History VideoGame / MountAndBladeIIBannerlord

* EscortMission: The game features a fairly positive example with the Escort Caravan quests: you have to protect a trade caravan as it travels through a few cities. On the bad side, the caravan is usually pretty fragile with only a handful of guards. But it will avoid enemies, take the quickest route to the destination and the reward is usually pretty good especially in the early game.

** At the start of new game, checking via in-game encyclopedia what companions have been generated. If you don't see people that are viable picks, simply restart. This allows to save a lot of time and eventual frustration down the line when you have to train sub-par companion into some important role, rather than having an expert for hire.

** For player character, it's either Intelligence or Social, and preferably just both . They govern the most important skills in the game, and unlike with other stats, you don't want or even need to specialise in a single skill for Intelligence or Social - you want all of them maxed out.

* PlayerExclusiveMechanic: Inverted. Player character is the only one that ''can't'' be a governor. As a result, any perk dedicated to governing towns is virtually useless to player.

* ArtisticLicensePhysics: Running someone over with a horse at top speed does about as much damage to them as punching them despite the vast differences in force.

** Recruiting units from all cultures and of all types. This will allow you to have the best Infantry, Archers, Melee Cavalry, and Archer Cavalry.

** Thrown weapons by default. There is a ''very'' small amount of ammunition you've got, even with bunch of perks that extend it and they aren't some sort of OneHitKill weapon class that would justify it. Meaning you've got slower, weaker and very short-ranged bow with 1-8 "arrows" to it that can be easily dodged or blocked. If you miss - and only then - then you can pick up the used weapon, but that requires hunting for it in the thick of the battle. Taken to extreme with certain spear variants, that make so-so close quarters weapon or ''a single-use'' throw weapon that, if successfully hitting a target, can't be retrived anymore, leaving you empty-handed.

* DifficultButAwesome:
** Horseback archery, both in terms of gameplay and game mechanics. At low level of the Bow skill and without bunch of perks, you are lucky to hit targets at all, especially if as a player you lack practice. Once you get the hang of how archery works and the character being 150+ in Bow skill, each arrow can be turned into a guaranteed kill and enemies being utterly unable to retaliate against the HorseArcher, with the number of arrows being the main limiter.
** Throwing weapons are also tricky -- each bundle contains 3-5 weapons, those embedded into shields and bodies can't be retrieved. That being said, it's possible to pick them up, along with those that the enemy throws, and at high throwing levels, those hit will be sent flying, possibly being killed outright, or, at the very least, having their shields destroyed.

* DifficultButAwesome: Horseback archery, both in terms of gameplay and game mechanics. At low level of the Bow skill and without bunch of perks, you are lucky to hit targets at all, especially if as a player you lack practice. Once you get the hang of how archery works and the character being 150+ in Bow skill, each arrow can be turned into a guaranteed kill and enemies being utterly unable to retaliate against the HorseArcher, with the number of arrows being the main limiter.

* RecruitmentByRescue: Defeat another force, it's possible to recruit those they once held prisoner into yours for free -- until it's time to pay them of course. This is one way to get Militia troops, Peasants, Caravan guards, and Mercenary troops.

* QuantityVsQuality: Both sides of the trope are in play. The sheer numbers of troops, even when low level, can reliably win battles against far superior foes, simply by overwhelming them. On the other hand, high-tier troops, thanks to combination of their skills and equipment, can easily take few low-tier units without risk of getting slain and are often equipped with some ranged weapons, even if not being a dedicated ranger, further decimating enemy ranks before getting into proper combat.

* HomeGuard: The militias of settlements act as this. While they're weaker than units of equal tier (due to wearing clothing instead of armor), they don't demand wages or food in a siege, and will assist the garrison in combat. They're also the only proper defense available to villages, along with untrained villagers.

* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Like in ''Warband'', some nobles are outright jerks, feeling nothing about raiding caravans, and like ''Warband'', honorable lords don't like them very much. This only goes so far, though - even if they are an asshole, if you execute them, even the honorable lords will think less of you. However, they won't be quite as angry as if you'd killed someone less deserving of it. They're still a noble, after all.

* FromNobodyToNightmare: Depending on the route they take, the player can start as an unknown, only to go around looting, raiding, pillaging, attacking everyone, and taking the place over

** Battania: Rangers. The best archers, good polearms and mobiliy offset by bad cavalry and lame javelin-throwing units, making them easy pickings for horse archers or flanking mounted attackers. Best employed at long range and well-defended sides.

** Vlandia: Turtles. The bane of siege attackers, cavalry and small armies with their polyvalent polearms, crossbows and heavy armors, but target practice for groups of archers. Quickly neutralizing enemy archers while the cavalry and infantry get skewered on the pike lines is a must.

** Setting yourself and your companions up so that they have access to both Melee and Range options. Even if they aren't originally good with the chosen weaponry, equipping the Two-Handed Weapon user with a bow and two quivers of arrows will make them have archery as an option. Of course, if they are going sword, shield, and polearm, give them javelins, or better yet, harpoons. After that, the question becomes if they could be on a horse like cavalry thanks to a high Riding skill, or stay on foot like infantry due to a high Athletics skill.
** Setting up a Formation Captain, or two, or more. Depending on the skills they've picked, Companions can apply bonuses to their formations. A Companion on foot with a lot of melee training will help out Infantry, those that know their archery can help out Archers. Those who use melee on a horse help out melee cavalry. An archer that can also ride can help out a cavalry archer group.
** Selecting a Companion to be a Steward, one to be a Medic, one to be a Scout, and one to be an Engineer. If they are already better than the player in these aspects, good, as the player won't have to worry so much. Other skills might make them Formation Captains even.