I find it a bit ludicrous that some believe that this game needs academies. Success in battlemaster is often more of a matter of politics than "knowledge" or "skill".
Kiss arse, prove yourself reliable, and see promotion. Align yourself with more powerful and ambitious superiors. Then take part in plots and wreck havoc with the rest of them.
When one becomes Lord, it's a simple matter of trial and error to push buttons and optimize settings. The nuances of battle or region management can be easily read up. After attaining title of Lord you can set your sights on Duke, Banker, Marshal, Judge... if no opportunities exist, you can always conspire to create your own.
It is interesting than Fallangard has a formal initiation program. I'm sure some form of structure could help newbie retention.
