Yhea I figure that's why it's more for offensives. I'd need a barrack and lots of extra food for a few days while the sickness passes and the cavan gets set.

But I think even preparing for on offensive whould be interesting. You gotta get everything ready, supplies breed some horses, shells, you may need to account for seasons. All that while still ensuring your home team has what they need and can maintain a defensive should a raid come while your doing all that. That'll be a fun challenge.