman.
7. In "Pebbles In The Flood", Deoran may recruit as follows:
Peasant, Bowman, Spearman, Cavalryman, Footpad, Thug. This is
significant, because it establishes that continuity allows
Deoran (a lawful commander) to recruit chaotics (and thus, presumably
neutrals). Two named peasants appear in Deoran's troops.
8. In "The Tides of War", Deoran may recruit as follows:
Peasant,Bowman,Spearman,Cavalryman,Footpad,Thug.
9. In "Choice In The Fog", Deoran may recruit as follows:
Peasant, Bowman, Spearman, Cavalryman, Elvish Shaman, Elvish Fighter.
10. In "The Long March", Deoran may recruit as follows:
Peasant, Bowman, Spearman, Cavalryman, Thug, Footpad, Poacher.
Eastern Invasion:
1. In "The Drowned Plains", up to 8 Peasants appear at start
in villages being investigated. They're mainly extras.
The Rise Of Wesnoth:
1. In "Clearwater Port", Haldric can recruit as follows:
Bowman, Horseman, Mage, Spearman, Knight, Swordsman, Peasant. However, it
is very clear that his Peasant recruits are actually townsmen.
Three Peasants appear outside Clearwater city labeled "Angry Farmer";
those should remaim Peasants, but their function is merely as extras
to get dramatically slaughtered by the Orcs.
2. In "A Final Spring", Haldric can recruit as follows:
Bowman, Horseman, Mage, Spearman, Knight, Swordsman, Peasant.
Next, UMC content:
3-Player Survival occasionally spawns peasants.
In "Adventure of Soul Keeper", Scenario 2 "A Visit" allows you to
recruit only Peasants. You have some peasant supporters. Thus the
Peasants actually matter here.
In "A New Land", Peasants are essentially construction workers rather
than fighters (the WML to accomplish this is rather elaborate).
In "Angels Fear To Tread", Peasants are named characters in "Gathering
the Brotherhood", but cannot be recruited. The way they're used here is
not sensitive to their combat stats or alignment.
Attack of The Undead: In "Help from the Villagers" and "Test of
Darkness", you can recruit only Peasants or Mages. The Peasants seem
to be basically scenery; the mages are far more combat-effective. In
"The Last Straw", you cabn recruit Mage, Spearman, Bowman, or Peasant;
so again, the ability is basically symbolic for the storyline (and
according to the changelog was added after the fact).
Auction is a multiplayer scenario that spawns Peasants on some teams.
There is a remote potential for a Peasant-swarm strategy here, but
I would be astonished if anbody actually did it.
In "Capturing Mar'Than::Happy Landing", there is a team called
"Peasants", but recruits only Footpad, Poacher, and Thug units.
Some actual peasants appear later but would make more sense as
Townsmen.
"Creep War" is a multiplayer scenario in which some teams spawn
occasional peasants.
In "Descent::Saving Halal", Peasants can be recruited for the Town Guard.
These really want to be Townsmen.
"Defense of the Castle" (DotC), "Defend Your Gobby" (DotG), the modded
version of DoTG, and "Defend Your Knight" (DotK) are multiplayer scenario
in which peasants are a cheap (but unlikely) unit buy.
"Dungeon" seems to be likewise, though I had trouble interpreting the WML.
"Era Of Apprentices" is an MP scenario with a custom Peasant unit.
Slightly lower HP and XP, slightly stronger attack. It's actually
tactically relevant.
"Eternal Kingdom". Peasants appear as extras in EK#4.
"Frezycuss Junks" is a multiplayer scenario in which Peasants appear
pre-positioned as spectators; those should probably be Townsmen.
Peasants also appear as cheap unit buys.
"The Great Race" has the AI recruiting Peasants, apparently as disposable
cannon fodder.
"Human Campaign": 4 scenarios allow Peasant recruitment, but the rest
of the list is all L1 chaotics; the Peasants are extras. Scenario 5,
"Return to Wesnoth", and scenario 6, "The Last Battle", both allow
recruitment of many other units including Spearman and Bowman.
"Invasion" is a multiplayer scenario in which some teams spawn
occasional peasants.
In "Legacy", peasants appear as extras representing rebellious villagers.
If I'm rweading the WML correctly, they don't live long.
In "Liberty", some characters are called Peasants, but are actually
mixed chaotics. They have a few pre-positioned Peasant followers that
appear as cannon fodder, but can't recruit them.
In "Massive Invasion" the AI pregenerates some Peasants. They may
actually be tactically significant in this scenario.
In Northern Rebirth, all you can recruit in the first scenario is a
swarm of peasants. This makes them important. :-)
"Pit" is a multiplayer scenario in which some teams spawn
occasional peasants.
"Rogue RPG" is multiplayer with a Peasant leader and occasional
prepositioned Peasants.
"Rozes's Maps" are multiplayer scenarios in which some teams spawn
occasional peasants.
Two scenarios in "Saving Elensfar" allow recruiting Peasants -- in both
cases along with much more powerful undead. They're storyline symbols.
In "Scepter of Fire::Outriding the Outriders", an AI side recruits
Peasants and Spearmen. They may actually be tactically significant here.
"Secret Wars" is a multiplayer scenario in which some teams spawn
occasional peasants.
SurvivalXtremeAdvanced is a multiplayer scenario in which some teams spawn
occasional peasants.
"Temples of the Nagas" uses pre-positioned Peasantsas (not very effective)
guardians.
"The Barliss" features a variant Peasant unit with leadership ability called
a Nysian Levy.
"The Fall of Trent" uses pre-positioned Peasants as city defenders. These
should clearly be Townsmen.
"Labyrinth Of Champions" uses Peasants as extras.
In "Undead of Light", both of two scenarios have a very large and mixed
recruit list that includes Peasants. I can't imagine they would actually
be any use at all.
"The Unstoppable Legion" has "Rambling Peasants" as extras.
"Town and Gown" allows one AI side to recruit only peasants at some
difficulty levels. They may actually have some tactical significance
here. On the other hand, they should probably be Townsmen.
"Unnatural Winter" is a 4-player scenario in which one side can recruit
only Mages and Peasants. Peasant stats may actually matter here.
"Warmaster: "The Escape" uses Peasants as wimpy guardians,
This ends Part 1.
--
<a href="http://www.catb.org/~esr/";>Eric S. Raymond</a>
Whether the authorities be invaders or merely local tyrants, the
effect of such [gun control] laws is to place the individual at the
mercy of the state, unable to resist.
-- Robert Anson Heinlein, 1949
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