This is looking like a good discussion with many people up to participate in it.
I agree with The_Necromancer0 that this deserves a separate topic though, in order to make the subject more distinct amongst other topics.
Here's how I think we should do reorganize categories:
Each unit will have one of the 7 main categories:
-Swordsmen
-Pikemen
-Archer
-Cavalry
-Creature
-Siege
-Support
and in addition they will also gain, if necessary, one of the additional categories of either Elite or Heroic. A couple examples:
Tower Guards: Pikemen and Elite
Shadow Guard: Swordsmen and Heroic
Morgul Archer: Archers and Elite
Royal Guard: Cavalry and Heroic
Drummer Troll: Creature and Elite
ect...
I agree that this categorisation will help distinguishing units that come in groups/battalions of 5 to 20 units. The issue comes with Single units that are stronger than individual units in a battalion, a category under which all arguable fall (except those without attack possibilities like Elven Minstrels or Sorcerers).
However, I believe that
Single units often transgress the boundaries of being Creature, Standard or Elite. The biggest problem is that a regular Mountain Troll starts out as a Standard Creature, compared to the Drummer Troll who is categorised by ET as an Elite Creature due to his price. A Mountain Troll can evolve to an Attack Troll, however, when buying his upgrades, which might classify him as an Elite Creature. Quite a tricky definition thus.
I would suggest that the Creature category is removed and that the secondary categorisation is extended with the Single Unit, since this is clearly what distinguishes these units from battalions and siege weapons.
An example:
Mordor Overseers: Support and Single
Lesser Wraith: Support and Single
Morgul Shadow: Single
Mountain Trolls: Single (and Siege)
Drummer Trolls: (Elite) Single
Mumak: (Elite) Single
Gorthaur's Werewolf: (Elite) Single
Uruk Berserker: Single
Mine Berserker: Single
Ugluk Scout: (Elite) Single
Thrall Master: Support and Single
Wight: Single
Werewolf: (Elite) Single
Elven Minstrel: Support and Single
Ent: (Elite) Single
Ash Ent: (Elite) Single
Beorning: Single
Loremaster: Support and (Elite) Single
Eagle: (Elite) Single
Ram Rider: Support and Single --> Elite Cavalry
Dragon Slayer: Single
Anybody feel free to copy and change this list to your opinion.
I agree that there still is a difference between many Single units and Monsters: it seems a very difficult category all the same. The point that complicates the division is that Single units do compare to each other the way Swordsmen do in terms of strengths and weaknesses: most have great efficiency (which might explain the missclassification as Elite units) whereas others have a proper niche to fill in supporting units. The question is where the limit is on assigning categories to units: should all fall under one or two categories max, or is a third indication more than helpful in many cases?