Household Cavalry (ETW Unit)

Household cavalry are cavalry units available to some European countries in Empire: Total War.

Game Description

Royal guards are elite, but they are also a court regiment where appearance is as important as fighting ability. As gentlemen they are hardly expected to associate with the common sort of soldier, and this does not make them popular or respected with the rest of the army. They are also often unloved by the general populace too, as they are the last line of defence for the royal family, and this may mean that they are sometimes required to turn their swords on their countrymen to put down domestic trouble.

Historically, perhaps the oddest sounding of the various royal guard cavalry regiments were the curiously named horse grenadier guards. Common sense would seem to indicate that these men would only ever get to throw their grenades once, before their horses took off at speed towards all points of the compass! In British service the Household Cavalry regiments did not, and do not, have sergeants: they have a rank “corporal of horse”. The word “sergeant” has the same origins as “servant”, and no gentleman, even a private trooper, is ever a servant.

Overview

Household cavalry are the cream of any cavalry available, simply outclassing almost every other heavy cavalry type in every way, although they have slightly less morale than general's bodyguards. Essentially more numerous, superior, and more expendable general's bodyguards, household cavalry can be counted on for the most dangerous of fighting. On top of this, they serve to inspire nearby units to continue fighting-this is truly a unit to be thrown into the thick of a battle! Household cavalrys' only weaknesses are their expensive recruiting and upkeep costs, and the limited number that may be recruited (6 maximum). In this regard they are closely resemble guards, their infantry counterparts.