Early game military info/advice?

[Kostura]

I've gotten down the basics of model design and how to field regular, non-militia troops. Right now I'm being attacked by a minor power called the "Agala Territory" and they're mutants. They have no artillery, vehicles or even MGs, just hordes of mutant militia infantry. I must have killed at least 10,000 of them so far and they're still coming.
I have two questions: Where are they getting all these troops from, and where's their capital? There's a normal minor power to the east of me and they have a capital. But despite having 6 spies embedded in the Agala Territory I can't see any capital settlement, just regular free folk settlements.

[Il_Palazzo]

Some minor power types consist of a number of starting units only, without a capital. These include mutants, nomads, surviving AI, and arachnids (I might be missing one more?).

I've never paid close enough attention to notice whether or not they get to replenish their losses over time. But if you eliminate their units they stay dead and not respawn.

Think of them as adding a bit more variety to the roaming marauders/animals.

Mutants specifically start with hordes of mostly useless troops, so slaughtering them by the thousands is to be expected.

[demiare]

ORIGINAL: seiSetill

After that, you can go anywhere. I dislike rocketry, rpg, and guided rpg. I just haven't been able to use it well yet. Maybe in my next game.

Rocketry is VERY nice thing to have. Sure, 15 machinery for independent brigade is a costly one, but they able to bombard anything in 4 hexs. I love to have 1-2 them in my main strike group to soften enemy before my tanks will strike or hit enemy groups with artillery (=no return fire for rockets). Never tried missiles yet

RPG (or better - bazooka since it's finally available at start) is life-saver against hostile slavers in early game. They have a lot of buggies and even tanks, while you're lacking any serious firepower.

ORIGINAL: Il_Palazzo

Some minor power types consist of a number of starting units only, without a capital. These include mutants, nomads, surviving AI, and arachnids (I might be missing one more?).

Slavers too.

[zgrssd]

ORIGINAL: Kostura

Hello, I started playing Shadow Empire a couple days ago and I'm still trying to overcome the learning curve and figure out the basics. One of my main problems is figuring out how to optimize my military, and deal with the Free Folk Marauder rifleman stacks that spawn near my capital.
They tank my capital's happiness just by being in close proximity. They take over my hexes whenever I try to leave the immediate area, and when I try to eradicate them it takes forever. They entrench themselves in rough terrain, fall back, and it's nearly impossible to wipe them out for good. How do I do it? What should I be looking for in my army composition? Should I be stacking all of my militia into one big blob and throwing it at them?
I've been thinking of focusing on artillery in order to become more powerful in ranged attacks, so I can inflict mass casualties without exposing myself to risk. Is this a good strategy? And how do I produce artillery? In one of my past saves I discovered the model type, and designed an artillery model, but I don't remember seeing it listed in the new formations menu.
Thanks in advance for any information or advice you guys can offer.

- If possible, make a peace deal that faction. Majors will respect each others borders by default. Minors will only do so after a peace deal. Beating them militarily really helps in getting them to consider a peace deal.
- Marrauders only use militia level gear. As a rule of thumb, conventional military models have 2.5 times the combat power. Always try to start with 1 starting army. Once you got a full Brigade, you can slaughter them with minimal losses
- always attack from multiple directions. It is the only counter to entrenchment you got. But only use units under the same HQ - otherwise the bonus is halved.
- try to get automatic weapon and any armor (even Environmental suits) into your units ASAP. Automatic Rifles + Combat Armor is a good goal. Personally I start with Tech Level 4, it helps a lot with that part.
- Artillery is quite ammo hungry, but also somewhat a indespensible part of the infantry force. 1 Indepedant batallion attached to each Brigade is SOP for me. Artillery never increases in damage, but does increase in number of attacks/combat round. Militia also got some artillery mixed in. You get reimbursed for any supplies the Militia uses - you just have to supply the Logistics to move the stuff to them

[Kostura]

I feel stupid for asking this question but how do I separate individual units from a SHQ? I produced an independent regiment of light tanks, they took some losses in battle, then I sent the regiment back to my SHQ to reinforce. They did reinforce, but now they're stuck in the same hex as my SHQ.
When I select the SHQ unit tab nothing shows up, so it doesn't appear that my light tanks have become apart of that unit. But they are stuck in the same hex. I can't even move them a single hex over, it says they're completely out of AP, although their supply consumption is at 100. What's going on? How do I get them out of there?

[Twotribes]

Got fuel? Also if they moved that turn they probably are out of ap.

[Kostura]

They haven't moved that turn. Also wouldn't fuel consumption be counted as supply consumption?

[Twotribes]

No idea.

[Twotribes]

Ohh did you on this turn order the reinforcement?

[Kostura]

No, it was a previous turn. I am running a fuel deficit but I bought some fuel from the market last turn, and the problem persisted. It's possible that it went to something else, other than the tanks. Assuming that fuel consumption is something apart from supply consumption, I won't be able to fully troubleshoot until I fix my ongoing fuel deficit.

EDIT: It was the fuel shortage. I sold off a lot of metal and purchased fuel with the proceeds last turn, and this turn I can move the tanks.