You both have valid points which makes feel like you are right. One thing I think should be a requirement, in order for one of the armies to count as an army that the general is leading in battle there must be 50%+ of the army there so that one unit of a different army comes and then it causes them to lose the battle.
mmm... I have been thinking about it... you are right, even more... the malus thing is a good idea, but don't work!
If we make 'bad' marshals, what we make of units alone, without armies or marshals?... we put on them a malus even worse than if commanded by a inept marshal? and when we have a little army and a bunch of units? or four units alone, fighting monsters? etc...
The malus thing was good, but it's too complicated, probably too hard to code and almost for sure very easy to find exploits...
We need something much more simple!
Marshals Version 2.0!
We can use the Leadership of Marshals as a 'direct' bonus on the CS's units of his army:
Marshal Leadership / units presents = CS bonus, rounded down (5%) ... (if you want to 'hit' blobs harder, it could be rounded 10%)
A Marshal with 5% Leadership is almost useless, the only way to 'give' a bonus would be to command only ONE unit (himself): 5/1=5% CS bonus
A Marshal with 50% Leadership is a good one: 50 / 10 = 5% bonus, 50 / 5 = 10% bonus, 50 / 2 = 25% bonus, 50 / 1 = 50%!
He could be give a 5% CS bonus up to 10 units, (11 units would get a 0% because the rounding) and a wonderful, but not very usable, 50% if only ONE unit present.
Units without army, or without Marshal, 'work' as usual.
Generals (High Marshals) Version 2.0!
They work the same way than Marshals, but they give their bonus to Marshals Leadership!
General Leadership / Marshals presents = Leadership bonus, rounded down (5%) ... (maybe this is a too big bonus, and it must be 'toned down' a bit?)
So, If a General has a 50% Leadership, and has 2 Marshals with their armies, He would give a 25% Leadership bonus to his 2 Marshals... So, this Marshals would give a bigger CS bonus to their units!
As always, units alone, or armies without Marshals, would receive no bonus.
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I think this way is much more 'usable', easy to code, and much less 'exploitable'... and works as good as the first version.
