well how fast can you do it?

i can do itg in about 3/4 turns

of course you can.

I usually do it on turn 0.

Considering it takes over 20000 gold to be able to produce marksmen (just in techs, blacksmith, military academy, and upgrades)...not actually buying any of them...I'm thinking turn 3 is a bit quick. If you have 2 castles to start, and capture 2 goldmines on turn 1, and get a few piles of gold that are laying around, you could theoretically do it by turn 4. But, you would be completely crippled economically and the other players scouts would kill your marksmen off as fast as you could produce them since you would have no other troops except for your starting set. 20000 gold buys a lot of scouts!

Better to follow Mog's advice and build up naturally as it makes sense to do so.
Cheers,
H.

I've fielded knights by turn 7. I can't see being able to field master level troops sooner without tearing down your castle. I also lost that game as one of my neighbors started attacking me at turn 8. The few knights I produced was not an equivalent force for the masses of basic troops being sent against me. In a clan campaign where your castle is protected from the enemy it might be feasible to go for high level troops early. But in a FFA campaign the ballanced build strat is better. If you want to skip a unit type thats is fine but don't rush to get master troops, unless you are in an area where all of your nieghbors are at war, you are bound to wind up facing somebody who has more than enough troops to kill off the few master troops you have.

Yeah I made that mistake already, and believe me it won't happen again! Luckily Toxic_Rat was kind enough to let me keep my second castle and sign a NAP, but that is not going to happen every time. I learned my lesson! (that makes it probably #128 so far...)

u can have any expert unit by turn 5not before...

It did startle the Rat to see such advanced troops so early, but they were simply overwhelmed. I'd like to think that superior tactics made the difference, but lucky moves is more likely.

Or just sheer force of numbers.
H.

you are right. you probably will be defeated quick if you go for the big troops first.

usually before i get the big troops out i build up to about 300/400 swordsmen in 1 barraks and 200/300 scouts in the other