The Musket Manufactory is a type of industrial building in Napoleon: Total War.
Description[]
Among other benefits, this large manufactory makes it cheaper to the [sic] recruit infantry units.
Centralising the provision of weapons is a sensible thing to do when raising large armies. Equipping recruits with standardised items standardises weapons drill and unit tactics, and thereby improves the recruitment of military units. While the rank and file make do with government-made weapons, it is usual for officers to purchase their own equipment. Many craft-based armament firms can thrive by making bespoke items for wealthy gentlemen.
Historically, the French Charville and British "Brown Bess" Land Pattern muskets were oustandingly successful designs, and both remained in service for over a century with only minor modifications. This standardisation was a major step forward in tactical and, more importantly, logistical terms. Armies could no longer entirely live off the land: ammunition and powder had to be made and sent to the troops. With standard designs, it also became possible to "cannnibalise" damaged weapons for spare parts, something that was impossible if weapons were locally bought by individual regiments.
General Informations[]
Musket manufactories reduce the training costs of all infantry, even those that don't use guns (such as Cemaat Janissaries). While they can save money, particularly when built in regions that often recruit infantry, in practice building factories instead is a far superior investment: the money made by factories each turn far outweighs the savings gained by musket manufactories, even those that are in regions training as many infantry as possible per turn.
Musket manufactories have niche uses thanks to the increase to recruitment slots they grant. While most major cities can already recruit over half a dozen units at once, making one extra slot seem unimportant, there are cases where one extra slot can make a significant difference. Austria, for example, can train its Hungarian Fusiliers, Hungarian Hussars, and Hungarian Grenadiers effectively 50% faster with the addition of a musket manufactory as Hungary.
The Peninsular Campaign[]
In The Peninsular Campaign, musket manufactories require 900 gold and 6 turns to build.