Guards are a type of elite infantry in Empire: Total War.
Description
The elite foot guards are charged with protecting the persons of the monarch and the royal family.
These troops are equipped in much the same way as line infantrymen, and carry smoothbore muskets as their primary weapons. There, however, the similarities end. Their uniforms are altogether more splendid, marking them out as a superior force, in arrogance if nothing else. This attitude can serve them well in battle, as the guard can hardly be seen to be cutting and running, no matter how hot the enemy fire. They are also expected to do a good job as garrison troops, keeping the royal family safe no matter what the locals might think or be tempted to do by some foolish revolutionary fervour.
Historically, the French Maison du Roi (literally “house of the king”) were the epitome of household troops. They provided a ceremonial guard at every state occasion, and Louis XIV picked them from candidates sent in by each regiment; inappropriate candidates brought punishment on the officers who had sent them! The Prussian “Potsdam Giants” were a quirky household guard, the product of Frederick I’s obsession with very, very tall men and military pomp. Oddly, he wasn’t a very warlike chap at all.
General Information
Guards are the best infantry most Western nations have to offer. Those Western nations that do not have guards have a close equivalent: France and Quebec have the Maison du Roi instead, Prussia have the Life Guard, the United Provinces have Holland Guard, Spain has the Guardias de Infanteria, and Sweden has the Life Guards of Foot.
Guard infantry use Platoon Firing. If Platoon Firing is not researched, they utilize Fire by Rank, instead.
Guards inspire all units near them, giving them better morale. Most guards (including these particular units) may only be recruited by an Absolute Monarchy or a Constitutional Monarchy, and are automatically disbanded if a Republic is declared. Instead, Republican Guard can be trained. For those factions that recruit generic guards, this is of little consequence as guards and republican guards are identical statistically and only differ in appearance; however, certain factions benefit more from having their monarchy-based equivalents.